Harris enjoying being a new mother

Bianca Harris is a new mother who loves soul food. The love for soul food started with her mother, Melissa Adams, who has had her helping in the kitchen since she was 5 years old cooking cornbread, spaghetti, homemade French fries and collard greens. 

“My mama started trying to teach me how to cook when I was real young and would have me in there helping her by like whisking the eggs and mixing all the ingredients together.” 

Harris’s mother made chili she loved to eat when she was younger and now that she’s older her mom has taught her how to make her own chili. Bianca’s favorite restaurant is Outback Steakhouse because of their steak and their salad. 

She and her older sister, Jescie Harris, loved to go out to eat when Jescie got her license. 

“When she got her license me and her loved to go to Red Lobster after school and we both loved their lobster.” 

The two would also sneak into the snack cabinet in the middle of the night on a school night just to get some Oreos and some milk. Her sister has 3-year-old boy, Drayvin Autri, who loves for his aunt to make him strawberry shortcake. 

“I keep Dray whenever I’m not working and he always asks me to make some strawberry shortcake for him!” Bianca has been in the kitchen since she could walk and her mother captured a photo of her when she was only 5 years old in the kitchen wearing her own apron and oven mitts! Harris grew up in the Herbert Springs community and still lives there today. Heavenly Grace Comby is her newborn daughter who is only 3 months old. Bianca attended EMCC for agriculture and landscaping and she now works at the Walmart in Philadelphia.

MAC & CHEESE 

Ingredients:

1 lb. dried elbow pasta

2/4 sour cream

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole milk

2 1/2 cups half and half

4 cups shredded medium sharp cheddar cheese divided (measured after shredding)

2 cups shredded mozzarella divided (measured after shredding)

1/2 Tbsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. paprika

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and grease a 3 qt baking dish (9x13").  Set aside. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  When boiling, add dried pasta and cook 1 minute less than the package directs for al dente.  Drain and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil to keep from sticking. While water is coming up to a boil, shred cheeses and toss together to mix, then divide into three piles.  Approximately 3 cups for the sauce, 1 1/2 cups for the inner layer, and 1 1/2 cups for the topping. Melt butter in a large saucepan over MED heat.  Sprinkle in flour and whisk to combine.  Mixture will look like very wet sand.  Cook for approximately 1 minute, whisking often.  Slowly pour in about 2 cups or so of the milk/half and half, while whisking constantly, until smooth.  Slowly pour in the remaining milk/half and half, while whisking constantly, until combined and smooth. Continue to heat over MED heat, whisking very often, until thickened to a very thick consistency.  It should almost be the consistency of a semi thinned out condensed soup. Remove from the heat and stir in spices and 1 1/2 cups of the cheeses, stirring to melt and combine.  Stir in another 1 1/2 cups of cheese, and stir until completely melted and smooth. In a large mixing bowl, combine drained pasta with cheese sauce, stirring to combine fully.  Pour half of the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish.  Top with 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheeses, then top that with the remaining pasta mixture. Sprinkle the top with the last 1 1/2 cups of cheese and bake for 15 minutes, until cheesy is bubbly and lightly golden brown.

STRAWBERRY 

SHORTCAKE

Ingredients:

32 ounces (904 g) cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup (266 g) granulated sugar

1 cup (227 g) sour cream, room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon salt

4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten

16 ounces (400 g) whole strawberries, diced

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups (334 g) finely chopped strawberries

Directions:

Move the oven rack to the lower third position and heat the oven to 350°F. Wrap the outer bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan tightly with aluminum foil. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and about 2-inches up the sides of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool while you make the filling. Reduce the oven temperature to 300ºF. In a large mixing bowl beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and sour cream, beat until well combined. Add the vanilla and salt, beat on low speed until smooth. Using a silicone spatula, gently stir in the eggs just until combined. Pour the batter over the prepared crust. Fill a roasting pan with a few inches of boiling water and place the cheesecake in the center. Bake for 1 hour, OR until the edges are set and the center is slightly jiggly. Turn the oven off, leave the cheesecake in the water bath in the oven for another hour. Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and place it on a wire rack. Run a small knife around the outer edge of the cheesecake to loosen it from the pan and leave it to cool at room temperature for about 1 ½ hours. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove the sides of the pan and transfer the cheesecake to a serving platter. Add the diced strawberries and cornstarch to the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Transfer to a medium saucepan and add the sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla, salt, and chopped strawberries. Set aside to cool for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spread the topping evenly over the cheesecake or over individual slices just before serving.

MELISSA’S CHILI

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef

2 cloves garlic, chopped

One 8-ounce can tomato sauce

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 cup masa harina

One 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

One 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

Shredded Cheddar, for serving

Chopped onions, for serving

Tortilla chips, for serving

Directions:

Place the ground beef in a large pot and throw in the garlic. Cook over medium heat until browned. Drain off the excess fat, and then pour in the tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and cayenne. Stir together well, cover, and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. If the mixture becomes overly dry, add 1/2 cup water at a time as needed. After an hour, place the masa harina in a small bowl. Add 1/2 cup water and stir together with a fork. Dump the masa mixture into the chili. Stir together well, and then taste and adjust the seasonings. Add more masa paste and/or water to get the chili to your preferred consistency, or to add more corn flavor. Add the beans and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve with shredded Cheddar, chopped onions, tortilla chips and lime wedges.