Glad to be surrounded by some amazing cooks

Sunshine McGreger’s favorite food is Southern food, especially garden vegetables. “I’m not picky,” she said, and she also loves sweets.
“Usually a dessert” is what she will take somewhere like the coconut cake, homemade pecan pie (mother-in-law Sara McGreger’s recipe) or chocolate delight.
“I have been surrounded by amazing cooks, who prepare huge meals,” said Sunshine, who spent so much time with her grandmother, the late Frances Box.

Mrs. Frances cooked a lot, and she wanted people to enjoy her food. “She was a ‘Southern cook’ and made everything from scratch. She cooked a lot of vegetables, and that is where I learned to cook,” she said.
Biscuits were the first thing she made with her grandmother, then chicken and dumplings. She still makes dumplings, but her kids, Noah and Ava, are not fans. They prefer spaghetti, steak or pork chops.
She has a good many of her grandmother’s recipes, like a coconut pie, that is a favorite of husband Jeff.

Frances also gave her the squash dressing and graham cracker toffee recipes, but Sunshine says the things she makes of her grandmother’s don’t taste the same.
Two other “amazing cooks” she mentioned were Jeff’s mother, Sara McGreger, and his grandmother, the late Lillian McGreger, known for her yeast rolls.
“Anything she cooks is good,” Sunshine said about Sara, with her favorite being sliced, fried turkey breast, and strawberry delight.

“I like to cook and I enjoy cooking new things. I jumped on the Instapot wagon and the chicken fajitas I made were good. I like the fact you can do a full meal (like roast, carrots, potatoes) in a short time, like an hour or so,” she said.
She has a ton of cookbooks, but loves Pinterest. And she likes spicy food, but tones it down for Jeff and Noah.

Easy Coconut Cake
1 package white cake mix
1 can cream of coconut
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 (16 oz.) pkg. frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (8 oz.) pkg. flaked coconut
Bake cake mix according to package directions. While still hot, using fork or straw, poke holes all over top of the cake. Mix cream of coconut and sweetened condensed milk together and pour over top of cake while hot. Let cake cool completely. Frost with whipped topping and top with flaked coconut. Keep cake refrigerated.

Squash Dressing
1 med. onion, chopped
1 stick margarine
3 cups chopped/cubed squash
2 eggs
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups crumbled corn bread
Salt & pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients together and cook in greased casserole dish. Bake at 350 until squash is tender (approx. 30 minutes)

Cucumber & Tomato Salad
2 large cucumbers
6-8 small garden tomatoes
1 large onion
Dressing:
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Wash cucumbers and tomatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces (peel if you prefer) and add to bowl. Cut onion, then add to cucumbers and tomatoes. Toss with vinaigrette to serve. Combine all ingredients then whisk or add to lidded jar. Shake vigorously.

Graham Cracker Toffee
8 sheets graham crackers
8 ounces salted butter (2 sticks)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
Grease and line 13×9” baking sheet. Break sheets of graham crackers on perforated lines into smaller 1×3” rectangles. Lay them out as close together as possible, covering entire sheet. Mix butter and sugar in saucepan over medium heat. Once butter and sugar mixture comes to full bubble, add the pecans and stir together. Pour evenly over all of the crackers. Bake 10 minutes at 350 and then cool. Break or cut into pieces to serve.

Mama Lillian’s Yeast Rolls
2 cups milk
3 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp. sugar
About 5 cups plain flour, enough to make dough stiff
1 1/2 Tbsp. yeast
1 cup warm water
1 tsp. salt
Combine yeast and very warm, but not hot water. Heat milk in large boiler until very warm then add sugar, salt and butter. Stir until melted. Remove from heat and add remaining milk. Let cool. Add yeast mixture. Add flour, dough needs to be stiff. Put in warm place and let rise until double in size, then punch down. Place half dough on floured board and roll out 1/2” thick. Place in buttered pan and let rise. Bake at 425 for 5-10 minutes or until golden brown.