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 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...
Chicken Pot Pie
I did this tonight, and it was GREAT! Don't be afraid to experiment. For one thing, we don't buy those gravy packets. I made my gravy from scratch, using the drippings from chicken I'd baked in the microwave. Just heat up a few tablespoons of the drippings and stir in...
Rice for 100
Most of you will probably never have to cook rice for 100-120 or so, but I did it last night. Thanks to Ken Brown for this recipe. Ingredients 1.5 gallons water + 1.5 cups 1 gallon rice cup of butter or margerine Directions Stir together in deep hotel tray. Seal...
Stuffed Mushrooms
I'm sure there are a million ways to stuff mushrooms, and I don't always do them the same way myself. But this is a pretty good dish, and can be modified to your liking and depending on what you have around the house. Ingredients 14 medium mushrooms3 green onions1 1/2...
Saturday Morning Rassling
A recent post to the Frayser High Class of 1969 website by Gary Harrison (class of ‘72) mentioned famous wrestlers, Tojo Yamamoto and Jackie Fargo. It reminded me of two other famous personalities from that same era, and I thought I’d relate this tale to my...
Shrimp and Oyster/Clam Sauce with Pasta
I made this up for Sherry just from stuff we had around the house. I keep some frozen shrimp on hand at all times. Luckily, I also had some cans of oysters and clams. I try also to keep the Cotija cheese on hand. Ingredients 1 pound shrimp, peeled 8 ounce can of...
No-Knead Bread
A client gave me this recipe and swears it's top notch. Ingredients 3 cups all-purpose or bread flour (more for dusting) 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast cornmeal or wheat bran as needed Directions In large bowl, mix flour, salt and yeast. Add 1 5/8 cups water and stir...
Baked Apple Pancake
Ingredients 2 tablespoons butter1 cup peeled, sliced tart apples1/3 cup chopped pecans1/4 cup sugar1/2 teaspoon cinnamon2 large eggs1 cup flour3/4 cup milk1/2 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon baking powderPinch of salt Directions Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt...
Rice, Sausage, and Mushroom Casserole
Okay, I made this one up and had no idea where I was going with it, but I'm pleased with how it turned out. I was making stuffed mushrooms, and wound up wth more mushrooms than I needed. And I also happened to have some left over bround rice and some Texas Style...
Bacon Explosion
Sounds weird, eh? My little brother turned me on to this. It's a lot of work, but is worth the effort just for show if nothing else. Oh, and it IS tasty. The New York Times featured this recipe recently, as did Good Morning America Update (February 1, 2009 - Super...