Barbara Schreick

“I still don’t know how to make cornbread,” said Barbara Schreick of Calhoun City, who grew up on an Arkansas farm in a big family of six brothers and one sister. She learned to cook on her own at age 12 when her mother became ill.
“It was hit and miss,” she said.  The first meal she cooked was fried chicken, which was not well done and not eaten. After that, it was the only one her brothers turned down.
“We always had ham and a garden. We didn’t eat anything we didn’t grow, and we ate fried or mashed potatoes,” Now she just has a few tomato plants.

After cooking every day for them and later for her family, she doesn’t do as much now. “I do easy stuff and I like simple recipes.” She likes to make cool stuff like ambrosia in the summer.
She makes breakfast dishes a good bit to take to work at Calhoun Health Services. “Mr. Franklin loves the Georgia cornbread,”  which she says is good with coffee. They have monthly birthday dinners at work and June was a salad lunch. Her favorite was Leslie Spivey’s broccoli salad. She also likes when they bring soup in the winter time.

Barbara moved here in 2004 to be near her daughter and family, Angela Doles. She said it was her first time to ever have grits. Christmas food–country ham, chicken and dressing, and sweet potato casserole, are her favorites.
And she likes to make a variety of candy at Christmas–Oreo bonbons, pecan pralines, Hello Dollies, Martha Washington balls, no bake chocolate cookies and chocolate chip cookies. “I have my counter loaded when I make it,” she said. She takes it to senior citizens at her church and sometimes to patients.  The girls at the hospital like for her to bring them Christmas candy, too.

With The Methodist Women of Lewis United Memorial Church she helps serve for events when she gets off work. She helps with some of their cooking when her schedule allows. “The Methodist Women are great. Barbara Bryant goes above and beyond. She can take nothing and make something out of it.”
Barbara’s  favorites of their recipes are poppyseed chicken, lemon crunch and vinaigrette salad. “J.R. Denton loves the lemon crunch. I believe he could eat a whole casserole of it.”

Georgia Cornbread
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 tsp. vanilla flavoring
2 cups finely chopped pecans
Mix and bake at 325° for 30 minutes.

Ambrosia
1-8 oz. tub thawed Cool Whip
3 cups miniature marshmallows
2 cans mandarin oranges, drained
1-20 oz. can chunk pineapple
2 cups coconut
Mix together. Top with sliced almonds or nuts if desired.

Breakfast Cheese Danish
2 cans crescent rolls
2-8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 egg white (for brushing on top)
Glaze: 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp. milk, 1/2 tsp. vanilla
Layer can of crescent rolls in 9×13 pan. Pinch openings together. Beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and eggs. Spread over crescent rolls, then spread second can of rolls on top. Brush with egg white. Bake 35-45 minutes until top is golden. Brush with glaze after 20 minutes of cooking. Put back in oven and cook remaining 15 minutes.

Beef Tips & Gravy
1 lb. sirloin tip steak
1 small onion
1 bouillon cube
1 cup hot water
1/2 cup self rising flour
Salt and pepper
Mix salt, pepper and 1/2 cup flour. Roll meat in this and saute in hot oil until brown. Dissolve bouillon cube in one cup hot water. Remove meat from pan and saute onions 2-3 minutes, then put meat back in pan and pour bouillon liquid over meat. Cover and simmer until tender. Serve over rice or potatoes.

Sausage and Cheese Crescent Squares
2 cans crescent rolls
1 lb. hot or mild sausage
1-8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
8 oz. (2 cups) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 375°. Press one can of rolls in ungreased 13×9 glass dish. Brown sausage in large skillet and drain. Add cream cheese to same skillet. Cook over low heat until melted. Add cooked sausage. Stir to coat. Spoon evenly over crust in baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Unroll second can on work surface. Press to form 13×9” rectangle firmly. Press perforations to seal. Carefully place over cheese. Bake 21-26 minutes or until golden brown. Cool five minutes before cutting in small square. Serves 32.