Tracey Turner Box

Thirty-six children selected cooking as one of their two activities during Bruce First Baptist Vacation Bible School last week and Tracey Turner Box was their leader.
While traditionally, a sports-themed Vacation Bible School in the past, director Stacey Plunk added cooking, art, creative movement and water/recreation games this year as alternatives for those who might not be as interested in the sports that were traditionally offered. Besides these activities, a VBS day also included worship time and a small group study time.

On the cooking agenda were simply fresh squeezed lemonade, grilled cheese sandwiches, vanilla milkshakes, mini fruit pies, and iced and decorated cookies for which the kids kneaded, rolled and cut their own dough.
A week before Bible School, Box was at a yard sale in Memphis when she saw an antique Juice O’Mat lemon squeezer. Knowing it would be perfect for them to use, she bought it.

In addition to preparation and cooking, they learned to measure with cups and spoons, do a place setting, and crack eggs.
They decorated the covers for their VBS recipe books and designed their own pot holders with permanent markers.
Box had the activities set up in stations at which the students could rotate around.

“They were all interested in cooking and enjoyed it. They liked and ate everything they made. They stayed busy and everything worked out well,” she said.
Windy Austin was “facilitator” for the class, re-iterating what VBS speaker Grant Metford said at some point during their class time. There were also several youth and adults assisting.

Tracey’s great-grandmother Janie Chrestman taught her to do most of her cooking, and her mother, the late Gayle Turner, was a long-time home economics teacher, who “always had dinner on the table.”
While Tracey likes to cook, she says she really likes to eat out so she can try different things. She doesn’t do a lot of baking but does make the banana cake recipe all the time, and says the coconut pineapple delight is a favorite of her husband, Ricky.

Mrs. Hollis (Eunice) Bryant shared with Tracey the squash souffle recipe and “it is so good!” She makes it for their family holiday meals and other get-togethers.
Tracey likes to cook vegetables because they are quick and easy,  and she “loves summertime vegetables.”

VBS: Fresh Squeezed Lemonade
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. sugar
Ice
1/4 cup hot water
3/4 cup cool water
Stir sugar and hot water in glass until dissolved. Add lemon juice, cold water and ice. Stir well. Enjoy.

VBS: Milkshakes
1/4 cup milk
2 scoops ice cream
Mix with hand mixer. Can use white or chocolate milk.

VBS: Grilled Cheese
For each sandwich, butter generously two slices of bread. Place one slice of processed American cheese. Lightly spread outside of sandwich with soft butter. Brown lightly on both sides in skillet or on griddle over low heat until cheese melts and bread is lightly browned.

Coconut Pineapple Delight
1 pkg. white cake mix
1 can cream of coconut
1 can Eagle Brand milk
12 oz. Cool Whip
1 large can crushed pineapple, well-drained
12 oz. coconut
Bake cake according to directions in 9×12” pan. Let cool. Mix cream of coconut and Eagle Brand mix. Spread over cake. Spread with well-drained pineapple. Cover with Cool Whip and sprinkle with coconut.

Squash Souffle
3 cups squash, sliced
1 onion, sliced
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
3 Tbsp. butter
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
2 eggs, well beaten
Boil squash, onion, salt and pepper in small amount of water until tender. Melt butter and milk together in small saucepan. Add one cup bread crumbs to milk and mix well. Add squash and eggs. Pour into casserole dish and cake at 300° until thick. Add remaining bread crumbs to top and place back into oven a few minutes. Grated cheese can also be sprinkled on top.

Banana Cake
(Bobbye Mason)
1 box butter cake mix
1 small box vanilla instant pudding
3 eggs
3/4 cup oil
1/4 cup water
1 cup bananas, mashed
Icing: 1 cup sugar, 1 stick butter, 1/4 cup water
Mix first six ingredients. Pour into greased bundt pan. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Mix three ingredients for icing. Pour over warm cake.

Shrimp Fettucini
1 lb. fettucini pasta
1 Tbsp. butter
1 lb. cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 cloves garlic
1 cup half and half
6 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt to taste
Cook pasta according to directions on package. Saute shrimp and garlic for one minute. Stir in half and half, add Parmesan cheese, one Tbsp. at a time, stirring constantly. Sprinkle with salt. Let set to thicken. Combine with noodles.