Mulkeys try out their new recipes on family when they get together

“I love to cook, but never have the time to cook from scratch,” said Tonya Hogan of Bruce.
“We are a family of five, always on the go, so I look for anything that will save time.
“I rely heavily on recipes that are semi-homemade. Short-cuts are a necessity for busy mommas!” said Tonya, who is a school teacher.
She says they are picky eaters around their house–husband, Ben, and kids, Wyatt 18, Hailey 12, and Blake 9. Therefore she often alters recipes to suit their tastes.
“I HATE onions, so I always omit those from everything,” she said.

But “her crowd” loves sweets, and she and daughter Hailey make what they call chocolate roll-ups out of Hershey bars and crescent rolls. “It is definitely a crowd pleaser,” she said.
“I often search the internet for recipes. You can Google anything now. When I run across a good one, I screenshot it.” She also enjoys the recipes from PEPA’s Today mailout.
The first thing she remembers cooking is biscuits with her momma (Rita), who always fixed her and brother, Mitch, “baby” biscuits when she cooked dinner.

Cooking chocolate gravy as a young kid with her papaw, Jimmy Mulkey, is another memory she has. “He would say the trick was to ‘boil it 10 times!’”
“The Mulkeys are a large family. Some of us still get together every Sunday for lunch at my grandmother’s (Ann Mulkey) house. We love to gather and try out new recipes on one another.
“One of my most requested dishes for potluck would be Buffalo Chicken Dip. I acquired the recipe from a colleague many years ago. Another favorite would be my green beans and pinto beans,” she said.
To make her green beans, she uses Allen’s seasoned Italian cut beans, drained, adds Oscar Mayer Real Bacon Bits and 1/4 cup of brown sugar.
And to Bush’s Seasoned Pinto Beans she adds fried salted breakfast ham cut into small pieces.

Tonya says her favorite food would likely be chicken. But one of their family favorites is peanut brittle.
“Ben’s grandmother, Clara Hogan, would make this treat, along with many others, during the holidays. She and I connected through our love of cooking.
“She has passed on now, but her daughter, Becky, gave us a recipe book with all of her best recipes in it. I use the book often and remember her fondly. I still haven’t quite mastered her divinity!” Tonya said.

Buffalo Chicken Dip
2 pkgs. room temp cream cheese
2 cups of cooked, shredded boneless ] chicken breast
1 cup of Moore’s Buffalo Sauce
1 cup of Kraft Buttermilk Ranch
dressing
1 package shredded Wisconsin
cheddar
Mix all ingredients together. Bake at 350° until bubbly and slightly browned on top. Can be served with a variety of chips and crackers. (My favorite is Frito Scoops.)

Peanut Brittle
2 cups raw peanuts
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup white Karo
2 tsp. soda
Mix all together except for soda. Cook over low heat until golden brown. Remove from heat, stirring in soda, mixing well. Spread quickly on well buttered sheet. (I used Spanish peanuts. I think they have a better taste.)

Hailey’s Chocolate Roll-Ups
2 pkgs. butter flake crescent rolls
2 pkgs. small hershey bars
1/4 cup powdered sugar
Roll Hershey bars in crescents. Make sure no chocolate is showing, so it doesn’t leak out. Bake at 350° until brown. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Best served while warm.