Teresa and Allena Moore

The first place Teresa Moore of Pittsboro took her Twinkie Pie was to Old Town Church revival recently and it was a huge hit.
So she took three of them to their fifth Sunday lunch at the church last weekend.
Her husband, Jerry, actually came up with the idea somehow after they had eaten lasagna and looking at the pan, commented that Twinkies should fit well in it. The idea took off after that. Her choices to use for the fruit filling are blueberry, strawberry or cherry.

Besides Twinkie Pie, another popular goodie she makes is shaped, colored Rice Krispie treats. She creates holiday themes like Easter eggs and Halloween characters, Bibles, notebooks and pencils and more. “They are messy, but fun to make,” she said.
The Crop Salad and Texas Coleslaw recipes are her mother’s that she’s had for many years. She describes the crop salad as “different” and likes the coleslaw because it’s a change from using mayonnaise.
Another dish her mom made a lot that she also does is cabbage, potatoes and kielbasa.

Teresa began cooking when she was 18 and Shepherd’s Pie and chocolate chip cookies were her first things. After that, she just experimented on her own.
“I follow a recipe to a ‘T’ the first time, and change it the next,” she said. When she wants something different, she takes a look at Facebook for a new recipe.
Her favorite food might be meatloaf, to which she adds carrots, bell pepper, onion, bread crumbs, sour cream and ketchup topping. She uses about 3/4 cup sour cream to 3 lbs. hamburger meat.

She also adds sour cream and cream cheese to her homemade macaroni and cheese. And she adds a little sugar to her green beans and spaghetti.
Son JD. likes her Chicken Poppyseed, son Landon, tacos, and Jerry, fried chicken. Daughter Allena’s favorites are baked beans and coleslaw.
Allena, 3, already likes to help in the kitchen. She does everything from stirring to peeling (and eating) boiled eggs.

Teresa really wants to have a garden this year and knows it’s time to get started. She would like to have green beans, squash, okra and tomatoes—perfect for homemade vegetable soup, which she also likes to make.

Twinkie Pie

1 box Twinkies (each cut into thirds)
1 can fruit pie filling
1 container of Cool Whip
1-5.1 oz. instant vanilla pudding
Mix pudding according to box. While pudding is standing, place Twinkies in pan. (I use either an 8” round or a 9×9.) You do not want Twinkies packed tightly in pan. Leave just enough room that pudding can go in-between the Twinkies. Pour pudding over the Twinkies. Pour pie filling over pudding. Top with Cool Whip and serve. (Much better it if is able to sit overnight.)

Texas Coleslaw
1 large cabbage, shredded
1 green pepper, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 grated carrots
Dressing:
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground dry mustard
2 Tbsp. parsley
1/4 tsp. pepper
Combine cabbage, green pepper, onion and carrots in bowl. In another small bowl, combine oil, vinegar, sugar, salt, ground dry mustard, parsley and pepper, and mix well. Pour mixture over cabbage and stir until evenly coated and serve. (However, it is much better if it sits overnight!)

Crop Salad
1 bag of lettuce
1 cup Mozzarella cheese
1 can Mandarin oranges (drain and pat dry)
Dressing:
1 cup oil
1 tsp. poppy seeds
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground dry mustard
In large bowl, combine first three ingredients. In small bowl, combine all of the dressing ingredients and mix well. Pour mixture over salad. Serve immediately so it doesn’t get soggy.