Whiskey in a Teacup

by Reese Witherspoon

  * * *

  21/2 cups milk

  2 tablespoons butter

  1 cup all-purpose flour

  2 cups cornmeal

  2 teaspoons baking powder

  1 teaspoon salt

  2 eggs, slightly beaten

  Vegetable oil for frying

  * * *

  1. In a small saucepan, combine the milk and butter and cook over medium heat until the butter melts.

  2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt.

  3. Stir the hot milk into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula and then fold in the beaten eggs.

  4. Cover the bottom of a cast-iron skillet or griddle with vegetable oil and heat over medium to medium-high heat.

  5. Drop the batter onto the hot surface of the oil to make the hoe cakes into your desired size (just like pancakes). Cook until golden brown on both sides and transfer to a sheet pan set in a warm oven to hold until all the cakes are done. Serve with a relish such as chow-chow (a pickled southern relish) for a savory bite, or drizzle with butter and molasses or sorghum syrup for a sweet taste.

  CHAPTER 16

  The Beauty of Female Friendships

  Loyalty is a real southern tradition, and so is protecting our women. These two virtues came together in a shameful incident I will call the Day of the Donut.

  Here’s what happened: My grandmother was getting on in years. She was probably eighty years old, but she was still mobile and enjoyed going to Kroger every morning to have her coffee and do a little grocery shopping. Some of her friends liked walking around the mall to get exercise, but she’d walk around Kroger. One morning she went to the local store as usual. Walking through the aisles, she came upon a sample tray on which there was a stack of donuts. She picked up a donut from the tray and began happily nibbling on it while she was moseying about.

  Well, the manager of Kroger decided that my grandmother had stolen the donut. Maybe it wasn’t a sample tray after all? Unclear. What is clear is that he got into an intense argument with her over the supposedly illicit donut. And as you may have gathered by now, my grandmother was not to be argued with. She was a very fierce debater. So she gave that manager the what-for. And she arrived home outraged. And so, from that day forward, our entire family was not allowed to go to that particular Kroger. That’s right; because of the disrespect that was shown toward my grandmother on that infamous day of the stolen donut, that Kroger is dead to us.

  Clothing and Bag Swaps

  You know when you clean out your closet and you have all this stuff to get rid of? I believe in donating it to the local thrift store, but I like to use a couple of items as an excuse to throw a white elephant party. The way it works is this: You bring a gift—it could be ridiculous or wonderful—and put it on a table. Then you pick a number, say from 1 to 20 (based on the number of guests), and then whatever number you get is when it’s your turn to pick a gift from the pile. You can keep the item or give it to someone else in exchange for the gift that he or she picked.

  Or you can just do a more informal version where you bring clothes you don’t want anymore, put them in the middle of the table, and take something else you do want. A handbag white elephant sale would be my idea of fun, because you kind of get sick of your bags after a while, and I always seem to covet my friends’ purses. I also have friends who do this with books or their kids’ books and clothes.

  Whatever you’re getting rid of, it’s a fun way to clean your house, hang out with your girlfriends, and get some fun new things to mess up your house with again.

  Bear in mind, I find this whole saga completely hysterical. It’s absurd. Still, to this day, I will not go into that Kroger. I’ll go into any other Kroger, just not that one, the donut one. This is about southern family loyalty. Decades shall pass, and the Witherspoons will never forget the twentieth-century donut insult!

  So I think you know what I’m saying when I tell you I would boycott a Kroger for the women in my life. I’ve maintained friendships with a number of female friends since grammar school. They were incredibly important to me when I was growing up, and they still are. It means the world to me that when I go home to Nashville, everybody who knew me before I had any success treats me the same as always.

  Many of these old friends have lived in places such as Chicago, Dallas, and New York but have subsequently moved back to Nashville. I am really enjoying their stories of what it’s like to return after fifteen years of living in other places. In many ways, Nashville is a different city from the one we grew up in. I see my old friends really enjoying the new attitudes, restaurants, entertainment, and culture. But there are some things that are still the same. For instance, they still put gigantic bows in their daughters’ hair.

  Houseguests

  I love having houseguests. I think it’s really fun. (Well, it’s really fun for three days. Past that, I want to scream—something along the lines of “Take a hike!”) I especially love hosting my family and close friends, because then the kids get good quality time with them. And it makes you closer to other people when you share a roof for a couple of days. Plus, they can babysit! We have friends we met on vacation who come and visit us, probably once a year. It’s great. They’re in the military, and they’re interesting people who travel the world and tell us cool stories about faraway places.

