Phyllis Stewart

When Phyllis Stewart’s children, Chad and Sandi, were little, and she made fried apple pies, “they would eat them as fast as I could make them!” she said. Chocolate cobbler and butter roll are also among their favorites. The butter roll recipe is one of Jerry Brasher’s that originally came from Tula Vance.

Phyllis saw it in the paper, thought it looked good and decided to try it.?Husband, Benny’s favorite dessert is coconut cake, something she makes a lot, and always for his birthday. The grandchildren love fudge cake and ice cream, and since the Stewarts always garden, she tries to get them to eat more vegetables, but says their favorite meals include pizza, corn dogs, macaroni and cheese, and fried chicken. The macaroni and cheese recipe is one that her mother, Vannie Ree Anglin, used to always make for the holidays.

Phyllis feels like in the south, “We socialize in the kitchen. We cook and share food in the south,” and at all their family gatherings they always end up in the kitchen. She loves having her whole family come over for a meal and sometimes fixes Sunday lunch for them. She likes to take the fried chicken for Bible study at Old Field Methodist Church, and enjoys cooking for that gathering, and sharing recipes with the ladies of the church.

Phyllis likes Paula Deen and Barefoot Contessa, and loves to try new recipes, but Benny prefers that she stick to the “tried and true basics.”

Her favorite food is a grilled rib-eye or hamburger steak, with a salad and baked potato. They love to grill and Benny often grills pork chops or steaks. Phyllis remembers chocolate fudge being one of the first things she learned to make, and the first meal she cooked after she and Benny married was hamburgers and French fries. She said he was a little skeptical about her cooking in the beginning, but they made it.

And along the way she got a lot of cooking tips from her mother, and from her mother-in-law, Erma Grace Stewart.

Marinade for Grilled Steaks
Cover steaks with seasoned meat tenderizer and Cavendar’s Greek seasoning. Liberally add Worcestershire and soy sauce over steak. Warm small amount of sorghum molasses or honey, and spoon over steak. Let marinate in refrigerator overnight. Grill on charcoal grill.

Easy Apple Pies
1 can biscuits
4-5 apples, chopped
Sugar and cinnamon to taste
2 Tbsp. margarine
Cook apple mixture until apples are soft and well done. Mash until mixed well. Cool. Roll each biscuit until flat. Place apples on each one. Crimp edges. Fry in oil until brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve while warm with vanilla ice cream.

Macaroni and Cheese
1-8 oz. pkg. large elbow macaroni
1/4 cup melted margarine
2 Tbsp. flour
2 cups milk
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
Small carton Velveeta cheese
Cook macaroni, drain, and pour into casserole dish. Mix remaining ingredients. Cook on low heat until well blended. Pour cheese sauce over macaroni. Top with 1/2 cup bread crumbs browned in small amount of margarine. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

Fried Chicken
1 pkg. boneless chicken breasts
Salt, pepper and Tony Chachere’s to taste
Flour
1 egg
1 cup milk
Cut chicken into pieces. Mix flour with other seasonings. Mix egg and milk together. Dip chicken in egg and milk mixture, then coat with flour. (Do this twice for crispier chicken.) Deep fry in canola oil until golden brown.

Coconut Cake
1 stick margarine
1/2 cup canola oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 cups self-rising flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup buttermilk with 1/2 tsp. baking soda mixed in 1 tsp. vanilla flavoring
Cream margarine, oil and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Gradually add remaining ingredients. Pour batter into three 9” cake pans and bake at 300° for 30 minutes or until brown.
Icing
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light Karo syrup
1/2 cup water
2/3 tsp. cream of tartar
4 egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla flavoring
7 oz. shredded coconut
Bring sugar, syrup and water to a boil until it spins a thread. Beat cream of tartar and egg whites together and pour hot mixture on top. Bea until stiff, about 3-4 minutes. Add vanilla. Beat lightly. Frost between layers, sides and top of cake. Cover with coconut.