Kalyn Sims and Blaine Parker

When they were little, sisters Kalyn Wright Sims and Blaine Wright Parker always made something for the annual Sweet Potato Cooking Contest in Vardaman with their grandmother, Mary Lee Wright.
Wright would select some recipes, usually in which sweet potatoes could be substituted for pumpkin, and the girls would choose which one they wanted to make.
“We haven’t done the cooking contest in a long time,” they said. Blaine cooked, but didn’t taste her entries. She says she is a picky eater, “Plain Jane. Simple.” Kalyn says she eats more of a variety of food than Blaine.

Kalyn was a 2007 Mayor’s Cup winner with her Sweet Potato Pecan Cheese Ball, and a sweet potato pie eating contest winner a couple of years in a row as a youngster, before their brother, Adam, took that over.
Both of them cook and like sweet potatoes. Kalyn will eat a plain baked sweet potato, but Blaine likes pie. Blaine’s son, Spencer, 5, likes sweet potatoes, along with pasta and spaghetti. Kalyn’s daughter, Mary Liles, 6 months, is also a sweet potato eater.

From the Sweet Potato Sweets shop, Blaine likes the  pie and cheese straws and Kalyn “likes it all” but mentioned the pie and log roll.
They said their grandmothers, mother (Karen Wright) and mothers-in-law (Anita Sims and Sharon Parker) are good cooks. One of Kalyn’s goals is to get her cornbread to taste like Anita’s, but that has only happened once, she said.
At their wedding showers, both asked for recipes from attendants and they got a lot of them. “That gave us some fresh new ideas,” said Blaine.

Kalyn likes potato soup and taco soup and makes soup a lot, especially using her Granny’s taco soup recipe.
“I could eat soup any time,” she said.
Blaine likes her mother’s hominy casserole, and Kalyn likes Blaine’s spinach dip.
Kalyn has a “go-to” recipe book she made in high school in Mitzi Hardin’s class. Hardin had students to bring in family recipes to include in the cookbooks.

Blaine and their dad, Randle, make boiled chocolate cookies as a Christmas tradition. Their granny makes candied sweet potatoes, and he tells them somebody else in the family needs to learn how.
Both learned to cook at a young age and recalled stirring ingredients, pouring and measuring. Their mom gave them kids’ cookbooks and they remember Blaine making hamburger patties with pickles inside.
Their recipes all come from family members and the peach cobbler is Granny’s recipe.

“Mama has always made Upside Down Pizza. It’s an easy recipe “when you don’t know what you’re having for supper.” The potato soup and chicken are family favorites.
Sims and Parker are elementary school teachers at Vardaman, and just in time for summer break, Lynlee Blaine Parker was set to make her arrival Tuesday.
Sweet Potato Pecan Cheese Ball
2-8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1-8 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups grated sweet potatoes
2 Tbsp. finely chopped green onion
2 tsp. seasoned salt
2 cups chopped pecans, toasted and divided
Combine first five ingredients. Stir in one cup pecans. Cover and chill until firm. Shape mixture into ball. Roll in remaining cup pecans. Place on serving platter and serve with crackers. To toast pecans: place them in a single layer in shallow pan. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until toasted, stirring once after four minutes.

Upside Down Pizza
1 lb. ground chuck
1/4 cup onion
1 jar Ragu pizza sauce (may substitute 2 cans tomato sauce and 1 pkg. spaghetti mix)
1-8 oz. sour cream
2 cups shredded cheese–Mozzarella or cheddar, or one cup of each
1 pkg. crescent rolls
Brown ground chuck with onion in skillet with a little oil. Combine pizza sauce, browned meat with onions in saucepan on low heat for 10 minutes. Spoon mixture into lightly greased 9×13 dish or two small 8” dishes. Top with sour cream and cheeses. Next roll out crescent rolls to fit 9×13 dish and place on top of cheeses. Bake on 350° for 20 minutes. Leftovers can be frozen. Variation: May substitute dry taco mix and spaghetti sauce for pizza sauce to have a taco dish.

Granny’s Peach Cobbler
(Mary Lee Wright)
1-29 oz. can sliced peaches
1 stick melted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg beaten
1/4 cup milk
Bread slices (sliced)
2 Tbsp. flour
Lightly grease baking dish. Drain peaches, save juice. Place peaches in bottom of baking dish.  Spoon in 3 Tbsp. of peach juice. In saucepan melt butter, stir in sugar, beaten egg and milk. Add 2 Tbsp. flour (this will thicken a little.) Take bread slices and cut into long strips. Place on top of peaches. Cut enough strips to cover dish of peaches. Pour mix over bread slices. Bake at 350° for 30-45 minutes.

Hominy Casserole
(Karen Wright)
1-20 oz. can of white hominy
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. flour
Drain hominy and pour in lightly greased casserole dish. Stir in chopped onions. In saucepan, melt butter, pour in milk and cheese. Heat on low until cheese is melted. Stir in  of flour (sauce will thicken a little.) Pour melted cheese mixture over hominy and bake at 325° for 20-25 minutes.

Tasty Onion Chicken
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. ground mustard
1 can (2.8 oz.) French-fried onions, crushed
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
In shallow bowl, combine butter, Worcestershire sauce and mustard. Place onions in another shallow bowl. Dip chicken in butter mixture, then coat with onions. Place in greased 11×2 baking dish. Drizzle with remaining butter mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.

Baked Potato Soup
4 potatoes
2/3 cup oleo
2/3 cup plain flour
4 green onions
12 slices bacon, chopped
1 1/4 cups Velveeta cheese
8 oz. sour cream
Bake the potatoes. Let cool. Split and spoon potatoes out. Set aside. Melt 2/3 cup oleo. Add 2/3 cup plain flour. Stir until smooth. Pour into crockpot. Add 6 cups milk. Stir on low heat until thick. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add potatoes. Chop green onions into bits. Add 12 slices cooked bacon. Add 1 1/4 cups Velveeta cheese. After heating, add 8 oz. sour cream.