When Jana Kramer moved into her four-bedroom Nashville home in 2014, she immediately changed the walnut stained cabinets in the kitchen. “I was like, ‘This has gotta go!’” the 32-year-old tells Us Weekly. “We whitewashed them. I really like that distressed look.”
The singer, who recently released the single “Circles,” calls her KitchenAid mixer her “favorite” appliance. “I bake chocolate chip cookies. That’s my thing.” She uses the bar’s abundant counter space to cook with her former NFL player husband, Mike Caussin. “He’s on one side preparing meat and I’m on the other chopping veggies,” she says. “There’s room for two butts!” Her daughter, Jolie, 6 months, even has her own drawer in the spacious kitchen: “We moved the dish towels and put her pacifiers and bowls in there.”
The family normally congregates in the dining area for meals: “Now Jolie sits in her big-girl high chair!” The One Tree Hill alum relies on her Baby Brezza, a gift from her shower, to heat Jolie’s formula. She raves, “It’s like a Keurig for milk. It’s so easy!” Some of her other favorite kitchen tools include a “super cheap, amazing” spiralizer that simplifies healthy eating and a keepsake cake cutter for Jolie, which was a gift from one of Kramer’s pals. The star tells Us, “I’ll cut her 1st birthday cake with it and save it to use at her wedding.”
As for the family of three’s usual menu, the “I Got the Boy” singer says, “I’ve been making a lot of casseroles lately. They’re easier when you’re busy with a kid.” Her Jiffy corn jalapeño casserole is also a go-to when entertaining guests. The Heart of the Country actress raves, “Whether with family or friends, there’s never any left at the end of the night!”
Try out Kramer’s recipe below for a crowd-pleasing Southern staple:
Jiffy Corn Jalapeño Casserole
Serves 8
Ingredients:
1 can whole-kernel yellow corn, not drained
1 can cream-style yellow corn
8 oz sour cream
2 eggs, beaten
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 stick butter, melted
3 jalapeños
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, stir together the corn, sour cream, eggs, corn muffin mix, butter and 2 of the jalapeños, finely chopped.
2 Pour the mixture into a large, slightly oiled casserole dish, or ramekins for smaller servings. Bake 55 to 60 minutes. Garnish with the remaining jalapeño, sliced.