This article is presented in partnership with Dutch Country General Store.
Though they did not know what 2020 would bring, family dining expert Erica Good and Billboard-charting recording artist Diana Upton-Hill launched a new online cooking show in 2019, Dutch Country Kitchen. Now in its second season, the show is picking up steam during the pandemic. Many have become reacquainted with their kitchens this past year, and they found Erica and Diana’s recipes and know-how through their endeavors to find and try new dishes with their families.
Erica and Diana are real-life friends who host the show, exploring the traditions of cooking simple yet satisfying meals for the family. They share anecdotes and family stories while having fun in the kitchen.
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“Dutch Country Kitchen is a simple show and truly charming, if I can say so” Diana says with a chuckle. “It’s not high-energy or fast-paced. It’s not a contest show that adds stress to viewers’ already harried lives. It’s a show that focuses on providing some great simple recipes to enjoy making yourself.”
Erica and her husband Levi Good also own the Dutch Country General Store in Hannibal, from which she draws inspiration for the time-honored dishes the duo prepares on the show. She and Diana often feature products that can be purchased through the website or at the store, but they also want viewers to be able to easily access ingredients. “Anything you can’t get through our website or in our store, you can easily get through your local grocer,” Diana says.
The Goods bought Dutch Country General Store in 2012, located in rural Davis County, Iowa, then opened the Hannibal location in April 2020. They take pride in offering authentic goods and services—many made in the United States—that inspire a nostalgic experience reminiscent of simpler times. Unique, nostalgic, and handmade product lines include old-fashioned toys, traditional Amish wood furniture, bulk foods, baked items, candy, personal care, and jar goods, among others. Plus, visitors can enjoy free ice cream, popcorn, and coffee while they shop.
Many of the recipes featured on the show come straight from Erica’s family cookbook—Levi’s Southern Sweet Tea, Aunt Lorraine’s Fresh Fruit Salad with Pecans, Supreme Pizza on Cast Iron, and Mom’s Buttermilk Pancakes and Candied Bacon, to name a few that debuted with the 2019 season. The second season, launched in November 2020, premiered with an Oven-baked Herbed Turkey, and the holiday entertaining episode featured a special guest from Piper’s Candy, a local business whose line of candies is carried in the stores and online. Upcoming episodes being released throughout spring 2021 promise Strawberry Shortcake (made in a cast iron pan and paired with a delightful homemade whipped cream), ham seasoned with unique and surprising ingredients, and a hearty and nourishing soup, among other sweet and savory items.
The set for the show’s first two seasons is in the kitchen of a 110-year-old farmhouse, appropriate for creating dishes from a slower simpler time. While the dishes they create have a history, they aren’t always easy if you’re new to cooking. Diana confesses she is not the expert but the entertainer (with a Billboard-charting single and numerous touring and theatre credits to her name). Erica is the one who brings vast knowledge and enviable skills to the kitchen.
Take the homemade soft pretzels featured in season one. “Those were a bit difficult for me to learn the technique of actually creating the pretzel shape,” Diana says, reiterating that Erica is the expert in the kitchen. “I didn’t do a great job on camera, you’ll see in the episode that I fumbled a little bit and it’s fun. That’s part of our show … we want people to see that this is acceptable. You can learn and you can do this, even some of the trickier tasks. We’ll show you how.”
To watch episodes of Dutch Country Kitchen, visit DutchCountryKitchen.com or Dutch Country General Store on YouTube.
