Jenkins loves to cook classic dishes

Skye Jenkins learned to cook classic Southern foods like fried chicken, squash casseroles, and sweet potato casseroles from her grandmother, Jo Apperson, and her late mother-in-law, Terry Jenkins.

Some of her fondest memories were spent in the kitchen with them, prompting her to keep their recipes alive through her own cooking.

Jenkins said her personal favorite dish to prepare is Cajun chicken pasta as it is most requested by her friends and family.

“I’ve been told that it’s better than pasta served in popular restaurants,” she said. “I’ve really perfected it over several years.”

Married to Josh Jenkins for 12 years, they have two boys, Sutton and Sawyer. Jenkins said her children particularly enjoy it when she makes tacos.

“I love seeing my boys’ reactions when they try something new that I’ve cooked,” she said. “I wasn’t a great cook when I first got married, but over time I’ve really enjoyed being in the kitchen and decompressing after a day of working at home.”

Jenkins is currently employed as a regional quality review manager at a California-based hospital system and also loves dabbling in photography.

Living on a farm with registered French Charolais cows, she and her family are planning to start a garden and have already planted a variety of wildflowers.

Lately, Jenkins has been collecting old dusty cookbooks from Baptist churches in search of new recipes. She loves adding her own twist to these discovered recipes and does a lot of baking with sourdough as well.

During Mardi Gras season, Jenkins made and sold over 70 homemade king cakes in Neshoba County and intends to continue the tradition annually.

“It was very tedious,” she said. “It was just me, all from scratch—from the filling to the icing to the sourdough bread. I didn’t use anything premixed from the store.”

For holidays like Thanksgiving, Jenkins prepares a large dressing, squash casserole, and sweet potato casserole, while her husband smokes the turkey and manages most of the grilling.

“We often make pork loins stuffed with cream cheese and candied jalapeños,” she said. “They call it cowboy candy, but it’s really just pickled jalapeños that have been pickled in sugar. The sweetness adds a lot of unique flavor than what is typically used to with bacon-wrapped foods.” 

Jenkins said her sourdough starter, KitchenAid mixer, and a quality mixing bowl are her kitchen essentials, and her advice to aspiring cooks is to use coffee instead of water for chocolate recipes and to just keep trying and never give up.

GUACAMOLE SALAD

Avocado (soft)

Small purple onion (minced) 

Lemon juice

Mayonnaise

Salt & Pepper

Mash avocado & mix in onion, salt, pepper, squeeze of lemon juice to taste. Add spoonful of mayonnaise. Can be served over tacos or on its own with chips. 

BOURSIN CHICKEN AND VEGGIE BAKE

Chicken tenders

1 Boursin garlic & herb cheese block

1 bell pepper (any color)

1 small yellow onion or 2 shallots

1 container grape tomatoes

Zucchini and/or squash

Garlic clove

Parmesan cheese

In a skillet, season (your choice of seasoning) & brown your chicken but do not overcook. Once browned, remove chicken, add Boursin block to center of skillet and add all remaining ingredients. Pour olive oil over ingredients, salt & pepper, cover & bake at 400° for about 30 minutes, until soft. Add chicken back to the dish, top with parmesan cheese and broil until golden. This dish can be substituted with any veggies that you have growing in your garden.

CHOCOLATE CAKE

1 box Milk Chocolate Cake Mix

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1 small box of chocolate instant pudding (Adding pumpkin flavored pudding around the holidays makes for a nice change from traditional chocolate cakes)

4 eggs

8 oz sour cream

½ cup veg oil

½ cup coffee

Combine all ingredients & pour into decorative Bundt pan. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar. 

n Know someone who should be featured as Cook of the Week? Nominate them by emailing the Democrat at jace@neshobademocrat.com.