A couple of secrets shared by past cooks

The first Look Who’s Cookin’ “secret” divulged to us was by the late Mary Jo Thomas of Bruce.
In over 11 years of sharing recipes, some secret ingredients and recipes have been mentioned, but very few have been revealed.
Not realizing at the time that she was giving me the ingredient that makes her macaroni and cheese so good, she later said her family couldn’t believe she gave away a family secret.

Mary Jo Thomas

At the time of her interview in February of 2008, she said, “Some members of the family say the meal is not complete without my macaronic and cheese, and cornbread, and they expect the two to be served, whatever the occasion!”
She also said she has to “double the recipe to feed her bunch”.
The Green Apron Cooking Team was well known for grilling chicken halves for fundraisers for over 30 years.

Craig McCormick, Larry (Burger) Bailey and the late Earl Mayhan were interviewed in January of 2009.
Very surprised when Mayhan handed over the seasoning recipe, we were even more so when he said it was given to them by Agriculture Commissioner Jim Buck Ross “to help them get started.”

I was told later that someone had tried to talk him out of that recipe for years.
Original memers of the Green Apron team included Jerry Mitchell, Freddie Buchanan, Henry Lee Taylor, Lynn Casey, Pee Wee Doler, Forrest Lowe, Billy Cook and Bill Lord, with their wives helping prepare slaw and beans.

Macaroni and Cheese
1-1 lb.. bag elbow noodles
1 stick butter
1-2 lb. box Velveeta Cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
Boil noodles in water with stick of butter. Leave some water in the noodles, then stir in soup and cheese.

Grilled Chicken Seasoning
2 gallons cider vinegar
1 gallon cooking oil
2-4 oz. bottles tabasco sauce
2-2 oz. cans black pepper
2-2 oz. cans crisp red pepper
2-2 oz. onion powder
2-2 oz. garlic powder
1 lb. box salt
Boil for 20 minutes
(Originally called for liquid onion and garlic, but hard to find now, so they substitute with powder)