This legendary icon speaks about baking cakes, driving through burger joint stalls in a camper van and the true way to a man’s heart (it is not through cooking).

It’s something we’ve all done: We dream up a great idea, but then wake up to realize it’s utter garbage. Dolly Parton is a good example of this.

“Sometimes, I dream a song. It was wonderful in my dream.” Parton explained to HuffPost that he learned many years ago how to roll over and take notes. It was wonderful in my dream, but sometimes I wake up thinking, “What in the world are you thinking?” It’s not good!

She recalled that she dreamed of a song, and was performing it on stage. It was called “If Our Love Were matches, It Never Would Burn.” It was No. 1 in my dream. It was No. 1 on the charts! Then I looked at my notes and realized that it wasn’t as good as I had thought. I decided to go back to bed.

We’d all be happy to listen to Parton’s trash pile. But her bed isn’t the only place she writes songs. She also does it in the kitchen.

She said that songwriting and cooking can sometimes go hand in hand when she’s hungry or writing is something she wants to do. I find that I naturally have creative thoughts while cooking. I keep a notepad on my side so that I can write down ideas as I sing along and hum along in the kitchen. I might think, “Ooh that was a good line,” or “Ooh that was an interesting thought,” or even record a melody with a tape recorder.

When she was asked what song her most popular was, she replied, “It could’ve been any of them!”

Parton agrees with that sentiment. “Cooking is therapeutic, no matter if you’re making cakes or cooking food. I find it gives me a lot more personal time, and allows me to reflect and think while I cook. It’s my favorite spot to be.

Parton just released a line Duncan Hines baked goods to give fans a taste of what she makes in the kitchen. Parton’s “Dolly” frosting and cake mixes will be available on grocery store shelves starting in March. They’ll be adorned with a vintage-style photo of Parton.
Parton stated that everyone loves banana pudding, while talking about her cake recipes. “But the banana pudding cake has all those flavors and it lasts slightly longer.” It doesn’t collapse and is easier to serve than a pudding. Everyone loves coconut cake. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like coconut cake, except if they are allergic to coconut.

Dolly Parton is not one I would challenge, so I made Dolly Parton’s coconut cake for my talk.

After proudly showing her my cake on Zoom, she asked: “Was that good?” Do you have a candle?

I said that I used one pink candle, because I would light my house on fire if it was lit for each year of my old age.

Parton said, “That’s me,” after she had just celebrated her birthday earlier in January. “I only put on one big one anymore.”

She fondly remembers the chocolate cakes her mother used to make for her on her special birthday. Food is also a common love language between her and her husband.

“I love the expression that [a man’s stomach] is his way to his heart. She shared that her husband likes my cooking but also likes to cook. He shared, “I used to travel quite a bit when I was traveling so he had to cook all the meals himself. We don’t have any cooks or people in the house so I do most of my cooking.

You would be wrong to think Parton made her way into her husbands heart with engagement dinner. It’s fine if a man enjoys cooking. But, you need to have more than just your cooking to win a woman’s heart.

Parton suggests that you forget about trying to impress anyone with your baking skills if you are stressed. Parton’s advice to those who find baking stressful is:

“I don’t recommend baking!” Try something else. Enjoy it! Don’t let it stress you out. It’s unlikely that you will enjoy it.

Another way she uses to cope with stress is: She enjoys watching “CSI” or “Forensic Files” with her husband, and then jumping into her camper and driving through the drive-thru to get burgers.
These are the same things that all normal people do.