Cooking in the House of Cash

I have purchased my third cookbook. I got mine, and a friend saw it and loved it. This gave me the idea to give it for a gift. I have done this twice and it has worked well. The cookbook not only has excellent recipes, everything from some wonderful casserole recipes to red-eye gravey, can't beat that. It also has some great little stories to go with the recipes. If you like down home cooking, you will love it.

This is the third Peggy Knight book featuring the Carter/Cash families that I have bought and like the others this does not disappoint. The recipes are wonderful but moreover her sharing her memories of her time with Mother Maybelle Carter and John and June Carter Cash have absolutely endeared her to me. Even though these talented and wonderful people have gone on from this earth, getting to know them beyond their music has made them even more special to all of their fans. Peggy has certainly done that for all of us with her books. I have talked to Peggy personally (though did not know her at all before deciding to call her and thank her for her books) and I feel we would all be very fortunate if she would write more. She was obviously a treasure to Maybelle, John, and June for them to have her so close in their lives for well over 30 years. I hope their children appreciate her efforts in continuing to keep their memories alive beyond their music. Their spirituality, kindness, and generosity to so many outweighs even the incredible music they gifted us with for generations. Thanks Again Peggy! Vicki Soles, Massanutten, Virginia

This book is very warmly written, and absolutely wonderful. The recipes are all tried-and-true family favorites served to the Cashes and their guests, and cooked by either the cook or June Carter Cash. Virtually every recipe is prefaced by a description of when it was usually served, and why it is so special. My one and only complaint is that it just calls for "1 can" or "1 large can" with no hint of the weight. However, the book is so wonderful that that is minor in this instance.

There are some very interesting recipes in this book. You get a real feel for down home cooking. We may be having a Cash Thanksgiving. I draw the line at grits.

"Cooking in the House of Cash" isn't just a cookbook, it's a terrific collection of personal photos and anecdotes that accompany Johnny and June's recipes. Author Peggy Knight spent more than 33 years with the Cash family - as friend, caretaker and cook - and here she shares over 100 recipes that range from Johnny's super-hot chili (excellent!) to the Cash family's typical Thanksgiving dinner. The photos themselves are a feast to the eyes, with full-page color glossies taken both on and off stage. The recipes run the gamut, from Peggy's own famous cornbread to June's fruit salad, and Mother Maybelle's fried chicken to Carrie Cash's meatloaf for two. The Oak Ridge Boys' Duane Allen writes in the foreword that he can't wait to put the cookbook to use, and readers will feel the same (not to mention hungry) after looking through Peggy's book. My own recommendation -- write the recipes down on a postcard first; you won't want June's blackberry jam cake soiling any of the stunning pages.