Welcome to the River City Diner
Tommy Moore | Quarter Beer Night | Mayor | Wall Jesus | Todd’s Creek | Rassling
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 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.
There’s more than just cooking going on here. The Stories dropdown in the header above leads to personal stories about things like baseball games, county dress codes, a bit of history and geography and more.
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 (rbyrd@rbyrd.net)..
Banana Bread, Whole Wheat
This is a whole wheat version I've tried. It's pretty good too. Go HERE for Sherry's Banana Bread; or HERE for Evelyn's Banana Bread. ½ cup (1 stick or 4 ounces) unsalted butter ½ cup (3 ¾ ounces) packed light or dark brown sugar ¾ teaspoon baking soda ½...
Evelyn’s Banana Bread
Evelyn is one of my good friends from church. She baked me a loaf of delicious banana bread, and I asked her for the recipe. This is a copy of what she sent me. Go HERE for Whole Wheat Banana Bread; or HERE for Sherry's Banana Bread. Ingredients 1 cup...
Zucchini Bread
Ingredients Butter, for the pan 1 ½ cups grated zucchini ⅔ cups light brown sugar ⅓ cup olive oil (or other oil such as safflower or canola) ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon baking...
What Happened to the Old Cook Book?
We are in the process of migrating the cook book from BLOGGER. In the mean time, you can still visit the old BLOGSPOT here. What We're Doing We had a problem over at blogger. I don't know for sure what happened, as Google will not discuss the matter. One...
Shrimp Etouffee – Paula Deen
Ingredients 1/2 cup oil 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra flour, optional 1 cup chopped yellow onion 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper 1 cup chopped celery 3 cloves garlic, finely minced 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 teaspoon white pepper 1/2 teaspoon cayenne...
Grilled Shrimp with Mexican Salsa (Global)
I saw this one here:http://www.weber.com/recipes/seafood/grilled-shrimp-with-mexican-salsa Ingredients 12 tomatillos, husked and rinsed 1 Hass avocado, cut into ¼-inch dice 1 medium tomato, cut into ¼-inch dice ¼ cup finely chopped white onion 2 tablespoons...
Emeril’s Shrimp & Sausage Jambalaya
Ingredients 1 lb. smoked sausage, cut lengthwise in half, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices 1 lb. shrimp 2 tablespoons yellow onion, chopped 1/2 cup celery, chopped 1 cup green bell peppers, chopped 4 bay leaves 2 cups tomatoes (canned or fresh), peeled,...
Fresh Apple Cake
Ingredients 1 cup salad oil 2 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp salt 1 tsp soda 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp vanilla 2 1/2 cups flour 1 cup pecans or walnuts (chopped) 3 cups apples, chopped Directions Mix together sugar and oil. Add eggs and beat until creamy. Add vanilla Combine...
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Ingredients 3/4 cup whole milk 1 cup coarse ground cornmeal 4 ounces unsalted butter 8 ounces dark brown sugar, approximately 1 cup 6 slices canned pineapple in heavy syrup 6 maraschino cherries 1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted 3 tablespoons juice from canned pineapple...
Vanilla Cake
Ingredients 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pans 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pans 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups sugar 4 large eggs, at room temperature 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 3/4 cup...
Apple Puff Pancake
I got this recipe from a tub of Land O Lakes Butter. Ingredients 4 T butter1/2 cup milk2 eggs1/4 cup maple-flavored syrup1 meium apple, peeled, quartered, and sliced (about 1 cup)2 T firmly packed brown sugar1/4 tsp ground cinnamonpowdered sugar ...
Shrimp Wrapped in Bacon, Dwayne’s
Dwayne served these at his house on Mother’s Day (May, 2016) at his house. They were superb! Ingredients – 16 large shrimp, peeled and deveined – 8 slices bacon – barbeque seasoning, to taste Directions Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Wrap...
Dwayne’s Chess Pie
Dwayne sent me this recipe. He served it for Mother's Day. Ingredients - 2 cups white sugar - 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour - 5 eggs - 2/3 cup buttermilk - 1/2 cup melted butter - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract - 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust Directions - Prep - 30...
Soup, Stock, and Beans
Just about every week, I make up a big batch of stock; mainly for Sherry's lunches. (She usually takes a home-made turkey-vegetable soup with her to work every day.) I also use the stock for cooking beans and peas, etc. A couple of days ago, I put on close to 7...
Oven Braised Spinach
Wok in the oven? Yes!
Sweet Potato Crust and Quiche
Sherry loves this sort of thing! Ingredients: 2 medium sweet potatoes 1 teaspoon canola oil 1 (5-ounce) bag baby spinach 1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper 4 large eggs 2...
