Anna Monica / L’Observateur / April 7, 2000

First, notice the beautiful crocheted tablecloth and doll display in the home of Edna (Miss Molly) Donley of Garyville. Add a number of other skills andcrafts to the fact that during the war she worked in Higgins’ Shipyard and more recently that she ran her own day care. Then you know that herinterests extend beyond cooking.

Edna prefers to cut down on much of her activity now, believing that she has done everything she wanted to do. Although she doesn’t cook as much asshe used to, she still does enough and the kitchen has always been a familiar and comfortable domain for her and, rightfully so, since it she became acquainted with it in early childhood.

Unlike most children, Edna remembers hurrying through her household chores so she could get to the kitchen and be with her mother, the late Hilda Plaisance, who was cooking. She cannot explain it, but the kitchen had somuch appeal for her it was natural that she developed her own skills there.

All of Edna’s chilidren, Melvin Oubre of Meridian, Ms., Dee Ann Hurtt of NewOrleans and Kent Donley of Baton Rouge, can cook with the boys really liking it and cooking a lot. Kent’s two boys, Donnie and Christopher, are really bigon cooking so it seems like cooking is a family tradition for the Donleys.

Edna is sure to cook and enjoys it more when she knows her children are coming to visit.

Edna makes her jambalaya in the microwave and “it comes out really great.” Her gumbo is worth talking about, too, but she says “I think my favorite thing to make is stuffed bell peppers with shrimp and Irish potatoes. Nobody elsedoes it. It is grandmother Barbier’s recipe. She was from Wallace and wasalmost 103 years old when she died.”Cooking for the children in her day care facility was a daily event. Ednaserved a variety of meals there including spaghetti cooked with ground meat, beef stew, buttered corn and always a salad. She tried to match the dessertJell-O to the color of the food. Her cooking, Edna says “is what theyremember best about the day care.”Using plenty of mushrooms in beef and chicken stew, gumbo and spaghetti was common to Edna. Her husband of over forty years, the late Deedy, ondamp days, would bring fresh mushrooms home from the woods.

Son Melvin was a top cook in the Navy for years and excelled in baking, especially for the officers. His love of baking also came from his mother asEdna can show off pictures of all kinds of cakes she has made for the different holidays and family birthdays.

Having never written down her grandmother’s recipe for stuffed bell peppers, Edna just “took it from her head” to share with us as follows:

STUFFED BELL PEPPERS 6 large bell peppers – cut lengthwise in half – remove seeds – blanch peppers – put on paper towels to dry 4-5 Irish potatoes – average size 3-4 lbs. shrimp1 large onion (or 2 small) 1 bell pepper to chop with other ingredients

Boil shrimp – chop in food processor. Use large enough pot. Cover bottomwith cooking oil. Throw chopped shrimp in pot. In food processor, choppotatoes, onions and extra bell pepper. Pulsate into small chunks. Do notpulverize. Put in pot with shrimp – start cooking. Season to taste. SeasonAll recommended. Put fire on medium after it begins to cook. Stay thereand stir. Cook until potatoes are done but still crunchy.Stuff peppers. Put bread crumbs on top. Bake in 350-375 degree oven untilbrown.

CHERRY VANILLA ICE CREAM

1 – 10 oz. jar Maraschino cherries, extra juice, cut in pieces1/2 gal. Milk (2%)1 – 6 oz. box cook & serve Jell-O vanilla puddingAnother cup of milk 3 eggs Sweeten to taste A little extra vanilla extract if desired

Put 1/2 gal. milk in heavy pot. Dissolve vanilla pudding. Put fire on – begincooking. Watch it and stir often. Put in sugar. In bowl, beat three eggs withextra cup of milk. Stir as you add. Add extra vanilla. Stop fire. Aftercooked, add cherries.

Put in ice cream cylinder – refrigerate overnight. Next day, put in ice creambucket with ice and ice cream rock salt. Plug in. Will stop when ice cream ishard.

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