Miss Kay's Duck Commander Kitchen (9 page)

—Ruth 1:16–17,
The Message

Recipes from the Women My Boys Love

Green Bean Bundles

Chicken & Spaghetti

Fresh Strawberry Pie

Apple Pie

Pecan Chicken

Mexican Cornbread

Mozzarella Chicken

Fried Pies

Hot Spinach Dip

My Sons & Their Wives

Alan is our oldest son and was there during the roughest years of our marriage—our beginning years. He took on many responsibilities because I had to work and Phil wasn’t living right. To this day, Alan leads our family in so many ways. He married Lisa when he was very young. They have had their ups and downs, but God has blessed their faithfulness to Him and today they have two married daughters and two granddaughters. Lisa is the one who volunteers for everything in our family. She travels with me and helps me look decent at my performances. She cooks when we have big family gatherings. Since Alan was a preacher for many years, Lisa has blessed many lives by sharing her life story with others. Lisa also tells others that God is bigger than any problem they may have. Lisa is like a big sister to my other daughters-in-law, the big sister everyone hopes to have.

Alan and Lisa with me and the boys: Jase, Willie, cousin John Gimber, and Jep. I look like I was in shock. I’m not sure what that was about! (1984)

Jase, our second son, always seemed to know his destiny was working in our family business. As a teen, he was a leader in our local youth group, where he met Missy. Once he and Missy started dating, they knew they were meant for each other and wedding bells rang pretty quickly. Missy has turned into a great cook and is always willing to open her home for showers and parties or to feed
the youth group or her boy’s football or baseball teams. A unique treat for our family is Missy’s singing ability. We all love to sing, but Missy can
really
sing. We love it when she sings a solo at church or leads us in songs at home. What a blessing she is to the Robertson clan!

Jase and Missy were married at our church, White’s Ferry Road Church of Christ. Look at that tux and tails on Jase! (1990)

Willie is my third son and my most energetic one! He’s always “got a project.” From the time he sold candy at school to raise money to today as he leads our company, Willie has shown his talent for running a business. For a long time, Willie wasn’t sure where he could make his mark in our company, since it was already up and running by the time he graduated from college, but he certainly figured it out! He met his sweet wife at Camp Ch-Yo-Ca, a Christian camp we all love, when Korie was just in the third grade. I think she won his heart with her gentle spirit. Korie probably cooks the least of my daughters-in-law, but Willie loves to cook so much, she doesn’t have to. Anyway, she’s pretty busy with her five kids and helping run our company, too. Korie’s got a “business” head, and we all depend on her to help us make decisions. Any time I feel unsettled about something, I just call Korie. She is the calm in any storm.

Korie and Willie were also married at our church. It was the biggest wedding I had ever seen. At least Phil tucked his shirt in! (1992)

Jep is the baby, and of course they all think he’s the spoiled one. It is true that he was born after most of our “bad” years were over. And it is true he went to a private Christian school, which the other boys didn’t get to do. And it is true that he’s actually the baby. But I don’t think he’s spoiled! (Well, maybe a little!) As the youngest, he also questioned his spot in the family business. But Jep soon learned his way around a video camera and now films and edits our Duck Commander hunting videos. Like my other boys, Jep married when he and Jessica were fairly young. Jessica is always full of energy. She has operated her own “at-home” business for the last several years as well as kept up with their four children. She’s learned a little cooking along the way, and like the others, has her recipes we all depend on at family gatherings. She’s also our fashionista!

Jep and Jessica had a beautiful outside wedding at the house of our good friends Mary and Mac Owen, right on the river. (2001)

I know most moms would feel blessed with one great daughter-in-law, but I have four! It’s so fun to shop and cook and laugh with these amazing women. God knew exactly what my boys needed and He provided!

Green Bean Bundles

Makes 6 servings • 9x13-inch casserole dish (glass, if available) • Small skillet

1 bag (12 ounces) frozen whole green beans

³
/
₄
pound thinly sliced bacon, slices cut in half crosswise

1 stick (
¹
/
₄
pound) butter

¹
/
₂
cup packed brown sugar (either light or dark is okay)

Salt and black pepper

Duck Commander Cajun Seasoning (mild or zesty)

Garlic powder

1. Heat the oven to 375°F.

2. Put the green beans in bundles of 4 or 5 each and wrap each bundle with a half-slice of bacon. (You probably won’t use all the bacon.) Place the bundles in the casserole dish.

3. In a small skillet, melt the butter over low heat. Stir in the sugar until it melts.
Tip:
This step can also be done in the microwave.

4. Sprinkle salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning, and garlic powder on top of the bundles. Pour the butter-sugar mixture over the bundles. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp.

A Note from Lisa

This is one of the most delicious ways to cook a vegetable ever! These can be served with the main course or as an appetizer. One of the ladies at our church told me that if she has a really big crowd she’s found that cutting the bacon into thirds gives her plenty of bacon to go around. Another friend says she skips the bundles and just puts the beans in a dish, seasons them, pours the butter and sugar on top, and adds some bacon pieces. Sounds good to me!

Chicken & Spaghetti