Savannah Pratt

“It’s hard to pass up a good cookie with homemade ice cream,” says Savannah Pratt of Bruce, who makes a lot of sweets, and says cookies are her weakness. The Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookies are great for school functions, commenting that her students loved them when she brought them to school.

After she and Ben married she was introduced to new and different kinds of food, because “he’s into succulent dishes,” she said. He and her mother-in-law Becky Wright helped “show me the ropes,” as far as cooking.
She will often go to Becky for information or for a good recipe. Savannah and Ben plan their meals at home for the week ahead and even though they have a lot of cookbooks, they like to look online to get ideas.

Pinterest is her favorite internet recipe source, but she also likes the cooking blog, www.for the love of cooking.net. Their daughter, Emma Kate, is a good eater and will taste anything, she said.

“They are so resourceful–they have a garden and chickens and she does a lot of canning,” said Becky. “Savannah has learned to can salsa, peach marmalade and tomatoes. She used the internet and Ball canning book, and agrees that soup is so much better using tomatoes she’s canned.”
Savannah enjoys cooking in the fall and winter because “soups and chili are comforting.” Some of her favorites are the chicken and wild rice, potato and ham, and chicken and dumplings.

A member of Bruce Fine Arts Club, they held their annual salad luncheon last week. For the event, she made broccoli, grape and pasta salad this year. The last time she was a hostess for the club meeting, their menu included chicken and wild rice casserole, spinach salad with strawberries, pecans and raspberry vinagrette, a chocolate brownie dessert and a strawberry dessert. She enjoys making something different when it’s her turn to help host the meeting.

Becky has requested a Betty Crocker Bonnie Butter Cake for her birthday meal this week. Savannah hasn’t made the cake before, but says it is a scratch yellow cake with French Silk buttercream frosting.

Savannah’s aunt introduced her to cake decorating, which she has always enjoyed, and Carolyn Greene helped her improve those skills when they worked together at Piggly Wiggly. Savannah  says she “conquered the biscuits” this summer, but pound cake is still a challenge.

Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookies
1 stick softened butter
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
8 Oreo cookies, broken into pieces
1 cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with a silpat sheet or parchment paper. In large bowl, beat together butter, white sugar, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until creamy. In separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt in large bowl and mix thoroughly. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet and mix. Add chocolate chips and crushed Oreos. Stir until just combined. Drop by the spoonful onto the cookie sheet. Bake for 7-9 minutes, or until golden brown, but still soft. Let cool on baking sheet three minutes before transferring to cookie rack. Enjoy.

Broccoli, Grape and Pasta Salad
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 (16 oz.) package farfalle (bow-tie) pasta
1 pound fresh broccoli
1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup diced red onion
1/3 red wine vinegar
1 tsp. salt
2 cups seedless red grapes, halved
8 cooked bacon slices, crumbled
Preheat oven to 350°. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 5-7 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, cut broccoli florets from stems, and separate florets into small pieces using tip of a paring knife. Peel away tough outer layer of stems, and finely chop stems. Whisk together mayonnaise and next four ingredients in large bowl; add broccoli, hot cooked pasta, and grapes, and stir to coat. Cover and chill three hours. Stir bacon and pecans into salad just before serving.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup shredded carrots
5 cups water
1 (6.2 oz.) package fast-cooking long-grain and wild rice mix
1?(10 oz.) package frozen chopped broccoli
2 cups chopped cooked chicken (lemon pepper rotisserie chicken works great for this!)
1 (8 oz.) loaf pasteurized cheese product, cubed
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
Saute onion and carrots in a lightly greased Dutch oven over medium heat five minutes. Add five cups water, seasoning packet from rice, broccoli and chicken. Bring to a boil, and stir in rice; reduce heat, cover, and cook five minutes. Add cheese and soup; cook, stirring constantly, five minutes or until cheese melts. Serve immediately. Makes about 10 cups.

Chili
2 pounds ground beef, browned, and drained
1 large yellow (sweet) onion, chopped
3 bell peppers, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic
1 (15 oz. can) Ranch Style Beans, not drained
1 (15 oz. can) dark red kidney beans, drained
1 (10 oz. can) Original Rotel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chili
1 (15 oz. can) stewed tomatoes
2 (15 oz. cans) plain tomato sauce
1 (1.25 oz. pkg.) McCormick mild chili seasoning
Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot. Simmer at least three hours (the longer the better).

Strawberry Oat Muffins
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1-1 1/2 cups strawberries, chopped (or customize by using your own favorite berry)
Sanding sugar, optional
Preheat oven to 400°. Grease a 12-cup standard muffin pan. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, oats, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In large bowl, stir together butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar. Stir in eggs and vanilla. Add flour mixture to butter and sugar mixture, stirring until almost combined. Gently fold in strawberries, making sure not to overmix. Fill muffin pan with about 1/4 cup batter per cup. Sprinkle tops with sanding sugar, if desired. Bake 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. (A little twist to the traditional muffin with the addition of oats. The result is a delicious muffin with a wonderful texture that features just a bit of chewiness.)