Shirley Beckett

By Published On: July 4, 2017

Shirley Beckett spent last weekend preparing for the annual Beckett and Aston family reunions. For the last 45 years, she knows, the Becketts have met at Bruce Community Building the first Sunday in July. Her plan was to make the meatballs, which are requested by several, including Susan Bryant Beckett.
The meatball recipe came from “an old cookbook I got when T.A. and I married.” It is The Mississippi Cookbook, compiled by the Home Economics Division of the MS Cooperative Extension Service.

Shirley Beckett CookFor the Aston reunion July 4, “I have no idea yet,” about what she was going to make for that one. A bowl of fresh fruit, a mixture of pineapples, strawberries and blueberries, will probably go to both, she said, and a lemonade pie to one of them. The lemonade pie is frozen and limemade can be used, which is the way her mother, the late Nell Aston, liked to make it. Some of the Aston cousins get together and usually bring shrimp boil food and etoufee, in addition to the other potluck dishes.

A favorite of the Becketts’ daughters, Ann Beckett-Willis and Susan Beckett, is Rotel Potatoes. Both girls enjoy cooking and if Shirley was not making meatballs for the reunion, one of them would.
T.A. and the grandsons like coconut caramel pie, a recipe given to Shirley years ago that Odelle Henry got from a Southern Living magazine. The recipe makes two pies and it can be changed to coconut chocolate because a bought sauce is used. She likes it because it is “make ahead.”

Her bunch expects dessert and if you say sweet, they pretty much eat it. She makes more cookies and pies than cake. She will occasionally make a homemade banana pudding and somewhere down the line she began using pineapple instead of bananas. They like that too, so now she makes both.

Shirley will eat “anything that doesn’t bite me first,” she said, and will usually try anything. “Basically any country food–what I grew up on.” The Becketts do a little gardening, and she likes peas, corn, potatoes, green beans, butterbeans and “good ole cornbread.” T.A. likes meat and potatoes and veggies, he’s not much on casseroles, she said.
She grew up helping both of her parents in the kitchen. Her daddy, the late Oscar Aston, would make a no-bake fruit cake every Christmas that all six of the children enjoyed.

Most of her recipes come from cookbooks or magazines, but she occasionally looks online. She loves church and community-type cookbooks. From an old Methodist cookbook, she still enjoys making Marietta Williams’ butter pecan cookies. Her whole family likes these.

Shirley has a recipe for an aunt’s caramel cake that she has not perfected, but her sister, Bonnie Williams, has. She still works full-time at Dr. Willie Wells’ medical clinic and occasionally the five women in the office will share recipes.
“I grew up in Macedonia Church with quite a few good cooks,” she said, “and two of the them, Susie Simpson and Blanche Baker, worked in the school cafeteria.” A favorite of Shirley’s they served there was spaghetti, slaw and homemade cinnamon rolls.

Party Meatballs w/Dunky Sauce
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup corn flake crumbs or crackers
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup catsup or chili sauce
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1-8 oz. tomato sauce
1/2 cup catsup
2 Tbsp. brown sugar (or more)
2 Tbsp. finely cut onion
2 Tbsp. dill pickle relish
2 Tbsp. water
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
A few grains of pepper
Mix first eight ingredients well in a 2-qt. bowl. With wet hands, shape meatball mixture into 36 small meatballs using about a teaspoon for each. Place in 13x9x2” pan. Bake in 400° oven 12-15 minutes or until brown as desired. Mix all remaining ingredients in 2-qt. saucepan. Cook slowly until onions are tender. Sauce may be served separately or add to the meatballs.

Lemonade Pie
12 oz. frozen lemonade, thawed
(Can use limeade)
16 oz. Cool Whip thawed
2-14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
Mix all ingredients well. Pour into two graham cracker pie crusts. Freeze until ready to serve.

Broccoli Salad
1/2 cup nuts
1/2 cup raisins
1 small red onion
1 bunch broccoli
1 cup cheese
1/2 bottle Bac-os
Dressing:
1/2 cup mayo
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
Mix dressing first, then pour over salad mixture.

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