What a celebration of her life! Dolly Parton passed away peacefully early yesterday at the age of 80. And from there on, in it’s been ‘all Dolly, all the time’ on every media platform you can think of…
“Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean (née Parton; January 19, 1946 – August 25, 2026) was an American musician, songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman,” Wikipedia tell us, in its trademark concise, precise way. “Dubbed the ‘Queen of Country’, she was one of the most honored country performers in history. Parton received various accolades, including eleven Grammy Awards, three Emmy Awards and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, along with nominations for two Academy Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony Award.”
More than 9 to 5
Though she is remembered by many for her 1980 film début in the hit comedy 9 to 5, Dolly worked much longer hours all her life. And as she said, when honoured for her philanthropic endeavours with the 2022 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy, “I just give from my heart.”
And give, she did. Hundreds of millions of dollars over her 7-decade career, much of it to charities helping children. But she also gave $1 million to help develop one of the COVID-19 vaccines that saved millions of lives during the pandemic. And she was always one of the first in line to help financially when disaster struck.
Financial analysts estimate Dolly’s current net worth at around $650 million, built largely from her music catalog, her acting career, and her stake in the Dollywood theme park. Over her career, she has given away hundreds of millions of dollars through her Imagination Library and various disaster relief funds, meaning her lifetime earnings easily exceeded ten figures had she kept it all.
What ya got cookin’?
One direction in which she directed her energy was food. With her sister, Rachel, Dolly wrote two cookbooks, immort-alizing the traditional food of their home place, the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.
Her first foray into the culinary realm, Dolly’s Dixie Fixin’s (2006) is aptly subtitled: Love, Laughter and Lots of Good Food.
More recently, Dolly teamed up with her sister Rachel on another family-themed cook book, Good Lookin’ Cookin’: A Year of Meals – A Lifetime of Family, Friends and Food.
The title comes from Dolly’s playful hab-it of singing, “Hey, good lookin’! What ya got cookin’?” when she walked in to her sister’s kitchen.
Hallmark recipes include such American classics as Country Ham and Biscuits, Barbecue Spare Ribs, Family Favorite Meatloaf, Slaw of Many Colors, Watermelon Fruit Salad, Mac and Cheese, and Strawberry Shortcake.
Her favourite…
Was Chicken and Dumplings… And her recipe is as simple – yet rich – as her take on life…
What you need
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- 1 3-pound whole stewing hen
- 1 whole peeled yellow onion
- 1/4 cup chopped celery leaves
- 2.5 tsp salt (divided)
- 3/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup milk
- 3 tbsp. vegetable shortening
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
What you do
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- Simmer the chicken: Put the whole chicken, 2 quarts of water, 2 teaspoons of salt, pepper, celery leaves, and the whole onion into a large pot or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, then cover and sim-mer until the meat falls off the bone.
- Shred the meat: Take the chicken out of the pot. Pull the meat off the bones, discard the onion and celery leaves, and set the shredded chicken aside. Leave the savory broth in the pot.
- Make the dough: Mix the flour, baking soda, remaining salt, and shortening until it looks crumbly. Stir in the milk to form a dough.
- Cut the dumplings: Knead the dough lightly, roll it out flat, and cut it into rustic square pieces.
- Combine and cook: Bring your chicken broth back to a boil. Drop in the dough squares and sim-mer covered for 10 minutes. Add the shredded chicken back in to warm through before serving.
My take
Make Dolly’s Chicken and dumplings tonight. To honour a true giant – not only of the entertainment business, but of LIFE!
And be sure to hum ‘Hey, good lookin’!’ on your way to the kitchen…
~ Maggie J.