Karan Ann Nestor & Annie Mullen

“Our family always has ham hocks, black-eyed peas, turnip greens and cornbread on New Year’s Day for luck,” said Karan Hardin Nestor, “and ‘to keep the money from going out the back door,’ ” according to her mother, Goldie Hardin. They also finish off Christmas dessert leftovers, which usually include jam cake, a recipe of Goldie’s grandmother, Cara Bell Bailey. “This cake is the one always left for Santa by all the Hardin kids,” said Karan Ann.

Any family member’s birthday is a big time to cook for Karan, making the favorite dishes of whoever’s birthday it is. Son, Dylan’s birthday, was Sunday, and all of his favorites–chocolate pie and banana pudding (from Goldie’s recipes), hot biscuits and country ham, were on the menu.

Karan Ann Nestor & Annie Mullen

One year when Karan went on a Martha Stewart kick, she made brother, Jimmy Don, a coconut cake by a recipe of Stewart’s. He said that was a “big mistake”, and told her not to bring Martha Stewart back in the house. And there was the time she left 1/2 tsp. of baking soda of the German Chocolate Cake–even though self-rising flour is used in the recipe, brother, Roncie, said they had “German Chocolate pancakes.”

Karan and niece, Tonya, began helping Goldie with more of the holiday cooking one year when she had broken her arm. Besides learning to make dressing, they also help Goldie make Christmas candy–divinity, fudge, Martha Washington balls, cornflake candy and oreo balls.

Daughter, Annie, who Karan describes as diverse, cooks a lot of pasta at college, mostly using vegetables. She loves Pinterest and recently discovered and tried a breakfast grilled recipe from there that she really likes. She made red velvet cookies and oreo balls this year at Christmas, and Annie and Karan both love Food Network. Annie says she is a fish person–she likes tilapia, and loves sushi. “Milk and cornbread” is also a favorite.

Husband, Chuck, loves pumpkin pie like his Grandmother Nestor made. Their kids love lasagna, in which she uses sausage and hamburger meat. They also love salmon patties, biscuits and chocolate gravy, Parmesan Chicken, Chicken Alfredo, and Clara Nestor’s Mountain Meatloaf. Karan’s favorite is Strawberry Cake that Goldie has made for her birthday as long as she can remember. “Put a little sugar in everything,” said Karan, “It’s a Goldie thing,” and she also adds cream cheese in her tuna salad.

Strawberry Cake
1 cup thawed frozen strawberries
1/2 cup cold water
1 pkg. strawberry Jell-o
1 cup Wesson oil
4 eggs
1 box white cake mix
2 Tbsp. flour
Mix cake mix, water, Jell-o, oil, flour and then the eggs. Bake at 350°.
Strawberry frosting:
1/4 cup or 1 stick oleo
1 pkg. xxx sugar
8 oz. cream cheese
Beat until smooth. Add enough strawberry juice to make right consistency, then frost the cake.

Breakfast Grilled Cheese
(Annie Mullen)
Loaf of bread
Wright’s bacon
Velveeta American cheese (sliced)
Medium eggs
Fry bacon (leave floppy). Fry your eggs over easy (leave bacon grease in pan.) Place cheese on bread along with eggs and bacon. You can either place sandwich on George Foreman grill for a couple of minutes just to melt cheese or preheat oven to about 300° to toast it. Leave in oven only a couple of minutes to crisp bread and melt cheese.

Turkey Brine
Brining Solution:
1 cup kosher salt for every two gallons of water
1 box brown sugar
16 oz. honey
6 oz. molasses
2 Tbsp. poultry seasoning
6 bay leaves
1/2 cup red wine
Vinegar (per two gallons water)
1 Tbsp. black pepper
Several sprigs fresh Rosemary, thyme (use dry if you don’t have fresh)
Cook at 325° until thermometer reaches 175°.
Steps to Brining:
1. Buy turkey
2. Acquire tall container that will fit into fridge.
3. Make brine
4. Soak turkey overnight
5. Prepare turkey, pan for baking
6. Cook it
7. Let it rest, then slice

Jam Cake
1 box spice cake mix (mix as directed on box)
Add one cup raisins, one  cup blackberry jam, one cup pecans, grated rind of two oranges, two Tbsp. flour, one cup coconut. Bake as directed.
Ambrosia filling for jam cake:
3 cups sugar
2 cups sweet milk
1 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. soda
Add sugar, milk, baking powder and soda in large pot. Boil to soft stage and brown lightly as it boils. In separate pot, set aside:
1 cup raisins
1 cup pecans
1 cup fresh coconut
1 grated rind of orange, and juice of two oranges
1 cup crushed pineapple
When first mixture gets thick, add fruit mixture and let cool, then spread on cake layers.

Chicken and Dressing
4 chicken breasts (skinned) or one hen
1 tsp. salt
2 qts. water
1 large pan cornbread or two small
5-6 pieces loaf bread crumbled
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery chopped (optional)
2 sticks oleo
Chicken broth (can use broth chicken was boiled in)
4 eggs
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 small can evaporated milk
1 Tbsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
Boil chicken in salted water until done, about one hour. Cool. Debone chicken and cut into bite size pieces. Set broth aside for use in dressing. In large bowl, crumble cornbread and loaf bread. Cook onion and celery in oleo and some of the chicken broth until they change color. Add to bread mixture. Add eggs, chicken soup, milk pepper, sage and poultry seasoning to mixture. Add chicken broth a little at a time until mixture is about the thickness of cornbread before cooked. Spray Pam in large baking dish and pour in dressing. Bake at 400° about 30 minutes.