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
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
Ingredients 1 pound Andouille sausage ; diced 3 pounds Chicken ; leg quarters, skinned 1/2 teaspoon White pepper ; ground 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne 1/2 teaspoon Black pepper 1 teaspoon Salt 1 pound Frozen sliced okra (or fresh if you prefer) 4 each Garlic ; minced 3 Onion...
Fig Bread
We have a huge fig tree in our backyard. We used to put up preserves each summer, but this year we decided to freeze the figs instead. Just place on a flat sheet in freezer. Once frozen, transfer to freezer bags. I like to snack on the frozen figs like popsicles....
Pot Liquor Soup
We had about a half gallon of delicious "pot liquor" left over from a huge mess of greens we'd cooked. It was delicious by itself, but I decided to experiment with this "Pot Liquor Soup." It's more like a pot of beans flavored with greens, but call it what you will....
Pop Tart Cake
Ingredients 1 box yellow cake mix 1/2 cup strawberries, sliced 1/2 cup blueberries, halved 1 1/2 strawberry Pop-Tarts, crumbled 1 1/2 blueberry Pop-Tarts, crumbled 1 jar white icing (with sprinkles) Directions 1) Mix all ingredients (except icing) together in mixing...
Easy Boiled Chicken
This is an easy way to boil up a chicken without cooking all the flavor out of it. We got this idea from Jeff Smith, the Frugal Gourmet. Ingredients 3-4 pound whole chicken, thoroughly rinsed. Directions Bring a HUGE pot of water to a boil. It's got to be big because...
Guacamole Stuffed Poblano
This is a bit decadent, but I had some extra chiles on hand along with some ripe avocados. Use your favorite guacamole recipe, or just throw one together following mine. Ingredients2 poblano chiles, roasted skinned, and cleaned of seeds and membranes8 ounces V & V...
Old-fashion Basic Cole Slaw
Nothing fancy about this slaw. It's similar to the one my mother makes. Plain and simple, and VERY tasty. Ingredients 1/2 head cabbage; shredded or finely chopped 3 green onions (or a quarter cup or so of finely chopped yellow onion) 1 medium carrot; finely grated...
Shrimp Tacos
Ingredients 1 lb shrimp; peeled, deveined garlic powder cayenne white pepper black pepper onion powder thyme, dried paprika 8 corn or flour tortillas (We like whole wheat.) 2 cups fresh garden salad (lettuce, tomatoes, jicama, fresh turnips, etc.) mayo or salad...
Shrimp Pilau #2
My friend, Nikki Merritt, turned me on to Shrimp Pilau, and the recipe she gave me is excellent. I did some researching on "pilau," though, and saw that it's very much like a jambalaya I'm more accustomed to cooking, but using bacon instead of sausage, and with less...
Dwayne’s Pork Ribs
Dwayne does almost as good a job on ribs as Daddy used to do. I've found another recipe that is very similar to Dwayne's. Don't be afraid to experiment. Ingredients 2 racks Pork ribs2 cups Pineapple juiceDry Rub for RibsApple ciderCooking Oil Instructions Rub ribs...