Welcome to the River City Diner
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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)..
Shrimp with Peppers and Onions
I couldn't decide what to do with the wonderful shrimp I had on hand, so I went with a simple base of onions, and peppers; then added the shrimp at the end. Like a Chinese stir fry; but no Chinese seasonings; I used a low simmering heat for most of the process; and...
Pan Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Shrimp
We visited my brother Dwayne's house for Christmas. While there, my lovely niece, Rebecca, and her good friend, Shelby, whipped up a Brussel sprouts side dish that hit the spot. I didn't get Becky's recipe, but I did copy and steal where I could on the internet, and...
Italian Sausage and Spinach
I made up some spaghetti sauce out of turkey Italian sausage. At the last minute, Sherry said it was okay with her if we decide not to serve it over pasta. So - I added a bag of pre-rinsed spinach right at the very end. Then I cooked it just long enough to wilt it....
Turkey Italian Sausage
We like Johnsonville Italian Sausage, but we also need to watch the fat intake. Thus, experiments with ground turkey. Ingredients 1 pound lean ground turkey 2 teaspoons garlic powder 1-1/2 teaspoons fennel seed, crushed 1-1/2 teaspoons sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon...
Soy Chorizo and Turkey Chili
Our grocery stocks a Chorizo made from soy. It's really tasty, and reminds me of a chili mix we used to buy 40 years ago. This is pretty darned good. Ingredients 2 large yellow onions (or more), peeled and sliced into slivers 2 poblano chiles; roasted, seeded, and...
Shrimp Etouffee
I used poblano peppers rather than green bell peppers, and I skipped the celery. I peeled and deveined the shrimp first and began my shrimp stock. In the meantime, I allowed the shrimp to sit in the fridge mixed with a blend of the salt, peppers, garlic powder, and...
Giada’s BBQ Chicken
Ingredients: 1 cup Balsamic vinegar 3/4 cups catsup 1 T Worchestershire 1/3 cup brown sugar 1T Dijon mustard 1 clove garlic, minced pinch of salt and some black pepper Chicken thighs and breasts Directions: Combine all ingredients except chicken in a sauce pan....
Strawberry Créme Pie
Ingredients 1 10 oz tub frozen sliced strawberries in sugar, thawed 1 3 oz package cream cheese, softened 3 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed 1 graham cracker pie crust Directions Drain the strawberries. Use an electric mixer to combine the strawberries and cream...
Green Beans, Potatoes, and Sausage Casserole
Ingredients 12 oz pack of frozen cut green beans 1 lb smoked pork sausage (Kielbasa, etc.); sliced 1 medium onion, peeled and diced 3 medium potatoes, diced 1/2 cup Parmesan or other similar cheese (I like Cotijo.), grated black pepper salt Worchestershire Sauce 1/2...
Spinach, Potato, and Italian Sausage Casserole
I threw this together this evening, and it was pretty darned good.Ingredients12 oz. bag frozen spinach; thawed and excess water squeezed out1 lb Italian Sausage2 medium onions, diced4 medium potatoes, diced1 poblano chili, roasted, skinned, and cleaned...
My Sweet Emily
I had a GREAT day at church yesterday. A 2nd grader I'm TOTALLY in love with all of the sudden began paying attention to me. She has always been timid around me; but yesterday, she started talking to me, smiling, etc..... And after the service, when I played a...
Macaroni & Cheese
I saw this recipe on a package of cheese from Walmart. I haven't tried it yet, but thought it was worth saving to do later. Ingredients 2 cups elbow macaroni (uncooked) 3 eggs beaten 10 ounces grated Cheddar cheese 2 1/4 cups milk 1 cup bread crumbs salt and pepper...
Drum Fish
I love to shop at our Fiesta Mart near Reliant Stadium. The Seafood Department lady has taken a liking to me, and that suits me just fine. The seafood lady at Kroger in Memphis seemed to like me too. I'm not complaining. Yesterday, Blanca recommended the drum. She...
Chicken Vegetable Soup
I usually buy a couple of family-packs of leg quarters, boil up the chicken; debone the chicken; then make a stock from the bones. Then, after all that is done, I get around to putting together the pot of soup. Yesterday, though, I decided to act quickly. So I found a...
Oatmeal Cookies
Sherry mentioned that her boss is having a birthday tomorrow; so I'm thinking of a treat. I'm not much on desserts, but this looks easy. I saw the recipe on the inside of the lid of a box of Quaker Oats. Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Does it matter whether I used...
Collard Greens with Rutabaga
I went to the Foodarama today with the thought of cooking up some chicken-vegetable soup for Sherry's lunches next week. I love to browse around the market; see what looks good; mull over my choices; then change my mind three or four times. So I started out thinking...
Easter Dinner!
Sam had to work so we didn't make big plans for dinner; but then he called and said he'd "like to drop by for a while," and of course he suggested dinner would be nice. Fortunately the stores were still open (Foodarama had announced they would close at 6pm.) So I...
