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.
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).
Seafood Salad
In always liked the seafood sandwiches served by Subway, so I tried to emulate their recipe. Ingredients 1 lb. mock seafood, flake style 4 ounces cream cheese, softened 3 green onions, minced 1 tomato, finely chopped 1/2 cup mayonnaise 14 ounce can black olives,...
Trinidadian Style Chicken Stew
Saw this interesting looking dish on Roger Mooking's "Everyday Exotic" program on the Cooking Channel. It's made my To-Do list. He also also featured Plantain Gratin and a Pickled Topping recipes that look worth checking out.
BBQ Sauce ala Emeril
Looking for a recipe for BBQ pizza, I ran across one used by Emeril Lagasse. This isn't exactly the way Emeril did it, but it's close. We did this up tonight with some slow smoked pulled pork I did on the grill on the Fourth, and it was excellent. The sauce...
Onion Sauce for Pasta
Had some extra onions on hand so I decided to see if I could find a recipe for an onion sauce to go over pasta. It's on the stove right now. Note: Not finished yet, but the long slow cooking really reduces the volume of onions. I started with 6 cups and it looks like...
Crab Quesadilla
Sherry asked me to whip her up something, so I found a can of crab meat in our pantry and decided to go from there. One can of crab meat is enough for two well stuffed quesadillas. I make up one for Sherry, and while she's enjoying, I make up a second one for me....
Red Beans in the Crock Pot
We have a routine we fell into around here for making chicken stock over the weekend; we time this not because it's a weekend, but because our solid waste visits on Tuesday mornings. (Yes, we make cooking decisions based partly on what to do with the waste. In...
Seafood Pasta
Ingredients 1/4 cup chopped onion2 garlic cloves, crushed1 teaspoon butter1 teaspoon olive oil1/2 lb shrimp1/2 lb scallops1 (6 1/2 ounce) can clams, not drained1 1/2 cups chicken broth1 teaspoon basil2 tablespoons parsley1/2 teaspoon paprika1/4 teaspoon salt1/4...
Shrimp and Bread Stuffing
We try to keep stock in our freezer at all times. When I'm out of shrimp stock, I purchase wild head-on shrimp; use the shrimp for whatever I feel like doing; and make a stock out of the heads. Just boil the heads with a chopped onion, a couple of chopped carrots and...
Before There Was TV
Acrylics on 11" x 14" canvas --
Banana Bread, Sherry’s
We like to make up this banana bread with a few raisins added.
Rachel’s Stuffed Celery
This dish has been a favorite at Sherry's mother's house for as long as I can remember. It's loved by all in the family, and everyone who tastes her stuffed celery wants the recipe. We happened to have Rachel's hand-written recipe. Ingredients 1 pkg cream cheese,...
Shrimp Fajitas
I've been threatening to do fajitas ever since Sherry and I did a drive to Round Rock and had some grilled beef at a little Mexican Restaurant in Giddings, TX. I threw this together and did it indoors with a bit of Liquid Smoke to give it that "grilled" flavor. Sherry...
Sherry’s Fruit Cobbler
Ingredients 1/2 cup butter (8 T)1 cup plain flour1 cup sugar1 T baking powder1/2 cup milk2 cups fruit or pie filling Directions Melt butter in a 10 inch baking dish and set aside. Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder. Add milk to dry ingredients and gently stir...
Easy Turkey Meatloaf
Ingredients 2 lbs ground turkey (dark) 2 eggs 1 small onion (chopped) 2 cloves of garlic (minced) small can of tomato paste (use only 3 tsps; reserve the rest.) cayenne (a few dashes) 1/2 cup bread crumbs salt Sauce Reserved tomato paste Onion (chopped) 1 clove...
Stuffed Mushrooms #2
As I noted in an earlier Stuffed Mushroom recipe, I often times experiment with different ways of preparing them. I whipped this up this afternoon just as a light snack. Sherry loved them, and suggested I save the recipe. Don't be afraid to experiment Ingredients 1/2...
Pan Seared Pork Chops
Found a family pack of pork chops on sale, and decided to pan fry them. Turned out pretty good. Ingredients Sirloin Pork Chops (about 1/2" thick or so) Salt Pepper Garlic Powder Oil Directions Heat (medium high)a few tablespoons of oil in a cast iron skillet. Season...
Thanksgiving Day
No, we're not doing the traditional feast. It will probably just be the two of us. So, no huge turkey; no pies; no sweet potato casseroles. But we ARE going to make some corn bread dressing with chicken using Rachel's recipe. I began several days ago by simmering some...
Chinese Pork Ribs
I picked up some "Chinese" pork ribs at the Foodarama with the intention of cooking them in the crockpot. Just about every recipe I've seen calls for pork ribs to cook for 8 hours or so. I cooked these on low, and they were done in four hours. Ingredients 3 pounds...
