By DEBORAH GERTZ HUSAR
Herald-Whig Staff Writer

Denise Wilkey always adds an extra ingredient to all her recipes.

"I put a little extra love into it," Wilkey said. "I want to make people happy and enjoy what they're eating."

That approach seems to work whether Wilkey's cooking for friends, family or even the staff and students at Central Middle School in Golden.

Wilkey cooked at the school for 20 years, retiring at the end of this school year with the students presenting her a golden spatula award, handmade cards and reminders that they'll miss her yummy cupcakes and cheesecakes.

Wilkey prepared breakfast and lunch at the school with 135 students.

"I fixed a lot of stuff from scratch," she said.

Among the favorites were chicken noodle soup, chili, goulash, monster cookies and Pantherburgers. The burger, named for school's panther mascot, "is easy," Wilkey said. "It's good."

Cooking, and cooking for a crowd, has been part of Wilkey's life as long as she can remember.

"I'm the oldest of eight," she said. "I was in the kitchen a lot with Mom helping prepare meals."

She learned to cook from her Mom and 4-H, then put the skills to work over the years for her family -- her husband, Jim, their four boys, four daughters-in-law and now eight grandkids -- and as a cook at the old Village Inn in Camp Point, the windmill in Golden, the golf course in Camp Point and the school.

"After cooking all the time at school, when I got home, I didn't feel like cooking much except for special occasions or when company's coming or the kids are coming," Wilkey said.

The family always gathers on July 3, sitting in the front yard to watch the fireworks show put on by the nearby Quincy Country Club. They canceled the 2008 gathering, after youngest son Cory died in October 2007, but resumed it this year just to be together.

"Especially after Cory's accident, you want to tell people how you feel. You want to tell them that you love them, so we do," Wilkey said.

Any gathering finds Wilkey in the kitchen, adding more love to family recipes.

"A lot of times, I tend to overdo. I just wrap it up and send it home with the kids," she said.

Everybody has a favorite dish, but they all love French Silk Chocolate Pie, a recipe from Wilkey's mother, Fran Georges.

"You can't go wrong with chocolate," Wilkey said.

The pie is easy to fix, but allow plenty of time for beating the ingredients.

"A lot of times it takes 10 to 15 minutes to beat it up. You want to get it real fluffy," she said. "It's a very rich pie. I like to put a lot of whipped cream on it to cut the richness of the chocolate."

Cabbage Slaw features crunchy ramen noodles and toasted nuts. It's a favorite side dish any time of year, and Wilkey said everyone always wants the recipe shared by a teacher friend.

Fruit Dip complements fresh summertime fruits, and the Chocolate Chip Cheeseball "is addictive once you get started on it," she said. "You always think of a cheeseball with crackers, but this is a sweet one. You serve Teddy Grahams with it."

Wilkey collects cookbooks, especially the Gooseberry Patch series for its stories and helpful hints, but she doesn't always follow the recipe.

She loves to bake, but her husband's not much of a sweet eater. He makes some exceptions, though, including the red velvet cake she often serves for his birthday.

Wilkey also keeps cookies in part of her cookie jar collection. Most of the jars are holiday-themed, primarily for Christmas, but she does have jars designed for Easter, Halloween, Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July.

"I'm a big decorator," she said. "I like to decorate for all the holidays."

-- dhusar@whig.com/221-3379