Alford finds peace in the kitchen
Jess Alford finds peace in cooking, often turning on music, relaxing, and letting go.
“Most of the time people don’t get relaxation out of being in the kitchen, but the older I get, that’s my peace,” she said.
She is married to her high school sweetheart, Kory Alford. Together, they have a 13-year-old son, Kyler, and attend Coy Community Church in Preston. Alford works at D&W Tire & Muffler Center, where she manages the tire books.
Despite growing up with a mother and grandmother who frequently cooked delicious meals, Alford didn’t start cooking herself until she moved out and got married.
“I had to learn, or we were going to starve,” she said. “From then it was Pinterest, and now that TikTok has gotten pretty big, that’s where I’ve drawn all of my recipes from.”
Over time, Alford mastered dishes her husband grew up eating, like poppyseed chicken and sweet potato casserole. These days, she leans more toward meals that cater to her son’s tastes, like crack green beans and fried chicken.
“Kyler says that my fried chicken is awesome,” Alford said. “All I do is cut up chicken tenders into bite-sized pieces and coat them in fish fry instead of flour.”
Her crack green beans, a recipe she discovered on Pinterest, is always a hit wherever she takes them. She has also perfected Oreo balls and is known for her homemade potato soup.
At first, Alford didn’t want her family to know she could cook because she preferred being in charge of just paper plates and drinks. However, her secret was revealed when her husband mentioned her sweet potato casserole to her aunt. Since then, if no one else brings it, she does.
Alford said some of her fondest memories in the kitchen are with her late grandmother, Elizabeth Price, but one of her biggest regrets is not spending even more time cooking with her.
“She would come into church smelling like fried chicken, so I knew we were going to eat good that day,” Alford said. “No matter how bad you don’t want to, be there with your grandparents and parents if they are cooking.”
Outside the kitchen, Alford enjoys reading, watching her son play football at Neshoba Central, and fishing at her in-laws’ or neighbor’s house.
CHESS SQUARES
1 box yellow cake mix
3 eggs
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, melted
4 cups (1 lb.) powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 300° and spray a 9×13 dish with cooking spray. Mix cake mix, melted butter and one egg to a soft dough. Press into the bottom of the pan.
Mix powdered sugar, softened cream cheese and remaining two eggs until smooth, about 1-2 mins. Pour on top of the crust. Bake at 300 for 40-50 minutes until top is golden brown.
POPPYSEED CHICKEN
5 cups chicken breasts, cooked and cubed (or shredded)
1 cup sour cream
2 (10.75 oz. cans) cream of chicken soup
2 cups crushed Ritz crackers, (about 1 1/2 rolls of crackers)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 tbsp. poppy seeds
(Optional ingredients I use)
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. pepper
Preheat oven to 350°. Place cubed chicken in a 9x13 dish. Stir together the condensed soup and sour cream. If you wish to add the additional flavorings, do so now.
Pour over the chicken. In a separate bowl, stir together the crushed crackers and melted butter. Sprinkle over the chicken and sauce. Sprinkle the poppy seeds on top.
Bake for 20-30 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top of the casserole is browned, and the sauce is bubbly. Serve plain or over rice.
CRACK GREEN BEANS
4 cans green beans, drained
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. garlic powder
7 tsp. soy sauce
12 slices of bacon cooked to a crisp, drained and chopped
Preheat oven to 350°. Put the drained beans in a 9X13 in pan, toss in the cooked bacon pieces. Mix the brown sugar, soy sauce, butter, garlic powder.
Pour over the beans and bake for 40 minutes. Toss to coat. Serve.