Seared Ahi Tuna
Our neighbor, Chef Joel St. John, treats us now and then to his wonderful cooking. Almost as good, is he sometimes treats us to some of his ingredients and lets us do the cooking. (Not that he didn't volunteer to cook for us; he did.) This time, it was some beautiful...
Shrimp Po Boy
There are a million recipes for po-boys out there. I borrowed heavily from Emiril for this one. Don't be afraid to try different recipes and modify to suit your tastes. Ingredients 1 lb. fresh shrimp; peeled and deveined 1 tsp. cayenne 1/2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. black...
Stuffed Mushrooms
I make up stuffed mushrooms from time to time and really don't have a set recipe for them. But usually it is something like this. This time, I did these in the Nuwave Oven. No, I'm not selling Nuwave Ovens, but I do find mine to be useful. After 10 minutes in the...
Sausage Meat Balls
I made some Italian sausage meat balls the other day and I felt like I needed to add a binder. I had no bread crumbs on hand, but I did have some oat meal. To my surprise a few raisins had somehow gotten into the box of oatmeal and then found their way into the balls...
Stewed Onions, with Kale and Turnips
I threw this one together in a 12" skillet that has a nice tight fitting lid. It's a joy cooking with that skillet. And it's a joy cooking fresh veggies for Sherry. She loves me to do this. Ingredients 5-6 small onions; peeled and cut in half (quartered if desired;...
Wailted Kale and Spinach with Ham
It's so much fun cooking for Sherry; and it's easy too. She loves fresh vegetables - especially fresh leafy greens. This is a winner, and the whole thing takes only a few minutes once the greens are cleaned. Ingredients 1 bunch fresh spinach; stems removed; rinsed...
Wilted Spinach with Broccoli and Asparagus
The neat thing about this meal is I cooked it with three different appliances; and if you REALLY want to jazz things up, fire up the broiler and toast some ham and cheese on French bread to make it four. If you don't have a Nuwave, just experiment with what you do...
Chinese "Stir Fry" Casserole
I started out with a casserole in mind; but I didn't want to put in any sort of starch binder like rice or pasta. But I DID want some cheese. And PLENTY of mushrooms. What resulted turned out tasting like a Chinese stir-fry with cheese. It was delicious. And it was...
Fish with Clam and Mushroom Sauce
I picked up a nice Red Snapper filet today and figured I'd make some sort of sauce to smother it in. I tried this, and the sauce was as good or better than the snapper. Ingredients 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced 4 cloves of garlic, minced 2 shallots, chopped 1...
Green Pea Soup
Sherry loves green pea soup; and it's easy to make. Try it; you'll like it! This is GOOD stuff! Ingredients 1 pound dried split peas 1-2 pounds smoked pork neck bones 3 T butter 1 onion, chopped 2 sticks celery, chopped 2 carrots, chopped 5 cloves garlic, minced 1...
Cajun Seasoning
I don't know where I got this recipe; it might have been from a chef friend back in Memphis, Buddy Bland. But I just don't remember. Ingredients 3 tsp salt6 tsp Paprika4 T onion powder3 tsp garlic powder3 tsp filé powder3 tsp thyme1.5 tsp...
Rachel’s French Dressing
We have this recipe hand written by Rachel taped to the inside of one of our cabinet doors. I don't know when Rachel wrote this. Ingredients 1 cup salad oil 3/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup white vinegar 1/3 cup ketchup 1 clove of garlic, minced 1 T Worchestshire 1/2 onion,...
Smothered Cornish Hens
Ingredients 10 cloves garlic, finely minced 2 Cornish hens olive oil salt and pepper Directions Stuff garlic under skins of hens. Truss the hens and place in baking pan breast side up. Pre-heat oven to 375. Allow hens to come to room temperature. bell pepper, chopped...
Mushroom and Shallot Bake
I threw this together because I had mushrooms; I had shallots; and I was hungry. Ingredients 1/2 pound white mushrooms (or your favorite) sliced 2-3-4 Shallots, chopped 1 or 2 T raspberry or other jam or preserves 1 T hot sauce salt pepper butter for the pan...
Fried Green Tomatoes
Our grocery had green tomatoes on special, so I picked up a few. I always loved fried green tomatoes when I was growing up; but until now I've not had any luck getting them right. I think the secret is slicing them very thin. Ingredients 2 green tomatoes; sliced 1/8"...
Chorizo, Green Chile, and Mushrooms – On a Shingle
When I was growing up my Aunt Marie introduced me to something she loving called "SOS." I think it was an old Navy acronymn for something served on a "shingle." Tonight, I had a couple of heals left over from a loaf of wheat bread, so I decided, "Why not?" Of course,...
Smoked Sausage and Green Chile Frittata
Sherry wanted a quick snack. This wasn't so quick, but it was worth the time it took to put it together. Ingredients 6-8 eggs (I used 8 since they were on the small side.) 2 shallots, minced 1/2 pound smoked sausage, finely chopped (I used Holmes Smoked Garlic.) 2...