Tamera Mowry-Housley - You Should Sit Down for This: A Memoir about Life, Wine, and Cookies

From the dictionary of Tamera Mowry-Housley

T AMERAISM:

A bite-size drop of wisdom that can spark happiness, inspire change, and empower you to live your most delicious life.

If you were to see me on the street, you might think, Didnt I see you in A Christmas Miracle? Or maybe, I used to watch you on Sister, Sister! Wait, you were in Twitches, right? Which twitch are you, by the way?? Well, please know that Ill be happy to talk about all of that! Also know that Ill enjoy our conversation whether we talk about wine, shoes, Christmas, dogs, how old your kids are, or what it was like to work with comedic legends Jacke and Tim Reid. But sitting here, getting ready to write about my life feels different from a chance encounter. Putting the bulk of my life (so far!) down on paper is intimidating. Where does a girl even begin? Would anyone care that I was born two minutes before my sister, making me the older twin? How do I decide which stories to tell? How many tales can I tell from my life as a teen sitcom star in the 90s before things get dull? There is only so much one can say about bucket hats! This process is new to me, and theres no script to follow. Theres no director giving me guidance about what works and what doesnt. Im not doing a scene with another persontheres no back-and-forth to draw energy from. What I have in front of me is this blank page and forty-plus years of memories. Talk about intense! Can I remember the most important bits? Can I tell these stories well enough to do my life and everyone in it justice?

So, before I get into all this, Im going to imagine that you are here with me. Lets just go ahead and make it a picture-perfect Napa Valley day. Can we just decide its spring? Its warm but not hot, and the sun is bright and cheering. I open the door to let you in, and I greet you with a big hug. (Im a hugger.) Im wearing a breezy blue summer dress, and we banter a bit about the glory of springthe world is in bloom! Did you see the lilacs? I lead you through the hallway, which is lined with family photographs, and into the kitchen. The late morning sunshine spills through the windows, lighting up everything. Im glad I made sure the kitchen was spotlessno hiding anything on all these white surfaces in this bright light. The weather might be getting warmer, but I dont consider baking to be just a cold weather activity. It smells good in here, right? There is nothing as welcoming and comforting as the smell of butter, sugar, and chocolate. And isnt it perfect that you arrived just as Im about to pull out the first batch? The timer dings, and I slip on an oven mitt. I pull my signature chocolate chips cookies out of the oven and onto a cooling rack that Ive placed in the middle of the islandwhere we can both reach it easily. By the way, Ive been known to polish off quite a few of these, so consider yourself warned. And I have a few other treats lined up for our afternoon together.

As I prepare the next batch to go in, Ill ask you how you take your coffeeor maybe youre a tea person? It doesnt matter. I am prepared to handle it all.

The cookies are in, the timer is set. Ive brewed a pot of Earl Grey, set out my prettiest teacups, and pushed containers of sugar and cream in your direction. Go aheadplease dont wait for me. Know I am willing to share my recipe if you want it. Pleasesit down and get comfortable. Because Im going to tell you a story about a little Black girl who had big dreams and grand ambitions. She failed plenty, enjoyed many successes, doubted herself, almost quit, shed tears, cried a ton, but learned how to laugh some more through it all. Or at least find the grace in both the highs and lows. Ive certainly had my share of ups and downs, but through the heartache and laughter there were some simple constants that kept me goingdozens of chocolate chip cookies, beautiful glasses of red wine, and a fair amount of cleaning. Now I love baking, but truth be told Im drawn to the simpler, more classic desserts. Weve covered cookies, but Im also partial to a warm slice of apple pie or a piece of perfect banana breadpreferably studded with dark chocolate chips. Satisfying and delicious, and I think theyre the ideal treats to offer a friend while youre just hanging out and having a chat. Then there are those bigger, deeper conversations about the intricacies of life that are best served alongside a little treat with a special ingredient. The special ingredient that adds an extra pop of flavor are my Tameraisms.

Tameraisms are gorgeous bite-size drops of wisdom that have the power to enlighten us, keep us grounded, and occasionally rock us to our core. Tameraisms pack a powerful enough punch to make you think, Whoa, that was something, but they arent going to leave you groggy from too much sweetness either. These little decked-out pockets of truth have been a guiding factor for me, and theyve inspired each of the stories Im going to share with you in these pages.