Jodee Gore

“I saw the Homemade Sea Salt Caramel Candy on Pinterest. It was hard to make the first time, but easier since then. It is really good,” said Jodee Gore of Bruce. “It was the first time I had used a candy thermometer.”
She sometimes gets on a Pinterest kick, she says, and she likes to watch Rachel Ray and The Chew. From those she might get ideas and decide to try them out.
She and her mom, Sue, do a lot of cooking together, and “that’s why I don’t have things written down. And things are never the same!” she said.
For instance, Sue taught Jodee to make the Greek Bread. “She put it together, and I stole it from her! And it never stays the same because sometimes I add jalapenos.”
Her mother has instilled a love of cooking in her and their Mississippi Cookbook is a staple.

Jodee is beginning to cook a lot more, and goes by taste since she has always been the “taster” of the house. She prefers cooking meals and Sue does most of their baking.
Her first big meal to cook was a Thanksgiving dinner for which they had dressing, sweet potato casserole, marinated green beans, ham and more. “It got my brother (Adam’s) approval, and he is picky,” she said.
She and her mom do a lot of other holiday cooking like for Easter and Mother’s Day. Their Easter menu was ham, green beans, butterbeans, along with mashed potatoes and chicken legs for the children in the family.
The Gores like to garden and grow all kinds of peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, kale, eggplant and cauliflower, which suits dad, Jim, since he is a peas and cornbread type person.

Jodee and Adam have always told Sue they wanted tacos for their Thanksgiving and Christmas meals and she made them pick because she said they weren’t having them both times. So most times now there are tacos for Thanksgiving.
One of her favorite foods is manicotti since she loves Italian. Her favorite vegetable is asparagus, drizzled with Italian dressing and mixed with chipped up bacon and baked. She also loves sweet potatoes, including sweet potato pecan pie.

Greek Bread
1 pkg. cream cheese softened
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
2 tsp. Greek seasoning
1 loaf unsliced French bread
1 pkg. tomato-basil or plain feta cheese
1 can sliced ripe olive (black and green) drained
1/2 cup drained, chopped pepperoncini peppers
Combine first three ingredients, stirring until smooth. Slice bread loaf in half lengthwise. Spread cream cheese mixture on cut sides of bread. Sprinkle feta cheese, olives and peppers over cream cheese mixture. Place bread on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Yield: one loaf.

Sea Salt Caramel Candy
1 3/4 cups sugar
1-12 oz. can evaporated milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup light corn syrup
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
Cooking spray
In medium, heavy-bottom saucepan, combine sugar, evaporated milk, and heavy cream. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add corn syrup and continue cooking until mixture registers 230° on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes. Stir in butter and vanilla, and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until caramel reaches 240°. Remove from heat and stir in salt. Carefully pour into a lightly oiled parchment-lined 9×13” baking dish. Let caramels cool at least one hour. Invert caramels onto cutting board covered with waxed or parchment paper. Cut into 1” pieces with sharp, lightly oiled knife. Caramels can be wrapped in waxed or parchment paper. Store at room temperature in airtight container or in refrigerator up to three weeks.

Manicotti
1 pack manicotti noodles
1 large container cottage cheese
1 bag mozzarella cheese
2 eggs
1 can spaghetti sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Optional: 1 lb. any choice of meat
In bowl, add cottage cheese, eggs, cup of mozzarella cheese, garlic powder, and meat, if preferred. Mix together. Spray oven-safe pan with vegetable oil. Take fork or spoon and stuff manicotti noodle with mixture and place in pan. After you finish stuffing the noodles, spread  mixture that is left over on top of the noodles. Pour the spaghetti sauce on top of the noodles. Add water to make sure noodles are completely covered. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top and put in oven. Let cook 45 minutes to an hour or until noodles are tender on 350°.