Gray experiments with ingredients

Faye Gray is a self-taught cook who often experiments with her recipes, adjusting ingredients as she sees fit. One of the first dishes she mastered was cornbread.

“You can either mess it up, or you can’t mess it up,” she laughed. “Cornbread was always my go-to.”

Married to Dale Gray, the couple have two children, James Sanderson and Rhonda Stovall, as well as four grandchildren. She worked for 30 years at U.S. Motors and 17 years as a teller at The Citizens Bank, where she is now semi-retired.

Gray said her favorite dishes to cook are sweet potato pie, Mexican cornbread, chicken and dressing, and potato salad. Her sweet potato pie is a family favorite, especially for her grandsons, while her son can’t get enough of her potato salad.

“They all love my desserts,” Gray said. “They love my banana pudding, Oreo fluff, and my two grandsons love my oatmeal cookies that are not homemade—I buy them from Neshoba Central when they sell them.”

Gray and her family attend Coy Community Church near Preston, where she and other church ladies are known for bringing delicious desserts for Wednesday night meals.

For family gatherings and holidays, Gray takes the lead in the kitchen. Thanksgiving features her dressing, potato salad, green beans, pecan pie, German chocolate cake, and more. For Christmas, her family enjoys grilled steaks, baked potatoes, and a variety of desserts.

Gray said she cherishes memories of cooking with her grandmother, the late Lela Hoyt, who taught her how to make homemade biscuits and would also let her enjoy coffee every now and then as a child.

For aspiring cooks, Gray’s advice is to test your cakes with toothpicks and don’t always follow the cooking directions.

“You may need to cook your cakes a little longer or a little less,” she said.

Outside of cooking, Faye enjoys gardening and working in the yard. While she no longer hunts or fishes, she still tends to a small garden with tomatoes, bell peppers, and squash.

“I enjoy starting my food, watching it cook, the aroma of it, and being able to look at it and say I’ve accomplished something,” Gray said. “I enjoy putting my food together, and I just appreciate being able to do it.”

QUICK DINNER ROLLS

1 cup self-rising flour

2 tbsp. mayonnaise

½ cup milk

Dash of salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until well combined. Grease six cups in a muffin tin and divide the dough evenly among the muffin cups.

Bake at 425° for 8-10 minutes.

BISCUITS

2 cups self-rising flour

¼ cup oil-canola

1 cup butter milk or sweet

1 dolip/tbsp. sour cream

Mix up with spoon. Bake at 375° until golden brown.

OREO FLUFF

½ pkg. Oreo cookies (about 20 cookies)

1 small carton frozen whipped topping, thawed (Cool Whip)

1 small box instant vanilla pudding

Place Oreos in a gallon baggie, and crush with a meat mallet or a can (use a light touch so you don’t bust the bag). Make the instant vanilla pudding according to package directions.

To assemble, place crushed Oreos and thawed whipped topping in the bowl with the pudding. Mix well. Refrigerate until serving time.