VALDOSTA — Vanessa Fletcher says her granny, the late Ida Carter of Echols County, always comes to mind when she is cooking.

“I’m imagining that she would still tell me that I didn’t know what I was doing. Once when I was about 14 years old, I was at her house helping with dinner; we were having fish. I was salting the fish; she was telling me the whole time I didn’t know how to salt fish or cook them. She always told my mother (Faye Corbett of Lake Park) she was doing things wrong in the kitchen, too. Well, my mom turned out to be a wonderful cook, so maybe I will, too.”

Growing up on the outskirts of Lowndes County near Echols County, Fletcher graduated from Lowndes High School in 1983. She has been a floral designer for 28 years.

“I first worked in a flower shop at the age of 16. Twenty-eight years later, I’m still enjoying beautiful flowers. I am the wedding consultant for Valdosta Greenhouses. I enjoy weddings because they are always so different.

“Being a single mom with wonderful children (Nicole Tucker, 20, of Valdosta; Haley Tucker, 15, and Kristen Tucker, 12), I stay busy, but I do love to cook. I sometimes take dishes to work; my co-workers enjoy this and get spoiled easily. I love to cook for friends; I get this trait honest: My mom loves to feed everyone.”

It was her mother who taught her to cook.

“I love to cook for people and watch them enjoy it,” Fletcher said. “That’s a great feeling.”

Today, she has prepared both Sundried Tomato Chops & Artichokes and Marinated Italian Vegetable Salad for the viewing pleasure of the readers.

“The Sundried Tomato Chops & Artichokes was something I made up myself,” she said. “I had bought some artichokes one day and thought they would be good with pork chops. Then I was being brave and added the dressing for some added flavor, and it turned out to be a great dish.”

Sun-Dried Tomato Chops With Marinated Artichokes

9x12 baking dish

6 to 8 (1/2-inch) boneless pork chops

1/2 teaspoon meat tenderizer

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon pepper