Young enjoys sharing meals with others

Lori Marie Young’s favorite part of cooking is sharing her food with others, especially with people who are less fortunate and deserve a home-cooked meal. 

“I like to take leftovers to people in the area who need it,” Young said. “Whenever you’re cooking a dish, you should share it with someone you love and remember that someone who is less fortunate might need it and want something home-cooked.” 

Young was born and raised in Winston County and has lived in Neshoba County since 2011. She has owned The Salon since 2015 and enjoys spending time with her children, Madelyn and Charles. 

Young learned to cook from her grandmother, Burnadeen, and recalls learning how to make Jell-O as early as four years old. 

“I would stay with my grandmother during the summer when I was a little girl, and the first thing I learned to make was Jell-O,” Young said. “From there I learned to make tea cakes and cornbread, and as I got older, I learned how to make her dumplings and pound cakes.” 

These days, Young experiments with a variety of foods like sweet potato butter turnovers, potato soup, cheesy chicken and rice soup, and her own take on mashed potatoes. 

“If I’m cooking for my kids, they’ll want my corn casserole, cheddar biscuits, sausage balls, chicken and dressing, homemade breakfast muffins like blueberry cheesecake, and more,” Young said. “I don’t like cooking just one thing. I like variety. My kids also love fried deer steak and corn and butter beans. I’m not a fancy cook; just a Southern cook.”

Young also enjoys making sweet dishes like pecan cobbler, sweet potato pie, and peach pie, which she says is a fan favorite. She also still makes her grandmother’s sweet milk pound cake and orange pound cake.  

“My favorite part of cooking is getting to watch everyone else enjoy my food, and getting to share it with others,” she said.  

POTATO SOUP

10 lbs red potatoes 

2 lb block of Velveeta Cheese

2 sticks of butter

2 cans cream of mushroom soup  

1 block cream cheese 

8 oz sour cream 

Salt

White and black pepper 

2 tbsps flour 

Peel and cut up red potatoes and boil them with a little onion and stick of butter, salt, black pepper and white pepper until tender. 

Melt cheese and add the cream of mushroom soup. Once all the cheese is melted, microwave another stick of butter and 2 tablespoons of flour. Whip together with a fork and add to soup to thicken. Add potatoes. Serve with cornbread. 

CHEESY CHICKEN AND RICE SOUP

4 boneless chicken breasts, boiled 

2 bags 90-second wild rice

2 bags white rice 

2 lbs Velveeta Cheese, cubed 

1 can cream of mushroom soup 

1 can cream of chicken soup 

2 cans cream of potato soup

1 (oz) container whipping cream 

Salt and white pepper 

Garlic seasoning 

1 stick of butter 

Boil chicken breasts and shred. Cook rice and add Velveeta Cheese. Add soups, whipping cream, and chicken. Add mixture to a crock pot and cook on low until cheese is melted. Add seasonings. Serve with crackers. 

LO’S FAMOUS 

POTATOES

5-8 lbs red potatoes 

4 oz cream cheese 

4 oz sour cream 

4 oz whipping cream 

1 1/2 sticks of butter 

1 cup whole milk 

Salt and black pepper 

Garlic powder and white pepper 

Peel and cube potatoes and add seasonings. Add one stick of butter and boil potatoes until tender. 

Drain and add all ingredients except the whole milk. Mix with an electric mixer while slowly adding milk. 

Once mixed, place in a serving bowl and slice some butter on top. This is best served with deer steak and rolls.