Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

NATCHEZ — Patty Smith grew up watching her Italian mother, Elizabeth DiStefano Smith, cook wonderful Italian dishes.

However, as an adult, Smith did not have a lot of time to cook. She worked for years in the office for an orthopedic surgeon here and spent a lot of her time riding and showing quarter horses and singing in the choir at St. Mary Basilica.

“My mother is of Italian descent and is an amazing cook. She has written her own cookbook of so many Italian recipes and some great Southern dishes she made,” Smith said. “Growing up watching her cooking and baking in the kitchen, I learned many exciting ways to make delicious meals.”

Smith’s mother and father are still living, and she lives with them as their caregiver.

“Being a Natchez Cook Club member, I love sharing and posting some of my family’s Italian dishes and southern dishes on its Facebook page,” she said.

Smith also enjoys growing some of the ingredients she cooks with.

“Gardening is something I look forward to every spring,” she said. Smith studied and became a master gardener two years ago.

“I grow many of the vegetables in my garden that I cook with, particularly tomatoes, squash, cucumbers and bell peppers,” Smith said.

“I like experimenting with different spices and ingredients to make food more flavorful. Cooking is a wonderful way to relax, be creative and express yourself.”

Patty Smith’s mother’s meatloaf recipe

1-½ pounds hamburger

2 eggs, beaten

1 onion, chopped small

4 slices of grated bread.

2 small stalks of celery, chopped small

½ bell pepper, chopped small

24 saltine crackers, crushed

Fresh parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper

Garlic powder

4 cans Campbell’s Tomato Soup

Mix all ingredients except tomato soup together. Then, add 2 cans tomato soup to the meat mixture and mix well.

Put the meat mixture into a large, greased pan. Glass pans seem to work best. Spray the glass pan well with cooking spray.

Pour the remaining two cans of tomato soup over the top of the meat mixture and spread out.

Bake at 425 degrees for about an hour and 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Italian Stuffed Artichokes

4 large artichokes. Wash and cut the bottom stems off so they lie flat.

Half cup of grated romano cheese

Fresh chopped parsley

Eight slices of stale bread, grated

Three sliced cloves of garlic

Salt and pepper

Combine all these ingredients in a large bowl and stuff inside the leaves of the artichokes, opening the leaves up as you stuff the artichoke.

Put the artichokes sitting up in a large pot and add enough water to cover the bottom half of the artichoke. Drizzle a little olive oil and bring the water to a boil and continue to simmer. As you are cooking, you may need to add a little more to keep the level at half full.

Cover and cook for one hour.