Dolly Parton and Her Casserole

                                                 

She's a country music singer, guitarist, philanthropist, and actress known for pioneering the country-pop crossover.

 

 

But, what you may not know is that she has 

awesome culinary skills too!

Dolly ~ 2019 Grammy's

 

She believes in the power of dreams — and the hard work it takes to make them happen.

 

Maybe I'm a foodie, but what I truly am is a "music junkie" with close to 14,000 songs in my music library.  I love music ~ about any kind:  pop, reggae, rock and roll, jazz, gospel, country ~ anything but hip-hop. Dolly Parton is one of my fave singers.

I admire Dolly because she's folksy, but not afraid to speak her mind, she's self-deprecating and has a quick wit, she's a savvy businesswoman.  Dolly is grace personified, she's smart ~ no dumb blonde ~ as she puts it:  “I'm not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I'm not dumb, and I know I'm not blonde." 

By many accounts, she's probably one of the nicest people around.  She's a blaze of glitter, grit and pure love.

Above all, she's about her music...

 

This is all about Dolly Rebecca Parton, born January 19, 1946, you know her by the high-soprano vibrato twang of her voice, her platinum cascading wigs, her gaudy attire, her chatty friendliness, and her decades-long career in the music industry as a singer and composer.  

 

She holds two Guinness World Records:  Dolly is the only country artist who can say that she has had a Top 20 hit on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart for six consecutive decades.  On the same day, she wrote two of the worlds' most beloved songs, "I Will Always Love You" and "Jolene."  

 

 

 

I love both songs, but then there's "Islands in the Stream" with Kenny Rogers, that's my fave!

 Dolly is also the author of a variety of books, an actress (remember "Nine to Five?").  She plays numerous musical instruments, such as the harp, banjo, drums, guitar, dulcimer, saxophone, fiddle, pennywhistle and more, she also prays and thanks God for another day, and is a great humanitarian...  

 

 

Philanthropy has played a major role in her life, particularly in her home state of Tennessee.

 

On Tuesday, March 2, 2021, Ms. Parton, 75, received a Moderna shot at Vanderbilt Health in Tennessee. “Dolly gets a dose of her own medicine,” she wrote on Twitter.

Back in November, she donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center.  Her contribution, known as the Dolly Parton Covid-19 Research Fund, helped fund the Moderna vaccine research.  

A professor of pathology, microbiology and immunology, Dr. Mark Denison, stated it was Ms. Parton’s money that funded the “critical” early stages of the research.  Dr. Denison said, “Her money helped us develop the test that we used to first show that the Moderna vaccine was giving people a good immune response that would protect them.

 

On March 2nd, Dr. Naji Abumrad of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, administered a dose of the Moderna vaccine to Parton, who was wearing a sweater with shoulder cutouts for the occasion. The two have grown close since 2013 when Dolly was admitted to the ER following a car accident.

Dolly said, “I'm a very proud girl today to know I had anything at all to do with something that’s going to help us through this crazy pandemic.”   

 

And then there's this ~

 

 

Pigeon Forge, TN

Just how many people do you know who own their own theme park?

 

 

 

On to the food...

I was intrigued with this recipe that has been floating around the internet lately and am happy to share it now.  Also, happy to say that it doesn’t list a can of condensed cream of anything soup in the ingredients.  This dish is creamy, cheesy just as it is...

This is Dolly Parton’s recipe.  The country-pop-music mega-star has reiterated many times how she loves cooking and food and sharing recipes.  

 

She has been in the spotlight for the majority of her life, but when she’s not singing on stage or traveling, she still loves being at home and cooking for her husband of 55 years, Carl Dean, and family.

                              

Her cooking philosophy goes, “It’s the food from this Mom and Pop joints that welcome you in as if you’re family.  We really just want food that is lovingly made and joyfully served up.  Around here, that’s what we call Dixie Fixin’s."

However, I doubt if she'd consume more than a bite or two of this casserole --- just judging by the way she looks.  😉

There are satisfying flavors in this dish, some ground meat and some simple vegetables, making for easy preparation and good ol' down-home food that takes us back to our mothers' or grandmothers' table.  

 

 

Begin with a layer of sliced potatoes, add on top a layer of browned ground beef.  I slightly adapted the recipe by adding a half-pound of Italian sausage to the beef, plus a little garlic powder.  

 

 

Top the meat mixture with a layer of sliced onions, and top them with diced tomatoes, or sliced fresh ones.  For the last layer, scatter chunks of green or red peppers.  As you're adding each layer be sure to add seasoning, a little salt and pepper to each layer and then bake it low and slow for 2 hours.  

 

Flavors combine during the baking in a great way for a tasty dinner.  It's nothing fancy, just good ol' down-home food!

 

Kudos to Dolly Parton!

 

Servings: 6

Dolly Parton Casserole

 

This is Dolly Parton’s recipe. The country-music mega-star has reiterated many times how she loves cooking and food and sharing recipes, this is a delicious example!

Prep time: 30 MinCooking time: 2 HourTotal time: 2 H & 30 M

Ingredients

• 3 large, unpeeled potatoes (any type) washed and sliced thin
• 1 lb. extra lean ground beef, browned and crumbled
• 1/2 pound Italian sausage, browned and crumbled*
• 2 large onions, sliced, rings separated
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder*
• 1 (15 ounces) can diced tomatoes
• 1-1/2 green bell peppers, cut into big chunks
• Salt and seasoned pepper, to taste
• Olive oil or melted butter, for drizzling

Method

1. Coat a 9" × 13" glass cake pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Layer, (overlapping) potatoes and drizzle a tablespoon or two of olive oil or melted butter.
3. Add browned beef, separated onions, tomatoes and green peppers.
4. Add seasonings.
5. Cover with foil and bake for 2 hours at 350°
6. Serve with a drizzle of ketchup if you like.

Notes:

*My adapted version: I added a half-pound Italian sausage to the skillet of ground beef, and added garlic powder.

Created using The Recipes Generator

 

Dolly, 1964---18 years old

Dolly, 1955, almost 10 years old

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Enjoy!