May 31, 2016 | Dessert, Food, host
Dwayne’s Chess Pie Dwayne sent me this recipe. He served it for Mother’s Day. Ingredients – 2 cups white sugar – 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour – 5 eggs – 2/3 cup buttermilk – 1/2 cup melted butter – 1 teaspoon...
May 21, 2016 | Food, host, Soup
Soup, Stock, and Beans Just about every week, I make up a big batch of stock; mainly for Sherry’s lunches. (She usually takes a home-made turkey-vegetable soup with her to work every day.) I also use the stock for cooking beans and peas, etc. A couple of...
May 19, 2016 | Food, host
Wok in the oven? Yes!
May 16, 2016 | Food, host
Sweet Potato Crust and Quiche Sherry loves this sort of thing! Ingredients: 2 medium sweet potatoes 1 teaspoon canola oil 1 (5-ounce) bag baby spinach 1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon crushed...
Mar 17, 2016 | Food, host
Stock, Soup, Crock Pots I found a 6 quart slow-cooker at Target for $24.99. With 6 quarts, I could make some pretty big batches of stock; eh? I gave it a try. To around 4 pounds of turkey neck bones I added onion, garlic, carrots, and celery, and 2 quarts of water....
Mar 10, 2016 | Food, host, salmon, Seafood
Alaska Cod Florentine In looking for ways to cook fish from its frozen state, I came across this one. Also I did another post on cooking cod from frozen (with a video). Interesting stuff. What I wanted to take away from that recipe at Wild Alaskan Seafood is the way...
Mar 10, 2016 | Food, host, Seafood
Cooking Frozen Fish without Thawing http://www.wildalaskaseafood.com/cook-it-frozen-cooking-techniques/ Steaming Bring about 1-inch of water/seasoned liquid to a boil. Line the steamer with lettuce, onion, herbs or citrus (without covering all the holes) to keep...
Mar 10, 2016 | Dessert, Food, host
Strawberry Filled Butter Cookies I just bought two new quarter-sheet pans; and this recipe was on the label. I haven’t tried them yet. Ingredients 3/4 cups butter, room temperature 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 egg 1 tsp. almond extract 1 3/4...
Mar 7, 2016 | Dessert, Food, host
Classic Rice Krispies treat! Ymmm!!!
Mar 3, 2016 | Food, host
Pan Roasted Potatoes and Mushrooms Sherry loves potatoes, and sometimes I cook her up some with onions. Last night, I added mushrooms, and they turned out nicely! Ingredients 3 medium red potatoes; quartered and sliced thinly 1 medium yellow onion; coarsely chopped...
Feb 28, 2016 | Food, host, Meat
Country Style Ribs with Chinese Five Spice I heard this one on NPR. Today, I used 4.77 pounds country style ribs. Sprinkle with a generous amount of 5-spice. Place in the bottom of a cast iron dutch oven; cover with big jar of sour kraut. Then sprinkle with brown...
Feb 26, 2016 | Dessert, Food, host
Sticky to make but SO good!
Feb 3, 2016 | Food, host, Seafood
Swai Swai, or “basa” sauteed in a bit of butter and olive oil. This works very well. (2 minutes per side in a aluminum frying pay.) But I like this way too even BETTER! I preheated the ridged cast iron grill pan for a few minutes over medium-high heat. I...
Jan 31, 2016 | Food, host, Lagniappe
New Fry Pan Just ordered a new Commercial Grade 12″ Frying Pan. It’s NSF rated and looks like the 10″ pan I got from Mother. That 10″ pan supposedly came from the kitchen at the International Harvester Plant in Memphis. I really like the...
Jan 29, 2016 | Food, host
Beets and Potatoes I picked up a couple of “commercial grade” sheet pans (1/2 sheet) at Walmart for just under $7 each the other day; and I’ve begun using them for supper. Tonight, I peeled and diced a couple of beets; tossed them with olive oil;...
Aug 1, 2015 | Food, host, Meat
I originally tried this recipe from “Italian Food Forever.” It was very good just as she did it. But I with every bite, I kept thinking, this reminds me of pizza. So, I made some changes with the notion of making a topping for pizza….or perhaps a...
May 8, 2015 | Food, host, Meat
Tasso Making I started with a boneless pork loin. This one was 4.85 lbs. Then, I sliced it about 3/4 to 1″ thick; and placed them on a rack. I put a fan on them to dry them out. Note: I’ve done the same thing with a Boston Butt; I just had to bone it...
Apr 26, 2015 | Church, Food, host
Final Exam for Sunday School Final Exam for Sunday School 1) We hear what Jesus has to say in the : Old Testament, New Testament, or Apocrypha 2) Moses led his people out of Egypt in which part of the Bible? Old Testament, New Testament, or Apocrypha 3) Every Sunday,...
Apr 20, 2015 | Food, host, Seafood
Shrimp with Mushrooms and Onions I saw Giada do some onions low and slow on the stove top the other day, and they looked so good. She said she cooked hers for an hour and a half. I’ve tried it with big Texas 1015 onions (our answer to the Vidalia), and we like...
Apr 15, 2015 | Church, Food, host
God Overrules USSC Verdict! Going through some old files, I came across this bit from my mother’s former priest, Sherod Mallow. He sent this to us in an email shortly after the 2000 Florida debacle. God Speaks out on Election Theft Bush to be smitten later today...
Apr 2, 2015 | Food, host, Meat
Souvlakia – a Different Take We’ve always loved to make up kabobs of pork, onions and peppers; seasoned with lemon juice, soy sauce, oregano, salt and pepper, and loads of garlic powder. Usually, I grill them up and then serve them with flour tortillas,...
Mar 25, 2015 | Food, host, Meat
Mushroom Roll-ups Thirty years or so ago, I wrote this recipe into a spiral bound book Sherry’s mom gave us when we got married. I served this once to then City Councilwoman Leffler; she loved them. Mrs. Leffler was our assistant principal at Frayser...
Mar 24, 2015 | Food, host, Poultry
Sherry’s Vegetable Stew – with Bacon and Smoked Chicken Sherry loves vegetables, and so do I. One way I make her happy is by getting in the kitchen and whipping up something that is LOADED with veggies. So this is one I made for her tonight, and it...
Feb 20, 2015 | Food, host, Seafood
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...
Feb 17, 2015 | Food, host, Seafood
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,...
Feb 14, 2015 | Food, host, Meat
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...
Feb 3, 2015 | Food, host, Poultry
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...
Jan 26, 2015 | Food, host, Poultry
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...
Jan 4, 2015 | Food, host, Seafood
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,...
Dec 15, 2014 | Food, host, Poultry
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...
Dec 8, 2014 | Dessert, Food, host
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...
Dec 3, 2014 | Food, host, Meat
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...
Dec 1, 2014 | Casseroles, Food, host, Meat
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...
Oct 6, 2014 | Church, Food, host
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...
Sep 26, 2014 | Casseroles, Food, host
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...
Aug 29, 2014 | Food, host, Seafood
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...
Jul 1, 2014 | Food, host, Poultry, Soup
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...
Jun 21, 2014 | Food, host, Music
Music Links Realizing that I’d had so much fun viewing so many different music items on the web, I began to wonder where all of those links were; and I hoped that I could preserve them. They are scattered all over a variety of book marks on several different...
May 5, 2014 | Dessert, Food, host
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...
May 4, 2014 | Food, host
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...
Apr 21, 2014 | Food, host, Lagniappe
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...
Apr 17, 2014 | Food, host, Seafood
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,...
Apr 15, 2014 | Food, host, Seafood
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....
Apr 13, 2014 | Food, host
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...
Apr 9, 2014 | Food, host, Meat
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...
Mar 14, 2014 | Food, host
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...
Mar 5, 2014 | Food, host, Meat
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....
Mar 1, 2014 | Food, host
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...
Feb 26, 2014 | Casseroles, Food, host
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...
Feb 14, 2014 | Food, host, Seafood
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...
Feb 13, 2014 | Food, host, Soup
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...
Feb 12, 2014 | Food, host, Lagniappe
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...
Feb 12, 2014 | Food, host, Salad, Sauces & Dressings
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,...
Jan 31, 2014 | chicken, Food, host, Poultry
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...
Jan 29, 2014 | Casseroles, Food, host
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...
Jan 18, 2014 | Food, host
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...
Jan 8, 2014 | Food, host, Meat
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...
Jan 5, 2014 | Food, host, Meat
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,...
Dec 5, 2013 | Food, host, Seafood
Shrimp and Guacamole Panini I’ve been having fun with this Nuwave Oven we recently put in to service. I’ve found it’s quick and easy to cook up some shrimp for a snack or sandwich.Ingredients8 small to medium shrimp; peeled and deveined1 small to...
Oct 29, 2013 | Breads & Grains, Food, host
Rosemary’s Smoked Cheese Pizza Ingredients 1 pound mushrooms; cleaned and sliced 1 teaspoon dried dill weed 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 cup grated smoked cheese 1 cup grated mild cheese (Mozzarella, etc.) 1/2 cup scallions, chopped. oil for the cooking pan salt...
Aug 5, 2013 | Food, host, Meat
Pan Seared Steak We used to grill steaks just about every Friday back when we lived around the corner from Southern Meat Market in Memphis. They’d cut us rib-eyes to order, and we’d grill them on a hibachi out on our front porch. Ahhhh….those were...
Jul 24, 2013 | Food, host, Seafood
Ensenada Slaw with Fish Tacos I heard this story on NPR today, and thought it was worth saving the recipe. Use any flaky white fish. The rub is inspired by a recipe that appeared in Gourmet Magazine from June 2007. Slaw 1/2 head cabbage, cored and shredded (about 4-6...
Jun 21, 2013 | Food, host, Meat, Soup
Smoky Black Bean and Neck Bone Soup This one turned out very nicely; but then it took me two days to do it. You can do it in one day if you like. The reason it took me two days is I smoked the onions and peppers (rather than grilling over direct heat). I just got a...
