Melissa Barefield

Melissa Barefield learned to make applesauce puffs in high school home ec class, and while in college she demonstrated making them in a speech class. She still makes the puffs every now and then, and says they’re really good for breakfast or brunch.

Other things she cooked in home ec that she still makes are spaghetti (which included sausage), fruit tart, and chocolate mayonnaise cake. They also cooked a whole chicken, and zucchini, pumpkin and banana nut bread. She knew how to cook before taking home ec, and when she was 10 or 11, she and two neighbors, who were sisters, would get together and cook, then have their parents to join them in the meal. “We had a lot of fun,” said Melissa.

Tater tot casserole is husband, Benny’s favorite, and Melissa usually makes it for the Thanksgiving meal where he works. Sometimes if she doesn’t know what she wants to fix, she gets him to look through a cookbook and pick something out. Son Hunter loves her mashed potatoes, daughter Abbigail could eat chicken every day, but they all like the hamburger steaks with mushroom gravy. The kids at Lantrip Church love it when she brings Banana Split Cake, a recipe from Karen Bollinger. Her mother used to make the Coke Cake for Christmas. “It’s really rich… good with milk,” Melissa said.

Melissa loves to cook soup and chili, especially her 17-ingredient chili, in the winter. Her mother always used roast in her vegetable soup and Melissa never had hamburger meat in hers until she moved here. Hunter and Abbigail love the baked potato soup, which is also at the top of Melissa’s list, followed by chili, then taco soup.

In talking with Vonda Tedford Keon recently about potato soup, Keon offered her a tip: wrap the potatoes in Saran wrap before cooking in microwave. After cooking, unwrap and throw in ice water, saying the peeling will puff up and peel right off.

Melissa and her mother-in-law, Nancy Barefield, try new recipes all the time  and Paula Deen is their favorite. They enjoy appetizers at Nancy’s for New Year’s and are always on the look-out for new ideas for that family event.

Applesauce Puffs
2 cups Bisquick
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
2 Tbsp. cooking oil
Topping: 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, 3 Tbsp. melted margarine.
Preheat oven to 400°. Combine biscuit mix, 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon. Add applesauce, milk, egg and oil. Beat well 30 seconds. Grease muffin tins or line with muffin papers. Fill 2/3 full. bake at 400 for about 10-12 minutes or until light brown. Cool slightly. Mix sugar and cinnamon for topping. Melt butter in separate bowl. Dip tops of muffins in melted margarine then dip in sugar and cinnamon mixture. Makes 12 regular size or 24 petite muffins.

Banana Split Crumb Cake
(Karen Bollinger)
2 cups crushed graham crackers
1/3 cup sugar
1 stick butter, melted
Mix all ingredients and spread into large casserole dish. Be sure to spray dish with non-stick spray. Bake at 350° for five minutes in pre-heated oven. Set aside to cool. (Future mixture will spread much easier on cooled crust.)
2 cups sugar
2-8 oz. cream cheese (room temperature)
Mix ingredients well with mixer. Pour one cup sugar at a time. Cream cheese needs to be room temperature. Test to make sure mix is not grainy. Pour over crust mixture.
1 can crushed pineapple, drained. Pour pineapple over cream cheese mixture.
3-4 sliced bananas. Place bananas over pineapple. Cover top of cake with large tub Cool Whip. Sprinkle with nuts and cherries if desired.

Coke Cake
Sift together 2 cups flour, 2 cups sugar. Bring to boil 2 sticks oleo, 3 Tbsp. cocoa, 1 cup Coke. Pour on sugar mix: 1/2 cup buttermilk, 2 beaten eggs, 1 tsp. soda, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1 1/2 cups marshmallows. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Icing: Boil 1 stick oleo, 3 Tbsp. cocoa, 1/3 cup Coke, then add 1 box confectioner’s sugar, 1 cup pecans and 1 tsp. vanilla. Pour icing on warm cake.

Hamburger Steak with Mushroom Gravy
1 1/2 lb. ground chuck
3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1-8 oz. pkg. sliced mushrooms
1 large onion
1 can beef consomme
1 cup beef broth
1 pkg. brown gravy mix (Pioneer brand works best)
Combine ground chuck, Worcestershire, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper. Shape mixture in hamburger patties. Cookie patties over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes on each side. Remove patties and set aside. Drain grease from skillet but keep 1 Tbsp. of drippings. Then add mushroom and onion along with the tablespoon of drippings until tender. Add patties back to the skillet. In a bowl, combine gravy mix, beef broth and beef consomme. Add to skillet. Bring to boil then reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until patties are done.

Baked Potato Soup
4 large baking potatoes, baked
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper
6 cups milk
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
10  bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Peel and cube potatoes that are already baked. In a large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Add milk slowly. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for two minutes. Remove from heat, add in sour cream. Add potatoes, green onions, bacon and cheese.

Easy Creamy Mashed Potatoes
1 bag Ore Ida steam and mash potatoes
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup butter
1-3 oz. sour cream
Salt and pepper
Cook potatoes in microwave in package for 10 minutes. When done, empty into mixing bowl. Combine rest of ingredients and mix with mixer. Salt and pepper to your liking.

Tater Tot Casserole
1 big block Velveeta cheese
1 pound ground chuck
1 can Rotel
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 package tater tots
Brown and crumble ground chuck. Drain. Add Rotel and cream of mushroom soup. Bring to a boil. Immediately take off the eye and pour meat mixture into casserole dish. Slice Velveeta and cover top of meat mixture with the cheese. Then layer tater tots on top. Put in oven on 350° for 30-45 minutes or until tater tots are brown and cheese is bubbling through the tater tots.