Jennifer Ivy McCormick

Jennifer Ivy McCormick of Bruce mostly measures in “pinches or shakes or little bits” and always cooks by taste. “I add this or that until it tastes good to me,” she says.  She learned to cook from her mother, Nancy, and her grandmothers.

“Mamaw Betty (Ivy) makes the best burgers ever, and Mulligan stew,”  and “Mamaw Shirley (Hurst) used to have a doughnut shop and she is a great baker and used to decorate cakes.” Jennifer always joked with her mom that she makes the best cornbread, and her dad agrees. But she said her mom makes the fried green beans best, a recipe that came from great Great Grandmother

Lurlene Ivy, and Jennifer can’t figure out her secret. Jennifer has also tried to make Betty’s microwave pecan brittle and it didn’t turn out. “You wish you could cook it like they do!” she said.

Jennifer loves cheesecake, but has only tried to make it once and it didn’t turn out. “I have always loved Louise McCormick’s biscuits–some day maybe I can get mine to taste that good.”

Jennifer and her family grill a lot. Son Hardy likes pork chops and chicken legs cooked on the grill, or baked in the oven, and has got to have macaroni. He also likes Hamburger Helper, which she always adds something to. She likes to try new recipes out on family but she nevers goes strictly by the recipe–she says she is always adding or taking something out.

She learned to make the stuffed peppers from her daddy, Jimmy. The first time she made them she didn’t wear gloves, and he told her to, and her hands burned for two weeks. “Wear gloves!” For holidays and most family get-togethers, they all bring their favorite finger foods, and a couple of times of year they have a fish or chittlin’ fry.

She takes food to work a good bit and they share recipes there. She always checks out the recipes in PEPA’s Today, uses the internet and cookbooks.?One of her best sources has been “Recipes From

Restaurants” that she got from Barbara Camp, and the best thing she’s tried from there is “Maple Butter Blondies” from Applebee’s.

Fried Green Beans
3 cans green beans, drained
2 Tbsp. oil
Several shakes of minced onion
Salt and pepper to taste
Bottle of real bacon bits or a few slices of cooked bacon
Heat oil, add ingredients. Cook about 15 minutes on medium heat or until beans begin to “shrivel.”

Stuffed Peppers
20 jalapeno peppers
3 pkg. cream cheese
2 pkg. chicken breast strips
4 Tbsp. minced onion
3 Tbsp. garlic salt
Approximately half bottle Worcestershire sauce
2 pkg. bacon
Seed peppers and cut in half, stems removed. (VERY?important to wear gloves through whole process.) Boil chicken and shred finely. Mix cream cheese, chicken, onion, garlic and sauce together. Stuff into pepper halves and wrap each with one piece of bacon. Cook on 450° until bacon crisps. For added heat, add some pepper seeds to chicken/cream cheese mixture.

Caramel Licks
1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup cooking oil
1 jar caramel ice cream topping (reserve 2 Tbsp.)
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. water
Icing:
2 cups confectioner sugar
2 Tbsp. caramel topping
1/2 stick margarine
2 Tbsp. milk
Mix ingredients and bake in greased/floured pan at 325° for 25 minutes. Should be moist, like a brownie. Melt butter, mix with sugar, milk and caramel. Spread over warm cake.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup oil
1/2 Tbsp. water
2 eggs
1 pkg. chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts
Preheat oven to 350°. Mix cake mix, oil and eggs. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Spoon onto ungreased sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes. Makes 3 1/2 dozen.

Dressing
Barbara Goolsby
Make two skillets of cornbread the way you like it.
Chicken broth (a lot)
Boil and debone one whole chicken or 3-4 chicken breasts (when cooking chicken, do not add salt)
Pre-cook one cup onion and chopped celery in some broth
2 cans cream of chicken soup
4-5 biscuits
1 stick butter
2 1/2 Tbsp. sausage seasoning
Mix in large dish pan. Let sit a few hours before refrigerating, it will soak up more broth. Best if made one day ahead. This will also freeze well. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes, then turn down to 350° for 30 minutes more.

Cornflake Candy
1 cup corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup peanut butter
8 cups corn flakes
Heat syrup, vanilla and peanut butter to a boil. Remove from heat and add corn flakes. Spoon onto wax paper.