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Marjorie Stroud of Winston County is known by many in her community as ‘The Recipe Lady’ and she’s had years of experience in the kitchen and on the farm.

Born in McCool, Mississippi, Marjorie lived on a farm there until she was eighteen years old. And while she said it was a hard life at times, she loved farm living.

"We raised hogs and cows. I had to milk cows before school in the mornings. We grew most of our own food, too. Corn, peas, butter beans, pinto beans, and sweet and Irish potatoes were all part of our garden. Daddy plowed with a mule, and he grew tobacco. I remember spending some long days out in the fields picking those worms off the tobacco. We thought it was rough, but we had a good life," she said.

Marjorie also remembers some of the more carefree days spent on that farm. "Saturday afternoons we’d all go out on the porch. We children had a wonderful time playing hopscotch and hide and seek. We couldn’t afford toys, so we had to make our own fun. Even our swing was made by Daddy, but we always had such a big time," she said.

There were plenty of children for playing on that farm. Marjorie is the third of eight children in her family, and she says that’s part of the reason she learned to cook. "I learned from my mother to cook on her wood stove. With a family of ten, there was always lots of cooking to do," she said. "We all had to help out. I can remember sweeping the house with broom sedge, and sweeping the yard with a dogwood brush broom to get up all the leaves and things. It looked so pretty when we were done."

From McCool, Marjorie moved to Kosciusko, MS; Louiseville, MS, and Memphis, TN, before she finally made her way to Double Springs, AL. Her husband, Beal T. Stroud was a door and window maker, and his career brought the two of them and their three children to Alabama.

"We were living in Memphis, and I enjoyed that there was always lots going on to see, but it was too big for me. Beal was offered a job at a window and door company in Alabama, and the man who hired him loaded us all up and helped us move," she said.

Mr. Stroud died in 1980, but Marjorie still leads a very busy life. "I like to send cards to sick people. I think it helps them. Some people I don’t even know, but it’s good to know others are thinking of you and praying for you. I have my list of sick people in the community that I read at church every Sunday," she said.

Marjorie attends Union Road Baptist Church between Double Springs and Haleyville where she shares many of her favorite recipes. Marjorie also contributes recipes to her local newspaper, and sometimes takes calls from members of her community who have cooking questions.

She says she really isn’t sure how she became known as ‘The Recipe Lady.’ "I love cookbooks and I always have. I don’t know how many I have, but it’s quite a few," she says.

Marjorie is also a big fan of her local Co-op store. "I especially like Judy at the Co-op in Haleyville. It’s a nice place to go, things are priced good, and they’re awfully nice about helping you. There’s lots of things in there you need," Marjorie says.

She says she prefers recipes that contain few ingredients or only require a few simple steps, and the recipes she shares with us this month reflect this simplicity as well as her multi-state background.

Kellie Henderson is a freelance writer from Troy.

Editor’s Note: Ms. Stroud contributed the most recipes when we published our cookbook, Southern And Then Some, and has always been a faithful contributor to our recipe page in the Cooperative Farming News.

Yummy Banana Bread

1 cup Splenda for baking
1 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup mashed bananas
2 eggs
2 cups biscuit-baking mix
1 cup chopped pecans

Cream Splenda and cream cheese. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Add bananas and baking mix, alternately. Stir in pecans. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350^o for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center of loaf comes out clean.

Apple Pie

1 unbaked piecrust
3-4 medium apples
1 cup Splenda
¼ cup self-rising flour
1 stick (1/2 cup) margarine

Peel apples and chop. Arrange in pie crust. Stir flour and Splenda together and top apples with the mixture. Cut margarine into small pieces over top of pie. Bake in a 300^o oven for 1 hour 10 minutes, or until apples and crust appear cooked.

Pecan Pie

1 cup light brown sugar
½ cup sugar*
1 heaping Tablespoon flour
2 Tablespoons sweet milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 stick (1/2 cup) margarine
1 cup chopped pecans
1 unbaked pie shell

Mix together both sugars and flour. In a separate bowl mix milk, eggs, vanilla, and margarine together. Add wet ingredients to dry; combine and add pecans. Pour into pie shell. Bake in a preheated 350^o oven for 45 minutes.
*or Splenda for baking.

