Gayla Bennett

“My mother says I’ve always had  a ‘creative flair in the kitchen’,” said Gayla Tutor Bennett of Bruce. And at a young age, Darlene (Denton) gave her “total and complete freedom in the kitchen.”
“I really loved the rolling pin,” she said, often making biscuits and cookie dough, and doing lots of baking.
As a teenager she made her own “hot pockets” using homemade biscuit dough and whatever filling, before there was such a thing.
Gayla doesn’t follow any recipe to a “T” and shies away from complicated ones. She typically uses the palm of her hand for a measuring spoon and just adds pinches.

Mother-daughter time in the kitchen has been important to Gayla since she was a little girl.
Daughters Brooke and Chasey enjoy cooking and are now asking her to write down her recipes because she tweaks so much and has no set measurements.
Brooke likes to cook entrees, with a favorite being Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta.  Chasey likes to make sweets and she does an excellent cheesecake.
Brooke cooks by the book, Gayla says, and Chasey is not as cautious.

The Bennetts enjoy eating out and trying new things, and she likes re-creating dishes, like Steak Gorgonzola or Sesame Ginger Dressing. One of their favorite meals includes a side salad and Brian roll at Toyo.
Over the past couple of years, her taste has changed, and she has stepped out of her comfort zone. She likes more spice and flavor, including garlic, which she now uses more. She can smell a spice and tell if she wants to use it or not.
She has just tried brussels sprouts.

“If you have olive oil, Lipton garlic and herb dry mix, sprinkle it on anything (squash, zucchini, broccoli, asparagus, brussels sprouts) and broil it in the oven.”
The “house favorite” of the Bennetts is Party Burgers  or “good ole-fashioned sloppy joes.” The recipe is lengthy but it is fast, she said. Gayla saw it on Facebook, then “kicked a few things out and added a few.” Her bunch likes the glaze on the meat, but she likes it on the bread also.
Several years ago when working as a nurse in Oxford, the staff was eating at City Grocery. The whole table ordered Shrimp and Grits, and owner and Chef John Currence came out to talk to them. He ended up giving them the recipe. She has tweaked it since, but it is still one of her favorites.

For Christmas, she will serve shrimp and grits, hamburger steaks or grilled steaks. Crockpot corn is a requirement of the family for their gatherings, along with bacon wrapped green beans.
The kids at her day care “love strawberry” for the drop cake mix cookie flavor, and they also like when she makes quarter sized pancakes.
Husband Jeremy is their Sunday breakfast cook and grill master, which works out well since they have a freezer full of deer meat and crappie.
Her most treasured recipe is that of her Grandmother Tutor’s sweet potato pie. She always made it at Christmas, adding coconut to Gayla’s, and raisins to her dad, Larry’s.
“She had a plethora of food at the holidays–the most heavenly collection of pies and candies.”

Gayla’s baking cabinet is “cram packed with everything.” Normally preparing the chocolate gravy to have with biscuits, she recently drizzled it over a chocolate chip bundt cake for a bake sale.
“The pans are in my Amazon cart right now” for the next thing she wants to attempt making– Petit Fours.
“My mother always told me God has blessed each person with a gift,” and Gayla feels like hers is hospitality.
“I like to cook and cook for others. I like to see everyone enjoy and appreciate it. That means so much and I like hosting,” she said.

Sweet Potato Pie
(Bernice Tutor)
1 medium pot of sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
1 stick of margarine
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 can sweetened condensed milk
Option: Add 1/2 cups raisins or coconut
Mix all ingredients and pour in unbaked pie shell. Cook at 350° for about 40 minutes.

Party Burgers (aka Sloppy Joes)
1 lb. ground sirloin
1 cup chopped onions
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. Celtic sea salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. mustard
2 Tbsp. ketchup
1 can Rotel
Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Sesame seed buns or Hawaiian rolls
Glaze: 1/2 cup butter, 2 Tbsp. brown sugar, 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, 1 Tbsp. mustard, 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
Preheat oven to 350°. Coat 9×13 baking dish with non-stick spray. In large skillet on stovetop, brown sirloin or beef, chopping as it cooks, until it is browned. Drain any grease and return to skillet. Add onions, stir until golden. Add garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, mustard, ketchup and Rotel (not drained). Let cook over low to medium heat until bubbly. Burgers will thicken once they are removed from heat. Place buns open in baking dish. A thin spread of mayo will keep top bun from burning while toasting. Add heavy spoonful to bottom bun, top with shredded cheese.
For glaze: In saucepan, add all ingredients. Bring just to a bubble over medium-high heat until sugar is dissolved. (Can add tsp. of glaze to top of cheese if desired.) Bake in oven until cheese melts (5 minutes.) Can add tsp. glaze to top of bun also. Serves 8 big buns or 12-14 small rolls.

Crockpot Corn
4-5 cans white shoepeg corn
1-8 oz. cream cheese
3 Tbsp. jalapeno juice
4-5 jalapeno rings
Add all ingredients to crockpot. Cook on high 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set to warm and serve. (I usually remove jalapenos before serving–your choice.)

Cheesy Green Bean Casserole
3 bags frozen green beans
1 pint heavy cream
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 cup Mozzarella cheese
1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1-2 tsp. Celtic sea salt
1-2 tsp. red pepper
1 tsp. black pepper
French’s fried onions
Preheat oven to 350°. Place beans in 9×13 casserole or baking dish. Pour cream over beans and scatter garlic over beans. Add half cup mozzarella and gently mix cheese into cream. Add seasonings. Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven. Gently stir and add remaining cheese. Top with French’s fried onions. Bake 5-10 minutes until melted and bubbly. Serves 8-10.

Cake Mix Cookies
1 box cake mix of choice
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Preheat oven to 350°. Mix all ingredients in large bowl. Make little balls with dough and set on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for 4-10 minutes, depending on your oven. (I bake mine about six, so they are soft, not crispy.)

Homemade Whipped Cream
1 pint heavy cream
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
4 oz. cream cheese
2 tsp. vanilla
Melt cream cheese 30 seconds in microwave and stir.          Set aside. Freeze your whisk and bowl 10-12 minutes (to keep cream from being lumpy.) Add cream to bowl. In stand mixer, turn on high (whipping setting) 1-2 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Add 1 Tbsp. sugar at a time until it has thoroughly creamed out. Add cream cheese and vanilla. Mix on high 30 seconds to one minute. Can use immediately or chill for future use. Makes enough for a single layer cake or two pies.

Chocolate Sauce
1 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbsp. cocoa
2/3 cup milk
In saucepan, combine sugar and cocoa. Use fork to mix well. Add milk. Stir over medium stovetop 15 minutes. Stir often to keep from scorching. Reduce heat when it begins to boil. Will thicken as it cools. Wonderful on biscuits, bundt cakes or strawberries! Serves 2-4.