Henderson loves to feed family, church

Cheyenne Henderson learned to cook pork and chicken while watching her German mother, Gabriela Strickler, in the kitchen growing up.

“She cooked a little bit of everything,” Henderson said, and that early exposure sparked a lifelong love for food.

She began making simple meals during her college years at Georgia Southern and later transferred to Mississippi State—where she met her future husband at a red light.

Today, she and Kyle Henderson are married with two daughters, Harper and Emery. She works as a certified clinical hemodialysis technician at Fresenius Kidney Care, and on her days off, she puts on a different hat—working as a hairstylist at Primrose Beauty Bar, formerly known as Lisa’s Sassy Scissors.

At home, she enjoys cooking hearty, family meals. Spaghetti is a favorite—especially because Harper loves to help. She also makes a mean Mississippi Chicken, but she considers her stuffed bell peppers as her best.

“I think Kyle secretly likes my stuffed bell peppers—he just doesn’t want to admit it,” she laughed. “He’s the grill master, and every time he cooks, it’s something different.”

The couple doesn’t rely on recipes or measurements. “We just throw things together and hope they taste good,” she said.

Their spice cabinet is overflowing, and she loves experimenting with new flavors, especially when browsing through old church cookbooks for inspiration.

Church gatherings at Sardis Baptist are another chance for her to shine in the kitchen. One of her most requested dishes is crack green beans—loaded with brown sugar—a family favorite, especially with Aunt Tippy.

But for Henderson, cooking goes beyond just feeding people. “From a parent’s perspective, I love the excitement and smiles that my children have after I cook a meal,” she said.

When she’s not cooking, Henderson enjoys spending time outdoors with her horses, Indy and Greta, and helping Harper care for her goats, Dale and Sister.

PORK CHOPS

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. coarse sea salt

½ tsp. coarse black pepper

½ tsp. paprika

¼ tsp. garlic powder

¼ tsp. onion powder

2 eggs

4 to 6 boneless pork chops

1 cup vegetable oil

Whisk together flour, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder in a shallow bowl. Beat eggs in a separate shallow bowl. Place pork chops between two sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper and pound with a meat mallet to thin them to about ½ to ¾ inch thick.

Heat oil about ¾ inch deep over medium-high in a cast iron skillet. Heat oil to 375°F.

Dip each pork chop in the flour mixture, coating both sides. Then dunk each side into the beaten eggs and back into the flour mixture.

Carefully drop pork chop into heated oil and fry on both sides until cooked through (Cooking for about 3 minutes on one side, flip, and then about 2 minutes on the other side, making sure no pink juices remain).

The pork chops should reach an internal temperature of 165°F. Maintain an oil temperature between 350°F and 375°F for best results. Place cooked pork chops on paper towels or brown paper bags to soak up excess oil.

CRACK GREEN BEANS

3 14.5 oz. cut green beans drained

8 slices thick cut bacon chopped

4 tbsp. unsalted butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

3 tbsp. soy sauce

2 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. ground black pepper

Add the bacon to a skillet over medium heat. Cook the bacon until it’s crispy and cooked through. Set the bacon aside on a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess grease.

Remove the grease from skillet and add butter. Once the butter has melted, add in the brown sugar and soy sauce. Bring to a simmer and whisk until combined.

Add the green beans to the skillet and season with garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. Mix to combine all together. Add bacon and enjoy.

STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

6 bell peppers of any color (green is my personal favorite)

1 ½ lbs. ground beef

1 onion chopped

2 tbsp. minced garlic

1 tbsp. spoon olive oil

Any BBQ seasoning of choice

1 tbsp. Worcestershire or soy sauce

Salt and pepper

White rice

Use a knife to trim the tops off bell peppers. Remove the stems and dice the pepper tops to add to the stuffed pepper filling. And trim the bottom off of the peppers which will stabilize them in the pan.

Hollow out the bell peppers by laying the pepper on its side on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife and run it around the inside of the flesh to remove the core. In a mixing bowl add all of your ingredients to stuff bell peppers with except for the rice.

Once in bowl, mix everything together then begin stuffing the bell peppers and placing them in a pot. Once I’m done with that, I add about 1/2-1 cup of water and cook on medium-high heat for about 40 mins with lid semi on. Keep an eye on the water and add more if needed, you don’t want to burn your bell peppers.

While that cooks, get your rice and cook it. Once done, you can add any type of spaghetti sauce of your choice. I don’t pour a lot in it, just enough to give it flavor. Let that sit for the remainder of the time. (You can add any rolls or even garlic bread with it).