December 4, 2008

Retired culinary arts teacher makes meals with class

By Mollie Mims/Special to the Times-Review

A wide smile — the kind that makes everyone else want to smile. An easy laugh that fills the room. A giving heart big enough for family, friends and especially children. And teaching — 37 years in the classroom. That is Sandra Gilliland.

She met her future husband, Bob, when they attended Tarleton State University in Stephenville. He graduated from there, but she transferred to East Texas State University, where she graduated. Before coming to Cleburne in 1976, Gilliland taught in Maypearl, Midlothian and Gustine.

Gilliland started a vocational education program at Cleburne High School to teach handicapped students how to work in the commercial food service industry. The basic goal was to give them enough skills to obtain a job.

The program evolved into the culinary arts class.

“I loved everything I did, but culinary arts was my favorite. It got me excited all over again. We did lots of catering. These kids were such a creative group, and they would really get into the higher skill level. We prepared luncheons for each department every six weeks,” she said.

Another luncheon she remembered honored the homecoming queen, the committee and other guests.

Students were the workhorses behind the scenes at each luncheon.

“There have been six or seven kids go on to study at the Culinary Institute. The last year I taught, I only taught one class and worked as department head and career tech coordinator,” Gilliland said.

She had been head of the department for seven years when she retired in 2006. Most of that time she taught a full load of classes.

“I thought a lot about retiring, but I could never turn loose,” she said. “I was afraid they would cut my programs, and I could not stand the thought. Then I interviewed Ann Lorwie to take part of my classes — about six weeks into the year I knew she would do a good job. God sent her to me. I love her just like she was family. I could turn things over to her and not feel jealous.

“She is just a fine Christian lady and has such a rapport with the kids and has such wonderful ideas. She goes above and beyond the call.

“Ann was instrumental in putting out the cookbook last year, and they gave me a section of it and dedicated it to me, which I thought was the greatest tribute ever. I still feel like I am a part of it.”

Heart still at school

It’s obvious her heart is still there. Another honor she enjoyed was being named 1994 CISD Teacher of the Year.

While looking out the window at her garden she said, “Back in August I took them part of our bumper crop of basil. Ann had me talk to the kids about the herbs and what they are used for.

“One of the things I always tried to do while teaching was to follow the food fads — like stuffed baked potatoes, blooming onions and waffle cones. They got a wide range of experience because I liked to learn, too.”

She also knew some of those students would work in food-related jobs that involved the latest trends.

“When Starbucks came into vogue we studied coffee. We had maps on the wall about where coffee was grown, learned about the types of coffee, and learned how to use an espresso machine.”

Her creativity and can-do attitude shows in everything she touches. “One year I tried to find drying racks for the pasta and finally used broom handles — after scrubbing them clean.

“Some people thought I would start catering. I could direct and teach in the classroom, and I didn’t have to clean up. I love to cook, but cleaning up is not my forté. That discouraged me from going into catering.”

She might substitute teach but only in the culinary arts program.

The first recipe collection she had printed was a family project. Plus she has had recipes printed in several magazines, and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram did an article in 2005, calling her one of the great cooks in the metroplex.

Now Sandra is publishing a cookbook that has taken her five years to finish, although she has been collecting recipes and testing them on family and friends a lot longer.

“I set my computer up for the recipes and was going to have it published locally, but then I saw the one that the Cleburne culinary class did and contacted the company. I wanted it to be classy looking — something to be proud of.”

She had to reformat all the saved recipes to fit the publisher’s guidelines.

“I didn’t want to include recipes that everyone makes — like Rotel dip or sausage balls. I wanted it to be something that those who cook all the time would be challenged by part of it, and those who never cook could find things in there easy enough.”

Everybody cooks

Then with one of those easy laughs she is known for, Sandra said, “My goal is that everybody cooks.

“At some point I realized I did not want to put anything I did not like in the book, even though I make things that are well received that I don’t enjoy — like peanut butter items. Then I got it finished and realized I did not put a cheesecake recipe in it. I never make it for us because it’s not one of my favorite desserts, so I’ll just put it in the next one!”

