You're Cookin' It Country

July 19, 2004
Set down in heavily vernacular style—"Daddy's favorite dish was possum. I would get so mad, because I didn't care for possum that well. I loved rabbit. In fact, I had a rabbit the last night I seen Patsy Cline. Squirrel's one of my favorites, too"—Lynn's memories rival her recipes for rustic style. The 150 dishes in this folksy scrapbook lean heavily on ingredients like flour and fat, including breakfast foods like Cat Head Biscuits (made with shortening), Country Sausage Gravy (made by stirring flour and milk into sausage drippings), Hominy Grits (a yummy blend of grits, cheddar cheese, eggs, butter and spices) and traditional Appalachian concoctions like Scotch Eggs, which calls for "bulk pork sausage." Main dishes include backcountry favorites like Country Fried Venison and Kentucky Frog Legs, while desserts run from Gooey Cake and Lemon Whippersnappers to varieties of fudge. Lynn's brief, homespun remarks about husband Doo's family and her Nashville contemporaries (among them Johnny and June Carter Cash and Crystal Gayle) may be a bigger attraction, although they aren't too substantial: e.g., "Tammy Wynette loved to eat, too. Me and Tammy cooked for each other a bunch." Still, country music fans who appreciate the author's music and don't count cholesterol or calories will find this a treat. Photos.

September 1, 2004
This has been an incredible year for the legendary country music star, with a stunning comeback album and now this delightful collection of family stories and recipes. Featured here are all the major figures in Lynn's life (first introduced in her memoir Coal Miner's Daughter), including her husband, Doo; her family in Kentucky; and lots of celebrities (e.g., Patsy Cline, Tammy Wynette, and Johnny Cash). Lynn's famously bad first attempt at making chocolate pie (depicted in the movie) is recounted in her own charming way. The recipes are mostly for everyday food, and you'll find many of the same dishes in every church cookbook in the United States (with the possible exception of Kentucky Frog Legs), but that's part of the story. Lynn's just a regular mountain gal who happened to have an amazing career in show business and has lots of funny stories to tell. This little gem will be a big hit with her fans, both old and new. Highly recommended.--Julie James, Forsyth Cty. P.L., NC

Copyright 2004 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.