Oakland retiree can't let go of catering business
Jul. 19—OAKLAND — In 1968, when Sue Donohue Smith was 7 years old, she got an Easy-Bake Oven for Christmas. And she's been baking ever since.
The Seattle native eventually graduated to Nestle Toll House chocolate chip cookies baked in a regular oven, and her home economics class in the eighth grade cemented her love of the kitchen.
At age 25, she received her first KitchenAid mixer from her parents as a birthday gift.
"I still have it, and I still use it," Smith said. "That's when I started experimenting. The first recipe I tried was a New York-style cheesecake, which is not easy. If I'm making a cheesecake today, that's the recipe I use."
When Smith and her husband, Alex, started dating — they celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary Tuesday — they found they both liked to cook for their friends.
"So we were a match made in heaven," she said. "We loved to entertain people for the holidays. Eventually, friends started asking if we'd cook things for them, and we started catering part time. Alex likes to smoke meat, so that was our niche. We were back living in Seattle at the time, so anything from the South was exotic to people. Deep-fried turkey was a favorite."
Four years ago, the couple retired and moved from Rogers, Arkansas, to the tiny town of Oakland in Yalobusha County, to be near friends (Alex grew up in Water Valley).
"We knew when we came here that we'd still continue to cater," said Smith, whose business is called Sue Can Do.
One Saturday a couple of years ago, the Smiths were at an Ole Miss football game in Oxford. The woman in the seat next to them mentioned that her daughter was a member of the Rebelettes, the University of Mississippi's dance team.
"We got to be friends with the woman and her husband, who were from Long Beach, California," Smith said. "We had them here to eat. She told us the Rebelette parents were asked to bring tailgating food for their tent at each of the home games and asked me if I'd make something for her to take to the tent."
Before long, other Rebelette parents started asking the Smiths to prepare dishes for them. Now the couple provides food for most of the 30 girls' parents.
"We do tailgate food, smoked meats and cheeses, cakes, cookies, pies, quick breads, vegetable and meat casseroles — whatever they want," she said.
While Smith will cook just about anything for her customers, baking is still her passion.
"I like to make vintage-inspired desserts," she said. "Because I'm a left-brained person, baking lets me be creative. Nothing is perfect that I make, but it is good, and it will remind you of eating at your grandmother's house."
DO YOU KNOW A GOOD COOK? Send your nominations to Ginna Parsons, Cook of the Week, P.O. Box 909, Tupelo, MS 38802. Or you can call 662-678-1581 or email them to ginna.parsons@journalinc.com.
BROWN SUGAR BUNDT CAKE WITH CARAMEL DRIZZLE
3 sticks butter, softened
2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
5 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1 (8-ounce) bag of toffee bits
1 cup pecans, chopped
CARAMEL DRIZZLE
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
For the cake, grease and flour a 15-cup Bundt pan. Set aside.
Beat the butter until creamy. Add sugars, beating until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture in thirds, alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat until just combined. Stir in toffee bits and pecans.
Spoon batter into a greased and floured 15-cup Bundt pan. Bake at 325 degrees until a wood pick inserted near the center of cake comes out clean, 75 to 85 minutes.
Cover top of cake with foil to prevent excess browning if necessary.
Let cake cool in pan on a cooling rack for 45 minutes. Remove from pan, and let cool completely on a wire rack.
To make the drizzle, combine condensed milk and brown sugar in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. Reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, whisking constantly. Remove from heat; whisk in butter, vanilla and salt. Drizzle the caramel over the cake while it's still hot (caramel will harden if it's allowed to cool).
LEMON YELLOW SQUASH BREAD
BREAD
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup unpeeled grated yellow squash
GLAZE
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon milk
In a large mixing bowl, using a hand mixer, beat the eggs. Add oil and sugar and mix until well blended. Add buttermilk, lemon zest and lemon juice and blend well.
Add all-purpose flour, salt and baking powder and blend on low speed just until everything is incorporated and most of the lumps are gone. Fold in grated squash. Pour batter into a greased and floured loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes, until the top is golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow the bread to cool for at least 30 minutes in the pan. Slide a knife or spatula around the edges to loosen and turn out onto a cutting board. Allow it to cool completely.
Before serving, make the glaze by combining confectioners' sugar, lemon juice and milk. Drizzle over top of the bread. The glaze will harden in time.
AMBROSIA SALAD
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (16-ounce) tub of whipped topping, thawed
2 (20-ounce) cans pineapple chunks, drained
2 (15-ounce) cans mandarin oranges, drained
2 (10-ounce) jars maraschino cherries, drained and stems removed
1 (7-ounce) bag flaked coconut
1/2 bag mini marshmallows
Combine sour cream and whipped topping. Fold in pineapple, oranges, cherries, coconut and marshmallows. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.
CHERRY LIMEADE CAKE
CAKE
1 (10-ounce) jar maraschino cherries
Milk
1 box white cake mix
1 stick butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 eggs
ICING
2 to 3 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons softened butter
4 to 7 tablespoons limeade concentrate, thawed
Green food coloring (optional)
For the cake, drain the cherries and reserve the juice. Coarsely chop the cherries. Mix cherry juice with enough milk to make 1 cup liquid.
In a mixing bowl, combine cake mix, chopped cherries, milk/cherry juice mixture, melted butter, vanilla and eggs. Mix until well combined.
Pour batter into a greased Bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 33 to 36 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely.
For the frosting, stir together by hand the confectioners' sugar, butter and 4 tablespoons limeade until you have a thick frosting. You want it very thick, but not stiff so that it will run down the edges of the cake. Add more limeade, 1 tablespoon at a time, until consistency is as described. Stir in green food coloring, if desired. Pour icing it over top of cooled cake. Top with extra cherries if desired.
CROCK-POT OVERNIGHT BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
1/2 pound breakfast sausage, any flavor
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 (16-ounce) package frozen shredded hash browns
1/2 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
12 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Sour cream, tomatoes, salsa, avocado and/or green onions, for serving
In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the sausage with onion and peppers until meat is cooked through and no longer pink. Drain and set aside.
Grease a 6-quart (or larger) Crock-Pot or slow cooker with cooking spray or butter. Layer half the frozen hash browns in the bottom of the slow cooker.
Top with half of the sausage mixture, half of the bacon and half of the cheese. Repeat layers with the remaining ingredients, except cheese.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, sour cream, salt and pepper. Pour over hashbrown and sausage layers. Cook on low for 6 to 9 hours or on high for 2 to 3 hours. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup cheese and cover until melted.
Serve with desired toppings
Note: Add any other ingredients you like to this recipe, like mushrooms, spinach or green chilies.
JACKIE'S HAMBURGER NOODLE CASSEROLE
2 pounds ground beef
1 (15-ounce) can sliced stewed tomatoes
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
2 to 3 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 (15-ounce) can English Peas, drained
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
2 to 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
8 ounces egg noodles, cooked and drained
Shredded Cheddar cheese
In a skillet, cook ground beef until done. Drain grease. Add stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, celery, onion and bell pepper and cook until juice is almost gone. Add English peas, cream of mushroom soup, Italian Seasoning and Worcestershire sauce. Let cook for about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add cooked, drained egg noodles to the meat mixture. Mix well and pour into a greased baking dish. Cover the entire surface with shredded Cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and cheese is melted.
NOTE: If desired, cover the casserole with plastic wrap and foil and store it in the freezer for up to 30 days. Remove it from the freezer about 2 hours before baking. Remove the plastic wrap, leave the foil on, and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove foil and let cook until cheese is completely melted, and casserole is bubbling on the edges.