Pan Seared Salmon
We buy frozen salmon fillets at the Walmart. They come in one pound packs each containing four individually wrapped fillets. I thaw out one or two fillets (in the wrapper) under running cold water in just a matter of a few minutes. Easy, convenient, and...
Crock Pot Pinto Beans
Years ago Sherry gave me a book entitled Adventures in Mexican Cooking; Ortho Books, 1978. (Ortho was a division of Chevron Chemical Company, of all things.) In it was a very simple bean recipe that called for simply 4 cups of beans; 8 cups of water, 1 tablespoon of...
Carrot Soup
Ingredients 2 teaspoons oil 1/3 cup onion; chopped 1 clove garlic; minced 2 cups carrots; peeled and chopped juice of one large orange 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon salt black pepper 1 cup stock fresh herbs for garnish Directions Cook onion in oil until tender;...
Special Bulletin!
Sherry had a bad fall off her bicycle. It broke more bones in her face than we can count. Plus her elbow and her shoulder. We set up a separate blog in response to the many emails and phone calls from many friends wanting to check on her. Read up on the details here.
Swiss Cream of Potato Soup
Wally's wife, Lin (RIP), gave Sherry a copy of Good Housekeeping Cookbook (Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc., New York, 1963) when we married in 1971. This recipe has always been one of Sherry's favorites. It's pretty good; if I do say so myself. Ingredients 4 medium...
One Pot Pressure Cooker Meal
My mother gave me her old pressure cooker that must be at least 30 or 40 years old. I used it last night to stew some onions and peppers; and then added some shrimp and mussels. Turned out pretty darned good. Clean 3 or 4 mixed sweet peppers (green, red, yellow, etc.)...
Shrimp Boil
Tonight I fixed up some boiled shrimp for Sherry. I peeled and deveined close to five pounds of head-on wild. (They were fairly small.) Seasoned them up with pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and onion powder. I brought about a half gallon of water to boil with a...
Alaska Salmon Cheese Bake
I got this recipe off a can of Honey Boy Pink Salmon and they have an online recipe site you can check out for more. Ingredients 8-9 slices of bread 1 1/2 cups grated cheese (Your choice; recipe calls for cheddar.) 6 eggs 3/4 cup milk 1/2 tsp dill weed dash of salt...
Chef Joel St. John
Our across the street neighbor, Chef Joel St. John, is a real deal, award winning culinary professional. At first I was a bit daunted by the prospect of cooking for a real chef. The first meal I ever served him was my Kung Pao Shrimp, and I won him over big time. He...
Coconut Shrimp
We tried these tonight, and got rave reviews including from Chef Joel St. John. Ingredients 1 lb. raw shrimp; peeled and deveined 3 T flour 1 T cornstarch 1 tsp. salt 1 T garlic powder 1 egg 1 beer 1 T Ranch Dressing Powder grated coconut 1/4 cup corn or peanut oil...
Cards in Honor of Daddy
Click on an image to see a larger version. Then use your back button to return to this page.
Nick
Blackberries
I got a call from Morgan yesterday. He asked me to paint blackberries. I said yes I will and found out that he also had asked other artists to paint blackberries that same day. It is called Sympathetic Painting when several artists paint the same topic. He also told...
Portobello Mushroom Burgers
We've done these for years on the grill out doors. Tonight, I decided to do them indoors, setting out to pan fry or oven bake them. But, the notion struck me, "What about the George Foreman grill?" This is every bit as good as those we cooked outdoors. Ingredients 2...
Baked Kraut and Sausage
Ingredients 2 lbs. Kielbasa; cut into 2" pieces 8-10 sm. potatoes; cut into quarters or eighths 6 carrots; sliced 1 lg. can sauerkraut 1 onion; quartered and thinly sliced 2 tsp. granulated brown sugar 1 c. apple juice Directions Place kraut in a large baking dish....
Billions and Billions
Acrylics on 8" x 10" CanvansClick on Image for Larger ViewBack to Art Contents
Nude Sketch
Ink on Card StockClick on Image for Larger ViewBack to Art Contents
The Blues
Acrylics on 8"x 10" CanvasClick on Image for Larger View The Blues Acrylics on Ceramic Tile "El Toro" "Kung Pao" "Pentecost" Sketch on Stick 'em Ink on Paper "Six Moons" "Craters" Sketch of a Nude "Billions and Billions" Acrylics on Paper Acrylics on Plastic Back to...
Sketch of Stardust
Ink Sketch on Yellow Post'em Note Back to Art ContentsI did the above sketch for Sherry, and she turned it into this: (Click on it to see the larger version.)
