This Year’s New Year Resolution: More Time Around The Table Together! | Tuesday’s Tip of the Day!

If you’re going into 2017 feeling like this is the year you are truly going to make those New Year resolutions count, let me encourage you to add one more to the list: Finding more time to gather around the table together with those that you love!

There are countless studies that speak to the importance of “gathering” in building communities and fostering relationships, but did you know this time spent together is also a great way to stay attuned to how your children are doing at school and amongst their peers offering insight to any issues that can be addressed early on? How your adult friends are doing in relationships, at work and with their families that could potentially be addressed before a bigger issue arises? It’s amazing the power food can play in bringing people together, no matter the table, cuisine or reason at hand.

Regardless of the table, location or cuisine, there are simple ways this can be done. From coffee and a stroll on the beach, hot cocoa at the park, pizza on a sunroof overlooking the Los Angeles skyline below, or ice cream floats at the pier, it doesn’t have to be elaborate or “fussy.” In fact, it’s the simple act of using food as the vehicle in uniting that counts. What you actually eat – or sip – is completely up to you and ultimately, irrelevant to the time spent together, connecting over the conversation at hand.

Another way is through a nightly or weekly routine whether it’s Sunday supper with family and friends or school night supper where your family tightly nestles around one table sharing in the day’s triumphs and tribulations.

Regardless of where your table may be, and whom may be gathering around it, I encourage you to find more opportunities to gather around the table together with those that you love and truly relish in every moment!

For other terrific tips and hundreds of recipes, visit my website (thetabletogether.com). While there, consider “subscribing” and I will send a new tip or blog post directly to your inbox every Tuesday and Wednesday morning!

P.S. Make sure you check out my YouTube channel, The Table Together with Tiffany Lewis, for dozens of videos solely dedicated to bringing all of these fantastic tips and recipes to life!

Cheers to starting a new tradition around The Table Together!

Sincerely,

Tiffany Lewis

Founder and true believer in the power of bringing people around The Table Together!

Stocking the Bar Cart: Celebrating New Years with all the “Fixings"| Tuesday’s Tip of the Day!

Photo by Papereskimo 

When it comes to a festive New Year’s, its important to stock the bar cart with an element of sophistication while not breaking the bank – or countless hours of sleep. Today I offer my top tips for a fully stocked, festive and show stopping bar cart primed for your guests every wish.

Sips:

• To keep things simple, offer a signature cocktail that is pre-mixed and only in need of a shake, stir or few ice cubes to finish. By streamlining the bar cart – remember, less is more – you minimize clutter and spillage all while keeping your costs down. If you would like to take your bar cart to the next level, keep a supply of the basics like prosecco, whiskey, brandy, vodka, and even sparkling cider from which your guests can choose from. While on the subject of sips, consider offering a hot cider or mulled wine for those looking to take off the cold chill from their commute.

Add-Ons:

• Don’t forget tonic water, club soda and freshly squeezed orange juice or grapefruit juice as well! Bitters, cherries, orange peels, simple syrup…consider your options and have fun with it. Heck, pomegranate seeds for your prosecco is another simple and festive way to take ordinary to extraordinary levels.

Glasses:

• Depending on available drinks, have a collection for glasses available for guests to craft their drinks in. Prosecco? Champagne flutes. Old fashioned? Rocks glass. 

Ice:

• Use the right cube for drink. Crushed ice simply won’t do with your scant of brandy – plus it melts faster – in your rocks glass. P.S. don’t forget that ice scoop and bucket!

Napkins:

• Always have cocktail napkins on hand. One way to help adorn the bar cart, is by using festive holiday themed napkins which are both useful and practical.

Festive Accompaniments:

• From festive colored straws, umbrellas, fancy bamboo pics skewered with olives or cherries, or really whatever may suit your fancy, have a collection of stirrers and straws to adorn even the simplest of sips.

Equipment:

• Cocktail shakers, stir sticks, strainers, muddlers, lemon or lime juicers, peelers…don’t forget the details because each and everyone make the difference in your overall success! 

Decorations:

• A small vase of flowers, Glassybaby’s, bowls of gold and silver M&M’ – don’t forget the spoon – and even outlining the bar cart with fresh garland, you immediately take your cart to a whole new level with minimal effort.  

