BY ANN CIPPERLY
With their home filled with beautiful music, Ashley, a violinist, and Dr. Corey Spurlin, director of the Auburn University Marching Band, have a love of music from both of their families’ background in music performance. They also share a love of family, and as Mother’s Day approaches, Ashley gives her thoughts on being a busy mother of three and preparing hearty meals. She enjoys having their children in the kitchen helping prepare meals, as they learn how to cook.
Ashley grew up in Hayden, just north of Birmingham, on a small farm with cows and horses. While both her parents worked at the post office, her father, Larry Joe Thomas, also sang tenor in a gospel quartet named High Rock Singers. The group recorded 10 albums, with her father writing a couple of songs.
The family often spent Friday and Saturday nights attending concerts presented by the quartet. After Ashley and her three siblings took violin lessons, they played while the quartet sang. Their mother, Rhonda Lewis, was the primary practice parent in the home. She took all four children to violin lessons and supervised their practice. Ashley was two and a half years old when she began taking lessons.
Since her parents had busy schedules, they both prepared meals, depending on who was home first. There were always plenty of fresh vegetables from the garden. During summer, Ashley’s mother canned tomatoes and green beans for winter and froze peas. She still does. She also made jellies and jams.
Ashley remembers shelling peas during summer and doing other chores around the farm.
“I remember that now when I ask the kids to do things,” she said. “I am glad my mother had me shell peas, as it taught me to do things for the family and not just for myself. I didn’t have any problems picking strawberries since I ate those, but I didn’t like shelling peas.”
Her grandparents also lived in Hayden. Her paternal grandmother had an outside kitchen at an old farmhouse where the women would gather to cook and can vegetables for days. The family had many get-togethers with abundant southern dishes.
After high school, Ashley attended the University of Alabama and majored in music therapy. While being a violinist in the orchestra at Alabama, Ashley met Corey, who grew up in Anniston and had been surrounded by music leaders. His father was his band director in middle and high school. His grandfather also had a love of music and taught singing schools for churches, with Corey’s father playing the piano.
“My father and grandfather passed on a love of music to me,” said Corey. “I began as a trumpet performance major at the University of Alabama, but I found myself thinking more about teaching than performance. I changed my major to music education.”
After graduating, Corey became the band director at Tuscaloosa County High School. Two years later he returned to the University of Alabama as the interim assistant director of the marching band, as well as other bands, while working on his master’s degree.
When Ashley graduated, she was working in Tuscaloosa as a music therapist. The couple married a year after Corey was at Louisiana State University for his doctorate. While at LSU, Corey was a graduate assistant for the bands. Ashley worked at Parrain’s, a seafood restaurant in Baton Rouge, and became interested in cooking.
In 2007, the Spurlins moved to Auburn when Corey was hired at Auburn University as the Marching Band Director, Associate Director of Bands and Assistant Professor of music. He has since been promoted to Associate Professor with tenure and Professor of Music. He also directs the Pep Band for basketball, conducts a concert band and teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in music.
After they moved to Auburn, Ashley attended graduate school for a master’s in speech language and communication disorders. She worked at Rehab Works in Opelika as a speech-language pathologist until their first child Harper was born.
They have three children, Harper, 13; Hannah, 11; and Lucas, who is six years old.
“Being a mother is a wonderful blessing,” Ashley said. “I have grown and learned so much about how to love people, how to care for others and God’s love for us. I am very thankful for our children.
“Every day is different, and some days are hard. I try to put a positive perspective on how I look at things. When there are lots of dirty dishes, I think that means we had food to eat. It means the family’s bellies are full, and we are blessed. I try to look at the positive side of things.
“I learned a lot from my mother, who was very faith based,” she added. “We were always in church when the doors opened on Sundays mornings, Sunday nights and Wednesday nights. Mom was a hard worker and loved being outside.”
Ashley also enjoys being outdoors and taking hikes with the kids when they are not busy in after school activities. Harper plays the clarinet, Hannah enjoys golf and participates in children’s golf tournaments, and Lucas is starting to play golf with Corey as his coach. Ashley tries to schedule activities just after school so they can all be at home for dinner.
