Mark's Favorite Pot Roast

• 3 pounds of beef chuck roast
• 1 package of dry onion soup mix
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 red-skin potatoes, cut into quarters
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped into bite-size pieces
• 1/2 pound of string beans

Place beef roast in slow-cooker. Mix soup mix and bay leaves with water. Pour over roast. Cover with lid.

Cook on LOW for 8 hours.

3 hours before serving, add vegetables to slow-cooker. (They’re best when placed in broth under the roast.) Cover with lid.

Susanna's Sonker

Surry County, NC, lies in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains along the state border with Virginia. It is famous for sonker, a fruit dessert similar to cobbler.

In Whisper Falls, Susanna’s mother Anne was raised in Surry County. When Anne married and moved to Wake County, she brought this secret family recipe with her.

Berry Sonker

• 3 cups of fresh berries
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 cup of sifted flour **
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup of sweet milk
• 5 tbsp of butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Wash and sort the berries in a separate bowl. Toss with 4 tablespoons of sugar (from the sugar portion). Spread evenly in a buttered baking dish.

Mix together the remaining sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk in milk and melted butter. Pour batter over the berries.

Bake for 45 minutes. The crust should be golden brown. Serve warm with whipped cream.

** – For gluten-free sonker, simply substitute the flour with a gluten-free flour blend of your choosing and add 1/2 tsp. xantham gum.

Henry's Favorite Mac-n-Cheese

In I Wish, Lacey’s brother loves macaroni and cheese, and it’s cheap so Lacey doesn’t mind making it for him.

The Recipe

• 8 ounces of elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
• 3 tbsp of butter
• 1 tbsp of flour
• 2 cups of milk
• 1 cup of processed cheese (such as Velveeta), cubed
• 1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt butter in saucepan. Add flour and stir until well mixed. Add milk. Stir until thickened. Add processed cheese and half of cheddar cheese and stir until melted.

Put macaroni in buttered casserole dish. Pour in cheese sauce and stir. Sprinkle remaining cheddar on top.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Lacey's Quick-and-Easy Vegetable Soup

In I Wish, Lacey must stretch her budget to feed her family and make ends meet. Here is a soup that she made with fresh or frozen vegetables.

The Recipe

• 1 46-ounce can vegetable juice
• 2 cups chopped vegetables**, fresh or frozen-mixed-vegetables
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp of seasoned salt
• 1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce
• pinch of black pepper
• 1 pound of ground beef (optional)

If you are adding meat, brown and drain first, then set aside.

Pour juice into Dutch oven and add chopped vegetables. Bring to a boil. Cover, then lower heat to simmer. Add beef optionally.

Simmer for 30 minutes before serving

** Suggestions for fresh vegetables: tomatoes, potatoes, corn, peas, carrots, squash.

Kimberley's Slow-cooker Chocolate Cake

• 1 Devils Food Cake Mix
• 1 chocolate fudge pudding mix
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1/3 cup oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Spray slow-cooker with cooking spray.

Mix all ingredients. Batter will be thick. Pour into slow-cooker.

Cook on LOW for 3 hours. 

The cake will be soft and gooey.

Sean and Sara's Awesome Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sara and Sean Tucker are twins who are main characters in the I Wish series. Whenever they have a fight, a batch of these cookies are their peace offering.

• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extra
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 salt
• 1/2 baking soda
• 1 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cream together the butter and sugars. Add the egg (beaten) and vanilla.

Sift together flour, salt, and soda. Slowly add to creamed mixture. Stir until just blended. Add oats. Fold in chocolate chips. Bake each batch for 12 minutes. Allow to cool on sheet before moving to cooling rack.