No-Mix Cherry Cake

1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple, with juice
1 (21 oz) can cherry pie filling
1 box yellow cake mix
2 sticks (1 cup) margarine

Spread pineapple in a 9”x13” glass baking dish. Top with pie filling and sprinkle cake mix evenly over fruits. Cut margarine over cake mix. Do not stir. Bake at 350^o for 1 hour.

Buttermilk Pecan Pie

1 stick (½ cup) margarine
2 cups Splenda for baking
5 eggs
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup chopped pecans
1 unbaked 10” pie shell

In a mixing bowl, cream margarine and Splenda. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in flour, lemon juice, and vanilla. Stir in buttermilk and pecans. Pour into the pie shell. Bake at 325^o for about 55 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack.

Pork Chops and Yams

4 large, thick pork chops
2 Tablespoons oil
2 (16 oz) cans yams, drained
½ large bell pepper, cut into strips
2 Tablespoons minced onion
¾ cup Smucker’s sweet orange marmalade or
apricot preserves

In a large skillet, cook pork chops in oil over medium heat. Place yams in 1 ½ quart casserole dish. Stir in peppers, onion, and marmalade. Layer pork chops and yam mixture in casserole dish. Cover and bake in a 350^o oven for 30 minutes, or until pork chops are tender.
*For a change, use apples in place of yams.

Ham Roll

1 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 Tablespoon mayonnaise
1 envelope Ranch dressing mix
garlic powder to taste
1 large package thinly sliced ham

In a bowl combine first four ingredients until smooth. Spread mixture over a slice of ham. Roll into a log, securing with a toothpick. Chill overnight, then slice into ¼” thick rounds. Serve with crackers.

Pizza Cups

1 can of refrigerated biscuits (10 texas
style)
1 small jar pizza sauce
½ pound sausage, cooked and drained
½ cup grated cheese

Press biscuits into a greased muffin tin. Fill each cup with 1 Tablespoon pizza sauce. Top with sausage, then cheese. Bake at 400^o for 10 to 15 minutes, or until biscuits are done.

Plantation Supper

1 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 ½ pounds ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
¼ cup milk
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
2 cups elbow macaroni

Cook pasta according to package directions and drain. Cook ground beef and onion in a skillet until beef is browned and onions are translucent. Stir together soup and milk in a mixing bowl. Combine hot macaroni and cream cheese in a large baking dish. Layer corn, then beef and onions, over macaroni. Pour soup and milk together and pour over all. Bake in a 350^o oven for 30 minutes.

Breakfast Pie

4 eggs
½ cup milk
1 cup grated cheese
½ pound bulk sausage, cooked and
drained*
salt and pepper to taste
1 unbaked pie crust

In a large bowl, beat eggs, then add milk, cheese, sausage, and seasonings. Pour mixture into pie crust. Bake in a 325^o oven for 30 minutes.
*You can substitute ham or bacon, if desired.

Heavenly Hash

1 oz 8 carton small-curd cottage cheese
1 15 oz can fruit cocktail, drained
1 8 oz carton sour cream
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 cup chopped pecans

Mix all together. Chill thoroughly and serve.

Winston County
Alabama Caviar

2 cans black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can kidney or pinto beans, drained and
rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 15 oz can sliced black olives, drained
1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
2 small cucumbers, peeled and chopped
1 3-4 oz can water chestnuts, drained and
sliced
1 16 oz bottle Zesty Italian salad dressing

Put all ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine. Cover and chill. Use a slotted spoon for serving. Serve as a dip with tortilla chips or as a vegetable side dish.

Winston County
Mississippi Caviar

2 cans black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 small onion, chopped fine
½ cup chopped bell peppers
1 jar black olives, drained and chopped
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
2 cans diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 envelope Ranch dressing mix
1 bottle Zesty Italian salad dressing

Put all ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine. Cover and chill. Use a slotted spoon for serving. Serve as a dip with tortilla chips or as a vegetable side dish.

Cornbread Casserole

2 boxes Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
3 eggs
3 Tablespoons margarine, melted
1 (8 oz) sour cream
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can cream-style corn

In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Pour mixture into a greased 9”x13” baking dish. Bake at 350^o for 30 minutes until golden brown. Cut into squares for serving.