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.
Todd’s Creek

Todd’s Creek

I grew up literally on the bank of a bayou in Memphis, Tennessee. Of course, we didn’t call it a “bayou.” We called it “The Ditch.”  It’s real name was “Todd’s Creek,” which I sometimes call just “Todd Creek” (leaving out the possessive). Or I sometimes call it by...

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Jesus on the Wall

Jesus on the Wall

As far back as I can remember, the picture hung on my grandmother’s wall in her living room. Jesus holds a little lamb in one arm, and a shepherd’s crook in the other hand. Sheep gather around, and one looks up at Jesus (Like he knows him and trusts him?). My first...

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French Onion and Mushroom Casserole

French Onion and Mushroom Casserole

​This is some GOOD stuff! I got the idea from Ree Drummond - the Pioneer Woman. I changed it up a bit. For instance, I used home-made chicken stock rather than store-bought beef broth. And we used large sweet onions and probably a pound of fresh white mushrooms which...

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