Chad Whitworth
“There is nothing like a grandmother’s touch,” said Chad Whitworth about his grandmother’s Red Velvet Cake. Instead of birthday cake, she always made him his favorite red velvet cake for all of his birthdays. And even though he has her recipe, he hasn’t tried to make one.
Besides the cake, the rest of his recipes are what Chad calls his “Christmas favorites,” especially the pistachio salad, admitting that he could eat a whole bowl of that.
Saying he used to couldn’t boil water, he now can cook the entire HomeTown menu. And since he does, he doesn’t do much cooking at home Monday through Friday. He has worked at HomeTown seven years and said he and owner Tammy Tallant like to use Google when looking for recipes. They created the Asian chicken salad that is served at the cafe, and two other things they recently came up with to try were loaded tater tots and loaded nachos. People also like his fried chicken livers.
Grilling is his favorite way to cook, especially pineapple, and also steak and center cut pork chops. He uses a dry barbecue rub, Uncle Jim’s, or Country Bob’s on most everything he grills. But he doesn’t use any seasoning on pineapple because he doesn’t want to mess up the flavor.
Sloppy Joes are his favorite food, but he also recalls his grandmother’s fried potatoes and onions.
He watches a lot of Food Network and his favorite is Pioneer woman Ree Drummond, saying that he records all of her shows and that his DVR is full of them.
Easy Red Velvet Cake
1 box Betty Crocker Supermoist German Chocolate Cake mix
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 bottle (1 oz.) red food color
2 Tbsp. unsweetened baking cocoa
Heat oven to 350°. Grease bottom and sides of two 9” pans and lightly flour. Bake per box directions. Cool cakes 10 minutes in pans then remove to cooling racks and cool completely.
Frosting: 8 oz. unsalted butter, softened; 8 oz. cream cheese softened; 2 cups powdered sugar; 1 tsp. vanilla. In large bowl, beat together butter and cream cheese with electric mix. On low, add powdered sugar one cup at a time until smooth and creamy. Beat in vanilla extract. Stack and frost cakes.
English Pea Salad
4 cans English peas
1/2 medium onion, chopped
4-6 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1/2 cup mayo
Salt and pepper to taste
Fold all together and chill before serving.
Pistachio Fluff Salad
2-3.5 oz. pkgs. pistachio instant pudding
2-12 oz. Cool Whip, thawed
1-20 oz. can crushed pineapple
2 cups chopped walnuts
1/2 cup Maraschino cherries
1 lb. bag mini marshmallows
Chop cherries into fourths. Mix pudding with Cool Whip and pineapple with juice. Add walnuts, chopped cherries and marshmallows. Combine well. Refrigerate 24 hours before serving.
Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls
2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 tsp. olive oil
1 large onion chopped
1 small cabbage chopped
2 cans (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. salt
In large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add ground beef and onion. Cook, stirring until beef is browned. Add chopped cabbage, tomato, tomato sauce, pepper and salt. Bring to boil. Cover and simmer about 30 minutes or until cabbage is tender.
Grandma’s Chocolate Pie
1/2 cup cocoa
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 egg yolks (save whites for meringue)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups milk
1 tsp. vanilla
Mix cocoa, cornstarch, beaten egg yolks, sugar, salt, vanilla, then add milk gradually while stirring in pot over medium-high heat. Cook until thick, beating until smooth. Pour into pre-baked pie shell. Chill in fridge.
Meringue: (Don’t make egg white meringue on rainy or high humidity days.) 2 egg whites at room temperature, 4 Tbsp. sugar, 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract. Beat egg whites until frothy, gradually add in sugar, continuing to beat until stiff. Put on top of pie.
