Christian Young has enjoyed cooking since he was a boy
Christian Young grew up in Philadelphia, commutes to Charles Schwab in Jackson where he is a financial consultant and has loved to cook since he was a boy.
Young met his wife Hannah at Jerusalem Temple Church were he is the organist, they married in 2018 and this September had a son, Christian Andrew Young II.
A 2015 graduate of Neshoba Central, he obtained a degree from Ole Miss in managerial finance.
Young was always good with math and managing money, so he chose the career field he is in today.
“Parent life is crazy,” Young said.
This past Thursday, Young hosted his first family Thanksgiving where he cooked everything, including the turkey.
Cooking for Thanksgiving was a little bit exhausting, but everything turned out great, he said.
His hobbies include playing instruments such as the organ and piano. Young has organs and pianos everywhere in his home and is always practicing and likes to develop his music.
Young also likes to work out and eat healthily. Cooking is a hobby. “I use cooking as a way to escape,” said Young.
He is passionate about his family, his music, and helping others. Young’s parents are Maria Hoskins and Andre Young.
“Even while I am working, I am helping people with their finances, and in my personal life, I find myself helping people all the time,” Young said.
He has been cooking since he was a boy. His grandmother Iris Hoskins is his cooking influence. Young remembers watching her cook, and it taught him to be the cook he is today. Iris Hoskins makes a homemade peach cobbler that Young loves to eat.
He considers cooking to be very therapeutic. He enjoys cooking salmon, Italian dishes, and his homemade meatloaf. Since Young likes to eat healthy, he uses ground-up turkey in his meatloaf.
On Sunday, the Young family goes to grandmother Iris Hoskins and eats Sunday dinner. Iris cooks every Sunday for her family to come and eat.
Young enjoys spending time with his family.
OLD FASHIONED TEA CAKES
1 cup of butter
2 cups of white sugar
2 eggs
3 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Stir into the creamed mixture. Once mixed, place in refrigerator for 15-20 minutes, or until the dough is firm. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch of thickness. Cut into desired shapes & place on cookie sheet 1 inch apart. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Allow tea cakes to sit and cool for 5 minutes before serving.
CHICKEN ALFREDO
12 oz of fettuccine pasta
1/2 cup + 4 tbsp of butter
2 boneless chicken breasts
1 tbsp each of salt and pepper
1 tsp of seasonal
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 cups of heavy cream
1 cup of grated Parmesan Romano cheese
8 oz of low moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese
Cook and drain pasta according to package. Add four tbsps of butter to hot skillet. Quickly add in the chicken breasts, seasoning them with salt, pepper, and seasonal. Cook chicken for 5-7 minutes on both sides, or until golden brown. Place cooked chicken on a cooking board, and slice into strips. In a large skillet, melt 1/2 cup of butter over medium heat. Add chopped garlic to melted butter. Whisk for 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in heavy cream. Cook until sauce is steaming and is slightly thickened. Whisk in 1 cup of grated Parmesan Romano cheese, stirring until sauce is thickened and smooth. In a baking dish, place in noodles, sliced chicken, sauce, and stir. After completely combined, place a top layer of the low moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese over the pasta. Broil for 3-5 minutes, or until top layer of cheese is golden brown. Cool and serve
Homemade Jambalaya
1 chopped onion
1 chopped green bell pepper
1 chopped red bell pepper
1 chopped jalapeño
1/2 cup of okra
3 chopped garlic cloves
1 large boneless chicken breast
1 cup of sliced smoked sausage
1-2 cups of medium/large shrimp (whatever desired)
8 oz can of crushed tomatoes
2 tbsps of Cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper (or to desired level of spice)
2 cups of chicken stock
2 bay leaves
2 tbsps of olive oil
2 cups of white rice
In a skillet, brown chicken breast, season it with salt and pepper. Dice chicken breast in desired cube size. Brown cup of smoked sausage. In a separate boiler, boil rice according to package instructions and set aside. In a pot, heat 2 tbsps of olive oil over medium-high heat; place in chopped onion, bell peppers, jalapeño, and garlic. Sauté for 2 minutes. Pour in crushed tomatoes, cayenne pepper, and Cajun seasoning. Stir occasionally for 5 minutes. Pour in chicken stock, bay leaves, diced chicken, and smoked sausage. Let cook on medium heat for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in shrimp and okra; let cook for 5 more minutes. Remove bay leaves, cool, and service over a bed of white rice.