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
Fish Tacos
Long ago in a small-town mission church in Arkansas a priest (who is now a bishop) told me about the CASE method: Copy And Steal Everything. The following is from the San Francisco Chronicle. SOUTH TO NORTHSouth to North: Baja meets bayou in a fish taco Jacqueline...
Fig Preserves
We have a fig tree in our back yard. It begins "coming in" around late June each year. A few years ago, while I was home visiting Mother, Sherry took a notion to make fig preserves. Between the Joy of Cooking and several phone calls back to west Tennessee for tips...
Fish Tacos in Beer Batter
Our neighbor brings us fresh caught sea trout now and then. They almost melt in your mouth when cooked this way. Other times I've used catfish or ocean perch. Ingredients 1 lb catfish fillets or nuggets (or other fish if desired; ocean perch works nicely.)1 cup flour...
Memphis Style Pulled Pork
When I moved away from Memphis, finding real BBQ became a challenge. I stopped in a little roadside BBQ and ordered a chopped smoked pork shoulder sandwich, and they didn't have a clue what I was talking about. "You ain't from 'round here, are ya'?" said an old Gabby...
Vietnamese Southern-style Catfish in a Clay Pot
I haven't tried this one yet, but I grew up on wild Tennessee River Blue Channel Catfish. We used to harvest them ourselves daily off the face of the Pickwick Dam near Savannah, TN. And I'm not so sure about this clay pot business. I'm thinking cast iron. From Mai...
Nikki’s Ravioli & Tortellini Salad
My good friend, Nikki Merritt, served this at one of our vestry meetings. It was a hit! Thank you, Nikki. Ingredients 1 (19 oz) pkg frozen cheese tortellini1 (19 oz) pkg frozen cheese ravioli1 ½ cups canola or olive oil½ - ¾ cup red wine or balsamic vinegar1 TBS...
Pizza Tales
Well, finally I got around to it — after four days of saying I was going to make a pizza, on the fifth day, I did it. Next time, I’m going to make a smaller but thicker crust. I will NOT try to stretch a quarter of the recipe over one dinner plate. That results in a...
Pork Roast (Continued)
The roast turned out great. I put it on at 6:45 am, and didn't look at it again until around 12:30 pm. In the meantime I decided to pick up two chickens for beer-can-chicken since I had a fire going. So about 2:00pm, I checked the roast again. It wasn't yet done to...
Memorial Day Pork Roast
Just started a fire --- 6:13 am. For a 4 pound shoulder, bone-in butt roast. I banked the fire on the opposite side away from the top vent. For more on slow-smoking on a Weber Kettle, go here. [To see how this turned out, go here.]
Beer Can Chicken
I did a beer-can chicken yesterday. Didn't have a beer can, so I used an empty mushroom can. I added water, and half of a lime. It turned out fantastic!