Stuart enjoys whipping up desserts

John Brady Stuart learned a lot from his late grandmother, Shirley Stuart, but the most cherished lesson was making egg custard, a memory he loves to look back on now.

Growing up, he also learned to make a pan of homemade biscuits, a recipe passed down from his great-grandmother, Lydia Manning, to his dad and then to him.

Stuart’s parents are Brad and Amy Stuart of Philadelphia. He also has an older brother, Caden Stuart. 

At 15, Stuart is heading into his sophomore year at Winston Academy, where he letters in football and baseball.  

Stuart said he also enjoys fishing and hunting during his free time. 

“If he doesn’t have a game and we are away at one of Caden’s games, that joker will have supper ready for you when you walk in the house,” his dad said.

Stuart said his favorite dishes to prepare are desserts, especially pies and cheesecakes, and he is always ready to try something new.

“I like to find new recipes and try them,” he said.

One of his family’s favorite dishes that he makes is shotgun shells—stuffed pasta noodles that he puts on the smoker and wraps in bacon.

“He makes a mixture of hamburger meat and sausage, browns it, and adds cream cheese,” his dad said. “He stuffs the noodles with this mixture, smokes them for a couple of hours, wraps them in bacon, and then brushes them with barbecue sauce before finishing them off on the grill.”

Instead of “Chef Boyardee,” his parents affectionately call him “Chef John Brady”, a running joke in the family. 

Stuart said he loves it when his parents grill steak and ribs for him, and he also enjoys grilling hamburgers.

For family gatherings and holidays, Stuart helps his family out by making some of the desserts like pies and cakes. 

Stuart said his kitchen essentials are his stand mixer, oven, eggs, flour, sugar, and vanilla flavoring. His advice to aspiring cooks is a house motto: “Don’t say you don’t like it until you’ve tried it”.

For Stuart, seeing everyone enjoy the food he makes is what makes cooking so special.

EGG CUSTARD

(Makes Own Crust)

4 eggs 

1 ½ cups sugar

¼ cup flour (self-rising)

½ stick oleo

2 cups sweet milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Melt oleo in a 10-inch pie plate (deep). Mix everything together; bake at 350°. Set your pie plate on a cookie sheet, it won’t burn that way. 

PECAN PIE

2 eggs

½ cup sugar

2 ½ cups white Karo

1 cup oleo

1 cup chopped pecans

Mix all together and cook on 300° until done. 

SHOTGUN SHELLS

1 lb. ground beef

1 lb. ground pork

½ cup shredded cheese

8 oz. softened cream cheese

Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

Manicotti noodles

Thin cut bacon

BBQ rub

BBQ sauce

Mix together a 50-50 blend of ground beef and pork, ½ cup of shredded cheese and 8 oz. of softened cream cheese. Season with salt, pepper and garlic. Next stuff some manicotti noodles with the mixture. 

Then wrap in thin cut bacon, season with BBQ rub and place them into your fridge 6-8 hours to soften the noodle. (You can also par boil the noodles first and skip the fridge step). 

Smoke at 250° for 90 minutes. Brush on BBQ sauce and turn the heat up to 300° and pull them off after another 10-15 minutes.