Burton's cooking grew with kids

Rebekah Burton learned the basics of cooking by helping her mother and grandmother in the kitchen, but she didn’t truly embrace it until she became a mother herself.

Burton, who has two adult sons, Bryant and Brandon, has worked as an operations specialist at Waste Management in Kosciusko for the past four years. She is also a member of North Calvary Baptist Church.

“As a single mom, I had to make something they would eat,” Burton said. “The recipes I’ve used are both kid and adult-friendly, and many of them have become fan favorites.”

Burton specializes in classic Southern home cooking, including meats, potatoes, and vegetables. She prefers simple meals over anything too fancy.

One family favorite, especially when her sons were younger, was what she affectionately called “McMom’s meals,” which featured Walmart fries and chicken nuggets.

“To this day, they still love McMom’s meals,” Burton said. “We laugh and talk about it all the time.”

Her son Brandon is especially fond of her deviled eggs, a recipe passed down from a Norwegian friend who adds a little sugar for a unique twist.

Burton’s signature dish, however, is her chicken casserole, which yields two pans. “My sons can eat a whole pan in one sitting,” she said.

Over the years, she has also experimented with her recipes to suit her tastes, like enhancing her crockpot-loaded potato soup with garlic pepper, cheese, and bacon bits for extra flavor.

For family gatherings and church events, her most requested dishes are chicken casserole, potato soup, and breakfast crescents.

Burton’s favorite cooking memory takes her back to her childhood, when she made homemade biscuits with her now-late grandmother, Annie Clifton.

“I’d help her roll them out, cut them up, then I’d snatch some of the dough and eat it, and she would pop my hand,” Burton said with a heartfelt laugh.

Her advice to aspiring cooks is to be bold in making a recipe your own and to feel comfortable trying new things.

Aside from cooking, Burton enjoys watching all kinds of sports, spending time with her family, and looking back at special memories through old photos.

CROCKPOT LOADED POTATO SOUP

1 bag hashbrowns (not shredded)

1 block cream cheese 

1 chicken broth. 32oz

Bacon bits (some to pour in while cooking and some for after)

1 cup shredded cheese 

Salt and pepper to taste (I actually use garlic pepper)

Hashbrowns first, then pour chicken broth...then add rest of stuff! I always double this recipe as it goes so fast!! Cook for 8 hours on low in crockpot. Top with cheese and bacon bits.

BREAKFAST CRESCENTS

3 can of crescents

1 roll Jimmy Dean maple sausage (if can't find, use syrup to sweeten)

1 block cream cheese

Cook sausage, then add cream cheese. Spoon in one spoonful of mixture- batch should make all 3 cans of crescent rolls. Bake according to directions on can. THESE ARE A HUGE HIT WITH EVERYONE!

CHICKEN CASSEROLE

1 bag of boneless/skinless breasts (or the rotisserie from Walmart)

1 large container of sour cream

1 1/3 cup of milk

2 cans cream of chicken (or mushroom) soup

3 sticks butter (or 4)

1 box Club Crackers (or Ritz)

(Makes two 9x13 pans or one large pan)

Boil chicken and pull apart into strips (and/or small chunky ones)-spread evenly into pans. Mix sour cream, soup, and milk and pour over chicken.

Crunch all 3 bags of crackers (or 4). Melt butter and mix in with crackers, then spread over mix. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes! Yummy!