By JOHN LEE
Susan Webb spends much of her free time taking food orders from her friends and family and loves people to enjoy her meals.
“Knowing that people enjoy what I make is what I love most about cooking,” Webb said. “I love that people come back to me and most of them will order again.”
Webb was born in New Orleans but moved to Philadelphia when she was 8 years old. She retired from Thomas and Company about six years ago and in retirement enjoys cooking, spending time with her husband Randy, her children Melanie and Jason and her seven grandchildren.
“I have a lot of hobbies, but cooking is the number one thing I love,” Webb said. “I’ve been cooking all my life, but recently I discovered that cooking is much easier and more enjoyable if you have time to cook, and when you’re not working anymore, you have time to do it. After I retired, I realized I needed something to do.’
Webb credits the influence of seafood in her cooking to her mother, Thelma Gutans, and the influence of Southern food to her mother-in-law, Peggy Webb.
“I started out cooking for my family and friends, but then word if my cooking spread,” Webb said. “I really got into it last July at the Neshoba County Fair and it’s been out ever since.”
Webb cooks all of his food from home and said he makes any dish under the sun that people ask for.
“I make cakes, candies, all kinds of casseroles, dips, cheese balls, soup, bamboo shoots, chicken salad, you name it,” Webb said. “I do whatever people ask.”
Outside of cooking, Webb is an active member of Trinity Baptist Church and enjoys participating there. She also loves to travel with her family and has a big bucket list of places to go.
SEA GUMBO
2 pounds okra (fresh or frozen)
2 large onions, chopped
1 cup black pepper, chopped
2 large cans diced tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic, minced
4 small cans of tomato sauce
3 pounds peeled shrimp (raw)
1 cup ham
1 cup celery
2 tbsp. Salt
3 liters of boiling water
Black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons of sawdust
Brown okra in a large pot in a small amount of oil. Add the ham and cook for about five minutes and add the onion, garlic, green pepper and celery. Cook until the onion is soft.
Add tomatoes, sauce, salt and pepper and toss until combined. Pour boiling water and let it boil for about five minutes. Add shrimp and crabmeat. Reduce the heat and let it cook slowly for an hour.
Add filing powder and let cool until the liquid thickens. Serve hot over rice.
OYSTER DRESSING
2 1/2 lbs. ground beef
2 1/2 lbs. ground chuck
2 medium onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
3 cloves garlic (minced)
2 quarts oysters (drained and cut into smaller pieces)
About 4 cups stale French bread (add milk and knead until mushy)
Salt and pepper
2 cans of black olives (optional)
2 cans of green olives (optional)
Bread crumbs
Brown ground meat in a large dutch oven. Add the onion, celery, pepper and garlic. Cook until the onion is soft.
Add the oysters, reduce the heat and cook for about 15 minutes. Add bread to the mixture. Cook long enough to mix well and transfer mixture to baking trays.
Lightly sprinkle breadcrumbs on top to absorb grease. Bake at 400 degrees until brown for about an hour.
CORN BREAD SALAD
1 cup green onion, chopped
1 cup black pepper, chopped
1 ripe tomato, chopped
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
8 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
1 cup mayonnaise
1 8-inch cornbread pan
Chop the onion and pepper. Drain the corn and mix with the cornbread. Place the cornbread, tomatoes, and bacon in a large bowl. Mix well and add the tomatoes and mayonnaise. Pour into a bowl and cover to save for later consumption.