Tiffani Thiessen is Leveling Up Leftovers

Actress Tiffani Thiessen, tells us about her latest cookbook Here We Go Again: Recipes and Inspiration to Level Up Your Leftovers, the importance of family and time around the table.

Tattle Magazine: Can you tell us about your inspiration for your latest cookbook, Here We Go Again?

Tiffani Thiessen: I was inspired by my mother. She truly is the Queen of Leftovers. I was raised in a very modest household and she was always stretching food to help their budget. So, when the pandemic hit and we were all sort of forced to stretch our food because we were unclear of how safe it was to be around people and go to the store… it got me thinking about how this is the sort of cookbook I have never seen before. A book truly inspired by leftovers and teaching us how to save and repurpose food.

TM: You quite literally grew up on the screen, what inspired you to shift into the world of cooking and having a love for food?

TT: I have always loved cooking since I was a little girl. Being in the kitchen with the women in my family is where I always wanted to be.

TM: What’s one thing you would like people to take away from your latest book?

TT: I want people to be inspired by what they may have in the fridge and pantry. To think outside their normal recipe rotation. It also teaches you to save on your grocery bill as well as not wasting food which in turn helps the stress we are putting on our planet.

TM: What are two unexpected ingredients you feel go well together?

TT: Some people say it’s weird… but I love this, ice cream and a good extra virgin olive oil.

TM: Out of all the meals you’ve leveled up, what’s your favorite?

TT: Only because it was just made, Thanksgiving Shepards Pie. It truly is one of my all time faves because it takes so many leftovers to make this one incredible dish.

TM: What was one meal you felt you had to get a little more creative with leftovers?

TT: I don’t think anything is too crazy to make something out of. No such thing. Except maybe expired food. Lol

TM: We live in a world where everyone seems to be on the go… how important is family time at/around the table to you?

TT: It truly is one of the most important. I grew up in a family that also felt the same way. It’s our time as a family to unwind and connect together with no distractions of others. We talk about the day ahead or the day we just had.

TM: What’s the one meal that would have your family running to the dinner table?

TT: WOW, hard to pick just one. To name a few it would be pizza, pasta, tacos or enchiladas.

TM: Has your family enjoyed leftovers more now that you have found ways to level them up?

TT: Yes they have. I have even gotten my husband, who HATED leftovers, to love them. He has now seen the light.

TM: Has your family enjoyed leftovers more now that you have found ways to level them up?

TT: Yes they have. I have even gotten my husband, who HATED leftovers, to love them. He has now seen the light.

TM: Cooking with a partner or family can be such an underestimated way to connect and spend time together. Do you have opportunities to cook with your husband and/or children? Do you feel it’s something that helps you connect as a family?

TT: Yes, we love to be in the kitchen together. My kids cook more with me where my husband is our Angel of dishes. (Aka, dishwasher, lol)

TM: A few years back you and your husband wrote and illustrated a children’s book about savoring time together. What inspired you to do that?

TT: It’s a funny story… our son Holt was maybe a year old and I was watching my husband outside with him on the swings. I was witnessing my son jabbering away and my husband was caught up on his phone, like so many of us do, and I had this feeling of, wow… he’s missing this. This moment. This sweet special moment. So, I opened up the door and yelled out, You’re Missing It babe… and boom. My husband had the idea for the book.

Grab your copy of Tiffani Thiessen’s second cookbook, Here We Go Again: Recipes & Inspirations to Level Up Your Leftovers, available now.