MONMOUTH – Suzanne Bisson discovered her love for cooking when she was a young girl. Her first memory is of making doughnuts with her grandmother. “Nana lived on a farm and was the typical farm wife. She made everything from scratch,” said Bisson said, who picked up many of her grandmother’s cooking techniques simply by spending time with her.
Now a grandmother herself, Bisson enjoys seeing her granddaughter’s enthusiasm for baking. “She loves to make muffins. I plan on spending plenty of time with her on cooking.” Bisson also spent time cooking with her two children and two step-children when they were younger. “We actually made lots of no-bake cookies.”
While describing herself as a meat-and-potatoes and pasta kind of cook, Bisson said she would like to learn more about gourmet dishes. “I don’t know that much about how to make gourmet food, but I think my husband would love it if I did.”
Bisson’s favorite style of cooking is Italian. She especially likes eggplant parmesan and lasagna. When she wants to try new recipes, she turns to the “Taste of Home” magazine for inspiration. “I also love to use recipes from Nana’s old collection – she made her favorite recipes into a cookbook form for me to use,” Bisson said.
When she’s not cooking or at work as a hairdresser, Bisson enjoys snowmobiling and gardening. She also has a passion for antiquing. “We’re always looking for old dishes and kitchen utensils,” she said. “When I was in school, I never really liked history, but now I really enjoy learning more about the history of Monmouth. I am also more interested in old things and the story behind them.”
Spinach feta strata
Ingredients:
10 slices French bread (1-inch thick) or 6 croissants, split
6 eggs
1½ cups milk
1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon pepper
1½ cups (6 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup crumbled feta cheese or shredded mozzarella cheese
Method:
In a greased 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking dish, arrange French bread or croissant halves with sides overlapping. In a bowl, combine the eggs, milk, spinach, salt, nutmeg and pepper; pour over bread. Sprinkle with cheeses. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm. Yield: 12 servings.
Pistachio salad
Ingredients:
1 small container Cool Whip
1 small package instant Pistachio pudding
1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple
½ cup crushed walnuts (optional)
Method:
Mix pudding and pineapple with Cool Whip and nuts. Put in refrigerator to chill.
Suzanne’s note: This goes nicely with a ham dinner.
Raspberry dream pie
Ingredients:
Crust:
1 cup flour
1 stick margarine
1 cup chopped walnuts
Method:
Combine ingredients in a bowl, with a fork. Pat into 9-inch, ungreased pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes until light brown.
Filling:
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
1 8-ounce package Cool Whip
Topping:
Raspberry pie filling
Method:
Whip sugar and cream cheese with mixer, on medium speed until creamy and smooth (about 1 minute if the cream cheese is at room temperature). Fold in Cool Whip. Put into pie shell. Refrigerate. Before serving, top with raspberry pie filling.
Comments are no longer available on this story