Lori Peden

Poppy Seed Cake is a dessert Lori Peden and her mother, Katie Jones, love to make. It has become a family favorite which is made from a recipe that has been in their family for over 50 years. Lori was very proud the cake tasted like her mother’s the first time she made it. She loves to make desserts at Christmas time and sometimes bakes the poppy seed cake for friends for gifts.

Deanna Wooten described it as, “super moist and delicious.” Other holiday dessert favorites of Lori’s to make include cream cheese pound cake, Oreo balls and red velvet balls.

Lori Peden

Crawfish and Shrimp Bisque, and chicken spaghetti are more of her family’s favorites. Lori likes to make casseroles, and though they are not really picky, the two younger children, Broc and Jenabeth, like things a little more simple. Husband, Lee, and their children enjoy it when she fixes breakfast for supper, and they also like baked tilapia.

She uses some olive oil, then seasons the fish with Cavender’s and Parmesan, commenting that she uses Cavender’s on everything. Their oldest son, Blake doesn’t cook at home, but he does at college. He has called home to ask how to make things like chicken and dumplings, and buffalo chicken.

Her family is open to new things and she enjoys looking at recipes on Pinterest and Google, but she usually sticks to the same ones. She enjoys cooking, but most of hers is done on the weekends, and she wishes she had more time to do it.  Lori learned to cook from watching her mother, and now Jenabeth is beginning to help some and really likes to make the strawberry cookies.

Lori’s favorite food is shrimp prepared any way, and she also likes shrimp and grits, and pasta. She and Lee love asparagus, grilled or in a casserole. They also grill often–a lot of chicken, sometimes steak or pork tenderloin. Usually their sides include whole onions cooked with brown sugar and Worcestershire, mashed potatoes, asparagus, green beans, and always macaroni and cheese, “a necessity for Broc and Jenabeth.”

Chicken and rice casserole was also a favorite of hers growing up that her mother fixed often, and she can remember helping when she was young. It is still one of her favorite dishes today.

Poppy Seed Cake
1 white cake mix
1 small package instant vanilla pudding
1 cup hot water (from faucet, not boiling)
4 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 Tbsp. poppy seeds
Almond flavoring
Mix cake mix, pudding, 1 Tbsp. almond flavoring, and hot water. Then add eggs one at a time and mix thoroughly. Next, add oil and poppy seeds and beat again. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes. (I used Bundt pan. You can use three loaf pans or six mini loaf pans.)?Bake 25 minutes or until done.
Glaze: Once cooled, I add the following glaze: 1 Tbsp. almond flavoring, 1 cup confectioners sugar, 1 tsp. milk. Drizzle over cake.

Jenabeth’s Cake Mix Cookies
1 box strawberry cake mix (you can use any flavor)
1 large egg
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup water
Combine all ingredients and beat until well blended. Drop by teaspoons about one inch apart onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for about 10-12 minutes. Then sprinkle confectioners sugar over cookies.

Crawfish and Shrimp Bisque
Crawfish tails (I use Boudreaux crawfish tails)
1 package small shrimp
4 cans creams of potato soup
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 cans whole kernel corn
1 qt. half and half
1-8 oz. cream cheese
Saute crawfish tails and shrimp just long enough that the tails begin to curl up. (Usually about five minutes.)?Be sure not to overcook or they will become tough. Remove from heat and set aside. Mix remaining ingredients in a separate pot. Place over medium heat and bring to a slow boil. Turn heat down on low as soon as it begins to boil, and stir frequently to keep from scorching. Add the sauteed crawfish and shrimp and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.

Swiss Cheese, Ham and Turkey Sliders
1 1/2 tsp. yellow mustard
8 Tbsp. melted butter
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Poppy seeds
Swiss cheese
Ham and turkey
Hawaiian rolls
Place Swiss cheese and ham and turkey inside Hawaiian rolls. Combine mustard, butter, poppy seeds, and Worcestershire sauce in bowl and mix until combined. Drizzle sauce over rolls. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes.