What a Blessing
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.
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Daddy Cooked Too
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.
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Let’s Get Cooking
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).
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5 – Good – About the Episcopal Church
A few resources I find handy. The Episcopal Church: https://www.episcopalchurch.org What We Believe (Short Version): https://www.episcopalchurch.org/what-we-believe/ What We Believe (Long Version): https://www.bookofcommonprayer.net/catechism (From the Book of...
7 – Pretty good -Instructed Eucharist
The Episcopal Church: https://www.episcopalchurch.org What We Believe (Short Version): https://www.episcopalchurch.org/what-we-believe/ What We Believe (Long Version): https://www.bookofcommonprayer.net/catechism What Lessons on What Sundays?...
8 – Fairly good Lagniappe
BBQ is Not a VerbBourbon Barbecue RibsBuzz Magazines Recipe TroveCajun SeasoningChurch StuffCooking LinksDeep South Dishes (And a link to the Southern Rubin)Dry MilkFool-Proof Boiled EggsFool-Proof Steamed EggsHome-made Breakfast SausageHow Hot Is That...
Bourbon BBQ Ribs
Taste of the SouthIngredients 1 (12-oz.) bottle lager beer or ale½ cup apple cider vinegar1½ tsp. kosher salt½ cup bourbon, divided1 cup ketchup½ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce½ cup honey2 garlic cloves, crushed1½ Tbsp. barbecue spice rub½ tsp. freshly ground black...
Bourbon Barbecue Ribs
Ingredients 1 (12-oz.) bottle lager beer or ale½ cup apple cider vinegar1½ tsp. kosher salt½ cup bourbon, divided1 cup ketchup½ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce½ cup honey2 garlic cloves, crushed1½ Tbsp. barbecue spice rub½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper ...
The Mind Diet
From AARPAs members of AARP, we read their newsletter which often addresses matters of health, diet, life-style, etc. We’ve probably all heard of the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, created to lower blood pressure). Now there is the MIND diet...
Sheila’s Sausage and Egg Casserole
Church Lady LoveOur friend from St. Matthew’s, Shelia, shared this recipe with Sherry. She wrote it on a note card. Ingredients 1 lb. pork sausage 6 slices bread 1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese 5 eggs 1 tsp dry mustard 1 tsp salt pepper to taste 1 1/2 cups of milk...
Bay Scallops on OptiGrill
I got this from the AI Chat Bot, Copilot on Windows. Ingredients: 1 pound bay scallops 2 tablespoons olive oil or melted butter Salt and pepper (to taste) Optional: minced garlic, lemon juice, fresh herbs like parsley or thyme Preheat the OptiGrill...
Todd’s Creek
I grew up literally on the bank of a bayou in Memphis, Tennessee. Of course, we didn’t call it a “bayou.” We called it “The Ditch.” It’s real name was “Todd’s Creek,” which I sometimes call just “Todd Creek” (leaving out the possessive). Or I sometimes call it by...
Jesus on the Wall
As far back as I can remember, the picture hung on my grandmother’s wall in her living room. Jesus holds a little lamb in one arm, and a shepherd’s crook in the other hand. Sheep gather around, and one looks up at Jesus (Like he knows him and trusts him?). My...
French Onion and Mushroom Casserole
This is some GOOD stuff! I got the idea from Ree Drummond - the Pioneer Woman. I changed it up a bit. For instance, I used home-made chicken stock rather than store-bought beef broth. And we used large sweet onions and probably a pound of fresh white mushrooms which...
Fool-Proof Steamed Eggs
Special thanks to America's Test Kitchen for this take on steaming eggs to a hard-boil. Bring one inch water to a rolling boil in a pot suitable for steaming. Place eggs in steamer basket and the basket into the pot so that the eggs are not touching the water. Cover...
Medium White Sauce
I found this recipe at Mother's house. It had been clipped from a box of corn starch called "CREAM Corn Starch." I've never heard of it. Argo corn starch offers a very similar method. Ingredients 1 1/2 T butter1 T corn starch1 cup milk1/2 teaspoon...
