Nicholson enjoys experimenting in the kitchen

Windy Nicholson has many different hobbies, but making fresh treats is one of her favorites. She is in the learning phase of making fresh candy. 

She started dating Jeffery Nicholson when she was 18 and they have been married now for two decades and a half and have three sons, Cody, Chase, and Cale. 

Nicholson homeschools her children. Homeschooling started with her oldest son Cody, who has been in college for three semesters. 

She now homeschools 17-year-old Chase and 12-year-old Cale.  Her oldest son loves animals and a good conversation. 

Nicholson’s middle son takes after her husband and loves working on cars and plans to be a welder one day. 

Her youngest son Cale loves to hang out with his buddies, plays video games and rides dirt bikes. 

Nicholson was raised in Philadelphia. Her mother is Patricia Nowell Burton and her late father was Clif Burton. 

After high school, Nicholson got a degree in social work from the University of Southern Mississippi. She worked as a social worker for a while but then started homeschooling her children. 

Her husband works at B&G Equipment as the parts manager. Jeffery is her rock and her boys are her world. 

Nicholson created a Facebook page called Windy’s Sweet and Treats, where she sells cookies, caramel apples, fudge, and other sweets. 

She also learned how to make fresh bread and includes different spices and herbs in her bread. 

Growing up, Nicholson always watched her two grandmothers, Audrey Nowell and Ethel Mae Burton, cook. When she was a kid, she can remember going to her grandmother Nowell’s home where she baked wedding cakes.

Nicholson even learned how to do a French knot when icing a cake. Nicholson's mother and her mother-in-law, Charlotte Nicholson, are also a big influence on her cooking. 

The Nicholson family recently moved from the city to the country, where they have been enjoying their time being outside. 

SAUSAGE, SPINACH, ARTICHOKE DIP

1 lb Italian sausage

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 (14 oz) canned artichoke hearts (not in vinegar), drained and chopped

1 (10 oz) package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

8 oz plain greek yogurt

1 small onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

¾ cup parmesan cheese, grated

¾ cup skim milk

¾ cup asiago cheese, shredded

1/3 cup mayo

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, cubed

Remove the sausage from the casings and discard the casings or buy ground Italian sausage. Heat the oil in a frypan over medium-high, and brown the sausage, breaking it up as it cooks. Once browned, place the sausage into your crock pot. Add the artichoke hearts, spinach, mayo, onion, garlic, parmesan, milk, asiago, mozzarella, greek yogurt, vinegar, pepper, and salt in the crock pot. Serve with crackers, tortilla chips, Hawaiian Bread or homemade bread.

HOMEMADE  TORTILLAS

2 1/2 c. All-purpose Flour

2 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Kosher Salt

1/2 c. Lard or Vegetable Shortening

2 tbsp. (additional) Lard or Vegetable Shortening

1 c. Hot Water

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a large wooden bowl. Stir together.

Add spoonfuls of lard or shortening (use 1/2 cup PLUS 2 tablespoons), then use a fork or pastry cutter to combine the ingredients. Cut mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Slowly pour in hot water, stirring to bring mixture together. Lightly knead dough 30 to 40 times, or until it becomes a cohesive ball of dough and is less sticky. Cover with a tea towel and allow dough to rest for at least an hour. Roll into ping pong size balls, place on a tray, cover with a tea towel, and allow to rest for another 20 to 30 minutes. When you're ready to make the tortillas, head a dark or cast-iron griddle to medium/medium-high heat. One by one, roll out balls of dough until very, very thin. Throw tortillas (one by one) onto the griddle. Cook on each side for 20 to 30 seconds, removing while tortillas are still soft but slightly brown in spots. Remove and stack tortillas, and cover with a towel to keep warm. Serve immediately or allow to cool before storing tortillas in a container. To warm, nuke tortillas in the microwave, or wrap in foil and warm in the oven.

CHARLOTTE’S CHRISTMAS COOKIES

1/2 cup candied cherries

1/2 cup candied pineapples 

1- 8oz dates

2 cups of pecans chopped 

1 1/2 cups of self rising flour

1/4 cup of butter

3/4 cup of sugar

1 whole egg plus one egg yolk beaten well.

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon lemon flavoring 

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cream butter and sugar add eggs and the add flour. Slowly add all other ingredients. Spoon on a lined or sprayed baking sheet. Bake at 325 until brown around edges.

Charlotte is her mother-in-law.