words and photos by Jessica Pope
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines the word “fluffy” as soft, or light and airy. It is an adjective Ellen Squires McCarthy favors when describing herself and her sisters.
“We don’t say fat,” she says with a giggle. “We’re fluffy ... The Four Fluffy Sisters.”
Under that very title, the Squires sisters — Lydia Keene, Claire Spriggs, Marie Woods, and Ellen (all of them now reside in Valdosta) — compiled their favorite recipes into a cookbook. It has never been professionally published, just bound in three-ring binders and given to family and friends. They pull it out and show it off every chance they get.
“We would absolutely love to have our own show someday on the Food Network or any network for that matter,” she adds. “We would call it The Four Fluffy Sisters. Wouldn’t that be fun?”
Ellen grew up in a 1950s Valdosta helping out in the kitchen. She enjoyed every minute spent at the stove, every minute spent hovering over a mixing bowl. Her mother proved to be a fine example of a Southern cook.
“She taught me how to fry and how to prepare a casserole,” she shares.
When Ellen married and moved to a little tropical country known as the Philippines with her military husband, she soon discovered that there was more to life than fried chicken, buttermilk biscuits, and mashed potatoes. It was a native housekeeper who shared with her a passion for ethnic cuisine.
“That was when I really learned how to cook, and I’ve been cooking nonstop ever since,” she says.
Although Ellen lives by herself these days — both of her daughters are grown, and her husband died in 1991 — she can still be found “slaving away” in the kitchen practically every day of the week. She enjoys nothing more than a hot, homecooked meal — even if it’s just for one.
“I love a duck breast on the grill, fresh asparagus, or some stir fry,” she says with a sigh. “I just love to cook, and I love to eat.”
Proof of Ellen’s passion for cooking can be found inside her kitchen. She boasts a large collection of cast iron cookware.
“I have been collecting it for years,” she shares.
Ellen also has a somewhat extensive collection of cookbooks.
“I read them like someone else might read a work of fiction,” she says. “I don’t have a favorite. I like them all.”
Ellen even boasts her very own garden. She grows a variety of herbs and vegetables — basil, oregano, rosemary, chives, cilantro, tomatoes, bell peppers, okra, and mint — in individual containers.
Elliebelle’s Crock Pot Beef Brisket
INGREDIENTS
• 4-to-5-pound beef brisket
• 3 medium onions, sliced thick
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 to 5 grinds of peppercorns, in a peppermill
• 1 package beef gravy mix
(au jus, peppercorn, or plain)
• 1 can tomatoes with cilantro and lime juice
• 1 can beer (optional) or broth
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce
DIRECTIONS
Place the onion slices on the bottom of the crock pot. Mix together all the dry ingredients and garlic and rub into brisket. Place the brisket on top of the onions. Add the tomatoes, hot sauce, and beer or broth by pouring down the sides of the crock pot, not directly onto the brisket. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.
Ellen says: “I have chosen brisket because it is low cost and versatile. The meat can be served in a wrap with commercial salsa, mixed with barbecue sauce and served on a bun, mixed with potatoes, carrots and onions for a stew, sliced as a main dish and served with your choice of side vegetables, substituted for ground beef in Shepherd’s Pie, mixed with chipotle peppers for a Mexican flair, or made Moroccan by mixing it with red onions, dried apricots and couscous. It makes great soups and stews or you can make a mashed potato bowl, fill it with brisket and top with cheese, raw onions and sour cream. The choices are endless. Use your imagination. My favorite is a peach salsa and brisket wrap.”
