Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits by Reese Witherspoon ($13.87)
Award-winning actress, producer, and serial entrepreneur shows off her Southern roots with her book, Whiskey in a Teacup. Inspired by her grandmother Dorothea’s saying that Southern women are “a combination of beauty and strength” like “whiskey in a teacup,” the book not only features recipes like Dorothea’s fried chicken and chedder biscuits, but also anecdotes and tips about the Southern lifestyle. The book includes a step-by-step guide by Witherspoon on how to hot-roller your hair!
I really love this book! It is so, so beautiful. Reese recounts stories from her childhood, of her parents and grandparents, and those closest to her, all mixed in with some really funny anecdotes. Interspersed throughout are menus and recipes, I’ve tried the Summer Squash Casserole and it was SO SO GOOD!!! Also made the Refresher Cocktail (ahem, the alcohol version), also delicious!
There are lots of fun additions, like party playlists, sidebars including a Southern “pronunciation key” (haha!) and even little notes in the recipes that I (an avid cookbook reader) hadn’t heard of before: like an ingenious trick to make perfect biscuits. Who knew?!
If you love Reese’s films, Southern food, a good laugh, beautiful photography, and a to-die-for bright pink spine on your coffee table, then this book is most certainly for you! — Booklover