Not That Fancy: Simple Lessons on Living, Loving, Eating, and Dusting off Your Boots

“If you’re looking to slow down, get back to basics, and just have a heckuva lot of fun, then I think we’re going to have a good time together in these pages,” promises country singer McEntire (Comfort from a Country Quilt) in this entertaining mix of cookbook and memoir. Between recipes, she shares dozens of stories, ranging from the amusing (cutting her signature curly locks in the ’90s) to the heart-wrenching (her mother’s death right before the start of the Covid pandemic). Some dishes draw inspiration from the menu at McEntire’s Oklahoma restaurant, Reba’s Place, including cherry Coke barbecue burgers, fried green tomato slices, and onion and jalapeño haystacks. Others she collects from family and friends, such as her mother’s pimento cheese sandwich, roasted chicken and vegetables from her Reba costar Chris Rich, and white-chocolate cranberry cookies created by her manicurist and friend Nikki Spalaris. Charmingly folksy sidebars offer advice for living a “not that fancy” lifestyle, including how to pick out cowboy boots, how to pray to God (singing and spending time in nature are some of McEntire’s favorite ways), and how to throw an outdoor party (making a one-pot meal and a large pitcher of sangria will help save time). This is a treat for McEntire’s fans. (Oct.)