Jessie James Decker knew that the way to now-husband Eric Decker’s heart was going to be through his stomach.
The Just Feed Me cookbook author, 36, exclusively reveals in the latest issue of Us Weekly that she opted to cook jambalaya for Eric, 37, instead of going out for dinner on their first date.
“I knew my Minnesota boy had never tasted anything so flavorful,” she says, referring to the former NFL player. “I knew I would have him hooked!”
The meal clearly did the trick, as the couple got engaged in 2012 after one year of dating. Jessie and Eric wed in Colorado in 2013 and soon began expanding their family. Their daughter, Vivianne, was born in 2014, and sons Eric Jr. and Forrest followed in 2015 and 2018, respectively.
Jessie announced in August 2023 that she was pregnant with baby No. 4, after being vocal about Eric’s fear of getting a vasectomy. The pair welcomed their third son, Denver, in February.
“The kids are so in love with their new baby brother,” Jessie exclusively told Us in March. “I knew the kids were going to be great with him, but I didn’t know they would be this amazing.”
At the time, Jessie noted that life as a family of six had inspired a few new recipes for her household using Waterloo sparking water.
“So many of my favorite memories are around a dinner table with fried chicken,” she shared. “In Waterloo fashion, this fried chicken recipe focuses on big flavor — with a Waterloo Raspberry Nectarine glaze. The tartness of raspberry and the sweet, juicy notes of nectarine truly enhance the savory and crispy profile of fried chicken.”
Jessie added: “As a busy mom of now four, I wanted to create recipes that are easy and quick to make at home and that my entire family finds delicious.”
Scroll down for more details about Jessie’s most memorable meals:
What I ordered on my first date with my husband …
“I didn’t order anything,” she reveals. “I made homemade jambalaya!”
The comfort food I eat when no one is watching …
“When I make olive oil cake, I can’t stop myself,” the singer says. “I’ll just keep cutting slivers and slivers until it’s pretty much almost gone.”
The food I didn’t like as a kid, but like now …
“I hated sushi for the majority of my life until my best friend Jessica [Payne] said, ‘We’re going to tippy-toe into this because I need a sushi date partner,’” Jessie recalls. “So I give Jessica all the credit. I love sushi [now]!”
Read more in this week’s new issue of Us Weekly, which includes 12 additional pages, a redesigned look and new franchises readers will love — on newsstands now.
