Mark and Carol Baker

“A lot of times I just throw stuff together,” Carol Baker said, but Mark does it, too. Then they recalled a story from the ice storm of 1994.
The Bakers, who live in Bruce now, lived in the Delta at the time. The electricity was out and they were looking for something to have for supper. Mark found a roll of sausage in the freezer, sprouting potatoes, and molded cheese in the refrigerator.
So, he browned the sausage and added Creole seasoning to it. He cleaned and diced the potatoes, then boiled them. He grated the mold off the cheese, and sprinkled it on top of the meat and potato mixture, and baked in their oven, which was propane. He called it Poor Man’s Meal.

The Bakers have both been cooking since they were young.
At age 6, Carol learned to make cornbread from her grandmother. She would start supper, and many times fixed fried chicken and gravy.
Mark started about third grade when his mother was in nursing school. His three dishes were pork chops, hamburgers and tuna salad (which he made and ate so much of that now he won’t eat it.) He also did some crockpot cooking which included not only chicken and pork chops, but barbecued coon and rabbit. “It was good,” he said, adding that his dad, J.S., also did some cooking at their house.

All of their sons–Brandon, Nolan and Halen, cook. Nolan is in his last year of culinary school and will finish in May.
Mark and the boys, along with Durell Baker, have charge of the Brotherhood Breakfast once a month at Rocky Branch, and they always prepare a big breakfast.
A tradition for their family “forever” has been Christmas morning breakfast with pancakes, sausage, bacon and more.
The family loves the chess cake squares, but “they will fork each other’s hands to dip out the fried rice,” said Carol.

They got the rice recipe from Mark’s mother, Mary. They have it for all of their family get-togethers and “serve it with anything.” Carol is usually the one who fixes it for their gatherings.
She made the chess squares for a fundraising bake sale several years ago and all of them sold. So Mark ran home and made some more and now that’s his thing to make.
Although the recipe originally came from a cookbook, “It took me two years to perfect it to my liking,” he said.

The salad recipe came from someone in the Delta, according to Carol, and “everybody likes the pretzel salad.” She tweaks it to make it a more diabetic version for Mark.
Mark’s favorites that Carol make are fried rice and spaghetti, to which she adds sausage.
“I can eat soup if it’s 80° or 20°,” said Carol, who also loves the pretzel salad.

Poor Man’s Meal
Cube and boil potatoes. Brown sausage and sprinkle with Creole seasoning. Mix potatoes and sausage. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and bake in oven.

Bulgarian Salad
1 can of each, drained:  French style green beans,  shoepeg corn, green peas
1 green pepper and 1/2 onion (both chopped)
1 small jar red pimento
Dressing: 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup oil, 1/2 cup vinegar or red wine vinegar, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper
Heat until sugar dissolves. Pour over mixture and put in refrigerator. Better if you make the night before.

Fried Rice
12 oz. bacon cooked
4 cups cooked rice
1 chopped onion
Soy sauce to taste
3 well beaten eggs
Brown bacon and set aside. Saute onion in small amount of bacon grease. Fold in rice and soy sauce. Pour beaten eggs in and stir until heated through. Sprinkle with cooked bacon and combine all.

Chess Cake Squares
1 box powdered sugar
1 box yellow cake mix
1 stick butter
1-8 oz. cream cheese
1 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
Melt butter and mix with cake mix and one egg. Press in long cake pan. Cream together cream cheese, powdered sugar,  vanilla and remaining three eggs. Pour over mixture in pan. Bake at 325° for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Pretzel Salad
#1: 2 cups crushed pretzels, 3/4 cup oleo, 3 Tbsp. sugar
#2: 1-8 oz. cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, 2 cups Cool Whip
#3: 1-6 oz. strawberry Jello dissolved in 2 cups water, 1 quart sliced strawberries
Combine first three ingredients and place in 9×13 pan. Bake 10 minutes at 400°. Cool.
Combine second three ingredients and spread over cooled crust.
Prepare final three ingredients and pour over cream cheese mixture. Let stand in refrigerator 5-6 hours before serving.
(Option: May use Splenda and sugar-free Jello.)