“Whiskey in a Teacup” — Book Review

You may know Reese Witherspoon from her movies as an actress and even a producer. What you might not know is that she also wrote a book! Whiskey in a Teacup is Reese Witherspoon’s southern living guide that includes everything you need to know about southern cooking, entertaining, and even how to decorate your home. Here are four takeaways from this book that you must apply to your life!

Be prepared for unannounced guests

In the South, it’s not uncommon for someone to just drop by unannounced. Reese has a killer sweet tea recipe up her sleeve that she always has on hand for when guests drop by. She even gives you her amazing recipe for her grandmother’s Sun Tea that she used to prepare each and every morning. The truth is that we can’t always plan for guests. Sometimes there aren’t going to be times when you can spend an entire day cleaning or even a week. The secret to being “guest ready” is to prepare your home (and your kitchen) just in case you have unexpected guests drop by.

Learn from other people’s mistakes

In her book, she talks about taking notes while at other people’s dinner parties to get ideas for her own. She pays special attention to what makes a really great party, even down to the planning, so that she can improve her own. This concept can be used not only in hosting dinner parties but life in general! You don’t have to be the best at everything you do, in fact, you won’t be. But, if you aren’t particularly skilled or looking for an improvement in different areas of your life, start by looking at other people’s mistakes and what they are doing well and see what you can learn from them.

You don’t have to make every single thing from scratch

Despite her love of all things baking and cooking, not everything Reese makes is from scratch. Her most beloved Mississippi Mud Pie is made with two simple ingredients: Oreos and Cool Whip. It’s easy to get caught up on Pinterest and in talking with other moms about all the homemade goodies they can create. Remember that you don’t have to make EVERYTHING from scratch, and storebought things can be just as satisfying.

Make dinnertime sacred

In Reese’s home, no devices are allowed at the table. Life is crazy busy enough as it is, and keeping the phones away for an hour or even half an hour can be done no matter how busy you are. Keep this time sacred and spend it catching up with friends and family. When planning family dinners or even dinner parties, make it a rule not to allow devices at the table and you’ll be shocked what a difference it will make!

I have always loved Reese Witherspoon as an actress, and now I love her just as much as an author! This book has so many great life lessons and takeaways, and I hope these five tips from Reese Witherspoon will transform your life just like they have for me.