In The Kitchen With Melissa Fairbanks
Melissa Fairbanks’ father was her cooking inspiration. “Cooking has always played a big part in my family,” she explained. “My grandma had five boys to feed when my dad was growing up. She was always cooking and finding ways to be frugal all while creating interesting and tasty dishes. She passed on some of those skills to my dad, so there was always something cooking in our house.”
Today, Melissa has found an outlet to be creative with cooking in a Midlothian coffeehouse. “I’ve always loved food and coffee because they seem to bring about a sense of community,” she expressed. “I’m excited that by means of food and drink, I get to build relationships with people and have the chance to contribute to that sense of community here in Midlothian.”
Written by Faith Browning
HOBO DINNER
This recipe is a camping tradition in my family. There is no wrong way to prepare this foil dinner. Add any combination of ingredients you want and grill for an easy-to-clean-up meal.
1 lb. summer sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces (You could also use ground beef.)
4 med. potatoes cut into 1?2-inch cubes 1 lg. sweet onion, halved and sliced 1 med. pepper, cut into strips 4 carrots, sliced lengthwise
1/2 cup butter, cut into eight cubes Salt and pepper, to taste
1. Combine the ingredients in a large bowl, then divide the mixture placing equal portions on 8 heavy-duty foil squares (about 12-inch squares). Top each with a butter cube. 2. Fold foil around mixture and seal tightly. Grill covered over medium heat for 20- 25 minutes or until meat is cooked and vegetables are tender. Carefully open foil to allow steam to escape. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Makes 8 servings.
BRAZILIAN BLACK BEAN STEW
This is one of my favorite soup recipes. It’s colorful, a little exotic and has an unexpected combination of flavors.
1 Tbsp. oil 1 med. onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 1-lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and diced 1 lg. red bell pepper, diced 2 14.5-oz. cans diced tomatoes with juice 1 small hot green chili pepper, diced 1 1/2 cups water 2 16-oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained 2 mangos peeled, seeded and diced 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped 1/4 lb. sausage, sliced
1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat, place onion and garlic in the pot and cook until tender. Mix in sweet potatoes, bell pepper, tomatoes, chili pepper and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 15 minutes, until potatoes are tender.
2. Stir the black beans into the pot and cook uncovered until heated through. Mix in the mango and cilantro. 3. Use whichever method you prefer to cook the sausage. (I use Earl Campbell’s Hot Links; grill them first and then slice into pieces.) 4. Add sausage to the soup pot. Makes 6 servings. For an easy, no-hassle meal, you can cook the sausage first, then throw all the ingredients into a Crock-Pot® and cook together until the potatoes and vegetables are tender.
BLUEBERRY BREAKFAST BAKE
I’ve made this recipe a few times when preparing meals for women’s breakfasts. It’s so easy to put together and can be done the night before and popped in the oven about an hour before you’re ready to eat. The beauty of this recipe is that it doesn’t necessarily have to be precise. Add more or less blueberries, cream cheese or maple syrup; it’s totally up to you.
1 loaf of bread, cut into 1-inch pieces 4 oz. cream cheese, cut into small cubes
(about 1 cup) 2 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries, divided 8 eggs beaten 1 1/2 cups milk 1/4 cup maple syrup plus more for serving 1/4 cup melted butter
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease an 8- or 9-inch square baking dish. Place half of the bread cubes in the dish. Sprinkle cream cheese cubes and half of the blueberries over the bread. Top with remaining bread cubes and blueberries.
2. Combine eggs, milk, maple syrup and butter in a large bowl and pour over bread mixture.
3. Bake until knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cover with foil if you notice the edges browning too much during baking.
4. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Cut into squares to serve. Serve with additional maple syrup. Preparation time: 15 minutes to prepare, 1 hour to cook. If using frozen blueberries, defrost and drain first. Makes 9 servings.
S’MORE COOKIE BARS
1/2 cup butter, room temperature 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup sugar 1 lg. egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs 1 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. salt 2 king-sized Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bars 1 1/2 cups marshmallow cre?me/fluff (not
melted marshmallows)
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan. 2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed, until combined. 3. Divide dough in half and press half of the dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over dough. Two king-sized Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bars should fit perfectly side by side, but break the chocolate (if necessary) to get it to fit in a single layer, no more than 1/4 inch thick. Spread chocolate with marshmallow cre?me or fluff. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff. 4. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars. Makes 16 cookie bars.