What a blessing to have been raised in Memphis by a country cook who knew what she was doing. Good cooking was just a way of life in our household and among our extended family. My mother prepared the best fried chicken in Tipton County according to my aunts, uncles, cousins, and great aunts & uncles; I have no reason to doubt their words of praise. I saw at every family reunion whose chicken was the first to go.

And my mother wasn’t the only good cook in our house. My daddy was a master at the grill and could throw together a variety of tasty snacks inside as well. He specialized in oyster chowder & Bleu Cheese Dressing; and sitting down with Daddy as we built snacks of smoked oysters, cheeses, crackers, olives, and anything else he could scrape together was a banquet in itself.

Fool-Proof Steamed Eggs

Fool-Proof Steamed Eggs

Special thanks to America's Test Kitchen for this take on steaming eggs to a hard-boil.  Bring one inch water to a rolling boil in a pot suitable for steaming. Place eggs in steamer basket and the basket into the pot so that the eggs are not touching the water. Cover...

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Medium White Sauce

Medium White Sauce

  I found this recipe at Mother's house. It had been clipped from a  box of corn starch called "CREAM Corn Starch." I've never heard of it. Ingredients 1 1/2 T butter1 T corn starch1 cup milk1/2 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon pepper Directions Melt butter in saucepan....

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Buzz Magazines Recipe Trove

Buzz Magazines Recipe Trove

 We get The Bellaire Buzz Magazine once a month. I enjoy flipping through it to see what's going on in the neighborhood. Children, school, pets, etc. I always check out  the Chef's Corner feature and the Recipes sections.  

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Cajun Shrimp Pasta

Cajun Shrimp Pasta

 Ingredients 1 pound small or medium shrimp; peeled and deveined12 ounces bow tie pasta2 tablespoons olive oil1 tablespoon minced garlic2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning1/3 cup white wine14 cup unsalted butter1 1/2 cups heavy cream1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese; finely...

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Easy Yeast Rolls

Easy Yeast Rolls

 Ingredients   1 cup warm water 1 pkg. active dry yeast 1/4 cup sugar 1 tsp. salt 3 Tbsp. softened butter 1 egg, beaten 3 1/2-4 cups flour Directions Mix water, yeast, sugar, salt and butter in a large mixing bowl until well blended. Add 3 1/2 to 4 cups flour and...

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Turkey Sausage

Turkey Sausage

 I made up some turkey sausage yesterday from 85/15 HEB chum ground turkey. I kept the salt at a minimum; but I upped the onion and garlic powders; added a lot of extra black pepper; and bumped the Cayenne. Having enjoyed some success with home-made pork sausage,...

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“Among the acts of love we as humans do, feeding one another is one of the most intimate.”  – – R. Byrd