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Photo: Emily Dorio
When you read Miranda Lambert’s first book,Y’All Eat Yet? Welcome to the Pretty B*tchin Kitchen, don’t be surprised if you feel like you’re a big part of the country star’s family. That’s because the book is filled not only with recipes but also with family stories from the group of women who raised the three-time Grammy winner.
“I haven’t gotten to talk to that many people who have read it, so thank you for saying that,” says the 39-year-old singer, songwriter and guitarist. “This whole book was about friendship and hospitality. It’s all about a group of women that stick together through thick and thin.”
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In fact, Lambert, the reigning Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year, says it was during mealtime where every great memory was forged.
“My memories revolve around cooking and cleaning and eating together,” she says. “That’s why I wanted to put this book together with recipes and stories. The ladies in this book were so influential in my becoming a woman. I’m thankful to share this journey with them.”
She also wanted to write a cookbook that wouldn’t be intimidating.
“It’s not scary, and the recipes aren’t hard,” she says. “That’s kind of like the way I entertain. I always say: Your china doesn’t always have to match!”
Turns out, Lambert’s cookbook was three years in the making and began to take shape during a pandemic activity she did with her friends.
“Every week my friends' husbands would pick an ingredient, and we would have to make something with five ingredients without Googling a recipe,” she says, adding that one recipe made during that time made it into the book—her friend Heidi’s enchilada casserole. “It was my manager who said this was bigger than a Shutterfly book of recipes among friends.”
Easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Among Lambert’s favorite recipes: her Nonny’s Tuna Salad, made all the more unusual thanks to the addition of Honeycrisp apples, now a no-longer-secret ingredient.
Nonny’s Tuna Salad
In the book, Lambert reflects often about her parents and how they grew and hunted for their own food.
“When I was growing up, we didn’t have a lot of money, and it’s hard to eat healthy when you don’t have a lot of money because food is expensive,” she says. “My dad was a hunter, my mom grew lots in our garden, and my brother and I planted a lot of things from seed.”
Cultivating agardenis definitely one tradition she has kept alive.
“I have a garden on my farm outside Nashville,” she says, adding that she loves growing peppers, onions, corn and “tons” of herbs and flowers. “It makes you feel good to know where your food comes from.”
She also admits that she loves talking about food.
As for breakfast, Lambert starts her day with eggs (her preference: a “good old fried egg”), says she wouldn’t be able to live without tacos (“It’s the Texas in me,” she says. “I love a good crispy ground beef taco!") and reaches for nuts as a go-to snack, especially when she’s on the road.
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“Having mixed nuts gives me a boost of protein and a salty boost, too,” she says. “Avocados are also a big part of my diet when I’m touring. I love a good guacamole. I’m from Texas!”
Ultimately, for Lambert, eating well means two things.
“I feel like it’s always fun to indulge, but when you’re a busy person and you take good care of your body you’re able to do so much more that’s fun,” she says adding that she loves walking with her husband and dogs (she has five rescue dogs) because it’s one of the best ways to decompress from her busy schedule. “What you put in is what you get out!”
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