Jessica Roberson

Jessica Roberson of Bruce likes easy stuff to cook– “casseroles and oven stuff” because she doesn’t like to stand over the stove. But her husband, Christopher, loves fried chicken, so she is so glad she has a deep fryer for that.
Her favorite food is Italian–lasagna, which she cooks  a lot of,  and meat lovers pizza. She also likes black olives and could eat them by themselves, on salads or on sandwiches.
When Jessica started cooking, it was by watching her Big Mama, Stella Glass. When she was about eight her grandmother started actually showing her how. “I had no choice but to learn how to cook, clean and spend money wisely,” she said.

Jessica has worked at Glass Kitchen in Bruce since 2009 with her aunt, Louise Glass. Her favorite things served there are dressing and wings.
Her Taco Bake and Pepperoni Cheese Stick Roll-ups are two things she and Christopher like to eat, and her nieces and nephews do, too. Her husband loves the Taco Bake and says it reminds him of lasagna.
She got those recipes from the internet, which is where she likes to look for recipes. “I love Pinterest,” and she does have a  Pinterest account.

She is also one to try out a lot of new recipes, especially if she has everything in the cabinet that she needs to make a dish. “If it looks good, I will try it,” she said.
She likes spaghetti and only uses Hunt’s sauce when she makes hers, along with bell pepper, onion, Italian seasoning, and says “the key to spaghetti is to use Manwich sauce.” Nine times out of ten, she says spaghetti is what her family wants her to cook for them.
She tries to stay away from pork as much as possible and she will many times substitute sour cream for mayonnaise.

Cabbage and squash are her favorite vegetables– “fried squash with tons of onions” and steamed cabbage with onion and bell pepper.
“I would rather have a biscuit than anything,” she said, added that being diabetic, she doesn’t make too many desserts or bread.
The hardest thing for her was to stop was seasoning her vegetables and greens with sugar, and “it was hard to stop the cornbread.”

Pepperoni Cheese Stick Roll-Ups
1-3.5 oz. pkg. pepperoni
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
Optional: Marinara sauce or Ranch dressing
1 roll crescent roll dough
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 Tbsp. butter
4 cheese sticks
1 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350°. Take each triangle of crescent roll dough and place about six pepperoni slices on bottom of triangle. Place half of a cheese stick on top and roll up. Place seam down on cookie sheet. Bake 10-15 minutes. Combine melted butter, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and Parmesan cheese in bowl, and brush over rolls when done. Serve with Ranch or marinara.

Taco Bake
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 pack taco seasoning
1 bag Doritos or tortilla chips
8 oz. Colby-Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup water
1 cup sour cream

Brown ground beef and drain. Add undrained Rotel, taco seasoning, sour cream and water. Stir together and heat 5-10 minutes. Spray casserole dish with cooking spray. Spread layer of chips on bottom. Crumble a little ground beef mixture over chips. Sprinkle a layer of cheese. Repeat. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Cinnamon Roll Crescents
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 Tbsp. heavy cream or milk
1 can crescent rolls

Preheat oven to 375°. Unroll dough and separate triangles. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon. Spread on each triangle of dough. Roll up dough and put on baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Mix confectioner’s sugar and heavy cream or milk together and drizzle over rolls.