Pat Welch

These days Pat Welch of Bruce says that her cooking consists mostly of a pot of taco soup and a pan of broccoli cornbread–except for Mississippi State home football games, where she has joined a Calhoun County crew for tailgating since 2009.

A couple of crowd favorites for this group are corn dip and the seasoned pecans. “They (the pecans) are easy–zap and stir. People fight at tailgate to see who will take the leftovers home!”

Their crew has a website, www.mstatetailgate.com to sign up each week for the food they are bringing. The group has grown to a couple of tents and a TV now, she said. Pat says her favorite tailgate is Crockpot Day, usually the last game,  when they have chili, soup, gumbo, etoufee, and pulled pork day. She also likes buffalo chicken dip and the Rendevous platter of pickles, sausage and cheese, when someone brings them. Last season, among her contributions were pigs in a blanket, taco dip, hash brown casserole, sausage balls, cheese ball, chocolate chip cookies, Chex mix, slaw, and hot crackers.

Her broccoli cornbread recipe came from a Laurel Baptist Women’s Cookbook that Kent Moore gave her years ago when she worked at Weyerhaeuser, and “everybody loves the shrimp and grits,” she said.

When daughter, Mary Beth, was in college and came home for the weekends Pat usually fixed “roast and everything with it,” and her late husband, Gene, said they had, “fried everything but silverware!” Pat and Gene had a New Year’s tradition of him making jambalaya and her making a Paul Prudhomme bread pudding with caramel sauce. “It is really rich,” she said. Pat says daughters Carla and Mary Beth are both good cooks, and that Mary Beth has perfected Gene’s “Papaw’s Pasta” recipe.

Tomato soup and jalapeno cornbread are one favorite meal when some of the kids come over, but “party food” is on her family’s Christmas menu. “All kinds of dips–every kind of dip there is. And sausage balls and pigs in a blanket.” And the grandkids love a punch she makes of lemonade, orange juice and ginger ale.

Broccoli Cornbread
1-10 oz. pkg. frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
1 cup of Velveeta shreds
1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
1 onion, chopped
1 stick of butter
3 eggs
Mix all ingredients. Melt butter in black iron skillet at 400°. Make sure sides of skillet are coated. Pour and bake 25 minutes.

Corn Dip
1 can Mexicorn
1 can chopped chilies
2 green onions, chopped fine
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
Drain corn and chilies. Mix all ingredients. Season well with Cajun seasoning. Garnish with extra cheese and green onions. Serve with tortilla chips.

Sunday Pot Roast
1 can beef broth
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 envelope Lipton onion/mushroom soup mix
Place cut of meat of choice in crockpot. Put dry soup mix on meat, mushroom soup on top, then the broth. Cook overnight on low. Makes a rich gravy for topping rice or mashed potatoes.

Seasoned Pecans
4 or 6 cups of pecans
4 Tbsp. Lea & Perrins
1/2 stick butter
Cajun seasoning and garlic powder to your taste
Melt butter and seasonings in covered microwavable container. Add pecans and coat evenly. Microwave in increments of two minutes. Stir completely between heating. You can tell when pecans begin to toast and absorb liquid. (My microwave usually does to perfection in about three times.) They will continue to cook some after you take them out. Salt pecans thoroughly with sea salt while hot.

Shrimp and Grits
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. butter
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded Cheddar cheese
6 slices bacon, chopped
2 lbs. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
6 green onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
Black pepper
Cajun seasoning
Bring broth to boil. Stir in grits. Cook, stirring 5-7 minutes until thick. Remove from heat. Add salt, pepper, butter and cheese. Set aside. Keep warm. Cook bacon in large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove from pan. Add shrimp. Heat three minutes or until almost pink. Add lemon juice and next five ingredients. Cook three more minutes. Add bacon. (I like it spicy, so I get heavy with the seasonings.) Spoon grits in bowl and top with shrimp mixture.