  Houseguests should always offer to help in whatever way they can. If you’re a good cook, offer to cook. If you’re a good cleaner, offer to clean. That offer is really appreciated even if your host won’t let you do anything. When my brother comes and stays with me, I most definitely let him help out. (To be honest, I put him to work, because he’s very handy.) Whenever he’s here, he fixes everything in my house. He will fix my garbage disposal, or he’ll check and make sure all my air-conditioning filters are clean. He’ll ask about something like that, and I’ll say, “Oh, my God. You’re right. I need to do that!” And he’ll say, “Don’t worry, I already went to Home Depot, sister. I handled it.” Gotta love a brother like that!

  He’ll spend half the time he’s out here visiting fixing cars, fixing the house. My son follows him around like I followed my grandfather around, just absorbing every bit of wisdom. Deacon has become so handy thanks to his Uncle John’s Home Depot tutorials.

  No matter how long or short the visit, I find it’s important to plan lots of activities to keep everyone busy and make sure everyone’s out of the house for at least part of every day, so people aren’t on top of one another and going crazy. And if you’re a houseguest, it really helps to let your host know when you’re arriving and when you’re leaving. As a host, you need to know the beginning, middle, and end of a visit.

  Another thing to keep in mind when hosting houseguests is an oldie but goodie: For goodness’ sake, Don’t Talk About Politics! People’s politics don’t always align, and conversations about news topics can turn a lovely brunch into a war zone. When family comes to my house for a visit, we try to keep it about family, levity, children, and enjoying the time with one another. It’s so important to focus on what brings us together and not what could push us apart. The most important thing is that we’re a family and we’ll be together and care for each other, always.

  And it’s been fun to see our friendships evolve from when we were young to today, when we have careers and families. My feeling about friendship is quality over quantity. I have only a few really good friends, but they’re wonderful people whom I trust implicitly. They’re all interesting and have a lot going on in their lives. I’m a busy person, so I need to have busy friends who understand what it means to be busy. I don’t have time for a friend who says, “Where have you been?”

  Because where I’ve been is usually taking care of three children and a husband and a business and a career. My friends get that, and so when we are able to find time together, we can just pick back up as though no time has ever passed. Sometimes when I’m away making a movie, it can mean three months of radio silence. I
miss my friends, and they miss me. But part of friendship at this age is getting used to those absences and appreciating it all the more when we’re able to hang out.

  When I’m in town, I make it a point to see my girlfriends at least once or twice a week. It’s really important to me. We usually hike or do an exercise class. I find you exercise more if you have a buddy holding you to it. I’ll show up for somebody else, but I won’t always show up for myself alone. I have one best friend, Shannon, who I work out with. We hold each other to it. And having company makes it more fun. Although we usually talk so much that I don’t think we burn many calories.

  I love low-key evenings where our kids are running and playing around in the backyard and we just hang out and have a little dinner and catch up. Or a girlfriend and I do Sunday brunch at my house or hers. The kids swim or watch a movie, and we get to have a nice couple of hours to ourselves. Sometimes we even invite our husbands.

  MENU

  a brunch party

  * * *

  Brunch parties are generally more low-key than formal dinners. I love throwing them for a birthday, a baby or bridal shower, or just a we-haven’t-seen-each-other-in-ages girls’ get-together.

  * * *

  Cheese Wafers

  Strawberry Fields Salad

  Finger Sandwiches

  Heather’s Layer Cake

  MAKES ABOUT 4 DOZEN

  Cheese Wafers

  * * *

  One southerner’s cheese straw is another’s cheese biscuit, wafer, or cracker. Whatever you call it, it’s the quintessential southern pre-party nibble from brunch ’til supper. The great thing about this recipe, besides being crazy good, is that a single batch of dough makes plenty for a crowd plus extra to bundle up as favors for departing guests. Store any leftover cheese wafers in an airtight tin for cocktail-hour snacking. The dough freezes well, too.

  * * *

  3 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese

  11/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

  1/2 teaspoon baking powder

  1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

  1 stick butter, softened

  1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

  Pecan halves

  * * *

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

  2. Mix all of the ingredients except pecan halves in a mixing bowl to thoroughly combine.

  3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to about 1/4-inch thickness. Cut the dough with a cutter into 2-inch rounds and arrange on two large baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Gather scraps into a ball and roll and cut one more time.

  4. Arrange dough rounds on the baking sheets, about 1/2 inch apart, and press a pecan half gently into the center of each round. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until they just begin to brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.

  SERVES 6 TO 8

  Strawberry Fields Salad

  * * *

  The Nashville bakery-café Bread & Company serves one of my all-time favorite salads. It’s called “Strawberry Fields.” When I can’t get there to have the real deal, I make a version of it with most of the same ingredients, winging the proportions. Go get theirs if you can, but if you can’t, here’s what you need to do to approximate it at home.

