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.
Substitute for Canned “Creamed” Soup

Substitute for Canned “Creamed” Soup

We're not fans of canned soups because of their tendency to be LOADED with sodium. So when a recipe calls for a "Cream of This or That" soup, we like to use a version of this instead.   INGREDIENTS 2 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons flour 1/2 cup chicken broth...

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Pan Seared Scallops

Pan Seared Scallops

  Ingredients 1 to 1 1/4 pounds sea scallops2 teaspoons unsalted butter2 teaspoons olive oilKosher saltFreshly ground black pepper Directions Pat scallops thoroughly dry. Add the butter and oil to a 12 to 14-inch saute pan on high heat. Salt and...

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Sweet and Sour Cabbage

Sweet and Sour Cabbage

  We enjoyed living around the corner from a public library in Memphis. It was there I found an interesting Chinese cookbook. Each recipe was given in English on one page, and in Chinese on the facing page. When I cook this one, the family leaves the house until...

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