“You season with your heart”

Published 9:11 am Tuesday, June 9, 2026

QUINCY — Rachael Davis cooks with the flavors of her childhood.

“I grew up in San Diego,” the Quincy woman said. “I grew up with a lot of Mexican food – in San Diego, you’re right next to the border – so everybody likes spicy food.”

Even a family favorite, Chicken and Broccoli Casserole, gets a spicy twist.

“I serve it with rice on the side. My family puts sriracha on top. You don’t really need it if you’re not a spicy person,” Davis said.

Davis, her husband David, her son, and his two sons also enjoy Chicken Enchiladas. “It’s one of my kids’ favorites. They like it,” she said. “That one you can either cook the chicken or use rotisserie. Sometimes I find shortcuts.”

Another childhood favorite, Strawberry Salad, reminds her of similar salads served at area restaurants, and she also makes the casserole she liked best as a child.

“Growing up, I always called it Green Bean Casserole,” she said. “It’s basically a shepherd’s pie – a quick, easy way, my mom said, that just had green beans, no other vegetables.”

Key to finding success in the kitchen is “just wanting to try,” Davis said.

As a teenager “messing up” her mom’s kitchen, Davis expects her finished products weren’t the best, but she never stopped cooking. “I think I liked food too much,” she said, and all three boys like to cook and try new recipes.

Just don’t expect Davis to rely on a recipe.

“A lot of times I know the recipe, so I don’t have to look at it, or I know what I’m doing, have an idea and go from there,” she said. “My logic is you season with your heart. Sometimes when I make Cajun food, if I start sneezing, I know it’s pretty good then. That food has a lot of peppers in it that make you sneeze.”

Her heart also led her to Quincy in 2016.

“I moved here because my parents had retired and moved here,” she said. “I’d come back and forth to visit.”

Davis learned to cook starting from her mom – “my mom’s a very good cook,” she said – and formalized some of her techniques attending culinary school where she found a love of working with pastry.

Today she’s more likely to bake sweets from recipes passed down through the years including her great-grandmother’s Rhubarb Crisp, which is best served warm with vanilla ice cream. “The other one we really like is her carrot cake. It’s done without cream cheese frosting,” she said. “I can eat it for breakfast every day.”

Her husband would rather have another classic, Rum Cake, and it works just as well for breakfast. “It’s good with coffee in the morning,” Davis said.

If Davis isn’t working – she does billing for Denman’s – she might be spending time with a grandson who turns a year old in August or planning a Disney trip.

“I am 100% a Disney person,” she said. “I go to Disney World a lot. I like the older rides. Those are my favorites.”

But much of her time revolves around cooking.

“We go camping a lot during the summer. I’m cooking a lot while we’re camping,” she said. “I just like to do it. I can plan what we’re having, put it all in the camper before we leave.”

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

1 to 2 pounds boneless chicken breast, diced
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 ¼ cups sour cream
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika to taste
1 (13-ounce) package frozen broccoli florets
1 to 2 cups shredded cheese
3 cups cooked rice

Season diced chicken to taste, then cook on stove until done; set aside. Mix soup and sour cream in a bowl. Season to taste, then mix in chicken and broccoli.

Place in a 9×13-inch baking dish, which has been buttered or coated with cooking spray. Top with shredded cheese.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden and broccoli is tender.

Serve warm with rice. Top with sriracha if desired.

Chicken Enchiladas

2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
4 cups cooked and chopped chicken breast
1 (four-ounce) can chopped green chilies
12 flour tortillas
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

In a small bowl, mix the soup and sour cream; set aside.

Melt butter in medium pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and chili powder and saute until tender. Stir in the chicken, chilies and 2 tablespoons of soup mixture. Cook and stir until heated through.

Spread 1 cup of the soup mixture in a 9×13-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spoon about 1 cup of the chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas, and place seam-side down in the baking dish. Spoon remaining soup mixture on top, and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned.

Rachael’s Favorite Casserole

1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 can green beans
Salt and pepper to taste
Instant mashed potatoes (six servings)
1 cup dried onions, like French’s
1 cup cheddar cheese

Brown beef in a frying pan, adding onion and garlic to cook. Add salt and pepper to taste; drain. Stir soup and green beans into beef.

While beef is cooking, prepare potatoes per package directions. Stir half of the dried onions into the mashed potatoes.

Pour beef mixture into a casserole dish. Cover with mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with remaining dried onions and grated cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until bubbly.

Strawberry Salad

1 large head Romaine lettuce
1 head Boston or butter lettuce
1 pint sliced strawberries
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1 cup slivered almonds, toasted in the oven

Dressing
1 cup salad oil
1 cup sugar
1 cup red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon white pepper

In a large bowl, place lettuce, nuts and strawberries. Pour on enough dressing to coat. Sprinkle with cheese. Toss gently and serve.

My Grandmother’s Carrot Cake

2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
3 eggs
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 small can crushed pineapple
2 cups grated carrots
2 cups chopped walnuts
1 cup coconut

Cream first three ingredients with mixer. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add to the sugar mixture, and mix. Add remaining ingredients. Pour into a greased and floured 9×13-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes.

Glaze
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon Karo syrup

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Cook for five minutes after it starts to boil. Pour over cake while still warm.

Fresh Rhubarb Crisp

Topping
1 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup butter, melted

Filling
4 cups rhubarb, cut in 1-inch pieces (remember to use only the red part of the stalk)
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup water

For topping, combine flour, brown sugar and oats in a large bowl; mix well. With a fork, stir in melted butter to make a crumbly mixture. Set aside.

For filling, combine rhubarb, sugar, flour and water in a bowl, and mix well. Pour into a lightly greased 8x8x2-inch baking dish. Sprinkle topping evenly over filling. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until topping is golden brown and rhubarb is tender.

Rum Cake

1 cup walnuts
1 box Duncan Hines yellow cake mix
1 cup dark rum
4 eggs
1 cup water
1 cup vegetable oil
1 package instant vanilla pudding mix

Glaze
1 cup butter
⅛ cup water
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark rum

For cake, sprinkle nuts over bottom of a greased and floured tube pan. Mix together cake mix, rum, eggs, water, oil and pudding mix. Mix until well blended. Pour over nuts in pan. Bake at 325 degrees for one hour. Cool slightly, then invert on a serving plate with a rim. Prick top and sides of cake with a fork.

For glaze, melt butter in saucepan. Stir in water and sugar. Bring to a boil, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in rum. Drizzle or brush over cake until it soaks in. This is a slow process but worth it.

NOTE: Don’t forget the water in the glaze. It will not thin out enough for the cake to soak it up.