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
Shrimp Boil
Tonight I fixed up some boiled shrimp for Sherry. I peeled and deveined close to five pounds of head-on wild. (They were fairly small.) Seasoned them up with pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and onion powder. I brought about a half gallon of water to boil with a...
Alaska Salmon Cheese Bake
I got this recipe off a can of Honey Boy Pink Salmon and they have an online recipe site you can check out for more. Ingredients 8-9 slices of bread1 1/2 cups grated cheese (Your choice; recipe calls for cheddar.)6 eggs3/4 cup milk1/2 tsp dill weeddash of salt and...
Chef Joel St. John
Our across the street neighbor, Chef Joel St. John, is a real deal, award winning culinary professional. At first I was a bit daunted by the prospect of cooking for a real chef. The first meal I ever served him was my Kung Pao Shrimp, and I won him over big time. He...
Coconut Shrimp
We tried these tonight, and got rave reviews including from Chef Joel St. John. Ingredients 1 lb. raw shrimp; peeled and deveined 3 T flour 1 T cornstarch 1 tsp. salt 1 T garlic powder 1 egg 1 beer 1 T Ranch Dressing Powder grated coconut 1/4 cup corn or peanut oil...
Cards in Honor of Daddy
Click on an image to see a larger version. Then use your back button to return to this page.
Nick
Blackberries
I got a call from Morgan yesterday. He asked me to paint blackberries. I said yes I will and found out that he also had asked other artists to paint blackberries that same day. It is called Sympathetic Painting when several artists paint the same topic. He also told...
Portobello Mushroom Burgers
We've done these for years on the grill out doors. Tonight, I decided to do them indoors, setting out to pan fry or oven bake them. But, the notion struck me, "What about the George Foreman grill?" This is every bit as good as those we cooked outdoors. Ingredients 2...
Baked Kraut and Sausage
Ingredients 2 lbs. Kielbasa; cut into 2" pieces 8-10 sm. potatoes; cut into quarters or eighths 6 carrots; sliced 1 lg. can sauerkraut 1 onion; quartered and thinly sliced 2 tsp. granulated brown sugar 1 c. apple juice Directions Place kraut in a large baking dish....
Billions and Billions
Acrylics on 8" x 10" Canvas
Nude Sketch
Ink on Card Stock Click on Image for Larger View
The Blues
Acrylics on 8"x 10" Canvas Click on Image for Larger View
Sketch of Stardust
Ink Sketch on Yellow Post'em Note I did the above sketch for Sherry, and she turned it into this: (Click on it to see the larger version.)
Ink on Paper
A preliminary sketch. Click on the image for larger view.
Craters
Acrylics on 18" x 18" Canvas Click on Image for Larger View
Six Moons
I shot a photo of Sherry's egg carton paint palette, and that moved me to try replicating the image on canvas. Well, sort of. Acrylic on Canvas 16" x 20" Click on Image for Larger View Back to Top
Jalapeno Poppers
I did these for the first time for a gathering over at our neighbors' house. I got the idea from my son and his friend, JR. This is really simple. Just keep an eye on them and try to bring the bacon to crispy without over doing the cheese. Once the cheese started to...
Collard Greens
This is NOT the way my mother does greens, but I'm telling you, this is GOOD! I got the idea from our neighbor, Chef Joel St. John. Until I had his greens I'd never thought about all the other things that could be added to the pot. He sometimes adds tasso, venison...
Huevos Rancheros
There are probably a million ways to do this simple dish. You can make it as complicated as you like. Simple is easy and tasty. I like to "poach" the eggs on top of the salsa. If you wish to do this, use a pan with a lid. Ingredients 1 onion, chopped 1 poblano, seeded...
Acrylic on Plastic
Sherry's refrigerator egg container that she uses as a pallet. To me, it's abstract art.
Shrove Tuesday Pictures
These are a few of the pictures from our Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner at Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church. All proceeds go toward supporting Youth Mission Trips.
Pancakes
These are so simple and so much superior to the store-bought mixes. You owe it to your family to make pancakes from scratch. Ingredients 3/4 cup flour1/2 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon baking powder2 tablespoons sugar2 eggs1 cup milk1 teaspoon vanilla extract Directions...
Digitally Altered Photo of One of My Paintings
Saturday Morning Rassling
When I was a boy, I thought Studio Rassling star, Billy Wicks was a real champion for decency. He and Sputnik battled fiercely, and I hung on every body slam and sleeper hold.A recent post to the Frayser High Class of 1969 website by Gary Harrison (class of ‘72)...
Chicken Cacciatore
This dish can be as Italian as you want; or you can shift gears and go Louisiana style. I tend toward the Cajun myself. Ingredients 8 chicken thighs or legs; skinned1 onion; diced3 cloves garlic; minced8 ounces fresh mushrooms; chopped14 ounce can of diced tomatoes...
Flounder Baked in Mushroom Sauce
A good way to do flounder. Very flavorful; I just dreamed this up on the spot, and we were both very pleased with how it turned out. Ingredients 1 lb flounder filets Old Bay Seasoning 8 oz fresh mushrooms; chopped 1 onion; chopped 4 cloves garlic; minced 1 stick...
A Very Special Ring
A friend who owns a pawn shop gave this ring to my mother in law. She told me that she can't think of anyone she'd rather wear it than me. Check it out. https://youtu.be/8Cgqw6FWwVQ?si=X-mAdt7gQ-T6i2y-
Mushrooms in Garlic Butter
I stumbled across the delightful Smitten Kitchen cooking blog quite by mistake. I still don't know where I found the link, but I'm glad I did. I adapted the following recipe from Deb Perelmans Garlic Butter Roasted Mushrooms Visit her site and enjoy. She's doing a...
Oyster Po’ Boy
We used to get slam-bang Oyster Po' Boys at a place called Jerry's in Pensacola, FL. I finally decided to give a try at making this delicacy also known as a "Peace-maker." This is not quite like those we got at Jerry's or like those we've had at other diners between...
Souvlakia – Marinated Pork, Peppers and Onions
We used to do this a lot when we lived in Arkansas. For some reason, I think maybe I've not done this in the 12 years since we moved to Houston. Today, that changes. Ingredients 1.5 pounds pork stew meat; cut into 1" cubes1 yellow onion, peels and cut into 1" square...
