Did ya’ll listen to the new episode of Your Last Meal? If ya did, you'll understand why I'm suddenly saying y'all and droppin' my g's!
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Hannah Dasher is a country music star and author of the new cookbook, Stand By Your Pan: 100 Easy & Affordable Comfort Food Recipes So Good They’ll Hurt People’s Feelin’s. The only thing bigger than Hannah’s hair is her personality: She's equal parts Southern charm and Southern sass, and she pronounces my name just like Paula Deen did when I had her on the show in 2017: RAYYYchulll!
Hannah’s Nashville home is a 1970s time capsule: she’s got an avocado green stove, an avocado green rotary phone mounted to her wood-paneled walls and a collection of vintage Tupperware that your Aunt Pam probably sold her Aunt Priscilla at a living room party back in 1975. It’s Tupperware’s 80th anniversary, so I interviewed an NPR business reporter and a Tupperware executive about the company’s fascinating history. Ever heard of Brownie Wise? Probably not. She invented the Tupperware party, quadrupled Tupperware’s sales, was one of the country’s first female executives, is responsible for thousands of women joining the workforce and then *poof* was completely erased from Tupperware history. Why? You’ll have to listen to the podcast to find out!
When it comes to cooking, Hannah embraces highs and lows. She insists on homemade whipped cream, turning up her nose at the Cool Whip often called for in the church cookbook-style desserts she makes, but keeps a cupboard full of Crisco. She stocks her freezer with from-scratch cream of mushroom soup and homemade beef, ham and chicken stock (on any given day, you might find a handful of stock-bound chicken or rib bones in her purse, wrapped in a napkin, left over from a restaurant meal) but also believes you can mix instant pistachio pudding with mini marshmallows and crushed pineapple and call it a salad.
The last recipe in Stand By Your Pan is Naomi’s Possum Pie, a tribute to the late Naomi Judd, whom Hannah met on a red carpet just weeks before she passed. To Hannah’s great relief, Naomi’s Possum Pie contains approximately zero possums. It's a creamy, chocolate pudding pie from Arkansas, its many layers “hidden” under a big poof of whipped cream, which is apparently like a possum playing dead. (I just Googled “How does a possum play dead?” and I’ll tell you one thing – it is not anywhere near as charming as what this pie is leading us to believe!)
Hannah very kindly shared the recipe, and I recommend making it while listening to her describe her hilarious meet-cute with Naomi on Your Last Meal!
Naomi’s Possum Pie
Makes 10 to 12 servings
In April ’22, I was on the red carpet at the CMT Awards, glammed up in my biggest arena-sized wig. The Judds were being honored that night, and I was just tickled to be in the same room with them (huge fan). I could’ve sh*t when Wynonna came right up to me and told me how my videos had entertained them during quarantine. She asked if she could introduce me to her mom and grab a picture. Cameras flashed, and without missing a beat, Naomi said, “B*tch! You better snatch that wig off your head. I’m supposed to have the tallest hair here!” True story. Life made.
Sadly, Naomi died two weeks later. I’m dedicating this one to her and Wynonna. Naomi called it “Possum Pie.” This is a good springtime or summertime dessert (Naomi used Cool Whip).
CRUST
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening, such as Crisco
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 2 T granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
SECOND LAYER
- 12 ounces (1 1/2 blocks) cream cheese, softened
- 1 2/3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, preferably clear
- 2 1/2 cups homemade whipped cream or whipped topping, such as Cool Whip (Naomi’s preference!), divided
THIRD LAYER
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 2 (3.4-ounce) packages instant chocolate pudding mix
1. Make the crust: Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, shortening, butter, pecans, sugar, and salt together, using a fork. Wet your fingers and press the mixture evenly into the bottom of a 9 x 13- inch baking dish. Bake until lightly brown, 11 to 12 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Make the second layer: In a separate medium bowl, blend the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer on high speed until smooth. Fold in half of the whipped cream to combine, and spread onto the cooled crust. Be sure that the mixture touches the walls of the dish to seal the edges.
3. Make the third layer: In a medium bowl whisk the milk, cream, and chocolate pudding mix until combined. Spread over the cream cheese layer. Top with the reserved whipped cream.
4. Cover and chill to set, at least 4 hours or overnight. Cut into squares and serve chilled.
Copyright © 2026 Hannah Dasher. Do not distribute. Do not reproduce.
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XO
Rachel Belle
