Paige Mosley Hefner

“I like grandmaw cooking,” said Paige Mosley Hefner of Banner, “turnip greens, peas and cornbread, fried chicken,” and she likes broccoli, too.

She loves the way her mamaw, Carolyn Hamilton of Calhoun City, seasons her turnip greens. She says Mamaw likes to do all the cooking when the family gathers over there.

Paige used to sit on the kitchen counter and watch her mom, Melinda, cook. Her mom let her watch, but didn’t want her to “help” much or make a mess.

She does remember Melinda always telling her to do things like salt the water for spaghetti noodles and drain the grease off the meat.

Sweet potato pies are something she says are the best thing her mom makes.

Paige looks at Pinterest a lot and recently used a recipe she found there for Edible Marshmallow Playdough. She made it with her 3-year-old class at the Creative Learning Center Day Care at Bruce First Baptist Church, and “they liked it,” she said.

She likes making appetizers like sausage balls, cocktail smokies and ham, sour cream and pickles for get-togethers.

Paige also likes to makes sweets and starting making decorated cakes about six years ago. Her Facebook page is Lucrecia Paige’s Creative Cakes.

Breakfast Casserole

6 eggs

1 lb. mild sausage

3 Tbsp. heavy cream

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese

2 rolls Pillsbury crescent rolls, butter flavor

1 block cream cheese

1 Tbsp. butter

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. salt

Start by cooking sausage in a skillet. Crack eggs in a bowl and stir them.Add heavy cream and give it a stir to mix together but not too much. While sausage is still cooking put cream cheese in large bowl. Drain grease from sausage and add to cream cheese and fold it in. In same skillet add butter. When butter  melts, add egg mixture.  Using  flattened spoon, fold eggs while they cook, so they stay fluffy. Add salt and pepper to eggs. Mix eggs, sausage mixture, and one cup cheddar cheese together. Coat  casserole dish with butter. Lay first crescent roll down in  pan and start assembling. Add mixture on top of crescent roll, then add the rest of the shredded cheese. Top with rest of the shredded cheese. Top with other crescent roll. Bake at 375° until golden brown, about 12-15 minutes. 

Strawberry Cake

1 box strawberry cake mix w/pudding in the mix

1 cup milk (instead of water

3 eggs (I add one extra egg for richness)

Instead of 1/3 cup oil, I use melted butter

Combine all ingredients. Mix well, but don’t overmix. Butter pan and sprinkle a little flour in the pan. Shake around and discard leftover flour. Bake until firm at 350° about 15-20 minutes.

Frosting/Gel: Bag of strawberry gel (like used for angel food cake) found  in produce at T-N-T, not sugar free, one ontainer of Cool Whip, one bar of cream cheese

In mixer, beat cream cheese until fluffy and no clumps. Add strawberry gel. Mix until combined. Turn off mixer and whip in whipped cream.

Edible Marshmallow Playdough

1 bag mini marshmallows

About 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil or any cooking oil of your choice

1 cup powdered sugar

Sprinkles (optional)

Food coloring (optional)

Put marshmallows into a large microwave safe bowl with 1 Tbsp. oil. Microwave in 30 second intervals until melted, not burned. Two times should get it done. If powdered sugar is sifted first, it will prevent lumps in the play dough. (Add food coloring after marshmallows are melted.) Add cup of powdered sugar and mix. It will start to form a ball. Put a little oil on your hands and knead it together. It will be a little sticky. If oil doesn’t work, cornstarch will also help. Knead in sprinkles at this time if you want. Store for one week in ziplock bag or sealed container.