We shared dessert recipes by three Arkansas foodies with a passion for baking in our December issue. Now, we’re giving you a chance to get to know each a little better through a series of Q&As on our blog.
Abby Turner, A Table Top Affair
Home base: Rogers
Recipes: Peppermint Chocolate Brownie Cookies and Gingerbread Forest Cupcakes
At Home in Arkansas: Tell us about the role food plays in your blog, A Table Top Affair.
Abby Turner: Originally, I was posting pictures of food I liked. You know the saying,”The phone eats first”? That was me. About 18 months ago, I started taking pictures of food I was making. I never went to culinary school or watched a ton of Youtube videos, and I say that so that my audience knows how authentic my food is—it really is as easy as it looks because I am as novice as they come in the kitchen! In October 2018, I started the blog to house recipes for my readers.
My goal is that everyone would find a place at a table with friends and family with some type of food. Doing that causes us to slow down and enjoy company, create memories, and really celebrate relationships. Then, I saw a need to start sharing about how easy Biblical hospitality can be because I feel that our generation has lost the art of a meal at the table. The emphasis on the table stretches throughout God’s love story and, finally, on Jesus’ last night on Earth—what did He do? He sat around a table.
It is so important for us to sit down at the table and partake in a meal with others—but sometimes that can be hard, especially around the holidays. Hard because Pinterest tells us it has to be perfect or Instagram has to know and you feel like it’s not “Instagram-worthy”—but my blog is out there to show you how to spice up your store-bought apps or give a little pizzazz to your desserts! It can be fun, and I hope my readers get that.
AH: Why did you think the two recipes you shared are good for this time of year?
AT: Plainly put, they are easy. Nobody has time for intensive recipes that take hours! We have checklists growing by the minute and then you forget you have a party tonight … what do you do? That is in essence what A Tabletop Affair is. It is a blog about the easy for the busy! These recipes don’t take a ton of time, they are a twist on something that we love—and my favorite part is they do not require perfection.
Follow along with Abby on instagram (@atabletopaffair) and find her recipes and inspiration for easy entertaining at atabletopaffair.com.
