Dolly Parton and Rachel Parton George on Their New Cookbook and the Proper Way to Eat Mac and Cheese

Hint: Dolly doesn’t need a fork OR a spoon!

Last year, Dolly Parton spent her Thanksgiving performing some of her greatest hits during the halftime show at the Dallas Cowboys game. This year, it seems like things might be a little more low-key: “We’re gonna be cookin' all the stuff and watching the Dallas Cowboys on TV!” Dolly recently told REAL SIMPLE during a special, exclusive interview.

That’s right, an exclusive interview! We spent some time with Dolly and her youngest sister, Rachel Parton George, while they were promoting their new cookbook, Good Lookin’ Cookin ’ , which includes special glimpses into their revered family and more than 80 recipes. (They even gave us their easy-yet-delicious Sweet Potato Casserole recipe !) What’d we talk about? Their holiday menu (sage dressing for sure!) and hosting hacks (start at least a day or two in advance! write lots of notes to yourself!), the ideal time to serve Thanksgiving dinner (4 p.m.), the appeal of a cast iron skillet (“You can fry, you can cook…” Dolly says), and so much more.

What Dolly and Rachel Are Thankful for This Year

We started by asking what they’re most thankful for this year: “We’re so thankful for our family, and we’re thankful for our new cookbook, which we can finally share with everybody else’s family,” Dolly said. And we are feeling thankful that we get to add their family's favorite dishes to our families' holiday meals this year.

Some Controversial Questions

Later in the convo, just for fun, we asked them some low-stakes controversies, like what's the proper way to eat mac and cheese: with a fork or a spoon? “I don’t need either ‘cause I got these,” Dolly said while pinching her long bedazzled nails together like a crab.

We predicted how they'd answer (considering the cookbook and all), but we asked them if it's OK to share family recipes. "We love to share," said Rachel. "If we have a recipe and people say it's good, we want to share that with everyone." Dolly piled on, adding that everyone in the family tries to make claim to certain dishes, with someone saying they make the best chicken and dumplings and someone else saying they make the best roast. So when the family gets together, everyone brings their iconic dish for the sharing.

What's the best ingredient? Rachel said it's butter: "I just can't get enough." Dolly nominated salt: "I've gotta have salt. Even if it ain't good for ya, I've still gotta have it." After agreeing with each other, the sisters landed on salted butter as the obvious winner.

Surprisingly, we learned that Dolly is the type to leave dirty dishes in the sink—overnight! And they both voted for cranberry sauce from a can over the fresh stuff: “It’s just what we grew up with,” Rachel said, before admitting that she’ll sometimes melt it and add fresh cranberries to it. Would they rather wash or dry the dishes ? Rachel would rather dry them, while Dolly said “Neither.” Rachel laughed and said, “That’s right, you always have to go write a song…” Hmm, maybe that excuse will work for us too?

Credits

• Talent: Dolly Parton and Rachel Parton George
• Photography: Jim Wright
• Videography: Noz Entertainment , Rebecca Guthrie, Mike Cunliffe
• Production: Laura Ellefson, Victoria Heydt, Lindsey Hayes, Ashley Kappel, Melissa Knific, Ariel Knutson, Jason Sheeler
• Wardrobe Design: Steve Summers
• Hair Stylist and Makeup Artist (for Dolly): Cheryl Riddle
• Hair Stylist and Makeup Artist (for Rachel): Jessica Candage
• Prop Stylist: Vance Nichols
• Location: Noz Entertainment

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