LITTLE ROCK — Long before there was a Food Network, Christa Roy was taping her own cooking segments with the help of her two younger sisters, who served as culinary assistants.
Christa's mother still has the cake-making video her oldest daughter made that illustrates how to, as the instructions say, "mix well by hand." Her mother walked into the kitchen during that part of the demonstration to find Christa wrist-deep in the batter. She had taken the directions literally.
Christa's family jokingly refers to her as Rachael Ray because of her history of recipemaking recordings, bubbly personality and delicious kitchen outcomes. Christa, mom to 10-year-old Paxton and 2-yearold Mia, doesn't tape her own kitchen shows anymore, but she still dominates in the kitchen.
"My one and only hobby is cooking," she says. "I've tried scrapbooking, you name it, but being in the kitchen is my creative outlet."
She admits to also loving food just a teensy bit.
She says that every year, all the women on her mother's side of the family head to Canton, Texas, for Trade Days, touted as the world's largest flea market.
"Everybody takes money to shop and I take money to eat," she says.
Christa's grandmothers are great cooks and she grew up in Fayetteville across the street from one and down the street from the other. Although the grandmothers, Joann Maxwell and Lois Guist, both impartedcooking skills, one gave her something else: a penchant for cleanliness.
Guist was a U.S. Department of Agriculture inspector, and she taught Christa the importance of maintaining a spotless kitchen. Christa says she's a "very, very clean cook." Grandmother Maxwell taught her how to make a great meatball.
Christa recently prepared meatballs, twice-baked potatoes ("the easy way," Christa says) and a green salad while her husband, Tommy, and the two children were at a soccer victory pizza party down the street.
I was so enthused with the meatballs that I stopped off at the grocery store on my way home from Christa's house to buy the few ingredients that weren't already in the kitchen. My 5-year-old is a bit picky these days, but I feel sure she'lllike the meatballs as much as I did. They're on the sweet side, which is good, since it will allow me to sneak in some carrot or squash puree to help those vegetables get past her lips.
Hopefully my young daughter's palate won't be as sophisticated as Christa's, who often eats at a restaurant then comes home and duplicates the dish in her own kitchen.
Christa enjoys having her extended family over for dinners, whether it's to serve her own creation, a recipe from a friend or a restaurant knock-off. She's a self-described Type A personality, so she makes a written plan detailing the timing of each dish. That way it will all be on the table at the same time and hot, she says.
Christa has been practicing serving groups since she was a young girl making meals for herimmediate family. When she was in high school, she loved inviting her girlfriends over for homecooked meals she made herself. "I guess that's kind of weird," she says. "But I have always loved to cook." Meatballs 3 pounds ground beef 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk 1 cup oats 1 cup cracker crumbs 2 eggs, slightly beaten 1 /2 cup finely chopped onion 1 /2 teaspoon garlic powder 2 teaspoons salt 1 /2 teaspoon ground black pepper 2 teaspoons chili powder Meatball Sauce (recipe follows) Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all ingredients, mixingwell. Form mixture into 90 walnutsize balls. Place approximately 45 meatballs on a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes or until centers are no longer pink. Pour sauce over meatballs and return to oven and bake 10 minutes more.
Place remaining balls in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze for 4 hours. Once frozen, transfer balls to a freezer bag or other freezer-safe container and freeze until needed.
Meatball Sauce 2 cups ketchup 1 cup brown sugar 1 /2 teaspoon liquid smoke 1 /2 teaspoon garlic powder 1 /4 cup finely chopped onion In a small saucepan, combineingredients and cook over low heat until sugar dissolves.
Makes enough sauce for 45 meatballs.
"Twice-Baked" Potatoes the Easy Way 10 to 12 red potatoes 1 clove garlic 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese 1 /4 cup green onions 1 tablespoon Morton's seasoning
blend 1 /2 cup butter (1 stick) Salt and ground black pepper, to
taste Half-and-half In a large pot of water, boil potatoes and garlic until tender.
Drain and transfer potatoes and garlic to a large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, blend in cheese, green onions, Morton's, butter, salt and pepper.
Slowly add half-and-half and continue blending to reach desired consistency.
Transfer mixture to a 9-inch by 12-inch baking dish and bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted and mixture is heated through, 30 to 45 minutes.
Christa's Salad About 6 cups salad greens 1 /2 cucumber, chopped 1 can whole black olives, drained 1 can diced tomatoes in basil,
olive oil and garlic 4 ounces feta cheese Greek dressing (to taste) In a large bowl, mix together ingredients and chill until ready to serve.
Food, Pages 54 on 10/31/2007