Now that you have a fully stocked bar cart, prepare yourself for an incredible evening as you cheer to 2016 and toast to 2017!

For other terrific tips and hundreds of recipes, visit my website (thetabletogether.com). While there, consider “subscribing” and I will send a new tip or blog post directly to your inbox every Tuesday and Wednesday morning!

P.S. Make sure you check out my YouTube channel, The Table Together with Tiffany Lewis, for dozens of videos solely dedicated to bringing all of these fantastic tips and recipes to life!

Cheers to starting a new tradition around The Table Together!

Sincerely,

Tiffany Lewis

Founder and true believer in the power of bringing people around The Table Together!

Holiday Baking 101: How to Create a Parchment Overhang | Tuesday’s Tip of the Day!

Come that time of year where stockings are hung, trees are adorned with ornaments and carolers are singing songs of holiday cheer and yule tidings, it’s time to dust off our favorite hand-me-down recipes for Grandma’s fudge and peanut brittle. Today, I am going to show you a super simple way to make your holiday bars and candies that much more rewarding with minimal waste and cleanup.

Step one:

Using baking spray, like Pam Baking Spray, line the bottom and sides of your square or rectangular baking dish. Make sure you reach the corners as well! The baking spray will act as “glue” to hold your parchment in place.

Step two:

Using a pencil, trace the width of your baking dish while allowing a 2-inch portion hanging over the side. This is what you will hold on to when you neatly and gently lift the bars from the baking dish. Using scissors, trim the parchment paper making sure it fits perfectly width wise in the pan without any layover, bunching or creases on the side.  If there are creases on the side, the bars will take on that shape as the batter seeps between them using the crease as a mold during the baking process. 

Step three:

Repeat this step going the other way creating, also allowing a 2-inch overhang on either side. Now, both pieces of parchment paper should be overlapping on the bottom and reaching over on all sides.  If the parchment paper keeps rolling inside the pan, turn the parchment paper upside down as sometimes, depending on how the parchment paper was stored or rolled in the container, it naturally wants to keep rolling. In this case, I lay the parchment the opposite way it naturally wants to roll, think turning it inside out against the natural roll from the container it came in. 

Step four:

Add your batter and using an offset spatula, spoon or rubber spatula, smooth the top into an even layer. If the parchment paper keeps folding into the middle, hopefully you caught this under step three, make a crease at the overhang in the hopes the heavy crease will weigh down the sides helping to secure them where they belong.

Step five:

Bake or “set” according to recipe directions.

Step six:

If baking, allow the treats to “set” for 15 minutes before lifting. If you lift to early, and before the baked goods have had a chance to “set”,  they could break or crumble. When ready to lift, take hold of two opposing side’s handles and carefully lift. Transfer to a cutting board and allow to fully cool before cutting into desired size bars. 

For other terrific tips and hundreds of recipes, including numerous utilizing parchment overhang, like my Chocolate Pecan Fudge, Peanut Butterfinger Fudge, or even my Salted Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars,  visit my website (thetabletogether.com). While there, consider “subscribing” and I will send a new tip or blog post directly to your inbox every Tuesday and Wednesday morning! 

P.S. Make sure you check out my YouTube channel, The Table Together with Tiffany Lewis, for dozens of videos, including a tutorial on making the most delicious – and easiest – fudge ever, solely dedicated to bringing all of these fantastic tips and recipes to life! 

Cheers to starting a new tradition around The Table Together!

Sincerely, 

Tiffany Lewis

Founder and true believer in the power of bringing people around The Table Together!

Thanksgiving Grocery Shopping Made Easy with These Simple Steps | Tuesday’s Tip of the Day!

Before you drown a double espresso and brave the grocery story, consider these simple steps to make your trip as smooth – and quick – as possible! A true winning combination come Thanksgiving!

Creating the Space:

• The week leading to Thanksgiving, try to eat through your fridge as best as you can! With all the veggies – and that hefty bird – you need all the real-estate you can get! 

