Review by Booklist Review
An homage to her faith, family, and Oklahoma upbringing, this image-heavy lifestyle guide from country music superstar Reba McEntire is part memoir, part cookbook. McEntire recommends enjoying life to the fullest not by indulging in extravagances but by finding nourishment in the simple pleasures of foods and traditions that reflect heritage. Through anecdotes from her past, she emphasizes the centrality of her Christian faith and the values she absorbed from her parents, especially her mother, who encouraged her to sing. Recipes drawn from her restaurant, Reba's Place, which she opened with a chef from the Choctaw Nation, feature Mexican influences and plenty of red meat (befitting her rancher family past). They are easy to follow and call for recognizable and accessible ingredients (ketchup, steak sauce, a can of pork and beans). Cocktail recipes complement those for foods. Sidebars offer pronunciation guides, the singer's pop culture favorites, spiritual guidance, style suggestions, and more.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
"If you're looking to slow down, get back to basics, and just have a heckuva lot of fun, then I think we're going to have a good time together in these pages," promises country singer McEntire (Comfort from a Country Quilt) in this entertaining mix of cookbook and memoir. Between recipes, she shares dozens of stories, ranging from the amusing (cutting her signature curly locks in the '90s) to the heart-wrenching (her mother's death right before the start of the Covid pandemic). Some dishes draw inspiration from the menu at McEntire's Oklahoma restaurant, Reba's Place, including cherry Coke barbecue burgers, fried green tomato slices, and onion and jalapeño haystacks. Others she collects from family and friends, such as her mother's pimento cheese sandwich, roasted chicken and vegetables from her Reba costar Chris Rich, and white-chocolate cranberry cookies created by her manicurist and friend Nikki Spalaris. Charmingly folksy sidebars offer advice for living a "not that fancy" lifestyle, including how to pick out cowboy boots, how to pray to God (singing and spending time in nature are some of McEntire's favorite ways), and how to throw an outdoor party (making a one-pot meal and a large pitcher of sangria will help save time). This is a treat for McEntire's fans. (Oct.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Lessons for the simple life from the country music star. A longtime resident of Nashville, McEntire (b. 1955) grew up in rural Oklahoma. Following her mother's death at the beginning of the pandemic, she returned to her home state to spend time reconnecting with her family. In this coffee-table book, which contains dozens of full-color photos and sidebars ("Clothes Every Cowgirl Should Own," "Bring the Outside In"), the author reflects on that time, memories of her childhood, and her professional career as a musician, actor, retailer, and restaurateur. Throughout, she also includes numerous recipes, including "wild west" chili, chicken-fried steak, fried green tomatoes, and her "hands-down" personal favorite, pinto beans and cornbread. In addition to music and food, Christian faith is an important theme. "On the ranch," she writes, "we make it a point to put God first, take care of our families, work hard, eat well, and always make time for a good, hearty laugh….Okies know that the secret to a good life is to keep things simple and be thankful for the things the good Lord's given you." In that vein, McEntire shares her favorite religious songs and gives advice about talking to God. She offers lighthearted lifestyle tips, including how to talk like a native Oklahoman or approximate her signature hairstyles. As McEntire notes, she couldn't have achieved her level of success alone. To that end, she presents guidance received from her family and friends, including what she learned from the women who came before her in country music, and she is candid about the difficulties she had to overcome as a female singer. While McEntire's advice is relatable, the text leans heavily toward self-promotion and marketing of her brand, reducing the feel of sincerity. Garth Brooks provides the foreword. Down-home, straightforward guidance that will appeal most to McEntire fans and the HGTV set. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
