Born and raised in the same house that he currently lives in; Randy Holland cooks in the same kitchen as his belated mother, “Gussie”. Gussie was featured as “Cook of the Week” in 1971. “She was a good cook from what I remember,” stated Holland. “I was 11 when she passed so I learned how to cook by necessity.” Holland shared that there were four in the family so you either fixed it yourself or did without.

Holland said his dad didn’t do a lot of cooking growing up so Randy was inspired to step up and take action. “I remember when the microwave came into play,” said Holland, “I learned it was still easier to cook on the stove.

Holland says that he still does most of the cooking now and his wife, Joyce, does all of the cleaning. Holland shared that he doesn’t prepare a lot of repeat meals and that he is always looking for something different to make. “I watch Food Network and find most of my recipes on the internet,” said Holland. “My son just returned from college so we are cooking at home a lot more.”

Holland shared that when it comes to cooking, he leans more toward baking cookies and cakes and although he has flopped a few pound cakes, they remain his favorite to make.

In his spare time, Holland is out riding motorcycles or hunting. Holland shared that until recently, he never had enough time to enjoy his favorite activities. “I worked 12 years as a chicken farmer,” said Holland. “I never had a day off or vacation until I started my new career at Engineered Flooring.”

Today, Holland is sharing his family recipes of “Gussie’s Strawberry Cake” and “Grandmother Worley’s Tea Cakes."

Grandmother (Annie Mae) Worley’s Tea Cakes

Ingredients:

2 sticks margarine

1 cup sugar

1 tsp soda

3 tablespoons sweet milk

3 cups plain flour

1 tsp vanilla

Pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. *Sometimes Holland adds 1 tablespoon of brewed coffee for extra flavoring.

Gussie’s Strawberry Cake with Icing Ingredients for cake

1 box white cake mix

1 package strawberry jello in ½ cup cold water

¾ cup Wesson Oil

½ lb strawberries

4 eggs beaten

Combine all ingredients, adding jello last. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Using a fork, punch holes in layers.

Ingredients for Icing

½ strawberries drained well

1 box confectioner’s sugar

1 stick of butter (or 8 oz cream cheese)

Combine all ingredients and set juice aside. Pour juice over cake first and apply icing after cooling.

*Don’t use too much juice or cake will become soggy.