“I remember one Christmas, I got an easy-bake oven, and I wanted to bake everything all at the same time,” says Patricia Jackson. “I think it all started there.”
Beginning with an easy-bake oven and pre-made cake mixes, the Evansville native and communications specialist at Vectren has come a long way since she first discovered her joy for cooking. Now, Jackson makes her own renditions of classic recipes.
Growing up in the kitchen, she remembers her grandmother always letting her help. Whether picking beans or shucking corn, Jackson always enjoyed cooking. However, it wasn’t until later on that she really began to grow as a chef.
“My husband Patrick and I love good food,” she says, “and I am all about trying something different, and adding different ingredients to make it my own.”
One of Jackson’s go-to dishes is chicken. She says it’s one of her favorite foods to cook, and she always is finding new ways to make the ingredient better and more flavorful. She builds on chicken recipes by using her own cooking methods and adding more ingredients. For example, she always begins with marinating the chicken overnight in white wine, olive oil, and as big of an onion as she can buy.
“I hear people say all the time they never want to try a recipe because it has too many ingredients,” says Jackson. “That never scares me off.”
Adding uncommon flavors to dishes is one of her specialties. One of the more recent things she has been trying is adding leeks into the marinating process. By doing this, she gives dishes some personality.
“It’s not necessarily about trying to make it the way someone else makes it; but if you like it, try something different,” says Jackson. “Add a different herb or vegetable — just something to make it your own.”
