Recent Newspaper Article

The following was published at Daily Journal.com on October 8, 2008. If you want to see their article online here is the link -> Cook of the Week. To view the full story you will have to acquire a copy of yesterday's newspaper. This is my youngest daughter who is often mentioned on Cybersouth. Her net name is Beagle or Beagle1. Needless to say Dad is very very proud of her. And hey, the same goes for Verdana, her sister. When she makes the news you'll be notified for sure. Both of my daughters are very active and hard workers. They are both super Moms, have lasting marital relationships and are full of life. They laugh a lot too.

COOK OF THE WEEK:Childhood experiences give young wife, mother culinary status

10/8/2008 5:21:31 AM
Daily Journal


BY GINNA PARSONS


Daily Journal


TUPELO - Emily Morris may be only 28 years old, but already everyone refers to her as "the cook" in the family.


"I guess because I was interested in cooking at such a young age," she said. "They all call me for cooking tips and recipes."


Morris, the office manager and tech coordinator for RedMagnet in Tupelo, remembers cooking with both her grandmothers when she was a small girl. Plus, both her parents, who are no longer married, like to cook.


"Dad will try anything," Morris said. "Mom is a really good cook, but she sticks to the staples, like meat and potatoes. Dad loves Cajun food and seafood. I look more like Mom, but I have Dad's attitude," she said.


Morris recalled that after her parents' split, her father lived in Memphis and they would often go out to eat there when she was visiting him.


"We'd try new restaurants and then go to the big grocery stores and try to find things we'd had that we couldn't get here in Tupelo, like shark steaks," she said.


Because her mother was raising two girls alone, Morris often helped in the kitchen.


"Mom was on the road a lot when I was growing up and I'd come in from school and get supper started," she said. "She was a single mom and I wanted to help her. Sometimes it would come out awful and we'd order pizza. I made sandwiches or pasta at first and then I got braver and tried baked chicken and chicken and dumplings."

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Morris' love of all things culinary has apparently rubbed off on her husband.


"When I first married Charlie, he didn't like to cook at all," she said. "Now, he makes awesome gumbo, and banana pudding from scratch. Icing is not my strong point. My cakes are good, but I'm still working on the icing. Luckily, I have an ace in the hole - my husband. He's really good at icing. We make quite the duo."


Morris cooks just about every day for Charlie and their 8-year-old daughter, Maddie. A family favorite is spaghetti, which she serves with salad, corn and cheese bread. Or, they might make a grilled meal - grilled pork chops, grilled asparagus and grilled squash.


"I'm a big peel-on person," she said. "Potatoes, zucchini, squash - I just like it natural where you get the vitamins, and maybe a little dirt, too. I have no problem picking a fruit or vegetable off a tree or vine, wiping it on my shirt and eating it."


When it comes to new recipes, Morris is a big fan of Web sites. Some of her favorites are foodnetwork.com, allrecipes.com, epicurious.com and thepioneerwoman.com.


"Cooking is just good stress relief for me," she said. "Yesterday, I had a really bad headache and halfway through making that chocolate cake, my headache was gone."

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 fax them to (662) 842-2233 or e-mail them to ginna.parsons@ djournal.com.


Both can cook. Both of their husbands are good cooks too. And we are all nerds++. There are multiple degrees spread out amongst all of them. Kewl, huh? Yes, the gloat factor is high. They are awesome. Proud Dad is signing out.

"Watching your daughter being collected by her date feels like handing over a million dollar Stradivarius to a gorilla."
~Jim Bishop (not true in my life, but I thought it was funny)