Thomas Rhett and Lauren Akins Are Doing A Lot of Cooking Right Now. Here's What They're Making
Emma McIntyre / Staff
For country music fans who won’t see Thomas Rhett on tour this year due to the coronavirus, his philanthropist wife Lauren Akins’s new memoir Live in Love: Growing Together Through Life’s Changes is an uplifting antidote that offers a glimpse into the down-to-earth duo’s marriage and family life. In a recent interview with Southern Living about her book, Lauren told us how the Akins family is spending their quarantine, and it turns out the celebrity couple is even more relatable than we thought (save for the millions of Instagram followers, of course). Just like the rest of us, she and Thomas Rhett have been doing a whole lot of cooking at home.
“I feel guilty saying this because it’s been so hard for so many people, but for us, it’s been such a blessing,” says Lauren of the time they’ve spent at home the past several months due to COVID-19. “[Thomas Rhett] is normally on the road most of the year, but we’ve been together for over six months straight now and it is a dream come true for me. I’m such a homebody and I miss him so bad when he’s gone.”
Their three daughters—Willa Gray, Ada James, and Lennon Love—deservedly take up most of their time and attention. “They are my world,” says Lauren. “Never a dull moment at our house! Lots of pink, lots of princess dresses, lots of pretend and real makeup—that’s been a battle sometimes.” But when they’re not wiping lipstick off of little faces or reading bedtime stories, the couple has been experimenting in the kitchen.
“We’ve always liked to cook, but we’re usually on the go,” says Lauren. “This time has created a lot of space for us to cook and explore in the kitchen and try new things and that has been so much fun. Thomas Rhett is an amazing cook, so anything he’s tried to explore has been so amazing.”
But that isn’t necessarily the case with her own culinary ventures. “Some of mine have gone really well; some of mine have not,” she says with a laugh.
She did hit a homerun with one recipe in particular: buffalo shrimp lettuce wraps.
“You can either make it as a salad or a lettuce wrap—we were trying to do some healthy options—and that is one of the healthiest options and it’s so good,” she says. “Even my kids asked for it, so that’s at the top of our list.”
While we don’t have the Akins family’s exact recipe (and ours may not be quiiiite as healthy), our own Bang Bang Shrimp recipe hits those same satisfyingly spicy notes—and it’s perfect for lettuce wraps.
WATCH: The Best Lesson Lauren Akins Learned From Her Mom
The Best Lesson Lauren Akins Learned From Her Mom
Lauren Akins – Mama to Willa Gray and Ada James – takes cues from her own mom, Lisa.
