These three country music stars are sharing recipes from their cookbooks that reflect the home-cooked love we’re all feeling this Mother’s Day.
Everyone’s got that special recipe that reminds them of a mother’s love. This Mother’s Day, we asked Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert, and John Carter Cash to share a recipe from their respective cookbooks inspired by their mothers. Bake along with these country music legends this Mother’s Day.
Reba McEntire And Mama’s Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
From Reba McEntire’s 2023 book Not That Fancy: Simple Lessons on Living, Loving, Eating, and Dusting Off Your Boots (order here).
We were moved by Reba McEntire’s recent acceptance speech at the Western Heritage Awards – moved, but not surprised. We’ve heard her wrap a crowd around her little finger many times. Do us a favor and listen to Reba, the author, read the introduction to last year’s entertaining and insightful coffee-table book, Not That Fancy.
Now, wipe that dust out of your eyes and check out a recipe Reba shares in the book, from her late mother, Jacqueline. Make this scrumptious cake in honor of your own mom this weekend.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Kris D’Amico
Mama’s Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Serves 8
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
TOPPING
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter
½ cup brown sugar, packed
1 (8-oz) can pineapple rings, drained and patted dry
CAKE
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
⅓ cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
⅓ cup sour cream
⅓ cup whole milk
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- To make the topping, set a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat and add the butter. Once melted, add the brown sugar. Stir steadily until the sugar is dissolved. Remove the skillet from the heat.
- Slice all but 1 pineapple ring in half. Arrange the pineapple in the skillet on top of the butter and sugar mixture, starting with the whole ring in the center and building the half-rings around it.
- To make the cake, place the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
- In a separate bowl, place the melted butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and sour cream. Whisk until smooth and combined.
- Create a well in the center of the flour mixture. Pour in the wet mixture. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. When the batter starts to come together, pour in the milk. Continue mixing until the batter is smooth.
- Pour the batter into the skillet over the pineapple rings. Gently smooth the top with a rubber spatula so it's even. Transfer the skillet to the middle rack of the oven.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Remove the skillet from the oven. A llow the cake to rest for 15 minutes-no more, no less, or the topping will stick!
- Hold a serving plate facedown over the skillet, then swiftly flip the skillet to invert the cake on the plate. Allow the cake to cool completely before serving.
Taken from Not That Fancy: Simple Lessons on Living, Loving, Eating, and Dusting Off Your Boots by Reba McEntire. Copyright © 2023 by Reba McEntire. Used by permission of Harper Celebrate. www.harpercollinsfocus.com/harper-celebrate/
Miranda Lambert And Bev’s Famous Meatloaf
In April 2023, country superstar Miranda Lambert released her first-ever cookbook titled Y’all Eat Yet? The 280-plus-page cookbook is filled with Texas comfort food staples such as green bean casserole, jalapeno cornbread, potato salad, and a variation of casseroles. But the cookbook is filled with more than just how-to recipes, it includes moving stories about Lambert’s small-town upbringing surrounded by good food and good fellowship thanks to her mother, grandmother, and their female friends.
The star of the cookbook is Lambert’s mother’s famous meatloaf — complete with plenty of crackers, ketchup, and love. The “Loaf” is so good, it has become notorious for securing marriage proposals for those who make it. Don't believe us? Give this country music star’s "Loaf" a whirl this Mother’s Day.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Courtesy of Y'all Eat Yet?, HarperCollins Publishers
The Loaf: Bev’s Famous Meatloaf
Serves 6 to 8
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 pound ground pork sausage
18 saltine crackers, crushed
½ green bell pepper, chopped
½ yellow onion, finely chopped
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon mustard
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
½ cup ketchup
2 tablespoons flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Use a 11 x 7-inch baking dish.
- Add the ground beef, sausage, crackers, bell pepper, onion, eggs, Worcestershire, mustard, and ¼ cup of the brown sugar to a medium bowl. Mix with your hands until blended. Shape the mixture into a 10 x 5-inch loaf and place in the baking dish.
- Bake for one hour. Remove from the oven; drain the juices into a separate bowl and reserve for the gravy. In a bowl, stir together the ketchup and the remaining ¼ cup brown sugar for the glaze. Reserve 2 to 3 tablespoons of the glaze for the gravy. Spread the rest over the meatloaf. Bake for 15 minutes more, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest portion registers 160°F. Pour the drained meat juices into a saucepan and heat until hot. Add the flour and stir until thickened. Mix 1 ½ cups of hot water into the reserved glaze and add it to the saucepan. Cook until it starts to bubble. Remove from the heat and generously season with salt and pepper.
- Remove the loaf from the oven and let stand for 20 minutes. Then serve directly from the casserole dish, alongside your favorite mashed potatoes topped with the gravy.
John Carter Cash And June’s Heavenly Hash
Food is a blessing. As John Carter Cash writes in The Cash and Carter Family Cookbook: Recipes and Recollections From Johnny and June’s Table, his family, beginning with his grandparents Ray and Carrie Cash, knew this well. “Through it all, there were two things that remained steadfast. One was the family’s faith in God, the other was suppertime. … But no matter the food upon the table, no time was more important than the daily gatherings at suppertime.”
John Carter Cash’s family cookbook is a touching collection of dishes and tales including tomato gravy from Cash’s grandmother, the “Queen of Country” Maybelle Carter, June Carter Cash’s “stuff,” June’s beef and barley soup, Aunt Fern’s apple dew cobbler, and pinto beans and ham hocks from the Man in Black himself. The belle of the ball, of course, is June’s Heavenly Hash — a divine dessert that perfectly encapsulates the mother’s loving touch. Celebrate Mother’s Day with the country music queen’s favorite dessert.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Tambi Lane Photography
June’s Heavenly Hash With Fresh Berry Compote
Serves 4 to 6
INGREDIENTS
½ cup halved maraschino cherries, plus more whole cherries for garnish
½ cup whipped cream, plus more for topping (Mom used Cool Whip, but you could use canned whipped cream or fresh whipped cream)
1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
½ cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 cup small marshmallows
Shortbread cookies (like Walker’s), 2 per serving
Fresh berry compote, for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large bowl, mix together the cherries, whipped cream, pineapple, coconut, and marshmallows. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Place 2 shortbread cookies on each dessert plate. Cover them with the cherry mixture, and spoon on the Fresh Berry Compote and a bit more whipped cream. Top all with a maraschino cherry.
Recipes reprinted and adapted from The Cash and Carter Family Cookbook: Recipes and Recollections From Johnny and June’s Table by John Carter Cash © 2018 Cash Cabin Enterprises, LLC. Photographs by Tambi Lane Photography. Food styling by Donna Britt. Published by Nelson Books, an imprint Thomas Nelson.
Share your favorite Mother's Day dish with us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and TikTok.
