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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
Vietnamese Southern-style Catfish in a Clay Pot
I haven't tried this one yet, but I grew up on wild Tennessee River Blue Channel Catfish. We used to harvest them ourselves daily off the face of the Pickwick Dam near Savannah, TN. And I'm not so sure about this clay pot business. I'm thinking cast iron. From Mai...
Nikki’s Ravioli & Tortellini Salad
My good friend, Nikki Merritt, served this at one of our vestry meetings. It was a hit! Thank you, Nikki. Ingredients 1 (19 oz) pkg frozen cheese tortellini 1 (19 oz) pkg frozen cheese ravioli 1 ½ cups canola or olive oil ½ - ¾ cup red wine or balsamic vinegar 1 TBS...
Pizza Tales
Well, finally I got around to it — after four days of saying I was going to make a pizza, on the fifth day, I did it. Next time, I’m going to make a smaller but thicker crust. I will NOT try to stretch a quarter of the recipe over one dinner plate. That results in a...
Pork Roast (Continued)
The roast turned out great. I put it on at 6:45 am, and didn't look at it again until around 12:30 pm. In the meantime I decided to pick up two chickens for beer-can-chicken since I had a fire going. So about 2:00pm, I checked the roast again. It wasn't yet done to...
Memorial Day Pork Roast
Just started a fire --- 6:13 am. For a 4 pound shoulder, bone-in butt roast. I banked the fire on the opposite side away from the top vent. For more on slow-smoking on a Weber Kettle, go here. [To see how this turned out, go here.]
Beer Can Chicken
I did a beer-can chicken yesterday. Didn't have a beer can, so I used an empty mushroom can. I added water, and half of a lime. It turned out fantastic!
Chicken Salad
Ingredients 1 Chicken 2 carrots, grated 2 stalks of celery, minced 1/2 - 1 cup sweet pickle relish 1/2 - 1 cup mayonnaise Directions Debone a Beer-can Chicken or an Easy Boiled Chicken and chop meat very fine. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Start with only a...
Garlic Idaho Potatoes
INGREDIENTS 3 medium (6 - 8 ounces each) Idaho Potatoes, well scrubbed cooking spray pepper to taste 1/2 stick butter 1 medium onion, chopped (about 3/4 cup) 1 tablespoon garlic salt DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 400° F. Spray a loaf pan or small casserole dish with...
Pizza Crust
It's hard to go wrong with pizza. I haven't bought one of those prepared doughs in years. There's just something about handling the real thing. Sometimes I use this other dough recipe or a sort of combination of the two. And here's yet another recipe from Emeril...
Sweet and Sour Cabbage
We enjoyed living around the corner from a public library when we lived in Memphis. I found an interesting Chinese cookbook there. Each recipe was given in English on one page, and in Chinese on the facing page. When I cook this one, the family leaves the house until...
Spinach Tart
Kate Hampton is a member of the cooking guild at our church. She brought this to the kitchen to serve to guild members who were cooking dinner for 120. She made hers with a combination of turnip greens and spinach. Ingredients 2 tablespoon olive oil 1 yellow onion ;...
Peppers and Onions
Ingredients3 yellow onion ; thinly sliced3 tablespoon olive oil2 garlic ; minced4 sweet red and yellow peppers; thinly sliced2 tablespoon ketchupsalt and pepper3 tablespoon red wine1 teaspoon oregano1 dash Tabasco pepper sauce1 cup Parmesan cheese;...
Eggplant Parmesan + Mario Batali’s Version
Ingredients1 eggplant ; pared3 egg 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs 3/4 cup olive oil 1 cup Parmesan cheese 2 teaspoon oregano 1/2 pound mozzarella cheese 3 ounces canned tomato sauce InstructionsHeat oven to 350. Cut egglplant into 1/4 inch slices. Slice pared eggplant about...
Dilled Carrots
4 carrots 1 tablespoon butter 1 cup beer 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon dried dill weed Julienne the carrots. Saute in butter until lightly browned. Stir in the beer and dill weed. Cover and cook slowly until tender (about 15 minutes). Season with salt...
Shrimp Enchildas Rancheros
Your friends will love you for preparing this. (See the after-notes at the bottom of the page.) If you prefer a chicken version of this, go here to see that recipe. Ingredients 2 pounds wild shrimp with heads (You probably won't need this much.)cayenne peppergarlic...
Ocean Perch with Creamed Corn
Ingredients 1 pound ocean perch 14 ounces corn 1 cup sour cream 3/4 cup Swiss cheese ; gratedbutter salt and pepper InstructionsPreheat oven to 375. Butter a baking dish. Lay the perch filets in the buttered baking pan. To a sauce pan, add the corn, sour cream and...