Jun 20, 2013 | Food, grill, host, Seafood, shrimp, smoker
Shrimp Smokenator I tried something I’ve never tried before. I put some medium to large shrimp on the grill with the Smokenator fired up. It was running about 200-225, and I cooked them 10 minutes on the side farthest from the Smokenator. I didn’t marinate...
Jun 16, 2013 | Food, host
Microwaved Potato Skins I got this recipe off a bag of small potatoes (Mountain King Petites). Ingredients 8 petite potatoes, unpeeled 1/2 cup sour cream 1/4 cup picante sauce 3 Tsp bacon bits 6 chopped green onions 1/4 cup shredded cheese Directions Wash potatoes and...
Jun 10, 2013 | Food, host, Meat, Seafood
Peppers, Pasta, Onion and Clam Sherry asked me to get in the kitchen and whip up something, so I came up with this. I wish I could think of names for these dishes. Ingredients 1 red bell pepper 1 yellow bell pepper 1 poblano chile 1 Texas Sweet or Vidalia onion (Red...
Jun 2, 2013 | Food, host, Lagniappe, Meat, Poultry
BBQ is Not a Verb https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ubTQfr_tyY&feature=youtu.be Really fun video about southern...
May 30, 2013 | Food, host, Seafood
Shrimp Fajitas – Stovetop Sometimes I just don’t feel like firing up the grill. This is a fair approximation of a grilled fajitas dinner. Sherry gave it a thumbs up. Ingredients 1/2 – 3/4 pounds medium shrimp; peeled and deveined. 1 red bell pepper;...
May 3, 2013 | Food, host, Salad
Cucumber Salsa Thanks to Sherry for sending this along. I have no idea where she found it. Ingredients 2 cups finely chopped seeded peeled cucumber 1/2 cup finely chopped seeded tomato 1/4 cup chopped red onion 2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley 1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and...
May 1, 2013 | Food, host, Lagniappe
Dry Milk To make one cup of milk, mix 1/3 cup dry milk with 7/8 cup of...
Apr 19, 2013 | Food, host, Seafood
Shrimp with Mushrooms and Collard Greens I love throwing together a quick meal for Sherry on demand. That is she says, “I’m hungry,” and I say, let me see what I can fix.” I had these collard greens already prepared and in the fridge, and I had...
Apr 11, 2013 | Food, host, Story-Telling
Tommy Moore Sightings Thanks to my brother, Dwayne, for tipping me off to these two sightings of the Tommy Moore picture. One on the local Fox News affiliate in Memphis, and the other on CNN. The Fox News segment apparently lifts verbiage straight from this blog post....
Mar 22, 2013 | Food, host, Seafood
Shrimp BBQ’d in Skillet First you get some shrmps. Then you heat up some butter nearly to the burning point. Then you throw in the shrimps. Then you add the good stuff. And I added a bit of Kraft BBQ Sauce too. Then, you cook until done. And put...
Mar 19, 2013 | Food, host, Seafood
Kale and Asparugus with Shrimp Yes, we are on a kale kick around here. It’s inexpensive; it’s healthy; it’s easy to prepare; and it’s delicious! It’s hard to go wrong with this stuff. For this meal, I happened to have on hand some fresh...
Mar 16, 2013 | Food, host, Meat
Kale with Chaurice and Pasta We have this most delicious Chaurice sausage by a company called “Frenchy’s” here in Houston. I happened to have a bunch of Kale on hand, and decided to look around for possibilities. Thanks to the people at...
Mar 15, 2013 | Food, host, Meat
Souvlakia #2 I did a version of Souvlakia today, and we were quite pleased. Ingredients 2 pounds pork country ribs; cut into 1″ dice 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup Soy sauce 1/4 vinegar black pepper salt onion powder garlic powder thyme basil oregano 1 yellow bell...
Feb 27, 2013 | Food, host, mexican, Poultry
Quesadillas with Chicken and Kale Yes, I know it sounds strange, but trust me on this. One of the fun things we do around here is play “stump the cook.” Sherry will say, “I’m getting a bit hungry; can you fix me up a little something?”...
Feb 25, 2013 | Church, Food, host
REVEALING HEAVEN Our good friend, the Rev. John W. Price, has written about his conversations with over 200 people who’ve had a “near death experience.” His book, REVEALING HEAVEN – The Christian Case for Near Death Experiences, is available...
Feb 16, 2013 | Food, host, Poultry, Soup
More about Dumplings Growing up in the south in the home of one of the finest country cooks in west Tennessee, I acquired an early appreciation for a good dumpling. An old Kraft Foods rep I used to do business with years ago gave me a simple dumpling recipe that works...
Feb 12, 2013 | Food, host, Poultry, Soup
Cornmeal Dumplings with Greens Our neighbor made these for us, and we thought they were fabulous. I finally got around to trying it myself. Easy to do, and very tasty. Ingredients 1 lb. smoked turkey necks or wings 1 bunch collard greens 2 or 3 turnips, peeled and...