Have a Plan:

• Write a Shopping List: Don’t even think about going to the grocery store without a thorough shopping list! Check your cabinets – as well as expiration dates on those herbs – and account for items you already have replenishing with those that you don’t. Having a plan keeps you focused and on a mission at the store. It also keeps impulse purchases at bay while ensuring all ingredients are accounted for.

Often Forgotten Items:

• Don’t forget cleaning supplies, including sponges and scrubbers as well as detergent for your dishwasher, garbage bags, ziplock bags, to-go containers for leftovers, foil, plastic wrap and of course, cooking twine, meat thermometers, coffee pods for your nespresso including cream and sugar, oil, butter and jam for those steaming rolls, salt and pepper! They often don’t make our shopping list because we are so focused on the food, but boy are they important for the overall success!

Account for the Space:

• Make sure you account for where everything is going to go once home, including that 12 + pound turkey, veggies, wine, dairy, pumpkin pie, whipping cream, etc.  Once you arrive home with your groceries, you should know exactly where the turkey is going and that it is stored safely in consideration of your produce and anything else that has the potential of coming in contact with it.

Write a SMART shopping list:

• Tour Your Store Before Shopping: We all know our grocery stores, and if you don’t already have a relationship with one, I definitely recommend paying your local store a visit before you shop. This way, you can get the lay of the land and build your shopping list according to how the store “bundles” items starting with dry first and perishables last to keep them at their prime. This also gives you a nice foundation as you know exactly where the produce section is, that the wine is in the back left corner, adjacent to the baking aisle and dairy section, for example.  
• Categorize: Write your list according to the order in which you will shop (dry first, perishables and ice cream last), and in bundles. I create an excel sheet with categories: Protein, Dairy, Baking, Dry, Alcohol, Produce, and Home-Goods (Ziplock, foil, soap, etc.). This way, I can shop for everything in that category at one time.
• How to Shop: Shop for dry non-perishable items first and work your way toward produce, dairy, flowers and other “fragile” items last. Also make sure your flour, sugar and other dry items don’t get wet from those leafy greens and make sure you keep the eggs on top. And the Turkey…that should go under the cart on the “rack” or “shelf” all by itself so that it doesn’t have the potential of cross-contaminating with your produce.

Bring a Pen & Highlighter:

•  Essential!!! Cross off your list as you go and highlight those items you may need to come back for or shop elsewhere for.  I find that I shop a few stores around the holidays because I like the stock at Trader Joes, the rolls and cinnamon rolls at Blue Chair Bakery – which travel with me from Balboa Island to Seattle – and proteins and veggies at QFC. 

Bring Shopping Bags:

• Cross-body bags are the best because you can carry more and it doesn’t hurt your hands. Even if you have a few cross-body bags, it frees up your hands for a few more bags, or a double shot espresso!

Dress Appropriately:

• Comfy shoes, sweater if your store is as cold as mine, and a purse that you can wear cross-body so you don’t have to worry about leaving your cart unattended. 

Be Patient! Don’t go shopping if you’re on a tight timetable!

• Rushing through your shopping only causes panic and anxiety which is the key ingredient for purchasing the wrong item or forgetting it all together. Unless you are interested in making a few additional – and unnecessary, should I add – trips to the store, carve away a chunk of time where your shopping list has your full attention.

After Shopping, Head Straight Home:

• Don’t let your greens wilt and turkey defrost in your car! Plan on grocery shopping after all your other errands so you can quickly put things away when home.

Now that you are fully equipped to take on your Thanksgiving shopping, I encourage you to start writing your list today! It’s never too early to plan your Thanksgiving feast!

For other terrific tips and hundreds of recipes, including several classic Thanksgiving recipes like my Ultimate Thanksgiving Turkey, Pumpkin Pie with Gingersnap Crust, Cranberry Relish as well as Cranberry Sauce, and Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows and Pecans, visit my website (thetabletogether.com). While there, consider “subscribing” and I will send a new tip or blog post directly to your inbox every Tuesday and Wednesday morning!

P.S. Make sure you check out my YouTube channel, The Table Together with Tiffany Lewis, for dozens of videos solely dedicated to bringing all of these fantastic tips and recipes to life!

Cheers to starting a new tradition around The Table Together!

Sincerely,

Tiffany Lewis

Founder and true believer in the power of bringing people around The Table Together!