Kung Pao Shrimp
Ingredients4 tablespoon peanut oil1 1/2 pounds shrimp; peeled and deveined8 dried red chiles; seeds removed1/2 cup peanuts1 teaspoon ginger; minced1 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch 1 1/2 tablespoon water 1 tablespoon soy sauce1 red bell pepper; cleaned and cut into 1"...
Ken Brown’s Grilled Salmon
Ingredients 1/4 cup olive oil 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce juice of 1 lemon 5 garlic ; minced salt and pepper ; to taste 2 pounds Salmon fillets Instructions Combine marinade ingredients and place in a zip lock bag. This can be done with only one pound if desired. Squeeze...
Catfish Courtbouillon
Our neighbors, Joel and Gretchen from New Orleans, corrected my pronunciation. They say it's "Koo-bee-yon." Ingredients 1 pound catfish1 teaspoon Onion powder1 teaspoon Garlic powder1/2 teaspoon Red pepper1 cup Flour ; or corn meal1 tablespoon corn oil ; for frying2...
Baked Stuffed Flounder
This also works well with Tilapia and boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts although you do have to pound them out to flatten. Ingredients 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 medium onion; chopped 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 clove garlic; minced 1 10 oz. Frozen spinach ;...
Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya
Back in Memphis, we had a cooking team called "Boogie-T-Roux & the Mempho Crew." We cooked gumbo along side teams from Louisiana, Mississippi, and even some self-proclaimed Gar enthusiasts from Arkansas. The best we ever managed was a third place finish, but...
Amy’s BBQ Chicken Salad
Ingredients 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 1 head red leaf lettuce ; rinsed and torn 1 head green leaf lettuce ; rinsed and torn 1 fresh tomato ; chopped 1 bunch cilantro ; chopped 1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn ; drained 1 (15 ounce) can black...
Chicken Crepes
I used to make this from scratch. That is I made crepes the traditional French way. Now, I just use a good flour tortilla. Not as delicate, but very delicious. Ingredients 1/2 pound Mushrooms ; sliced 2 cups Chicken breast ; cooked, and diced 1 cup frozen green peas ;...
Chicken Tetrazinni
Ingredients 4 pounds chicken leg quarters ; cooked and deboned 8 ounces Spaghetti (I like linguini.) 1 cup Parmesan cheese ; grated 1 pound Mushrooms ; sliced 1/2 pound Bacon 1 Onion ; chopped 4 Garlic ; minced 1 cup Chicken broth 3 tablespoon Butter 3 tablespoon...
Chipotle BBQ Chicken
Ingredients Reynolds ; Wrap® Release® Non-Stick Foil1/2 cup barbecue sauce2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar2 tablespoons lime juice1 tablespoon chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce6 chicken pieces InstructionsHEAT grill to medium (350° to 400°F). Make drainage...
Col. Benjamin’s Curry Chicken
Ingredients 1 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon coriander 1 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon chili powder 1 teaspoon ginger 1/4 teaspoon turmeric 1 teaspoon vegetable oil 4 cups onion ; chopped 2 cloves garlic ; minced 3 1/2 cups tomato ; chopped 2 tablespoon lemon juice 3 pounds...
Enchiladas Rancheros
Ingredients3 pounds chicken leg quarters ; skinned1 pound Poblano Chile1 pound tomatillo1 onion ; diced1 teaspoon salt1 bay leaf3 cups chicken broth3 cloves garlic ; minced1 or 2 cups cheddar cheese ; grated1 or 2 cups of Swiss cheese; grated1 cup black olive ;...
Grilled Duck "A L’Orange"
They say that in Paris, duckling à l’orange was the highest test of a chef’s mettle. The duck had to be roasted just so-skin crackling crisp, meat tender and juicy-and the orange sauce had to strike a perfect balance between the sweetness of the caramelized sugar, the...
Joel’s Jambalaya
Our neighbor, Joel St. John, is a chef by profession. Now and then he delights us by bringing something he's just whipped up or by inviting us to his house to dine. This is not Joel's recipe, but is my version of how to copy the flavor of his. Ingredients 4 chicken...
Kung Pao Chicken
Hot and spicy! I fixed this for Mary Ann Murphy and she almost turned Chinese! The image to the right is a photocopy I took of a page from a book I checked out from the now defunct Highland Branch Library (Memphis and Shelby County Libraries). The book had the English...
