Crisco and Loretta Lynn

Loretta Lynn was a spokeswoman for Crisco in a national advertising campaign that ran from 1984 to 1988.  There were both television and print ads.

The recipe books and cookbooks that feature Loretta Lynn are:

Butter Flavor Crisco - Holiday Favorites brought to you by Loretta Lynn.  8 page magazine insert.

Butter Flavor Crisco - Holiday Favorites brought to you by Loretta Lynn.  24 page booklet that came free with the purchase of one can of Butter Flavor Crisco.

(This list still being updated.)

Crisco Country Favorites:  Loretta and her recipe for Doolittle's Cat-Head Biscuits can be found in Crisco Country Favorites, a 100-page recipe book currently being offered by Crisco and the Country Music Association (CMA).  Loretta's recipe is only one of the many favorite recipes by country music artists contained in the book.   Ordering information for this cookbook can be found at the Crisco website.

Other Loretta Lynn Cookbooks

Loretta Lynn has a new cookbook out, published in the fall of 2004:

You're Cookin' It Country : My Favorite Recipes and Memories. Rutledge Hill Press, 2004, 208 pages.  Hardcover with Dust Jacket.

An Online review:

'In You’re Cookin’ It Country, Loretta Lynn shares over 120 of her favorite recipes. From the dishes her mother cooked as she was growing up to the meals she has prepared for her family over the years. Also included are more than 35 stories relating to food as only Loretta can tell them. These include stories of her “Mommy” going out hunting for rabbit and possum to the more recent story of Jack White of the rock group The White Stripes flying to Nashville to have a dinner of chicken and dumplings with Loretta. There is also the story of her husband to be, Doolittle, buying a pie from her at an auction only to discover that Loretta had mistaken salt for the sugar when she baked it.'

Travelogue - Looking for Butcher Holler

Okay, I'll admit it.  I'm a huge fan of country western singer Loretta Lynn.  And I'm slightly obsessed, though not dangerously so, with curiosity about her life.  I've always been a fan of her music, but this fascination of All Things Loretta was a probably a result of the 1984 film "Coal Miner's Daughter" where Sissy Spacek did such a superb job of being Loretta and bringing Loretta's life, well...., to life.

I drive regularly between Texas and Ohio, with Hurricane Mills, Loretta's dude ranch, being 2 hours short or 2 hours farther, depending upon my destination, of the 12 hours I can drive in one day.  And I'll also confess that I plan my driving trip to coincide with with the hours of operation of the Log Cabin Restaurant (I'm a roadfood junkie, too) that is also located off Exit 143 on Tennessee's I-40.  (The only Exit number I know by heart.)

If it's not too early or late in the day, I take the time to drive through the dude ranch property, visit the museum (it's great!)  and the other places of interest at Hurricane Mills.  Hurricane Mills is beautiful all year round and a peaceful place to spend some time.

In October of 2003 I was on my way north to Ohio and my curiosity was not totally abated after my usual stop at Hurricane Mills.  I had a bit of extra time, and  it occurred to me that I could adjust my route slightly, turning east in Kentucky instead of heading straight north, and I could just go find Butcher Holler.  The trip to her famous homeplace in Kentucky had never materialized on previous visits to Tennessee with friends--I'm evidently the only one I know willing to drive a few miles out of my way to go visit a famous person's house that's not actually on the way to anywhere (unless one lives in eastern Kentucky or West Virginia).

The map showed the shortest route to Van Lear to be through the Daniel Boone National Forest in eastern Kentucky, so after some indecision regarding (1) my amateur driving abilities on ice or snow in the event of an early storm, (2)  the fact that I had never even been near the Appalachian Mountains so had no idea what to expect--would there be a Denny's in case of an emergency?, and (3) would my little car make it up those hills?) off I went.  I was on the tail end of the autumn leaves changing colors, so the leaf peeping kept my mind off the curvy roads and my car's struggles up the hills.

I spent a lot of time driving around Paintsville (read: LOST), not asking directions, before I finally found where I was supposed to go.  Paintsville is bigger than you think--print out directions before you leave home--don't rely on a sketchy memory of what you read on the internet at one time in the distant past.  Naturally, I was in hurry so that I could get there before dark, so naturally it took me longer than I thought.

I eventually found my way to The Old Company Store, where the signs ran out and I was forced to go inside and ask directions (thus revealing myself to be a star mongering tourist).  The woman behind the counter was evidently used to FANS and told me where to go. Her directions went something like: "go .07 miles, at the fork in the road, go left (right?)....then...."  She explained to me that the system for visiting the little cabin depended upon the person having to stop for directions due to the lack of signage, thereby giving them enough time to call up from the store to Herman Webb (Loretta's brother) so he could go over and unlock the place if he wasn't already there.

Locating the fork in the road and turning in the appropriate direction (left? right?) and finding myself on numerous, very narrow (one car's width) unpaved roads (with steep drop-offs to one side), I was at that point seriously doubting my sanity and the wisdom of this entire little side trip.  I eventually arrived at the small cabin in Butcher Holler.  Before Dark.  Just.  By this time, I felt like I had climbed Mount Everest.

Mr. Webb gave me a tour of the house (I was the lone visitor on this particular late afternoon), and he was quite willing to answer any questions that I had.  Not normally being a star mongering tourist, I didn't have many--I let him do most of the talking.  He pointed out the things inside the house that were the same or different from when Loretta lived there, he told me about some of the mementos, and showed me the few changes in the yard and surrounding area.  He told me where the Van Lear mine used to be and looking in that direction, I could immediately visualize Loretta's daddy trudging off to the coal mine every day through the woods.  He stood patiently by so that I could take pictures, thus documenting and being able to prove on down the road, that I had indeed, actually visited Butcher Holler.

The magic of it all was that it looked just like it was supposed to, that Herman Webb was as friendly and kind as could be, and that it was worth every anxiety-ridden minute of the drive.  Few places actually live up to the expectations of my imagination, but this little place in the world did.  By the time I departed, my curiosity was sated,  I was exhausted, and felt little desire to explore further on that particular day, any more of Loretta's life.  And now I can say that I have Been There and Done That, adding Butcher Holler to my growing list of obscure little places that I feel compelled to visit.

I highly recommend the visit if you happen to be in the neighborhood.

View my photographs of Loretta Lynn's Homeplace in Butcher Holler, Van Lear, Kentucky.

P.S.  And it has just occurred to me, after reading through this writing, that I have consistently used Loretta's first name throughout most of this little travelogue, as if she were my personal friend.  That's part of the beauty of Loretta Lynn--although she's never laid eyes on me, she has retained that special something that allows her to seem like just a regular person rather than a huge, impersonal celebrity.

Thanks Loretta!