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..
Why photo IDs?
Coors: The better question is, ''Why require a photo ID for voting when the old IDs worked just fine?'' No one can come up with an answer that will stand up to logical scrutiny. Paleriderdosset ''stricter'' means what? 4918 PM: ...
Government Tyranny
If we allow the govt to FORCE women to have babies, what's next?The govt forcing us to become Muslims? The govt forcing us to become libertarians?The govt forcing us to observe Lent? The govt forcing us into homosexual marriage?Forcing us to learn Spanish?No, thank...
The Biden Rule
Editing out what Biden said doesn't erase it from the public record. No matter HOW MANY TIMES you guys take his earlier statements out of context, we will remind you of the greater context. He WELCOMED BUSH's nomination should a vacancy happen. You can't make it...
Part D Penalty
Kaslin: If it's wrong for people to be fined under Obamacare, why is it okay for seniors on fixed incomes to be fined under Bush's Part D ?Kaslin is NOT going to say; nor will any other right winger.
Rules or No Rules?
Reminds me of once when some of the older boys broke up a fight I was in and said, ''Let's settle it in the ring.'' So, they made us put on boxing gloves and we began to fight.....the older boys acted as referee; breaking us up when we got in a clutch, etc..... Then,...
Doss Isn’t Afraid of Questions
Veritas: Did you think for a second that Richweb was going to post about his political views and invite us to scrutinize those views critically?BTW -- I support unions, Democrats, teachers, voting rights, civil rights, marriage equality, environmental...
Thunder Shirt for Dogs
How to fit your dog's thundershirt.
Go Union!
You know that when even a brain dead wing nut sees the benefit of unions, the unions must be doing SOMETHING right. 5099 PM: Mrsdeluxe [Quote] -- 7:46am -- Sat, Mar 5, 16 pstMaryI'm a member of the...
How Is the Obama Economy?
How Is the Obama Economy? Let's ask some right wingers! <B>5084 PM: Dwightvol [Quote] -- 7:43am -- Sat, Mar 5, 16 pst Dwightvol Here's a shocker for you. My family business as you call it just about doubled it's income in 3 yrs.. 5609 PM: Dino [Quote] --...
Dog-Salute
The Daily Show with Jon StewartGet More: Daily Show Full Episodes,The Daily Show on Facebook,Daily Show Video Archive Bush Salute with Dog in Hand
Absence of What?
2623 PM: Christians [Quote] -- 2:08pm -- Sat, Feb 27, 16 pst Christians are Good Absence of evidence does not mean evidence of absence
Reagan and Fantasy
''One of his favorite stories, one that he told over and over again to different audiences, concerned a pilot in World War II who told his crew to bail out of their crippled B-17 bomber. When the tail gunner said he could not move because he was badly wounded, the...
Bring in Some New Chains!
Imagine you're watching the Super Bowl. They're slogging it out. Then, one of the teams inserts a female quarterback. The refs stop the game in bring in a new set of chains -- when the female QB is on the field, it takes 25 yards to get a first down. You'd scratch...
Sam’s Houston Press Articles – 2016
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 26, 2017 – Sounds of the...
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, our priest (or our Deacon)...
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 In a rare public appearance God...
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...
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...
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...
Instructed Eucharist by The Reverend Sam Todd
Several years ago, The Rev. Sam Todd conducted an "instructed Eucharist" at Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church in Houston, Texas. Fr. Sam graciously shared his notes with me and granted me permission to use them in teaching Youth Confirmation/Sunday school, and to...
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. For over forty years...
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 online and in bookstores now....
Roasted Garlic and Onion 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 roasted most of the vegetables in a dry skillet. Toward the end, I did drizzle a bit of olive oil in the pan to prevent...
A Walk in the Park
We are lucky to have a city park and a public elementary school right down the street from our end of the culdesac. The dog loves to take a walk around the park and school grounds, and today, for the first time we toured the on-campus Urban Harvest Garden. The...
