Liz Burt

Liz Burt of Bruce browses the internet a lot for recipes–using www.justapinch.com and www.cooks.com–when looking for something new. She likes to take a new dish, especially a dessert or casserole, to church. Her mother, the late Mildred Gregory, was always such a good cook, and “I just tried to follow that example,” she said about her mother, who cooked every day.

Her mother used to make a jam cake that the family loved, but Liz never got the recipe so she wasn’t able to try it and would love to some day.
There are things her mother made that Liz tries, and says they don’t taste like her mother’s, including tea.

She learned as a young child to cook because her parents always worked. She and her older sister would cook lunch, and also have supper
started.

Christmas with her family is at one of her four sister’s homes.

Although they enjoy a traditional meal, they sometimes have new or different casseroles or salads. The grape and broccoli pasta salad is a good one.

“The family is willing to sample and be our guinea pigs,” said Liz. Their traditional meal grew to include their mother’s sausage casserole after she tried it new and everyone really liked it.

Liz and her family love fresh vegetables. “There’s nothing like fresh tomatoes and cucumbers,” she said. Liz says she likes all food including Mexican, Chinese or Italian.

The family usually gathers in the home of her sister, Martha Rogers in Water Valley, to celebrate her birthday and enjoy the Watermelon Carnival.

When they gather, they always have Spanish dip, Chinese Coleslaw Salad, and either barbecue ribs, pork chops or pork loin with all the sides.

Sausage Casserole
Mildred Gregory
1 lb. hot sausage, crumble and brown in skillet. Drain off fat.
In mixing bowl, combine:
2 medium bell peppers, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small jar pimento, chopped
1 small can mushrooms, chopped
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 cups milk
1 can water chestnuts, chopped
2/3 cup raw rice
Mix all ingredients. Place in casserole dish. Bake at 325° for 30 minutes. Stir and cook 30 minutes longer.

Salsa
Martha Rogers
1 can chunky Rotel
1-14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 medium onion
1 fresh jalapeno pepper
1 Tbsp. Accent
1 Tbsp. garlic salt
1 Tbsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. sugar
Chop all ingredients in blender or food processor. Serve with your favorite chips.

Spanish Dip
Martha Rogers
Brown 1 lb. ground beef. Drain. Add one pkg. taco seasoning mix and 1/2 can green chiles. Spread in 9×13 dish. Mix one can bean dip with remaining 1/2 can green chiles. Then spread over meat mixture. Next, spread: 16 oz. sour cream, jar picante sauce. Top with your choice of chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce, chopped green onions, and sliced black olives. (Desired amounts of each.) Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese over all. Chill and serve with Frito scoops.

Broccoli, Grape and Pasta Salad
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 pkg. (16 oz.) bowtie pasta
1 lb. broccoli
1 cup mayo
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup diced red onion
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp. salt
2 cups red seedless grapes, halved
8 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
Preheat oven to 350°. Bake pecans in single layer 5-7 minutes until lightly toasted. Stir halfway through. Prepare pasta according to package. Cut broccoli into small pieces. Peel and chop stems. Whisk together mayo and next four ingredients in large bowl. Add broccoli, hot pasta, and grapes. Stir to coat. Cover and chill three hours. Stir bacon and pecans in just  before serving.

Chinese Coleslaw Salad
Martha Rogers
Salad:
1 pkg. cole slaw mix
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 cup slivered onions
2 pkgs. Ramen noodles (chicken flavor) uncooked and broken.
Combine ingredients in large bowl.
Dressing:
1 cup salad oil
1/3 cup white vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
Seasoning packs from Ramen noodles.
Mix well and refrigerate about three hours before mixing with salad. Combine dressing and salad and refrigerate, preferable overnight before serving.
Hint: I aways save almonds and noodles to add when serving. Sprinkle on top to give it a crunch. Lightly toasted makes it even better!