Buzz Magazines Recipe Trove
When we lived in Houston, we got The Bellaire Buzz Magazine once a month. I enjoy flipping through it to see what's going on in the neighborhood. Children, school, pets, etc. I always check out the Chef's Corner feature and the Recipes sections.
Cajun Shrimp Pasta
Ingredients 1 pound small or medium shrimp; peeled and deveined12 ounces bow tie pasta2 tablespoons olive oil1 tablespoon minced garlic2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning1/3 cup white wine14 cup unsalted butter1 1/2 cups heavy cream1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese; finely grated1...
The Mayor and I
There once was a county clerk in Memphis, by the name of Dick Hackett. He was a hard line fundamentalist right winger who required female employees to wear bras. I wrote him and volunteered to be the county bra “inspector.” Needless to say, I didn’t get the job.His...
Scanning Family Photos
March 30, 2021: My cousin, Betty Millican Barnes, sent a packet of old family photos. I’ve been scanning them and trying to figure out who’s who. To see what we’ve scanned so far, click on the “Family Photos” link in the menu above; or click here.I’ve created blog...
Easy Yeast Rolls
Ingredients 1 cup warm water 1 pkg. active dry yeast 1/4 cup sugar 1 tsp. salt 3 Tbsp. softened butter 1 egg, beaten 3 1/2-4 cups flour Directions Mix water, yeast, sugar, salt and butter in a large mixing bowl until well blended. Add 3 1/2 to 4 cups flour and...
Turkey Sausage
I made up some turkey sausage yesterday from 85/15 HEB chum ground turkey. I kept the salt at a minimum; but I upped the onion and garlic powders; added a lot of extra black pepper; and bumped the Cayenne. Having enjoyed some success with home-made pork sausage,...
Deep South Dishes (And a link to the Southern Rubin)
Sherry stumbled across a recipe for a southern alternative to the traditional Rubin. This is southern, as the name of the web site states. We're going to try this Rubin; we'll report on it later. In the meantime, browse the Deep South Dish site. Enjoy
Recipe Nutrition Calculator
Here is a rather neat service I discovered today. It's the Very Well Fit Recipe Nutrition Calculator. Just paste in your ingredients into the text box; then choose number of servings. Then choose the option to embed the label. Copy the code; paste it into a web...
Home-made Breakfast Sausage
We're trying to come up with an alternative to high-sodium breakfast sausage; and we figure the best way to get that is to make it from scratch. So, W started with Alton Brown's recipe. I cut his salt from 2 teaspoons to 1, which cut the Sodium from 14% to 8%!...
Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Milk
Sherry gave me this book in 1986. It's Jeff Smith's "The Frugal Gourmet." I've cooked a LOT out of this book. This dish is from Kenya. It's unusual to this southern guy's taste; but we like it. Try it! Ingredients 3-4 sweet potatoes, peeled, and cubed 1 15-ounce...
Low Sodium Breakfast Sausage
Jimmy Dean’s Frozen Patties contain 560 mg of Sodium per serving. I found also, a home-made low-sodium sausage recipe here: https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1369504 It comes in at a whopping 36 mg as compared to 560 mg for the Jimmy Dean ...
Sam’s Houston Press Articles – 2021
Sam Byrd is a freelance contributor to the Houston Press who loves to take in all of Houston’s sights, sounds, food and fun. He also loves helping others to discover Houston’s rich culture. PS - Sam also contributes to Outsmart December 14, 2021 – Behind The...
Sam’s Houston Press Articles – 2021
Sam Byrd is a freelance contributor to the Houston Press who loves to take in all of Houston’s sights, sounds, food and fun. He also loves helping others to discover Houston’s rich culture. PS - Sam also contributes to Outsmart December 14, 2021 – Behind The...
Recording of “Southern Nights”
I use an 8 track digital recorder that is no larger than a cigar box. While it has 8 separate tracks which can be bounced, punched in, dubbed, edited, moved about, etc., the machine only allows two inputs at a time. This is no problem as long as I'm recording solo, as...
