The Parton sisters’ cookbook
About 10 years ago, Dolly Parton became one of my heroines.
It wasn’t her music, or her movies, or her theme park that brought my salute. No — it was the day I was browsing the West Asheville Library and discovered information about Parton’s contribution to literature and books: the Imagination Library.
Founded in 1995 in her home county of Sevier, Tennessee, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library set out to provide a free book every month to every child from birth to five years whose parents signed onto the program. The foundation’s first book order came to 1,700. Today Imagination Library mails out more than a million books a month, all free of charge, to toddlers and preschoolers both here in the United States and overseas, with more than 200 million total books distributed so far. Her father’s illiteracy was the inspiration for this venture.
Parton has supported Eastern Tennessee and the Smokies, where she was raised, with other gifts of generosity, especially with Dollywood, the theme park that brings more than a $1 billion in revenue to the area and provides thousands of direct and ancillary jobs.
In the wake of Hurricane Helene, Parton donated $1 million to the Mountain Ways Foundation, along with a matching gift from her businesses, to help Tennessee residents rebuild houses destroyed by flooding.
Which brings us to this week’s book: “Good Lookin’ Cookin’: A Year of Meals” (Ten Speed Press, 2024, 272 pages) by Dolly Parton and her sister, Rachel Parton George.
Related Items
Hellbent Hope: Generative writing workshops
An inside look at life in a Christian convent
Of war and peace: novels for Veterans Day
A book of peace in hard times
Whenever Parton walks into her sister’s kitchen, she supposedly sings out a bit of the Hank Williams’ hit, “Say hey, good lookin’, what ya got cookin’?” That line not only gives the title of the book, but tells us both Dolly and Rachel enjoy rustling up a meal. “Good Lookin’ Cookin’” takes special aim at holiday meals, big feasts for Christmas, Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving and more. Here, for example, is the menu for a New Year’s celebration: champagne cocktails, “chicken feed” for hors d’oeuvres, which is a mashup of English muffins, butter and canned chicken breast, country ham and biscuits, the traditional black-eyed peas, turnip greens, skillet cornbread and chocolate pie with meringue.
Many of the other recipes reflect the Parton sisters’ upbringing: fried green tomatoes, chicken, cornbread sticks and corn fritters, ribs. Other more universal dishes include such delights as Mac and Cheese, prime rib with Yorkshire pudding, “Family Favorite Meatloaf” and wings. The desserts follow this same eclectic approach, ranging from “Mama’s Banana Pudding” to coconut cake to strawberry short cake.
Accompanying the recipes for these dishes are short introductions, in which Rachel or Dolly share their affection for a particular food, and lots of helpful sidebar tips. In terms of difficulty in preparation, I’d give the recipes of “Good Lookin’ Cookin’” a medium rating. This is not one of those guides for preparing a meal in under 10 minutes, but at the same time the menus are less complicated than found in some classic cookbooks.
The photographs add much to the book’s pleasure. Naturally, there are lots of pictures of the dishes just before they’re to be served, but fans of Parton will be delighted as well by the shots of the sisters, who truly seem happy in each other’s company. Concluding the book is a photo of the sisters with the photographer and these words: “In memory of Aubrie Pick, who was one of the most talented and beautiful people we’ve ever met, in front of or behind the camera.” Maurice Miner, a country music media and marketing consultant, receives credit for helping write the book.
Of the two sisters, Rachel is the chief chef. In “A Message from Dolly” at the beginning of “Good Lookin’ Cookin’,” Parton describes herself as “a very good cook,” but then adds of Rachel, “she has a true knack for making food look and taste beautiful, and that is truly an art.” Rachel herself says of her culinary artistry, “It’s my hobby and my passion. There is only one thing I enjoy more than reading a good cookbook, and that’s cooking a great meal for people to enjoy.”
Reminiscing about her mother’s talent for cooking, Rachel, the youngest of the 12 Parton children, writes, “She knew how to make anything, even with modest ingredients. We would ask, ‘Mama, how did you make this taste so good?’ She would always smile and say, “I made it with love.’”
And that’s how “Good Lookin’ Cookin’” feels and reads, as if it was made from love.
•••
The holiday season — Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s — is coming up fast. This year, it’s more important than ever to support our local stores and restaurants. If you’re buying gifts for others, please do your best to keep the money in your community. A gift certificate from a restaurant, books bought from a local shop, presents for the holidays and other special occasions: all these purchases will help keep local businesses alive.
Do that, and you’re supporting and helping out your neighbors, your friends, your family and yourself.
(Jeff Minick reviews books and has written four of his own: two novels, “Amanda Bell” and “Dust On Their Wings,” and two works of nonfiction, “Learning As I Go” and “Movies Make the Man.” This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..)
