Kathy Crow cooks up a book, saying, 'I'm dyin' to cook'

DEXTER, Mo. -- One of Dexter's favorite cooks has compiled her most requested recipes into a cookbook of her own.

Kathy Crow is depicted on the book cover standing alongside a casket in her apron with mixing bowl and spatula in hand and with a big smile on her face.

"I always told my children that when I die, they need to bury me in my apron, 'cause I love to cook," she says, laughing, "and so we thought this was a pretty fitting cover."

Crow put together her favorite recipes with a little help from family and friends, and Dexter photographer Amy Ellinghouse posed her at one of the local funeral homes, Rainey-Mathis.

"Never in my life did I think the name 'Kathy Crow' would grace the front of a cookbook. Cooking has, however, been my life," Dexter's own kitchen diva explains. "My time in the kitchen is time well spent and time that has been good for my soul."

Crow's book is as colorful as the author herself, filled with not only the most delectable of her dishes, but also a host of helpful hints and even help with cooking terminology. The term "steep" does not refer to how high a climb might be, and "fold" has nothing to do with the laundry. Add "crimp," "blanch," "dredge" and "Julienne," to the mix, and you have a lesson in knowing your way around a kitchen.

There's also a handy calorie counter in the back of the book with which readers may calculate calories from cereal and waffles to shredded lettuce, salmon and veal cutlets. The book also includes "Quick Fixes" for common problems in the kitchen -- what to do about sticky rice and hands that smell like onion or garlic, for instance.

And sandwiched between the acknowledgments and the author's advice are nearly 100 pages of what made Kathy Crow's culinary skills "something to Crow about." Among the entrees are recipes for dishes such as Redneck Sushi, Ritzy Chicken, Mighty Fine Fried Chicken, Amazing Meatloaf and Rajin' Cajun Quiche. And for dessert -- Milky Way Cake, Old Fashioned Mud Hen Bars, Oreo Bomb Cake, Snickerdoodle Cobbler, $300 Fudge -- and the list goes on. Each recipe is tested, tried and true.

Crow's "Dyin' to Cook" cookbook came about quite by accident. While her kitchen delicacies have been well known in the area for years, she had no intention of putting them in book form. On a whim in the summer of 2014, she posted a photo on Facebook of one of her favorites -- blackberry dumplings -- and included a post, "This will be in my upcoming cookbook."

"I did that without ever thinking I'd be taken seriously," Crow admitted, "but by the end of the day, I had over 200 requests for that book!"

And so the work began, and in late 2014 "Dyin' to Cook" became a reality. All 700 books that were ordered have been sold, and another printing has been ordered.

Crow says she's always loved to create in the kitchen. "I really believe that's where friendships and relationships are born and molded -- around the table," she says in the book's forward.

"I've always liked to please others, and the best way I know to do that is through cooking something that's good to eat," she said.

The cookbook sells for $20. Crow may be reached at 573-624-1470.