They said they enjoy having dinner with Corey’s parents, Jane and Glenn Spurlin, who live in Auburn. Jane, who is a good cook, often has the kids over to bake cookies and desserts for holidays. Last year she helped the kids make a strawberry cake lined with fresh strawberries for Ashley’s birthday that she said she thought was “delicious and special.”
Ashley said she finds joy in having the kids in the kitchen helping her cook, and they have learned to prepare some dishes by themselves, especially desserts. Harper can make cupcakes from scratch, while Hannah makes homemade lemonade. Lucas likes to assemble pigs in a blanket by rolling crescent pastry around small sausages.
The kids can also make pancakes and eggs. Over the years, they have made breakfast to serve Ashley in bed for Mother’s Day.
A couple of years ago, Ashley ordered a publication called “Raddish Kids” that came with recipes for children to make and a cooking utensil with each issue. The recipes sparked their interest, and they made homemade ravioli, chicken and dumplings soup, cranberry muffins and others that they still enjoy making.
“I think it is important to let the kids help cook,” she said. “One of the hardest things is letting them make a mess. Just let them make a mess, and clean it up when it is done. It is easier if we make one dish at a time.”
Spaghetti is the kids’ favorite dish. While Ashley uses a jarred sauce to save time, she embellishes it with additions. “The secret is you have to slowly brown the ground beef, season it well and also sauté onions. She uses a jar of Newman’s Sockarooni sauce and adds a jar of tomato sauce, minced garlic, red wine and Italian seasoning.
A taco dinner is another family favorite, as well as marinated chicken that Corey cooks on the grill. She will prep the ingredients ahead of time.
“To me being a mother is a big responsibility,” Ashley said. “You can look at it as a responsibility that is really hard or as it being a gift, and you try not to stress about the small things. It is a learning experience as things change all the time.
“I think it is important to be in church and see their faith grow in God, but it is not just about being in church. The children and I use food to show God’s love to others. They often bake mini loaves of banana bread, snowball cookies and cupcakes to give as gifts. The girls have a devotion they do, and Lucas is in AWANA at church learning verses. We sometimes listen to Christian based podcasts.”
Of course, there is music in the house, and sometimes it is the violin or clarinet. Other times, it is something on Alexa, such as Perry Gripp’s “It’s Raining Tacos.”
When the kids asked her what she wanted for Mother’s Day, Ashley said she would like for the family to have a picnic and take a hike. Hannah is making her lemonade, and with all the kids cooking, they will most likely be preparing another breakfast in bed for their special Mom.
Finger-Lickin’ Chicken Marinade
Chicken breasts
Marinade:
1 cup oil
½ cup vinegar
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. salt and pepper
2 Tbsp. thyme
1 tsp. garlic salt
Wisk marinade ingredients. Add chicken and marinade to a plastic bag. Marinate at least 1 hour.
Heat grill to medium-high. Grill chicken for 15 minutes, basting during grilling. Cook chicken until the center reaches 165 degrees.
Ashley’s Spaghetti
2 lbs. 85% ground beef
1 large onion, diced
1 jar favorite spaghetti sauce (I use Newman’s Own Sockarooni)
8 oz. jar tomato sauce
½ cup water
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
¼ cup red wine
Salt to taste
Spaghetti noodles, cooked
Brown ground beef and onions over medium/low heat. Salt to taste. Drain beef. Add spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, water, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, red wine and beef to pan. Heat over low heat until sauce simmers. Simmer for 20 minutes to 2 hours. Serve over spaghetti noodles.
Fried Green Tomatoes with Remoulade Sauce
3 medium, firm green tomatoes
salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. Cajun seasoning
½ cup buttermilk
1 egg
⅓ cup cornmeal
½ cup fine breadcrumbs
Oil
Remoulade Sauce:
1 ¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup creole mustard
1 Tbsp. sweet paprika
1 tsp. Cajun seasoning
2 tsp. horseradish
1 tsp. pickle juice
1 tsp. hot sauce
1 large garlic clove, minced
For remoulade sauce; mix all ingredients and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Slice tomatoes ½ inch thick. Sprinkle salt over tomatoes, and let them sit for 5 minutes.
Mix in 3 separate bowls:
1. Flour and Cajun seasoning;
2. Milk and egg;
3. Breadcrumbs and cornmeal.
Dredge tomatoes in each bowl starting with flour/Cajun seasoning, then milk/egg and finally breadcrumbs/cornmeal mixtures.
