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Welcome to the River City Diner

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 wAnd 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.asn’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.

Roasted Garlic & Onions with Shrimp

Sherry asked me to cook something, and I said, “But we have nothing to work with.” She knew better and invited me to figure out something. I love it when she does that. I roasted most of the vegetables in a dry skillet. Toward the end, I did drizzle a bit of olive oil...

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Bourbon BBQ Ribs

Taste of the South 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...

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Cheese-Spinach Bake

Ingredients 3 medium eggs ; beaten.20 ounces of frozen chopped spinach.4 ounces of cheddar cheese ; grated.1 cup of cottage cheese.1/4 cup of butter ; softened.2 teaspoons of flour.Salt ; and pepper.1 cup Bacon ; fried and crumbled   Instructions Cook the spinach...

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Green Chiles 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...

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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...

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Bourbon BBQ Ribs

Bourbon BBQ Ribs

Taste of the South Ingredients 1 (12-oz.) bottle lager beer or ale ½ cup apple cider vinegar 1½ tsp. kosher salt ½ cup bourbon, divided 1 cup ketchup ½ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce ½ cup honey 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1½ Tbsp. barbecue spice rub ½ tsp. freshly ground...

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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  ...

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The Mind Diet

As 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 (Mediterranean...

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Sheila’s Sausage and Egg Casserole

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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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Fool-Proof Steamed Eggs

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...

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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 salt1/4...

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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.

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Cajun Shrimp Pasta

Ingredients1 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...

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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...

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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...

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Turkey Sausage

Both of us try to limit our sodium intake. We do pretty good with it. 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...

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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...

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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%!...

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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...

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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 ...

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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...

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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...

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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?...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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