Taylor Blue

“I just wanna cook!” Taylor Blue told her mother, Lisa, who asked, “What makes you happy?” following a meltdown after an ed psych final. Taylor, of Vardaman, started out as a journalism student, but didn’t think she wanted to be told what she could and could not write, so she ventured into psychology.

Answering her mother’s question is how she ended up in culinary school at The W in Columbus, where one of the hardest things for her to get used to is measuring.
“Everything comes natural to her,” said her mother. Taylor can just pull ingredients out and put a dish together. She has a lot of original recipes, like the Cracked Pepper Parmesan Sauce. “Before culinary school she made pineapple balsamic grilled shrimp and seasoned turnip greens for supper one night,” said her mother.
Taylor has been in the kitchen since she was “little bitty, probably 2” she said, and a friend, Taylor Ray of Oxford, told her from day one she needed to be in culinary school and still calls her Paula Deen.

“She has been acting like she was Rachel Ray since she was 10!” said her mother, about when they would go out to eat.
At school, she says they not only have learned to do with what they have on hand in the kitchen, but they also have specific meals to prepare and just made beef bourguignon. She has been taught that people eat with their eyes first, so she likes to make her food look good, too.

She lacks 1-1/2-2 years at the W for her degree as a culinary entrepreneur, learning skills for business and life, and she and wants to get her Master’s after that. She says she has met so many contacts there including Chefs Linkie Marais and David Leathers and been very surprised at all the opportunities and contacts from there. Taylor made what she called “Dirty Hot Chocolate” for alum Linkie recently at the W. The ingredients included hot chocolate, coffee, cayenne pepper, cream, Eagle Brand milk and dark cocoa. She said Linkie loved it and put it on Instagram.

Besides the prep students putting on a lot of luncheons, Taylor works in the culinary department, does their web page, is a leadership member of Silhouette Social Club, helps teach Saturday classes, and belongs to MUW Students for Life. She has also just been named a senior counsellor for Girls’ State.
She loves to make creme brulee and got a blow torch for her birthday. Her favorite food is a fancy grilled cheese and she puts on it whatever mood hits her. She also likes to make everything spicy. She reads a lot of food blogs, and shares, and also looks at Pinterest. She calls herself a copycat because she sometimes likes to duplicate things she eats at a restaurant, and restaurants are her favorite part of vacations.

When she is home, she cooks for an army–at least 10 people. Her family loves for her to make her great grandmother, Vera Nell Taylor’s, teacakes, and says there are never leftovers because they are  bottomless pits.  She  likes to make chicken and waffles for Saturday morning breakfast when she is home, and recently cousin, Dowden, 13, wanted them to make banana bread. “Baking is a science,” and “not her forte,” she said. But she does like to bake bread, especially using Strawberry Abita or Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan beer. She has also just perfected her grandmother, Linda Taylor’s, chocolate skillet pie with mile high meringue.

She wants to make a cookbook of her original recipes and their family recipes, and says the family  recipes are taped to the inside of the back of the all their kitchen cabinets.
Taylor expressed an interest in having a cooking store that offers cooking classes, rather than opening a restaurant.
“It makes my heart feel good that she has found her place,” said Lisa.

Cracked Pepper Parmesan Sauce
1 pkg. cream cheese, softened and cubed
1 stick whole butter
1-16 oz. carton heavy cream
1 1/2 cups milk (I use whole)
2 cups fresh grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tbsp. fresh cracked pepper
1 Tbsp. Slap Ya Mama seasoning (or to taste)
1 tsp. garlic powder (or to taste)
Hot sauce to taste
In saucepan, combine cream cheese, butter and milk and melt on medium heat. Constantly stir to avoid scalding. Whisk in heavy cream, Parmesan and pepper. Add remaining seasonings. On low heat simmer, stirring occasionally. (It is very easy to burn so keep a close eye on it.)

