Faye Houston Massey of Oxford, and formerly of Bruce, says she’s “just a teacher who liked to cook.” She was known as the “recipe person” at the Northwest branch in Oxford, where she was Business Technology instructor, before retiring. There, she had files of recipes that she collected and shared, and also brought a lot of food.

She developed a love for cooking while in college, going home with friends and eating differently than the  “country cooking” she grew up with. Desserts have probably been her favorite to make through the years, and are also her favorite food. Like her daddy, the late Herman Houston, she says she looks at desserts first at a family reunion. She still makes her mother, Sarah’s, banana pudding, and  had an aunt, Helen Cushman, who loved to cook. Aunt Helen always had homemade desserts, and Faye also likes to cook from scratch because she likes “the real thing.”  Grandsons Will and Sam love her fudge and cookies, so she keeps something sweet made for them. She enjoys planning the menu and preparing food for showers, North Oxford Church fellowships and Sunday School parties, and brunches and luncheons, two of which she has done for some ladies in her neighborhood.  She has used a punch recipe for years that she got from Paula Ruth?Jeffery, which is made with Sprite, white grape juice, and simple syrup, for showers and other events. When daughter, Christy Larson, was part owner of The French Foyer in Oxford, Faye prepared food for their open house, and  their Christmas Open Houses.
Her recipes are “some of our family favorites!”  She got the fudge recipe in 1986 while teaching at Northwest, saying it was Dr. Butts’ wife’s recipe, and she loves it because it stays moist. The Snickerdoodles are “delicious--a good cookie for adults and children.” She serves Chicken Rotel with salad and bread, and her daughter found the chili recipe, which includes cumin. The pecan pie is also delicious and is Patty?Lewis’ (Neilson’s) recipe. Brickle Dip is a favorite and she says when she serves it, she always has to share the recipe because everyone likes it so much.

Marinated Cheese
1 package Italian salad dressing mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 (8-oz.) block of  Monterey Jack Cheese
1 (8-oz.) block of Cheddar Cheese (medium)
1 (8-oz.) block of Cream Cheese
Mix salad dressing mix, oil, vinegar, water, and sugar in  jar; shake well. Cheese needs to be refrigerated well to  be cold, especially cream cheese. Cut cheese into 1” squares, sliced about 1/8" thickness. Stack cheese in flat rows and marinate overnight. Alternate cheese in rows:  Monterey Jack, followed by cheddar, followed by cream, followed by cheddar, Monterey, cream...for color). Pour off marinade before serving. Olives may also be arranged  on platter before serving. This recipe works well on the square McCarty salad plate. Wheat Thins or another cracker may be served with this appetizer.

Almond Brickle Dip
8 oz. cream cheese
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 sup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
6 oz. Almond Brickle
This recipe is wonderful for sliced apples.

Snickerdoodle Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 lightly beaten eggs
2 1/4 cups plain flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
Combine butter, sugar, eggs, flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt to make dough. Chill dough for a few hours, then roll into balls the size of walnuts. Then combine 2 Tbsp. sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon. Roll dough balls in mixture. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375° about 10 minutes. Do not overbake.

Fudge
4 1/2 cups sugar
1 tall can Pet milk
2 sticks butter or margarine (I prefer butter)
1 7-oz. jar marshmallow cream
12-oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups finely chopped pecans
Bring sugar, Pet milk, and butter to a boil; cook until a soft ball can be formed in small cup of water. Remove from heat and add marshmallow cream, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and pecans. Pour into a buttered 9" x 13" pan.

Chili
2 pounds ground chuck
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 16-oz. can whole tomatoes, cup up
1 16-oz. can kidney beans or Ranch Style beans, drained
2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce
1 10-oz. can diced tomatoes and green chilies
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (optional)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon snipped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons snipped fresh basil or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Chopped onion
Dairy sour cream
Shredded cheddar cheese
In a 4-qt. pan or Dutch oven, cook ground chuck, onion, green pepper, and garlic until meat is brown. Drain well. Add UNDRAINED tomatoes, drained kidney beans or Ranch Style beans, tomato sauce, undrained tomatoes and green chilies, jalapeno pepper (optional), chili powder, oregano, cumin, basil, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat 10 minutes.  Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for  one hour. Serve with additional chopped onion, sour cream and cheddar cheese for topping.  Makes 8 main-dish servings.

Rotel Chicken Spaghetti
6 chicken breasts (8 boneless)
1 lb. Velveeta cheese
2 cans Rotel tomatoes (original), diced
1 package  frozen seasoning mix (green peppers, onions, etc.)
1 can water chestnuts, sliced and drained
1 can mushrooms, sliced and drained
1 1/2 sticks butter or margarine
1 (12-oz.) package vermicelli pasta
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Boil chicken. Save 1 1 /2 quarts of chicken broth. Saute seasoning mix in butter. Add to chicken broth. Bring broth to a boil and cook vermicelli pasta. Do not drain. Add Rotel tomatoes (with juice), mushrooms, water chestnuts, Worcestershire sauce, and cheese. Stir until the cheese melts. Add diced chicken and stir  until mixed well. Pour into a greased casserole dish. Cook at 300° for 45 minutes. Cover with foil and remove before it is completely cooked to partially brown the top.

Pecan Pie
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups Karo syrup, light
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups chopped pecans
Whisk eggs, add all remaining ingredients, except pecans. Sprinkle pecans on bottom of unbaked pastry shell. Pour mixture over pecans. Bake at 400° for five minutes.  Reduce heat to 325 and bake 45 minutes or until center sets.