Melissa Parker

“I watched Mama (Barbara Bryant) cook all my life, but I didn’t help,” said Melissa DeVall Parker of Bruce.

While in 4-H, “we did jams and jellies, and it was fun” and that’s when she became more interested in cooking.

“The older I get, the more I like to cook. But I like to cook what people like to eat,” she said.

Melissa bakes the coconut cake for family get-togethers and it is her husband, Keith’s, favorite.

Son Kennon, “is a picky eater. He wants meat, potatoes and bread,” she said, but he does like the Philly burgers.

Melissa looks at Pinterest and her mama’s cookbooks for recipes, even though they don’t measure. “We are lookers and pourers,” she said.

Melissa and the girls at Calhoun Banking also share recipes sometimes.

She has been planning meals for the week about 10 years now. She started when Kennon was little to try and save some time. She does her once-a-week grocery shopping on Saturdays or Sundays. 

“It probably took a month to get it where it worked,” she said, and she is usually able to “mix it up” so every week is not the same.

The burgers are usually included in her plans, and the chicken taco soup when the weather gets cooler.

A week of her meal plan might include hamburger steak and baked potatoes, Chicken Broccoli Alfredo, homemade  pizza, baked chicken and grilled vegetables, hamburgers and French fries.

A second one is spaghetti and green beans, corn and bread; Philly burgers and French fries, pork chops, potatoes and vegetables; chicken and rice, and tacos.

Coconut Cake

1 box butter cake mix

1 can Eagle Brand milk

1 can cream of coconut

1 large Cool Whip

1 bag coconut

Mix and bake cake according to box instructions. In bowl, mix together  Eagle Brand and cream of coconut. Pour over cake after it cools. Then cover with Cool Whip and coconut. Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Hot Spinach Dip

1 frozen pack Spinach

1 pack Lipton vegetable mix

2 cups cheddar cheese

1 block cream cheese, softened

1 cup mayo

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and pour in 8×8 pan. Cover with more cheddar cheese and bake until hot. Serve with Tostito chips.

Chicken Taco Soup

2 cans white chicken

1 can Rotel

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can chicken broth

1 can black beans

1 can pinto beans

1 can sweet corn

1 pack taco seasoning

Mix all together in crockpot. Let cook on low all day. Serve with Scoops chips, sour cream and cheese.

Philly Steak Burgers

2 lbs. hamburger meat

1 small onion

1 bell pepper

A-1 steak sauce

8-10 slices mozzarella cheese

Cook hamburger meat in pan. Add A-1 sauce to taste and melt cheese. Cook pepper and onion in separate pan. Toast hoagie buns. Place meat, peppers and onions on bun, and enjoy!