Ben Pratt of Bruce had a lot of influence from family members in learning to cook--both grandmothers, an uncle, his aunts and his mother.

In spending time in the kitchen with them when he was young, he learned to cook a variety of food. From one grandmother he learned to fry chicken and make desserts, and from another he learned about cooking vegetables. He now calls his mother Becky Wright for any cooking questions that might come up. Ben says he has always loved to cook, “will cook until he dies”, and that if you know how to cook, you will never be hungry.
Desserts are not his favorite thing to make, but two that he does are banana pudding and creme brulee. His wife Savannah, does enjoy making desserts. He likes to cook greens and cornbread, but his favorite food is spaghetti. Alvin Brown, Giada, Emeril and Rachel Ray are some of his past favorites on Food Network.
Ben enjoys trying to recreate dishes that he eats other places. He loves New Orleans food and his favorite restaurant there is Irene’s. He says he would like to learn to cook New Orleans style bread. He also loves Italian food and Giovanni’s in St. Louis. A little cafe on Venise Beach in California served a Chicken Fajita Philly Sandwich that he really liked, and Lambert’s in Sikestown, Mo. is also a favorite. One thing he has yet to do, but wants to, is eat lobster on the northeast coast.

Mamaw’s Banana Pudding
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup flour
4 cups milk
4 egg yolks
10 egg whites
8 bananas
1 bag vanilla wafers
1 tsp. vanilla flavoring
1/2 stick butter melted
2 Tbsp. separate sugar
Mix flour and sugar, and add milk. Separate eggs, beat 4 yolks, and add to first mixture. Pour into medium-sized saucepan and cook on low, stirring occasionally. When mixture becomes like pudding, add melted butter and vanilla flavoring. In 9x13 pan layer vanilla wafers on bottom, then cut bananas and layer on top of wafers. Next, pour pudding mixture over wafers and bananas. In a cold metal or glass bowl add egg whites and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Mix with mixture until a partially thick meringue forms. Pour meringue on top of dish and bake in the oven on 375 until meringue is golden brown.

Aunt Ollie’s Meatloaf
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
2 eggs beaten
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
Topping: Combine 1/4 cup ketchup and 3 Tbsp. brown sugar
Combine all ingredients together. Press in loaf pan or form into a loaf on a baking sheet. Spread topping evenly on top of meat loaf and bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin
1 medium size boneless pork loin
1 lb. bacon
1 bottle Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. seasoning salt
1 Tbsp. pepper
Brine:
1-64 oz. apple juice
1/3 cup creole or cajun seasoning
1 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. pepper
3 cups water
Combine apple juice, seasoning, salt, pepper, and water in a large bowl or bucket. Submerge pork loin into brine and let set overnight. Take pork loin out of brine when ready to cook and place on a large baking sheet. Season outside of pork loin with pepper, seasoning salt, and garlic powder. Preheat oven to 450 and cook pork loin 10-15 minutes or until browned on outside. Next, take pork loin out of the oven and wrap with bacon when cool enough to touch. Let oven cool to 350 and place bacon wrapped loin back into oven. Let cook 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until internal temperature reaches 155. Take pork loin out of the oven and pour bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's over pork loin. Place pork loin back in oven about 10 minutes just to let the BBQ sauce heat up. Make sure to let set for 10-15 minutes so loin can settle.

Cajun Cabbage
1/2 lb. bacon
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 jalapeno pepper seeded and diced
1 medium head of cabbage rinsed, cored, and chopped
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. white vinegar
1-14 oz. can stewed tomatoes
Cook bacon until done, but not crisp in a medium to large sized sauce pot. Add onion and jalapeno and cook till tender. Once this is done put chopped cabbage on top of cooked bacon, jalapeno, and onion. Put a lid on the pot and let cook till cabbage is tender. It is very important not to add water, just let the cabbage cook down. Once cabbage is tender mix sugar, vinegar, and tomatoes in a separate bowl and pour over cabbage. Cook another 10-15 minutes.