Heat oil to medium heat. When oil is hot, fry tomatoes for 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Let fried tomatoes cool on a paper towel lined plate. Give them one more shake of salt and serve with remoulade sauce.
Squash Casserole
Rhonda Lewis’ recipe
1 lb. squash, sliced
½ onion, sliced
½ cup mayonnaise
1 egg
½ cup grated cheddar cheese
¼ cup sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Topping:
Sleeve saltine crackers
½ stick butter, melted
Steam squash and onions in a saucepan until they can be mashed easily. Drain off any excess liquid and continue mashing.
In a large bowl, mix squash/onion mixture with mayonnaise, egg, cheese and sour cream. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add mixture to an 8 x 8-inch casserole dish. Crush the crackers in a zip top bag, then add melted butter. Spread cracker crumb mixture over the top of the squash. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.
Brown Sugar Glazed Salmon
4 salmon filets (1 – 1½ lbs.)
Magic Salmon seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
4 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Place salmon on a foil lined baking dish. Sprinkle Magic Salmon Seasoning, salt and pepper to taste over salmon. Bake salmon for 12 minutes.
In a separate bowl, combine brown sugar, soy sauce and Dijon mustard. Remove salmon from the oven and baste with sauce. Return salmon to the oven and heat under the broiler for 2 minutes.
Banana Bread
A Spurlin family favorite
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup butter, softened
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract
5 eggs
½ cup buttermilk
7-8 bananas, mashed (ripe to overripe)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 loaf pans or 8 mini loaf pans. (I use mini loaf pans).
Cream butter and sugar in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt. Add eggs one at a time to the butter mixture, mixing on low. Then add vanilla, buttermilk and bananas. Add the flour mixture until just combined. Pour batter into loaf pans. Bake regular loaf pans for 1 hour and mini loaf pans for 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let loaves cool on a cooling rack.
Glenn’s Shrimp Pasta
Glenn Spurlin’s recipe
1 yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 orange bell pepper, diced
1 ½ stalks celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
Butter or olive oil
2 cans Rotel tomatoes (I use one mild and one regular)
8 oz. can tomato sauce
½ cup water
Cajun seasoning to taste
Italian seasoning to taste
1 tsp. sugar
1-2 lbs. shrimp, peeled and deveined
Extra Cajun seasoning
Spaghetti noodles or other favorite pasta noodle
Sauté onions, bell pepper and celery in butter or olive oil over medium heat until they are soft. Add Rotel, tomato sauce, water, Cajun seasoning, Italian seasoning and sugar to sauteed onion mixture. Heat over medium/low heat for 20 to 30 minutes or until simmering.
Sprinkle Cajun seasoning on shrimp, then add to simmering sauce mixture. Cover and reduce heat to low. Let this simmer for 10 minutes, or until the shrimp is done.
Chicken Bits
Jane Spurlin’s recipe
3 chicken breasts, cut into cubes
Crumb Mixture:
½ cup butter, melted
1/2 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tsp. Accent, optional
1 tsp. dried leaf thyme (1/4 tsp. powdered)
1 tsp. dried leaf basil
Mix crumb ingredients together. Roll chicken pieces in the crumb mixture and place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Makes 2 to 4 servings.
Cinni Mini’s
A Spurlin family favorite
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
⅓ cup sugar
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
12 oz. refrigerated biscuits
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 x 8-inch pan. Add cinnamon and sugar in a bowl and set aside. Cut biscuits in 6 pieces, then roll in cinnamon/sugar mixture.
Place biscuit pieces close together in the greased pan. Pour melted butter over biscuits. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes. Meanwhile, mix glaze ingredients and pour over warm biscuits.
Crunchy Coleslaw
6 Tbsp. slivered almonds
1 pkg. broccoli slaw mix or prepared coleslaw
4 green onions, sliced
1 pkg. Ramen Noodles, uncooked and broken into small pieces
Dressing:
½ cup canola oil
¼ cup rice vinegar
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
Toast almonds for 6 minutes at 350 degrees. Toss slaw mix, green onions and almonds in large bowl, then set aside. In a jar, mix oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Pour over slaw mixture. Add Ramen noodles before serving.