  * * *

  FOR THE SALAD

  1 (7 oz.) package baby spinach

  1 quart strawberries, washed

  1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

  1/4 cup chopped toasted pecans

  FOR THE SESAME VINAIGRETTE DRESSING

  1/3 cup rice vinegar

  1 tablespoon soy sauce

  2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

  2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

  1/4 cup water

  * * *

  TO MAKE THE SALAD

  1. Fill a large bowl with the spinach.

  2. Dice the strawberries and add them to the bowl.

  3. Sprinkle in the blue cheese.

  4. Add a handful of chopped pecans.

  5. Mix up and serve with sesame vinaigrette.

  TO MAKE THE DRESSING

  Whisk all of the ingredients together and serve immediately or store up to 1 month in the refrigerator.

  Finger Sandwiches

  * * *

  My grandmother Dorothea’s cookbook proclaims, “Delicacy is the operative word” when it comes to tea sandwiches. It tells us to use “fine-grained, moist, well-flavored bread that can be spread with softened sweet butter without tearing.” This bread must be sliced wafer-thin. You can keep it moist between damp paper towels. But caution! “Be generous with fillings but not so that the sandwiches ooze.” Got that? Southern-lady ghosts will haunt you if there’s oozing.

  Below are some options for sandwich fillings. I like to make a bunch of each kind and set them in piles with a note about which is which. You can get creative with all kinds of meats and vegetables and cheeses, but these are the most satisfying and most traditional options, in my grandmother’s opinion!

  * * *

  CUCUMBER: Peel and deseed the cucumber, slice it thinly, then soak it in water with salt and sugar for an hour. Drain the slices and put on buttered bread, season with salt and pepper, and cut into rectangles.

  WATERCRESS: No preparation is needed. Just put the cress (American—not English—watercress, the book insists) onto buttered bread. Cut into triangles. Make sure they’re kept cool.

  TOMATO: Peel, seed, thin-slice, and salt tomatoes. Put on buttered white or whole wheat bread.

  CHICKEN: This is a good use for leftover white meat. Put between slices of white or whole wheat bread with plenty of mayo, salt, and pepper.

  HAM: Put thin-sliced ham on bread that has butter on one side, mayo and mustard on the other.

  PIMENTO CHEESE: Pimento cheese is not for everybody, but I find it particularly delicious on Ritz crackers. And it’s surprisingly simple to make. You just mix a block of sharp cheddar, grated, with a couple of ounces each of cream cheese and mayonnaise, and a half or so little jar of pimento, diced, plus salt and pepper to taste.

  MAKES ONE 10-INCH FOUR-LAYER CAKE AND 8 CUPS FROSTING

  Heather’s Layer Cake

  * * *

  For my bridal and baby showers, my friend Heather made this pretty white cake with the lightest cake layers sandwiching airy clouds of whipped cream, topped with fresh flower blossoms. It’s so delicate that it’s best eaten the day it’s made.

  * * *

  FOR THE CAKE

  6 room-temperature large eggs, separated

  31/4 cups sugar, divided

  2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

  2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  1 teaspoon coconut extract

  11/2 teaspoons baking soda

  3/4 cup buttermilk

  3/4 cup canned coconut milk

  2 teaspoons salt

  4 cups sifted cake flour

  FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM FROSTING

  4 cups heavy cream

  1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

  1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

  2 teaspoons coconut extract

  Fresh flower blossoms for garnish

  * * *

  Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and flour two round 3-by-10-inch cake pans.

  TO MAKE THE CAKE

  1. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites in a mixing bowl until soft peaks form. Slowly beat in 1/4 cup of the sugar until the mixture thickens to stiff, glossy peaks. Set aside.

  2. In a separate bowl, cream the butter with the remaining 3 cups of sugar. Add the vanilla and coconut extracts, and, one at a time, add the egg yolks, beating after each addition until blended.

  3. In another bowl, stir the baking soda into the buttermilk and coconut milk and set aside.

  4. Sift together the salt and cake flour and, alternating with the milks, add each to the butter mixture. Fold the egg whites into the batter. Divide the batter between the prepared pans.r />
  5. Bake for 45 minutes or 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean. Run a knife around the edge of each cake and let the cakes cool in the pans on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Invert the cakes on the rack and remove the pans. Let the cakes continue to cool completely before frosting.

  6. Slice each cake horizontally into two layers with a serrated knife to make four layers. Arrange the first layer on a cake stand and top with 2 cups of the frosting, using an offset spatula to spread the frosting just to the cake edges. Repeat with the next 2 layers. For the final layer, spread the remaining frosting on top of the cake. Arrange fresh flower blossoms artfully on the top of the cake.

  TO MAKE THE FROSTING

  Chill a mixing bowl and the beaters of the mixer in the freezer for 5 minutes. Beat the cream on medium-high speed until it begins to thicken. Reduce the speed to medium and slowly beat in the sugar until soft peaks form. Add the vanilla and coconut extracts and beat until the whipped cream holds stiff peaks.

  Tip: Use edible blossoms if you wish; otherwise, be sure to tell your guests that they are just for show.

  CHAPTER 17