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
Shrimp Pilau ala Nikki
My dear friend, Nikki Merritt, served this dish to the vestry. Once again, as we've come to expect from her, she hit a homer! Thank you, so much. (Nikki says this is from one of the Junior League of Charleston Cookbooks. When I read, "Receipts" in her email, I...
Greek Tomatoes
Ingredients 2 1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes, thinly sliced 1 red onion, thinly sliced 3 ounces ripe olives, pitted and sliced 1/2 pound crumbled feta cheese Fresh or dried oregano, to taste 2 tablespoons cider vinegar 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive...
Tex-Mex Chunky Salsa Salad
Ingredients 3 to 4 medium tomatoes, halved, seeded and cubed (3 cups) 1 large Texas 1015 onion, coarsely chopped 2 cucumbers, pared, halved lengthwise, seeded and cubed 4 teaspoons minced garlic 4 jalapeños or other small hot chiles, seeded and finely chopped...
Potato, Corn & Tomato Salad with Basil Dressing
Ingredients 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar 1/2 cup olive oil 1 packed cup fresh basil leaves Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 2 1/2 pounds red potatoes 1/2 pound cherry tomatoes, halved 6 ears fresh corn, cooked, kernels removed Directions Put the...
History of This Cookbook
I've been the head cook in our household since 1983, when I got laid off at the same time Sherry returned to work from maternity leave. We soon discovered that I was a much better cook than she; plus I enjoyed it much more than she did. I began writing notes...
Basil Salad Dressing
Ingredients 2 T white wine vinegar 1/2 cup olive oil 1 cup basil leaves, packed salt and pepper to taste Directions Place all ingredients in blender or food processor, and process until the mixture is emulsified.
Sweet Potato & Black Bean Soup
This soup started out as Chinese, and suddenly evolved into Tex-Mex, Cajun, and soul-cooking all rolled into one. I started out with the notion of making egg drop soup, but with a twist. I had close to a quart of "pot liquor" left over from some REALLY good...
No-oil Salad Dressing
A little horseradish gives a lot of zip to this tart cooked dressing. Cornstarch offers a convenient way to thicken this tangy blend without oil. Update: First report in - this is good stuff according to the lady whose lunch box I helped pack this morning. (May 11,...
Fool-Proof Boiled Eggs
Special thanks to the American Egg Board for these instructions. Place eggs in saucepan large enough to hold eggs in a single layer. Cover with cold water to a depth of 1 inch over the eggs. Bring just to a boil; remove from burner and cover pan. Let eggs stand in hot...
Shrimp Stuffed Sweet Peppers
Ingredients 4-6 bell peppers1/2 small yellow onion, minced1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, chopped1 celery stick, minced1 poblano or jalapeno, seeded and minced3 T butter for pan frying1 pound small shrimp, peeled1/2+ teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning1 tsp garlic powderTony...