‘Jack-of-all-trades’ Rita likes cooking and crafts

Rita Brown made an apricot nectar cake for the grand opening of her daughter, Miranda Aten’s, photography studio.
She used her mother’s recipe, then with her own change, made one with peach.
She has always loved to cook, and began learning the basics from home ec teacher Rose Chandler in Calhoun City.
“She had the patience of Job to put up with me,” said Rita. “She was a true Southern lady.”
The class learned to cook lasagna and now Rita likes to make dried tomato and spinach lasagna, and make her own noodles.

Her father’s family is from New Orleans and she “cooks Cajun” when she can get fresh seafood and she usually hosts a small gathering at Mardi Gras time.
“You gotta have a really good roux. Take the skim off from boiling the crawfish to make the roux. Brown it slow, you have to have patience,” she said.
“There is nothing better than spicy, hot crawfish,” she said.
Since her retirement as a nurse, she calls herself a “Jack of all Trades.”
She has done catering in the past, and likes to make and decorate cakes.

Caramel cake is Miranda’s favorite and granddaughter Sarah likes her pecan pie.
Between recipes and crafts on Pinterest, and YouTube tutorials, she stays busy, and always sees stuff that “I gotta try!”
“I’ll be 110 and still not get through all my recipes,” she said. “I am addicted to Pinterest!”
If she had to name a favorite food, it would probably be fried green tomatoes, she said.
After bouts with cancer and a serious car accident, she doesn’t do any gardening now, but she loves vegetables or tomato soup with cornbread.

Slow Cooker Cheesy Bacon Ranch Potatoes
4 medium sized potatoes or 6-8 small red or yellow potatoes
1 large onion, thinly sliced
½ lb. bacon (1 lb. makes it that much better)
2½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 package dry ranch seasoning packet
2 Tbsp. butter
½ cup sliced green onions
Cook bacon until it is just done, but not too crisp. (I line a cookie sheet with foil and bake it at 350° for 16 minutes while prepping everything.) Line slow cooker with aluminum foil. Leave enough for overhang so you can wrap potatoes on top once in the cooker. Spray inside of foil with cooking spray and layer half the potatoes along the bottom. Next, layer with half the bacon, green onions, onion, ranch packet and top with cheese. Repeat layers and top with cheese reserving ½ cup. Cover potatoes with remaining foil. This helps them steam and cook perfectly. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Once finished, top with remaining ½ cup cheese and let melt on the top. Garnish with fresh green onions if desired.

Banana Pudding Cake
1 box vanilla cake mix, plus ingredients called for on box
1 (3.4 oz) box vanilla pudding mix
2 c. cold milk
1/2 c. Cool Whip
1 1/2 c. butter, softened
5 c. powdered sugar
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Pinch of kosher salt
1/4 c. plus 2 tbsp. heavy cream
2 bananas, sliced
1 c. crushed Nilla Wafers
Whole Nilla Wafers, for garnish
Cake: Preheat oven to 350°. Line two round 9” cake pans with parchment paper and grease with cooking spray. Prepare cake mix according to package instructions. Divide batter between cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Let cakes cool 10 minutes in pans then invert onto wire racks to cool completely.
Pudding: In a large bowl, combine pudding mix and milk and stir until thickened, about 5 minutes. Fold in Cool Whip.
Frosting: In a large bowl using a hand mixer, combine butter, 3 cups powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat until light and fluffy. Add remaining sugar and heavy cream and beat until smooth.
Assemble: Using a serrated knife, cut off the rounded top of each cake to level. Top one cake with layer of pudding then top with most of the banana slices (reserve some for garnish). Place second cake on top and frost entire cake with buttercream, reserving about 1 cup to pipe on top. Press crushed Nilla wafers around the sides of the cake. Transfer remaining buttercream to piping bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe large swirls around the top of the cake. Decorate with Nilla wafers and more banana slices.

Easy Beef Wellington
1 Tbsp. olive oil
4 Tbsp. butter, divided
1 onion, finely chopped
8-ounce package button mushrooms, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dried marjoram leaves
1/2 cup chicken livers, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons beef broth
8 (3-oz.) filet mignons
1 (17-oz.) package (two sheets) frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten
Preheat oven to 400 F. In large skillet, heat olive oil and 2 Tbsp. butter over medium heat. Add onion and mushrooms, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture is browned and moisture evaporates, about 8-12 minutes. Add marjoram, chicken livers, and garlic. Cook and stir 4-5 minutes longer. Add beef broth. Cook and stir 3-4 minutes until liquid evaporates. Remove from heat. In nonstick skillet, melt another 2 Tbsp. butter over medium heat. Sear filet mignons on all sides, leaving centers medium rare. Remove from heat as they cook. Roll out puff pastry on lightly floured surface to 13” squares. Cut each into four 4-1/2” squares. Divide mushroom mixture over squares and top each with a filet. Brush edges with egg wash. Bring edges together and seal. Place seam side down on cookie sheet and brush with more beaten egg. Bake 15-25 minutes or until pastries are golden brown. Let cool on wire rack 10 minutes, then serve.