RIVER CITY DINER
Greetings!
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 (We grew up in Memphis, but our reunions were 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 stew & 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.
The blog entries below come from recipes we enjoy around our household; from recipes I’ve yet to try; from recipes given me by friends and family, and things I’ve read about on line or in real print. Yes, I do still subscribe to magazines that come in the mail. Also there are posts about cooking equipment, techniques, sources for more information, etc. I hope you find something of interest. By all means, feel free to write
Pan Seared Steak
We used to grill steaks just about every Friday back when we lived around the corner from Southern Meat Market in Memphis. They'd cut us rib-eyes to order, and we'd grill them on a hibachi out on our front porch. Ahhhh....those were fun times. I got this recipe from...
Ensenada Slaw with Fish Tacos
I heard this story on NPR today, and thought it was worth saving the recipe. Use any flaky white fish. The rub is inspired by a recipe that appeared in Gourmet Magazine from June 2007. Slaw 1/2 head cabbage, cored and shredded (about 4-6 cups) 2 cups peeled and...
Smoky Black Bean and Neck Bone Soup
This one turned out very nicely; but then it took me two days to do it. You can do it in one day if you like. The reason it took me two days is I smoked the onions and peppers (rather than grilling over direct heat). I just got a call from Chef St. John reporting that...
Shrimp Smokenator
I tried something I've never tried before. I put some medium to large shrimp on the grill with the Smokenator fired up. It was running about 200-225, and I cooked them 10 minutes on the side farthest from the Smokenator. I didn't marinate them or put oil or any...
Microwaved Potato Skins
I got this recipe off a bag of small potatoes (Mountain King Petites). Ingredients 8 petite potatoes, unpeeled 1/2 cup sour cream 1/4 cup picante sauce 3 Tsp bacon bits 6 chopped green onions 1/4 cup shredded cheese Directions Wash potatoes and prick with fork. ...
Peppers, Pasta, Onion and Clam
Sherry asked me to get in the kitchen and whip up something, so I came up with this. I wish I could think of names for these dishes. Ingredients 1 red bell pepper 1 yellow bell pepper 1 poblano chile 1 Texas Sweet or Vidalia onion (Red or regular yellow will do.) 1...
BBQ is Not a Verb
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ubTQfr_tyY&feature=youtu.be Really fun video about southern BBQ.
Shrimp Fajitas – Stovetop
Sometimes I just don't feel like firing up the grill. This is a fair approximation of a grilled fajitas dinner. Sherry gave it a thumbs up. Ingredients 1/2 - 3/4 pounds medium shrimp; peeled and deveined. 1 red bell pepper; whole 1 green bell pepper; whole 1 large...
Cucumber Salsa
Thanks to Sherry for sending this along. I have no idea where she found it. Ingredients 2 cups finely chopped seeded peeled cucumber 1/2 cup finely chopped seeded tomato 1/4 cup chopped red onion 2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley 1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and chopped 4-1/2...
Instructed Eucharist by The Reverend Sam Todd
Several years ago, The Rev. Sam Todd conducted an "instructed Eucharist" at Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church in Houston, Texas. Fr. Sam graciously shared his notes with me and granted me permission to use them in teaching Youth Confirmation/Sunday school, and to...