Allyson McGraw
“The spinach stuffed squash is a beautiful dish for Thanksgiving,” said Allyson Ivy McGraw of Tupelo and formerly of Bruce, and she will probably serve it this year. It is one dish her family usually has for Thanksgiving and added it is also good served with beef tenderloin.
Last year her Thanksgiving dinner was “a phenomenal feast at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York,” and while it was a great memory, she missed the dressing from home.
“I grew up in the Sawmill Restaurant,” she said, “and mostly learned to cook from watching MiMi (Jerry Brasher). Most of that cooking was done in large quantities so she learned the big things from her. But she said her cooking methods are more like those of her mother, Leanne, and her aunt Joy.
Her earliest memories of her great-grandmother, Vivian Brasher, are of shelling peas and butterbeans on her front porch. Vivian and PiPi (Max Brasher) did a lot of gardening, she said, and her husband, Jim, usually has a garden. When the McGraws have vegetable night they like to include fried okra.
“I really love bread and always have. I love cornbread, and biscuits, and any kind of bread,” she said.
Her vegetable soup recipe feeds a crowd and is great with hot cornbread.
“My aunt, Joy Patterson, always made the best crust for chicken pot pie. It is so easy, delicious and good. This is almost like Truvy’s Cuppa, Cuppa, Cuppa cake in Steel Magnolias–only with chicken pot pie– ‘stir and bake in the oven until brown and bubbly.’
She said the ravioli is also good and easy, and you can keep the stuff on hand to make it with.
The Cooked Out Chicken and ice cream are two of their favorites to have at the lake.
“The Cooked Out Chicken is a family favorite and almost top secret, however, it was written down for me by a family friend and can be found in Just Peachy: Bearing Fruit, a cookbook in its 20th anniversary edition with 100% of proceeds benefiting cancer research at Indiana University. We always serve Cooked Out Chicken with cheese grits, fresh fruit and salad. There isn’t one thing better than this recipe. Amid the photos of family and friends on the fridge at the lake, this one recipe can be found.”
The ice cream recipe was given to Allyson when she and Jim got married. “ ‘This was a traditional 4th of July dessert at Papa and Gig’s house,’ wrote Lee Walsh when she presented an ice cream freezer to us on the occasion of our wedding. In keeping with tradition, we’ve enjoyed peppermint ice cream every year at Pickwick for July 4th, and it is Jim’s favorite ice cream,” she said.
This is Allyson’s 12th year to teach first grade at Joyner in Tupelo. “We do lots of fun things together and eat all the time,” she said of the teachers on the hall with her. They have done a Thanksgiving meal in the past, and Allyson usually does a cooking project with her class once a quarter like making salt dough ornaments. In conjunction with the Junie B. Jones Thanksgiving book her class traditionally reads, they make “exploding biscuits,” since that was what Junie said she was thankful for. She also said they did a lot of cooking during Dr. Seuss Week.
Allyson, who has two daughters, Jacey, 16, and Lilli, 8, enjoys cooking, likes to cook for others, and take food to other people. She gets most recipes from close friends, internet, and her MiMi gives her cookbooks, but says she doesn’t follow recipes and always tweaks most every one she uses.
Spinach Stuffed Squash
10 oz. pack frozen chopped spinach (thawed and squeezed dry)
Parmesan cheese
6 whole yellow squash
Small onion, chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup sour cream
Garlic clove, minced
Cavender’s Greek Seasoning and dash of salt and pepper to taste
Few tsp. of Olive Oil
Saute onion and garlic in olive oil and set aside. Par boil squash (whole) in large pot five minutes. Remove and let cool. Slice lengthwise, remove seeds, and scoop out a small boat for filling. Mix spinach, onions/garlic, sour cream and seasonings. Place inside squash. Bake until bubbly in 350° oven. (Sprinkle with cheese the last few minutes before removing from oven).
Aunt Joy’s Chicken Pie
One cup flour, one cup mayonnaise, and one cup of milk mixed well together and poured over chicken, vegetables (she used Veg-All), and a creamy sauce.
Cooked Out Chicken
1 lb. butter
1 c. lemon juice
2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
1-5 oz. jar prepared horseradish
Tabasco to taste
Lemon pepper to taste
4-5 lb chicken pieces (dark meat or leg quarters are best.)
Melt butter and prepare marinade in large pot. Cover chicken with marinade in large baking dishes and cook slowly in oven (250° for 1 1/2 hours. Turn every 30 minutes. Remove from oven and finish on grill, turning and basting with marinade until chicken is completely done.
Lee Walsh’s King Leo Peppermint Ice Cream
1 can (24 oz.) King Leo Peppermint stick candy
1 quart half & half whole milk, additional as needed
Dissolve peppermint sticks in half and half overnight in fridge. When ready to freeze for ice cream, pour dissolved candy and milk into ice cream freezer and put paddle into position. Add whole milk to fill 3/4 full or to fill line and continue according to freezer directions. Serve with Oreos, brownies, or chocolate chip pound cake.
Easy Baked Cheese Ravioli
Bag of frozen cheese ravioli
1 lb. ground beef
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
Small onion and bell pepper
1 jar spaghetti sauce
12 oz. shredded Italian cheese blend
Spray 9×13 baking dish and line ravioli in pan. Brown beef with onions, pepper and Italian seasoning then combine with spaghetti sauce. Pour over ravioli and bake until bubbly, about 30- 40 minutes. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake another five minutes.
Crockpot Vegetable Soup
Pack of chicken breast tenderloins OR beef tips
1 can Rotel
1 bag frozen corn
1 can tomato paste
1 bottle of Zing-Zang Bloody Mary mix
1 can French style green beans (I use the kind with peppers and roughly chop)
1 onion sautéed in butter
1 stick of butter
Cavender’s, season salt, salt/pepper other spices to taste
Large potato, diced
3 cups chicken stock
Put everything in crock pot and cook all day on low. If using chicken, shred before serving.