Ink on Paper
A preliminary sketch. Click on the image for larger view.Back to Art Contents
Craters
Acrylics on 18" x 18" CanvasClick on Image for Larger ViewBack to Art Contents
Six Moons
I shot a photo of Sherry's egg carton paint palette, and that moved me to try replicating the image on canvas. Well, sort of. Acrylic on Canvas 16" x 20"Click on Image for Larger View Back to Art Content Back to Top
Acrylic on Ceramic Tile
Acrylics on 8 1/2" x 13" Ceramic TileClick on Image for Larger View Back to Art Contents Back to Top
Jalapeno Poppers
I did these for the first time for a gathering over at our neighbors' house. I got the idea from my son and his friend, JR. This is really simple. Just keep an eye on them and try to bring the bacon to crispy without over doing the cheese. Once the cheese started to...
Collard Greens
This is NOT the way my mother does greens, but I'm telling you, this is GOOD! I got the idea from our neighbor, Chef Joel St. John. Until I had his greens I'd never thought about all the other things that could be added to the pot. He sometimes adds tasso, venison...
Huevos Rancheros
There are probably a million ways to do this simple dish. You can make it as complicated as you like. Simple is easy and tasty. I like to "poach" the eggs on top of the salsa. If you wish to do this, use a pan with a lid. Ingredients 1 onion, chopped 1 poblano, seeded...
Acrylic on Plastic
Sherry's refrigerator egg container that she uses as a pallet. To me, it's abstract art. Back to Top
Shrove Tuesday Pictures
These are a few of the pictures from our Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner at Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church. All proceeds go toward supporting Youth Mission Trips.
Pancakes
These are so simple and so much superior to the store-bought mixes. You owe it to your family to make pancakes from scratch. Ingredients 3/4 cup flour1/2 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon baking powder2 tablespoons sugar2 eggs1 cup milk1 teaspoon vanilla extract...
Digitally Altered Photo of One of My Paintings
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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...
Chicken Cacciatore
This dish can be as Italian as you want; or you can shift gears and go Louisiana style. I tend toward the Cajun myself. Ingredients 8 chicken thighs or legs; skinned1 onion; diced3 cloves garlic; minced8 ounces fresh mushrooms; chopped14 ounce can of diced tomatoes...
Flounder Baked in Mushroom Sauce
A good way to do flounder. Very flavorful; I just dreamed this up on the spot, and we were both very pleased with how it turned out. Ingredients 1 lb flounder filets Old Bay Seasoning 8 oz fresh mushrooms; chopped 1 onion; chopped 4 cloves garlic; minced 1 stick...
A Very Special Ring
A friend who owns a pawn shop gave this ring to my mother in law. She told me that she can't think of anyone she'd rather wear it than me. Check it out. https://youtu.be/8Cgqw6FWwVQ?si=X-mAdt7gQ-T6i2y-
Mushrooms in Garlic Butter
I stumbled across the delightful Smitten Kitchen cooking blog quite by mistake. I still don't know where I found the link, but I'm glad I did. I adapted the following recipe from Deb Perelmans Garlic Butter Roasted Mushrooms Visit her site and enjoy. She's doing a...
Oyster Po’ Boy
We used to get slam-bang Oyster Po' Boys at a place called Jerry's in Pensacola, FL. I finally decided to give a try at making this delicacy also known as a "Peace-maker." This is not quite like those we got at Jerry's or like those we've had at other diners between...
Souvlakia – Marinated Pork, Peppers and Onions
We used to do this a lot when we lived in Arkansas. For some reason, I think maybe I've not done this in the 12 years since we moved to Houston. Today, that changes. Ingredients 1.5 pounds pork stew meat; cut into 1" cubes1 yellow onion, peels and cut into 1" square...
Taco Stew
My friend, Kathy Jackson, served this at Vestry, and it was a hit. She kindly sent the recipe to a few of us who requested it. Thank you, Kathy! Ingredients 1 lb ground beef 1 medium onion, chopped 1 (15 1/4 oz) can whole-kernel corn, undrained 1 (10 oz) can Rotel...
Lima Beans I
My mother gave me her old Mirror pressure cooker that's probably close to 40 years old. We've been having a blast with it. We make chicken stock with it, and use the stock in recipes like this one. Ingredients 1 lb small dried lima beans (soaked and drained)3...
Labels
Americanappetizerart autobiographybeans bread bread breakfastcajun casserolechicken Chinese creole crock potDaddy dessertdressingeggsfigsfish tacosGreek greens grill IndianItalianKathy LagniappeMargaretmarinademeat...
Apple Cinnamon Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients 2 cups cranberry juice 1 (6-ounce) bag sweetened dried cranberries 1 cinnamon stick, broken in half 1 cup sugar 2 Gala apples, peeled, cored and diced 2 teaspoons corn starch Directions In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the cranberry juice,...
Green Tomato and Vidalia Onion Gratin
Okay, I shamelessly stole this from FoodNetwork's Claire Robinson. (I just learned today that she's a fellow alumna of U. Memphis.) If you can't find Vidalia onions, try Texas Sweets. Ingredients 1/4 pound bacon 1 cup fresh bread crumbs 2 large Vidalia onions, peeled...
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“Among the acts of love we as humans do, feeding one another is one of the most intimate.” – – R. Byrd