WELCOME TO DPJC
Love Your Neighbor Cookbook & Almanac
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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 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.
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.
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DPJC BLOG
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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!
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...
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...
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;...
2nd Visit to Occupational Therapist
This morning Sherry visited her therapist at 7:00 a.m. Dianne exclaimed when Sherry walked in that she looked like a totally different person than the one who visited two days ago.The swelling in Sherry's hand has greatly diminished, and she's showing excellent...
Follow-up to Face Surgery
Today, Sherry visited the two surgeons who operated on her eye and cheek area. Both report that they are pleased with the outcome of their work and with the way Sherry's healing. She still has lots of bruising and considerable swelling, but things are on the mend, and...
Therapy – Day One
11:45am - Sherry met her physical therapist today for evaluation and initial treatments. It was pretty rough going for her, and she was glad to be done and get back to the house. She's scheduled for two sessions per week for the time being, and for ongoing daily...
Out of the Splint
Sherry visited the orthopedic surgeon this morning and had the splint and stitches removed. She has quite an incision. Thank goodness that heavy splint is off, and she only has to contend with the sling for now.Her elbow and shoulder Xrays are looking good, and she...
The First 48 Hours
1:45pm - It's been almost two days now since Sherry's visit to the Neurosensory Surgical Center at Methodist Hospital. Today she slept in and was still in bed when I got home from church. The Third-Graders at Palmer were already working on this "Get Well" poster for...
Resting Quietly
1:21pm - Sherry slept well last night. We're continuing the cold compress treatments (frozen peas from Methodist), and she's passing her red color saturation tests. She's more comfortable in our bed than she was yesterday on that hospital gurney. She's thirsty, but...
Home – Sweet – Home
11:12 pm - They released her from the Methodist Neurosensory Surgical Center at around 9:50pm. After a slow drive home, we've got her in her own bed, resting with frozen peas on her face (doctor's orders). Dr. Soparkar called at 11:00pm to check on her, and all seems...
Out of Surgery!
6:55 pm - Both doctors (Dr. Terry Taylor, maxillofacial/oral surgeon, & Dr. Soparkar, eye plastic surgeon) report that things went well; she looks good. She's sporting a titanium plate in her cheek area, and a new synthetic orbitbal floor. This is encouraging news,...
Hurry Up and Wait at Methodist Hospital
We checked Sherry in at Methodist Neurosensory Surgical Center as ordered at 8:45 this morning. At about 12:30 pm., Dr. Soparkar came to tell us that Dr. Alford had taken ill and could not operate. They put in a call to another ENT who agreed to do the operation, but...
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.
Elbow Repaired
Took Sherry into the Kirby Surgical Center at 5:45 a.m., and they wheeled her into surgery at 7:15. At 8:15, Dr. Gabel came to give me an update. They decided to go with a plate rather than with the wire as they had originally intended. I saw the xray which clearly...
The Primary Care Physician
Today we took Sherry to see Dr. Garb, her primary care physician, to get a clearance (required by Methodist Hospital) for her to undergo surgery. Tomorrow we take her over to the Kirby surgical center to have her elbow repaired.How's she doing? She's very tender;...
The Second Face Doctor
We took Sherry's new CT scan films to Dr. Eugene Alford, and he walked us through the procedure he and Dr. Soparkar plan to do on November 4. Dr. Alford will use titanium plates to hold her various fractures together. He had the same surgery done himself by Dr....
