Winstead enjoys family, food, flavor
Stephany Winstead grew up under the wing of her grandmother, Cora Williams, in the kitchen. As a child, she would pull up a stool to the counter and watch her grandmother make salmon and biscuits, banana pudding, and homemade soups.
“I grew up watching her throw a pinch of this and a splatter of that to feed her family,” Winstead said. “It’s something that I took joy in—feeding and providing for others.”
She also learned to cook vegetables straight from the garden, preserving what she raised by making jellies, jams, and pickles.
She is married to Richard Winstead, and together they share a daughter, Krissy Long, and a grandson, Beau. Winstead works as an administrative assistant and board clerk for the Neshoba County School District.
Winstead said she loves cooking anything that’s convenient—especially crockpot meals. She often prepares a crockpot lunch for School Board meetings.
“Anything you can cook in a 9x13, you can cook in a crockpot,” she said. “I also love baking cakes and making up my own recipes—I find that fun and challenging.”
Her husband and daughter especially enjoy her Reese’s cake and poppyseed chicken. Richard often jokes about how she can “take a little bit of nothing and turn it into something pretty good.” However, there was one meal early in their marriage that he wouldn’t eat—one that even the dogs turned down, she recalled with a laugh.
Her favorite dish to make is her grandmother’s cornbread dressing, which she also cooks in a crockpot. “I could eat that year-round,” she said.
Winstead enjoys experimenting with different spices and often tries to recreate dishes she’s had at restaurants, identifying flavors she can later replicate at home.
One of her greatest joys in the kitchen now is cooking scrambled eggs with her grandson. He loves pulling up a stool to help, just like she once did with her grandmother.
An active member of Antioch Baptist Church, Winstead leads the women’s ministry, sings in the choir, and often brings a dish to share. She also enjoys cooking for friends who are sick, finding comfort in providing for others.
For her, cooking is about more than just food—it’s about bringing people together.
“In scripture, there’s many times quoted where they gathered around a meal,” she said. “There’s just something special about gathering with your family and sharing that sustenance, laughing, and sharing your lives—that’s my favorite thing.”
OREO COBBLER
5 tbsp. butter no substitutions
12 to 15 Oreos crumbled
1 and ½ cups self-rising flour
3/4 cup whole milk
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 and ½ cups brown sugar
1 and ½ cups hot water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut butter into cubes and place in 9×13-inch baking pan. Allow butter to melt. Remove pan from oven and randomly place crumbled Oreo cookies in a single layer in the bottom of the pan.
In a bowl, combine flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, vanilla, and milk. Stir to combine, but do not over-mix. Pour mixture evenly over cookies. Evenly sprinkle brown sugar over batter. Gently pour hot water over batter and cookies in the dish.
Bake 35 minutes at 350° F. Allow to cool and set 5 minutes before serving. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.
SLOW COOKER LASAGNA
½ lb. ground beef
½ lb. ground Italian sausage, could also use ground beef
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ cup chopped onion
24 oz. spaghetti sauce, or marinara sauce
1 cup water, divided
15 ounces ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 large egg
9-12 lasagna noodles, uncooked
Spray the crockpot with nonstick cooking spray. In a skillet over medium heat, brown the hamburger and Italian sausage. Drain fat and stir in Italian seasoning and onions. Cook until onions are soft and stir in the sauce with 1/2 cup water. Simmer 5 minutes.
While the sauce is simmering, in a medium bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, and egg until combined. Spread about 1 cup sauce onto the bottom of the crock pot.
Top with 3 noodles (you may need to break some noodles to fit). Spread about 1/3 of the cheese mixture on top of the noodles. Repeat with 2 more layers, or until all of the remaining ingredients are used. Pour the remaining 1/2 cup water around the sides of the layers. If your noodles are thick, add an extra 2 Tablespoons water.
Sprinkle remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese over the top. Cook on low 4 to 5 hours, or until the noodles are tender. Turn off crockpot and let sit 15 minutes before slicing into 8 portions to serve. Top with fresh basil, if desired.