Lagniappe
"Lagniappe" is where I put things that relate to cooking, but that aren't necessarily recipes per se (but which sometimes are). You might find some of this interesting. BBQ Is Not a Verb Cajun Seasoning Fool Proof Boiled Eggs How Hot Is that Fire?...
Cinnamon Sautéed Pears
No added sugar; top cereal or pancakes. Sherry did these, and they turned out superb! (November 14, 2020) Ingredients 2 large pears 1 tbsp oil 2 tbsp water 1 tsp ground cinnamon Instructions Peel, core and slice pears into 1/2-inch slices. Place pears in a...
Sam’s Houston Press Articles – 2020
Sam Byrd is a freelance contributor to the Houston Press who loves to take in all of Houston’s sights, sounds, food and fun. He also loves helping others to discover Houston’s rich culture. PS - Sam also contributes to Outsmart November 20, 2020 – Houston...
Sheet Pan Meat Loaf
Superb!! Ingredients 1 lb breakfast sausage1 lb mild Italian sausage2 eggsOatmeal (a handful or so)Allspice (Slight sprinkling)Garlic powder1 onion1 medium tomatoBottled BBQ saucePrepared mustard Directions Preheat oven to 400F. Dice onion and tomato; cook in a...
Spinach with Cheese and Boiled Egg
I made this up tonight just on a lark. I'll do this one again! Ingredients 8 oz. Baby spinach2 T olive oilSalt and pepper2 cloves garlic, minced1/2 to 1 cup grated cheddar cheese1 boiled egg; shelled and coarsely chopped (or sliced)Sriracha sauce...
Pursued by the Magician’s Assistant
Once, at a Gridiron Show cast party, the magician's assistant made a play for me. I wasn't interested and tried to dodge her. She persisted. One of the other acts was a lady barbershop quartet. They saw what was going on. They liked me too; but weren't at all...
Potato and Sausage Casserole
Ingredients 6 medium red potatoes; sliced1 lb breakfast sausage; crumbled1 medium yellow onion; diced1/2 pound mushrooms; cleaned and sliced1/2 pound cream cheese; softened2-3 cups grated cheddar cheese1 lb frozen green peas; thawedWorcestershire Saucegarlic...
Cooking Links
amazing ribs aluminum foil faq Thanks to Reynolds asparagus recipes – California Asparagus Commission apple cider vinegar by bragg apple-cider brochure from bragg AARP uses of ripe bananas Barbeque Bible beer can chicken debunked caramelized onions carrie...
Skillet Pork Chops
I used rib end pork chops. They were about 1/2" thick. Adjust cooking times if using thicker chops. These turned out delicious! Reminded me of my Grand Byrd's cooking! Ingredients2 pork chops (I've used rib end, and center cut which were about 1/2" thick)bacon...
Potato and Mushroom Frittata
Randal Byrd | December 25, 2016 | Story-tellingEasy to do especially if you already have on hand the prepared mushrooms and onions.Ingredients8 eggs; whisked until well blended1 - 1 1/2 cup prepared Mushrooms and Onions (Click Here!)1 - 2 small red potatoes; diced1 -...
Crustless Quiche
Ingredients1 tbsp. butter8 oz. cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced1 shallot, minced2 c. loosely packed spinachKosher saltFreshly ground black pepper8 large eggs1/4 c. whole milk1/4 c. oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped1/4 c. freshly grated...
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients 3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil2 tbsp. sweet chili sauce1 tbsp. SrirachaJuice of 1 lime3 cloves garlic, minced2 lb. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved (quartered if large)Kosher saltFreshly ground black pepper Directions Preheat oven to...
Dal
Randal Byrd | December 25, 2016 | Story-tellingI adapted this recipe from one I found in the New York Times. Sherry loves this! The original recipe calls for double the amount of coriander, cumin, turmeric and ginger. Add more than the 1 teaspoon of each, if you...