Girls at Work
These are some of our students at Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church. They are SO much fun. Note the mural in the background. We have some fabulous artists at Palmer. Here are links to two of them who did the mural. Jackie Campbell and Katee Esser. (Kelley Bourgeois is...
Seafood and Guacamole Enchiladas
I make up a seafood salad from mock crab meat. It's great for sandwiches or in a tortilla wrap. I served Sherry a wrap, and she suggested I heat it up next time. So I decided to try this combination. Ingredients 2 cups seafood salad2 cups guacamolecolby-jack cheese,...
It’s Going Well,
Sherry's just about recovered from the many injuries she sustained back on October 21. Her eye, face, cheek, etc., seem to be healing perfectly. Her arm, shoulder, and elbow are healed too, but in need of lots of therapy.She continues to see her therapist for the time...
More Visits to Our Doctors
Two doctor visits today. First --- Dr. Taylor says Sherry's doing great --- bite works -- jaw works --- looks good. I LIKE this guy! And I like his wife too. (More on that later.)Dr. Gabel, though, has concerns. She has way too much scarring and swelling still going...
Second Eye Surgery Done
We took Sherry in to see Dr. Soparkar today, and he did the work on her eyelid. They deadened her eye area with a salve much like a dentist would do your gum before bringing in the needle.I watched the whole thing, but not too closely. He put in several stitches...
Second Eye Surgery
Sherry visited Dr. Soparkar this morning, and he's decided that she needs another round of surgery. He says it's a minor correction that will be done in the office under local anesthesia. She's set to have this done a week from today. Sherry and I appreciate your...
Back to Work!
Good news! Sherry's back at work. She's moving slow; typing left-handed; but she's more independent now, and she's looking better each day!Thank you all so much for your continued prayers, emails, notes, and well-wishes. She's on the mend!
Back to Church!
Sherry returned to church today, for the first time since her October 21 accident. It wasn't easy for her. She needs assistance with bathing and dressing, and everything takes longer now than it did before. Plus her endurance is down.Ever the faithful servant, she was...
Welcome to the River City Diner
Tommy Moore | Quarter Beer Night | Mayor | Wall Jesus | Todd’s Creek | Rassling
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)..
Why photo IDs?
Coors: The better question is, ''Why require a photo ID for voting when the old IDs worked just fine?'' No one can come up with an answer that will stand up to logical scrutiny. Paleriderdosset ''stricter'' means what? 4918 PM: ...
Government Tyranny
If we allow the govt to FORCE women to have babies, what's next?The govt forcing us to become Muslims? The govt forcing us to become libertarians?The govt forcing us to observe Lent? The govt forcing us into homosexual marriage?Forcing us to learn Spanish?No, thank...
The Biden Rule
Editing out what Biden said doesn't erase it from the public record. No matter HOW MANY TIMES you guys take his earlier statements out of context, we will remind you of the greater context. He WELCOMED BUSH's nomination should a vacancy happen. You can't make it...
Part D Penalty
Kaslin: If it's wrong for people to be fined under Obamacare, why is it okay for seniors on fixed incomes to be fined under Bush's Part D ?Kaslin is NOT going to say; nor will any other right winger.
Rules or No Rules?
Reminds me of once when some of the older boys broke up a fight I was in and said, ''Let's settle it in the ring.'' So, they made us put on boxing gloves and we began to fight.....the older boys acted as referee; breaking us up when we got in a clutch, etc..... Then,...
Doss Isn’t Afraid of Questions
Veritas: Did you think for a second that Richweb was going to post about his political views and invite us to scrutinize those views critically?BTW -- I support unions, Democrats, teachers, voting rights, civil rights, marriage equality, environmental...
Thunder Shirt for Dogs
How to fit your dog's thundershirt.
Go Union!
You know that when even a brain dead wing nut sees the benefit of unions, the unions must be doing SOMETHING right. 5099 PM: Mrsdeluxe [Quote] -- 7:46am -- Sat, Mar 5, 16 pstMaryI'm a member of the...
How Is the Obama Economy?
