Born to Cook

By Tanya Howell

Tanyas book is an ode to her grandmother, Clara Lee McMurry, and is also a legacy to her granddaughter, Carol Monet Howell. Tanya passes along tips, trades, hints, and secrets of making the plain and ordinary into the delicious and mouthwatering dishes that draw praises from those who taste her fare.

You can tell from the richness of the recipes that her background, heart, and soul are poured in great measure into each and every written word! Delight your family and friends with the awesome delicious treasures that you will find among these pages. Youre sure to find and build new family favorites. Feel free to expand and experiment with the recipes to meet the needs of both you and your family!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Aug 17, 2017
• ISBN: 9781524579555

Tanya Howell

Tanya Howell is a Southern Born, Southern Bred cook/chef. Though she never had any "formal" schooling or training in the field of the culinary arts, Tanya is a "natural" in the revolutionary finesses of the delectable creations that makes what you and I consider the be the "Heart of the Home" the "Kitchen"!

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Copyright © 2017 by Tanya Howell. 721755

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Rev. date: 08/17/2017

Xlibris

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www.Xlibris.com

CONTENTS

Banana Bread

Banana Cream Sickles

Sweet Potato Casser0le

Deli-Style Roast Beef

Meat Loaf

Poor Man’s Beef Stroganoff

Chocolate Chip Cheeseball

Tanya’s Classic New York Style Cheesecake

Bailey’s Irish Crème Cheesecake

Butterfinger™ Cheesecake

Cheesecake Pans

Get To Know Yours

Chocolate, Mocha Mint Cheesecake

3-2-1 Cupcakes!

Apple Cobbler

Butter-Pecan Ice Cream

Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Chunky Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Cinnamon Rolls

Peach Cobbler

Fresh Strawberry Topping

German Chocolate Cake

Hot Caramel, Bacon, Pecan Sauce

Luscious Zucchini Bread

Peanut Butter Krispies (No Bake)

Pina’ Colada Ice Cream

Pineapple Sherbet

Pineapple Topping With Walnuts

Praline Sauce

Rotten Coconut Cake

Shortbread Cookies

Strawberry Fudge Truffles

Sweet Potato Ice Cream With Hot Carmel, Bacon, Pecan Sauce

Bacon Swirls

Buffalo Chicken Quesadilia

Cheese Straws

Cheesy Quesadilias

Cheesy Ultimate Quesadilias

Chocolate Crème De Menthe Truffles

Chocolate Maraschino Cherry Truffles

Chocolate Pecan Brickle

French Onion Cheese Ball

Nutty Bar Truffles

Roasted Buttery Garlic Pecans

Spicy, Cheesy Sausage Dip

Tammy Franklin’s Granola Balls

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Creamy Turkey & Wild Rice Soup

Creamy Turkey & Wild Rice Soup

For A Crowd

Herbed Dressing Mix Chicken Rolls

Hibachi Chicken

Mexican Style Grilled Chicken

Parmesan Cheese-Garlic Chicken Rolls

Poppy Chicken Salad

Spicy Lemon-Garlic Chicken Satay

Tequila-Sundrop Brined Chicken

Fire-Roasted Chicken Spice Blend

Grilling Marinade

Sweet & Spicy Grilling Marinade And Basting Sauce

Spinberry Salad

Blue Cheese Salad Dressing

Poppyseed Dressing

Strawberry Dressing

Shrimp Sauce

Snickerdoodle Topping

Sweet & Tangy Barbeque Sauce

Cold Seafood Pasta

Seafood Carbonara

Seafood Etouffee’

Broccoli Salad

Carbohydrate Smart Mashed Potatoes

Fried Okra (Home-Style)

Fried Squash

Lick The Pot Mashed Potatoes

Macaroni & Cheese

Macaroni & Cheeese

Red Bliss Jicama Potatoe Salad

Refrigerated Cabbage

Squash Casserole

Stir-Fried Rice

Ultimate Loaded Potato Salad

Taco Soup

Asparagus Dip

Homeade Egg Salad

Homemade Chicken Salad

Homemade Tuna Salad

Pineapple, Cream Cheese, Pecan Spread/Dip

A Dedication To My Grandmother

&

A Little About Myself

I’ve never attended any sort of culinary school. Cooking just seems to be in my blood. It’s as though I was born to cook. Here in the south (Shelby, North Carolina), knowing your way around the kitchen is just expected. It’s taught from an early age. I have some of the fondest memories of spending time at the knee of my maternal grandmother in her kitchen. Momal McMurry was one of the areas most renowned and revered cooks of her time. I was so blessed to have such a tremendously talented and gifted grandmother. She was the most loving, patient, tender and knowledgeable women in my life. It was by standing on a stool by her side at the stove that I learned so many of the things that have inspired me to write this cookbook. Funny thing is, Momal rarely ever measured anything! She cooked by sight, touch, smell and taste! Try writing down a recipe that says 2 handfuls of flour, a dab of salt, a little blob of shortening…. Then mash it all through your fingers until it feels crumbly and looks kinda like cornmeal. Then stir in some cold water and stir till it makes a ball. If you don’t have it wet enough, just add a tad more water. If it’s too wet, sprinkle a little more flour into it. When you’re happy with the way your dough ball looks and feels, turn it out onto your floured pillow case (which you should NEVER wash!). Sprinkle it with a little more flour, then pat it kinda flat with your hands. Then take your dough pin and roll the dough flat until it’s about as thick as a good healthy slice of thick cut bacon. Then take your knife, dip it in the flour sack and cut the dough into strips.

Well, you get the picture, right? My husband and I went to a pot luck Sunday school supper one night. I took an apple cobbler. One of the young women in our class just had a fit over the cobbler and began to beg me for the recipe. When I told her that I would love to give it to her, but I couldn’t, she looked distraught. Then she inquired, Why, is it a secret family recipe? No, I told her I couldn’t give it to her because I didn’t measure anything. She was aghast! She wanted to know how in the world I knew how to make it without a recipe. I then had to tell her a story similar to the one above about how my grandmother taught me how to cook. She thought for a moment and then lite up with a big smile! She says, I know! I’ll buy the ingredients and bring them to your house. You make the cobbler and I’ll catch the stuff as you throw it into the dish. I’ll measure it and write it down! I laughed hysterically, but then eventually conceded to her request. It was the weirdest time I ever had making a cobbler in my life! But her method worked even though we both laughed hysterically through the entire process! I don’t know if she ever made her own cobbler or not. She and her husband moved shortly thereafter and I lost contact with her. So, if you’re out there somewhere reading this, Sylvia, I hope you’re making the best apple cobblers you’ve ever eaten!

As for me, it was a tremendous undertaking when I decided to write my own cookbook! I had to make each and every one of the recipes and write down exact measurements before entering them into my manuscript! Gosh! That means I had to eat all of those things! I know I’ve gained at least 10 to 15 pounds! Thank goodness, I got smart and started sharing the finished product with friends and family, otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to get through the kitchen door.

People will ask me: How do you know which ingredients to put with what? Well, I say, when you get dressed in the mornings, how do you decide which outfit to wear,