John and Terri Gordon of Bena met each other 46 years ago at a Christmas pageant at Providence Baptist Church. Four years later they were married. “The very first dish I ever made following marriage was my grandmother’s recipe for tuna casserole. Made it often, but we don’t even like it now.”

Terri had been taught how to cook by her mother and grandmother, but it was her grandmother’s way of cooking that Terri decided to apply to her own cooking. “If a recipe calls for fat or cream, Crisco or lots of butter, or whatever it calls for, I use it. I know it’s not healthy but, oh, the flavor is so good.”

With three sons, the Gordons’ kitchen for many years was a busy place. Now that the boys have homes of their own, Terri’s cooking has diminished in volume, but not in flavor. The generosity of sharing is still practiced. It’s a trait she inherited from her grandmother, Laura Williams. “The family spends Thanksgiving with us but come Christmas we go to my son’s house in North Carolina...