Paula Dean is one of her favorite television cooks. Like Paula, Sandra was not trained as a chef and did not study at the Culinary Institute. Both have two sons.

As the title of one of Dean’s cookbooks puts it, “It Ain’t All About the Cooking.”

“She features a lot of her friends,” Gilliland said, “and I’ve got a lots of recipes from friends that I’ve included in my book.”

Some of those friends may be surprised to find that their recipe has been included.

“One friend gave me a quiche recipe, and I loved it because it has a whole wheat crust, and it had mayonnaise in it,” she said. “Now, I’ve made it a thousand ways putting different things in it. Surely, when she sees that recipe in the book she will be surprised. It has been 35 years since she gave it to me.

“I put together some things as a unit, like the gingersnap cookies and the pumpkin dip.”

Some of the recipes she created from trial and error and some from making a few changes from another recipe.

“My cherry pie recipe with almond extract from my high school homemaking classes days is in there,” she said. “I’ve added a crust recipe that has almonds in it. Ten years or so ago I was thumbing through a magazine and here was a crust that had almonds in it, so I put those together as one recipe.

“I would love to have done a section on relishes and one on diabetic recipes.”

She and her husband are both diabetic.

“I make a baked custard and you can’t tell the difference that it has Splenda in it. When you do things that have flour [cookies, cakes and breads], you can’t just put the Splenda blend in it because you don’t get the moisture needed. You have to adjust the other ingredients, too.”

Conversions to some recipes are in her cookbook — like the raisin oatmeal bar. She tried several versions before she made it sugar-free and easy to remove from the pan without crumbling.

Gilliland likes to cook. Period. Whether Tex-Mex, Italian (including homemade pasta), soups, fresh from the garden items or desserts, she loves it all. She remembers her mother canning black-eyed peas and freezing other items, then having them all winter to eat, especially in soups. Now she has a small garden.

“Bob was so nice when I was having so much trouble with my back. I wanted to have my tomatoes, one squash plant, and some herbs . . . so he built me a raised bed. Now I wished my front beds were raised!”

He worked in the Cleburne school district for 30 years, beginning as a teacher at Irving Elementary. For 11 years he was director of auxiliary services, in charge of maintenance and grounds. He retired in December 2007.

“I told him when I retired he had to give me two years, but he didn’t give me that long,” Sandra Gilliland said.

Open, inviting kitchen

He was the general contractor when they built their home. The kitchen is open and inviting. She can cook while looking across the counter past the breakfast table and onto the terraced back yard. That’s where he works on projects and landscaping and takes a little time to enjoy the music.

“My one thing I had to have in the kitchen was a raised dishwasher,” she said.

She had a drawer put below the appliance, before the companies came out with the drawers under the washer and dryer. Now she does not have to bend over load or unload the dishwasher.

“Having an open concept I wanted to make sure my appliances ran quietly not to disturb conversation.”

She said she doesn’t use the warming drawer often, but “it’s the handiest thing when I need it.”

Her favorite cooking gadget is her Kitchen Aid mixer.

“I worked long and hard on my layout. When I took it to the kitchen designer he looked at my plan and said I’d done the work for him. I had known for a long time what I wanted and drew it on graph paper. My kitchen triangle is a little elongated . . . but it works for me!”

Appropriately named Years of Class, Sandra’s collection of 500 recipes will be available by mid-December at Accents and other local locations.

“I’m fired up now and already thinking about the next one,” she added with that twinkle in her eye.

Always teaching, Grandmother CiCi and Grandaddy Bob host a “Camp Texas” each summer for their five grandchildren, Charlie, Cole, Ben, Laurian, and Kate.

It’s complete with crafts, history and cooking, of course. She started by teaching them how to decorate cookies. Now they are mastering the age-appropriate skills of stirring, measuring, following a recipe and cleaning up.

She also writes a play each year, and the kids have fun performing it during the holidays for their parents and grandparents. This year they dressed like Indians and visited the Chisholm Trail exhibit to experience a little local history.

Teaching comes natural to Sandra. Now others will be able to enjoy her culinary collection.