Kellie Pickler Is Teaching Kyle Jacobs to Love Deep-Fried Southern Food

Paula Deen she’s not.

“I’m just lucky if I don’t burn the house down,” newlywed Kellie Pickler tells PEOPLE about her budding domestic skills. “I’m trying to work on the cooking thing, so it’s a big deal if I get into the kitchen.”

Pickler, who wed songwriter Kyle Jacobs on Jan. 1, also shared her biggest culinary struggle when it comes to dining with her hubby. “I haven’t gotten him hooked on fried okra,” Pickler, 24, said at Tuesday’s 9th Annual Dressed to Kilt event at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom. “He hates that, but that’s my favorite food. We gotta figure out how to get him to like it.”

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Pickler, who was raised in North Carolina, thinks their geographical backgrounds may contribute to their dietary preferences. “Kyle’s from Minnesota, so he didn t grow up eating Southern food. My grandparents had a huge part in raising me. My grandmother deep-fried everything. You add a pound of butter and nothing’s good for you, but it all tastes good.”

Different dishes aside, the country star considers married life just great.

“We love each other,” says Pickler. “We’re crazy about each other. He knows that he’s No. 1, and I know that I’m No. 1 to him, so that’s the most important thing. He’s definitely my little Romeo.”