Hank Thompson

It’s 50-50 between cooking breakfast or grilling for Hank Thompson of Bruce. He likes to fix a good, homemade breakfast on Sunday morning, or a late Friday or Saturday evening grilling of steaks or kabobs. The first meal he ever made was breakfast. He had seen his mother make biscuits, so he knew the ingredients (milk, flour and shortening), but had never tried them.

By the time he got the consistency right, he ended up with one 9×9 and two 9×13 pans of biscuits, along with bacon and sausage. He helps cook breakfast for Brotherhood at Chickenbone Baptist Church, where they serve biscuits, gravy, eggs, bacon and ham, and deer meat in the fall. For one of their Christmas meals, the family has grilled steaks. He says he uses a seasoned meat tenderizer on both sides of the steak and lets it set for two days. He grills them “seven minutes on one side and five on the other, if it’s thick enough, and that gives you pink in the middle and char on both sides.”

He also likes cooking from the third generation recipes of his grandmother, Alline Collins, and among those are her dessert cake and teacakes. Shepard Pie made by his mother, Billie Sue Caples, has been his “favorite forever.” Hank says he can get real close to the taste of his mother and grandmother’s dishes when cooking from their recipes, and he would like to encourage kids to get in the kitchen and experiment with cooking.

He tries new things every now and then and watches cooking channels some–Emeril so he can “kick things up a notch,” and he also likes Paula Deen. He says he has just about mastered good homemade fried chicken, started with cutting up the chicken. When asked about his favorite food, he said, “All of it. I’m a food lover!” He does like going to a Japanese restaurant where they cook at your table, and he has done some Japanese and Asian cooking. He would like to learn to make sushi, and his grandmother’s coconut cake.

Homemade Hamburger Helper
1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion
Brown this together. Add one can of crushed tomatoes, 1 tsp. oregano and 1 tsp. garlic powder. Cook two cups macaroni and drain. Add salt, two slices butter, and sprinkle with parmesan cheese, then add to skillet.

Shepard’s Pie
First layer: Brown together one pound ground beef and one small onion. Add 1 tsp. chili powder, salt and pepper, and one can crushed tomatoes. Second layer: two cans green beans, cooked and seasoned. Third layer: Mashed potatoes, ready to eat. Top with cheddar cheese and bake at 350° for 15 minutes.

Pudding Cake
(Use any flavor cake mix and any flavor pudding)
1 box cake mix
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup oil
4 eggs
1 pkg. Jello instant pudding
Beat this together. Cook in bundt pan one hour at 350°.

Dessert Cake
(Alline Collins)
6 eggs
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup baking chocolate
2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup buttermilk (with 1 tsp. baking soda dissolved in it.)
1 cup butter
1 cup raisins
1 cup fresh coconut
1 cup peach preserves
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. allspice
Preheat oven to 350°. Mix first six ingredients, then add remaining ingredients. Place mixture into two (10″) cake pans or three (8″) pans,
and bake for 30-35 minutes.
Icing:
2 cups evaporated milk
3 cups sugar
4 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
4 egg yolks
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups fresh coconut
2 cups chopped pecans
2 cups walnuts
2 cups raisins
2 cups crushed pineapple, drained
For garnish, maraschino cherries
Simmer first four ingredients on low for 12-15 minutes or until thick. Add remaining ingredients, mixing well. Spread icing between each layer and over entire cake. It is best to make cake five days ahead. The longer it sits, the moister it becomes. 12-16 servings.

Tea Cakes
(Alline Collins)
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup Crisco
1 tsp. vanilla
Flour (enough to make cookie dough)
Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes.

Best Brownies
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup cocoa
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup flour
Nuts if desired
Bake 25 minutes on 350°.