How Is the Obama Economy? Let's ask some right wingers! <B>5084 PM: Dwightvol [Quote] -- 7:43am -- Sat, Mar 5, 16 pst Dwightvol Here's a shocker for you. My family business as you call it just about doubled it's income in 3 yrs.. 5609 PM: Dino [Quote] --...
Dog-Salute
The Daily Show with Jon StewartGet More: Daily Show Full Episodes,The Daily Show on Facebook,Daily Show Video Archive Bush Salute with Dog in Hand
Absence of What?
2623 PM: Christians [Quote] -- 2:08pm -- Sat, Feb 27, 16 pst Christians are Good Absence of evidence does not mean evidence of absence
Reagan and Fantasy
''One of his favorite stories, one that he told over and over again to different audiences, concerned a pilot in World War II who told his crew to bail out of their crippled B-17 bomber. When the tail gunner said he could not move because he was badly wounded, the...
Bring in Some New Chains!
Imagine you're watching the Super Bowl. They're slogging it out. Then, one of the teams inserts a female quarterback. The refs stop the game in bring in a new set of chains -- when the female QB is on the field, it takes 25 yards to get a first down. You'd scratch...
Sam’s Houston Press Articles – 2016
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 26, 2017 – Sounds of the...
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, our priest (or our Deacon)...
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 In a rare public appearance God...
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...
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...
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...
Instructed Eucharist by The Reverend Sam Todd
Several years ago, The Rev. Sam Todd conducted an "instructed Eucharist" at Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church in Houston, Texas. Fr. Sam graciously shared his notes with me and granted me permission to use them in teaching Youth Confirmation/Sunday school, and to...
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. For over forty years...
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 online and in bookstores now....
Roasted Garlic and Onion 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 roasted most of the vegetables in a dry skillet. Toward the end, I did drizzle a bit of olive oil in the pan to prevent...
A Walk in the Park
We are lucky to have a city park and a public elementary school right down the street from our end of the culdesac. The dog loves to take a walk around the park and school grounds, and today, for the first time we toured the on-campus Urban Harvest Garden. The...
Girls at Work
These are some of our students at Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church. They are SO much fun. Note the mural in the background. We have some fabulous artists at Palmer. Here are links to two of them who did the mural. Jackie Campbell and Katee Esser. (Kelley Bourgeois is...
Seafood and Guacamole Enchiladas
I make up a seafood salad from mock crab meat. It's great for sandwiches or in a tortilla wrap. I served Sherry a wrap, and she suggested I heat it up next time. So I decided to try this combination. Ingredients 2 cups seafood salad2 cups guacamolecolby-jack cheese,...
It’s Going Well,
Sherry's just about recovered from the many injuries she sustained back on October 21. Her eye, face, cheek, etc., seem to be healing perfectly. Her arm, shoulder, and elbow are healed too, but in need of lots of therapy.She continues to see her therapist for the time...
More Visits to Our Doctors
Two doctor visits today. First --- Dr. Taylor says Sherry's doing great --- bite works -- jaw works --- looks good. I LIKE this guy! And I like his wife too. (More on that later.)Dr. Gabel, though, has concerns. She has way too much scarring and swelling still going...
Second Eye Surgery Done
We took Sherry in to see Dr. Soparkar today, and he did the work on her eyelid. They deadened her eye area with a salve much like a dentist would do your gum before bringing in the needle.I watched the whole thing, but not too closely. He put in several stitches...
Second Eye Surgery
Sherry visited Dr. Soparkar this morning, and he's decided that she needs another round of surgery. He says it's a minor correction that will be done in the office under local anesthesia. She's set to have this done a week from today. Sherry and I appreciate your...
Back to Work!
Good news! Sherry's back at work. She's moving slow; typing left-handed; but she's more independent now, and she's looking better each day!Thank you all so much for your continued prayers, emails, notes, and well-wishes. She's on the mend!
Back to Church!
Sherry returned to church today, for the first time since her October 21 accident. It wasn't easy for her. She needs assistance with bathing and dressing, and everything takes longer now than it did before. Plus her endurance is down.Ever the faithful servant, she was...