Learning to put up vegetables from Mamaw Frances Bennett

Erin Beth Earnest’s mamaw Frances Bennett is her “go-to” for recipes or to tell her how to make something. And she does the gardening.
“She’s ‘learning’ me how to put up vegetables. I have shucked 150-160 ears of corn this season,” she said.
“We will sit in Mamaw’s living room floor and shell peas and butterbeans ‘til we’re done, and the girls (Haidyn 11 and Aubree 7) will help,” she said.
Erin Beth’s favorite things that Mamaw Bennett makes are chicken and dumplings, and chicken and dressing.

“I can make dressing,” she said, “but I can’t do dumplings like Mamaw’s.”
She and her late grandmother, Lenora James, did a lot of cooking together since she lived next door to her, and Erin Beth has a lot of her recipes.
Chocolate gravy was something she made often, and Erin can do it, but, “It’s not like Granny’s.”
The first things she ever learned to cook were spaghetti and Hamburger Helper.
Erin Beth tries to cook a lot, and she likes easy recipes for school nights, like something using hamburger meat or chicken.

The Pizza Casserole recipe is from Eating On A Dime on Facebook.
“They have a lot of meals you can freeze and eat later or have enough for leftovers.
The Handheld Sloppy Joe recipe is from Pinterest.
Both of her girls like to help in the kitchen, and will eat almost anything but canned vegetables.

Roasted vegetables are among Erin Beth’s favorite foods.
She uses olive oil, and adds garlic powder, Tony’s, basil and pepper to squash, carrots, broccoli and sweet potatoes.
“The girls will nibble on them,” she said.
For family gatherings, she always makes chicken and dressing, sweet potato pies, pecan pies and sweet potato casserole, and cooks peas and corn.

Smothered Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
1 lb. chicken breasts (about 2 small)
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 pkg. Ranch dressing seasoning mix (or 3 Tbsp. if you buy in bulk)
1 can (10.75 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup water
8 oz. cooked bacon, drained and crumbled
8 oz. Penne pasta, cooked and drained
In large mixing bowl, add garlic, Ranch seasoning, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, pepper and water. Place chicken in slow cooker and smother with sauce. Cover and cook on low six hours or high four hours. About 30 minutes before chicken is done, fry bacon and cook pasta. Without removing chicken, use two forks to shred chicken in sauce. Add crumbled bacon and cooked pasta.

Pizza Casserole
1 lb. ground beef (or Italian sausage)
6 oz. pepperoni
3 cups Mozzarella cheese
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes (or 2-15 oz. cans crushed tomatoes)
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
6 oz. Penne pasta
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350°. Brown ground beef and drain any sausage. Pour in crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning and garlic salt. Stir to combine. Boil pasta according to directions, but cook to al dente (firm and undercooked). Drain pasta and pour half into 9×13 baking dish. Spoon half of meat mixture over pasta. Top with half of the Mozzarella cheese. Lay half the pepperoni on top. Layer remaining pasta, meat sauce, cheese and pepperoni. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes until bubbly and brown. Allow to cool 5 minutes.

Frozen Lemonade Pie
1 container frozen lemonade
1-12 oz. Cool Whip
1 can condensed milk
2 graham cracker crust pie shells
Mix Cool Whip and condensed milk. Add in frozen lemonade and mix well. Pour in pie shells. Put in freezer for 3-4 hours. (Also good if you make the night before and leave in the refrigerator overnight.)

Handheld Sloppy Joes
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 onion, diced
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup ketchup
1 Tbsp. mustard
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tube classic refrigerator pizza crust dough (13.5 oz. tube)
8 sticks Colby Jack cheese
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 tsp. garlic salt
In skillet, combine ground beef, onions, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Brown until beef is completely cooked. Stir in ketchup, mustard and brown sugar. Remove from heat. Roll out pizza dough on cookie sheet. Cut in half lengthwise and then cut three times widthwise to form eight rectangles. Spoon sloppy joes evenly over the eight rectangles. Top with cheese sticks. Roll dough around meat and cheese stick, closing off seams at top and ends. Flip dough over to have seams down on pan. Combine butter and garlic salt, and brush over dough. Bake at 425° for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.