Sweet Grilled Cheese
4 thick slices Southern Pecan Beer bread
8 slices thick cut hickory smoked bacon,
cooked
6 thin slices of Brie
4 Tbsp. fig jam
2 Tbsp. butter
Butter each slice of bread and spread one Tbsp., more if you’d like, of fig jam on opposite side. Heat cast iron skillet to medium high heat and place two slices of bread butter side down in skillet. On jam side, place three slices of  Brie on each slice. Let Brie start to melt then add four slices of bacon to each slice. Top with remaining two slice, jam side down, and flip sandwich. Let toast, and the cheese to continue to melt. Once desired browning is done, take out of skillet and slice each piece into two.

Skillet Chocolate Pie
2 cups sugar
4 Tbsp. cocoa
1/2 cup flour
4 egg yolks
2 cups milk
1 stick butter, softened
1 Tbsp. vanilla
Mix sugar, coca and flour. Add milk, beaten eggs and butter. Cook in iron skillet on top of stove until thick, stirring non-stop. Once thickened, remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour into baked pie shell and add meringue. Brown.

Southern Pecan Beer Bread
3 cups self-rising flour
1/2 cup sugar
1-12 oz. bottle Lazy Magnolia Southern Pie
can beer
1 cup chopped pecans, 1/4 cup reserved
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. melted butter
Preheat oven to 375. Grease loaf pan and set aside. In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, 3/4 cup chopped pecans, beer and mix well. Mixture should be sticky. Pour into loaf pan and bake 55 minutes. Towards the end of baking, mix butter, remaining 1/4 cup of pecans, and brown sugar. At the last 10 minutes of baking, remove from oven, brush top of loaf with mixture and return to oven.

Sweet Potato Cupcakes w/Rum Frosting
2 medium sized sweet baking potatoes, cooked
and mashed
1 box golden butter cake
4 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 stick butter
Preheat oven to box directions, 350. Mix all ingredients into large bowl. Beat ingredients at least 3-4 minutes. Spoon 2/3 of the way full into cupcake papers and bake 23-25 minutes depending n oven. Repeat process until mixture is gone. Let cupcakes cook before frosting.
Frosting:
2 containers of whipped buttercream frosting
1 1/2 tsp. rum extract
1-7 oz. pkg. sweetened coconut
2-2 oz. pkgs. Fisher walnuts
Mix frosting and rum extract. Toast package of sweetened coconut at 350 until golden. Watch carefully! You don’t want it to burn. Chop walnuts. Frost cupcakes and top with toasted coconut and walnuts.

Best Carrots Ever
2 pkgs. baby carrots
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Bake at 425for 20 minutes. Carrots will caramelize from the inside out. Fresh broccoli can be substituted for carrots!

Shrimp and Grits
2-2 lb. bags uncooked frozen shrimp
1 stick butter, divided
Creole seasoning
Red pepper flakes
1-32 oz. container chicken broth
11 cups water
3 1/2 cups quick grits
2-3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 pound bacon
6 green onions, green and white parts, chopped
Olive oil (optional)
1/2 cup cream sherry
Thaw shrimp. Peel, devein and remove tails. Melt 1/2 stick butter and pour over shrimp. Stir to coat. Sprinkle shrimp with Creole seasoning and red pepper flakes. Stir to coat shrimp. Set aside for about one hour. Combine chicken broth and water in large stockpot and cook grits according to package directions. Add cheese to grits and allow to melt. Blend melted cheese throughout grits. In large saute pan, cook bacon until crispy. When cool, crumble. Pour off most of the bacon grease. Return saute pan to heat. To drippings in the pan, add remaining half stick butter and let it melt. Saute green onions. If more liquid is needed, add some olive oil. Add sherry and crumbled bacon to pan. Add shrimp and cook until shrimp has turned pink. Cover and set aside. Put a scoop of grits into an individual serving bowl. Top with serving of shrimp mixture. Serves 10-12.

Skillet Steak
Olive oil
3-4 1” chuck steaks
Blackened seasoning
Salt and pepper
1 large onion, sliced
Heat cast iron skillet over high heat. Cover bottom of skillet with olive oil. Coat meat with blackened seasoning and salt and pepper on both sides. Sear meat quickly in prepared pan until a crust forms. Remove meat from skillet and cover to keep warm. Add sliced onion to skillet and cook until brown and caramelized. Return meat to skillet and continued cooking over medium heat until desired degree of doneness.