Alaska Cod Florentine
In looking for ways to cook fish from its frozen state, I came across this one. Also I did another post on cooking cod from frozen (with a video). Interesting stuff. What I wanted to take away from that recipe at Wild Alaskan Seafood is the way they say to cook the...
Cooking Frozen Fish without Thawing
http://www.wildalaskaseafood.com/cook-it-frozen-cooking-techniques/ Steaming Bring about 1-inch of water/seasoned liquid to a boil. Line the steamer with lettuce, onion, herbs or citrus (without covering all the holes) to keep seafood from sticking Rinse seafood under...
Strawberry Filled Butter Cookies
I just bought two new quarter-sheet pans; and this recipe was on the label. I haven't tried them yet. Ingredients 3/4 cups butter, room temperature 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 egg 1 tsp. almond extract 1 3/4 cups flour 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 cup...
Rice Krispie Treats
Classic Rice Krispies treat! Ymmm!!!
Pan Roasted Potatoes and Mushrooms
Sherry loves potatoes, and sometimes I cook her up some with onions. Last night, I added mushrooms, and they turned out nicely! Ingredients 3 medium red potatoes; quartered and sliced thinly 1 medium yellow onion; coarsely chopped 1/2 pound white mushrooms; sliced...
Country Style Ribs with Chinese Five Spice
I heard this one on NPR. Today, I used 4.77 pounds country style ribs. Sprinkle with a generous amount of 5-spice. Place in the bottom of a cast iron dutch oven; cover with big jar of sour kraut. Then sprinkle with brown sugar. Cover and place in 350 oven. ...
Banana Oat Energy Bites
Sticky to make but SO good!
Swai
Swai, or "basa" sauteed in a bit of butter and olive oil. This works very well. (2 minutes per side in a aluminum frying pay.) But I like this way too even BETTER! I preheated the ridged cast iron grill pan for a few minutes over medium-high heat. I dried the fillets...
New Fry Pan
Just ordered a new Commercial Grade 12" Frying Pan. It's NSF rated and looks like the 10" pan I got from Mother. That 10" pan supposedly came from the kitchen at the International Harvester Plant in Memphis. I really like the 10" pan I have now because it's durable,...
Beets and Potatoes
I picked up a couple of "commercial grade" sheet pans (1/2 sheet) at Walmart for just under $7 each the other day; and I've begun using them for supper. Tonight, I peeled and diced a couple of beets; tossed them with olive oil; seasoned with salt and pepper and ...
Brussels Sprouts Roasted with Sausage
I originally tried this recipe from "Italian Food Forever." It was very good just as she did it. But I with every bite, I kept thinking, this reminds me of pizza. So, I made some changes with the notion of making a topping for pizza....or perhaps a main dish...
Tasso Making
I started with a boneless pork loin. This one was 4.85 lbs. Then, I sliced it about 3/4 to 1" thick; and placed them on a rack. I put a fan on them to dry them out. Note: I've done the same thing with a Boston Butt; I just had to bone it out and then cut it into...
Final Exam for Sunday School
Final Exam for Sunday School 1) We hear what Jesus has to say in the : Old Testament, New Testament, or Apocrypha 2) Moses led his people out of Egypt in which part of the Bible? Old Testament, New Testament, or Apocrypha 3) Every Sunday, our priest (or our Deacon)...
Shrimp with Mushrooms and Onions
I saw Giada do some onions low and slow on the stove top the other day, and they looked so good. She said she cooked hers for an hour and a half. I've tried it with big Texas 1015 onions (our answer to the Vidalia), and we like it. So, I had a handful of shrimp on...
God Overrules USSC Verdict!
Going through some old files, I came across this bit from my mother's former priest, Sherod Mallow. He sent this to us in an email shortly after the 2000 Florida debacle. God Speaks out on Election Theft Bush to be smitten later today In a rare public appearance God...
Souvlakia – a Different Take
We've always loved to make up kabobs of pork, onions and peppers; seasoned with lemon juice, soy sauce, oregano, salt and pepper, and loads of garlic powder. Usually, I grill them up and then serve them with flour tortillas, rather than with Pita bread. Tonight I...
Mushroom Roll-ups
Thirty years or so ago, I wrote this recipe into a spiral bound book Sherry's mom gave us when we got married. I served this once to then City Councilwoman Leffler; she loved them. Mrs. Leffler was our assistant principal at Frayser High School when I was in...
Sherry’s Vegetable Stew – with Bacon and Smoked Chicken
Sherry loves vegetables, and so do I. One way I make her happy is by getting in the kitchen and whipping up something that is LOADED with veggies. So this is one I made for her tonight, and it turned out pretty darned good. Ingredients 1 1/2 - 2 lbs. Brussel...