What a Blessing
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.
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Daddy Cooked Too
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.
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Let’s Get Cooking
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).
CSI-DDI
Quarter Beer Night
ost of us have heard at one time or another a hair-raising tale about an event which was so harrowing that it caused the storyteller's "whole life to flash before" him. I'm not sure I've ever had such a "flash before me" experience; at least not...
New Priest
e met our new associate rector at Palmer this past Sunday; and I do believe I have the distinction of being the first person she Communicated here.
Skillet Pizza
Ingredients ¾ cup lukewarm water 1 tablespoon active dry yeast 1 teaspoon sugar 2 ¼ cups flour 1 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Instructions Stir together the water, yeast and sugar. Let stand 3 to 5 minutes or until foamy. Mix until well...
Week’s Worth of Soup
So I did it again. I made up a week's worth of soup for Sherry. Okay - I managed to get 8 lunches out of the deal. To do it, I had to fill that big pot to within an 8th inch of the top. But I got her done. Also, I had a quart of stock in the freezer which I added to...
Multi-Grain Veggie Bread
Sherry spotted this in our Bellaire Buzz. Ingredients: 1 cup all purpose flour 1 cup whole wheat flour 1 cup oat flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 2½ teaspoons ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg 3 eggs½ cup vegetable oil ½ cup...
Shannon’s Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients: 1/3 cup vegetable oil ½ cup sugar 1 egg 2 cups oatmeal 1½ teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon vanilla 1½ teaspoons cinnamon Raisins to taste (nuts optional) Directions: Mix ingredients together and pour into a greased 8-by-8-inch glass...
Salmon with Dijon-Brown Sugar
Heat your oven to 400 degrees. Combine Dijon mustard and brown sugar. Adjust to the desired amount of sweetness-tanginess. Salt and pepper the fish. Line a cooking sheet with foil. Lightly oil the sheet; then add fish skin-side down. Spread the tops of the fillets...
Banana, Strawberry, and Yogurt Pound Cake
INGREDIENTS 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup light brown sugar 3 large over-ripe bananas, mashed 1 cup fresh strawberries sliced 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/2 cup plain Greek...
Roasted Cherries with Balsamic Vinegar
A friend of ours from church, Molly Quigley, shared this recipe she got from Serious Eats Ingredients 1/2 pound fresh cherries 1 baguette of French Bread 1 T balsamic vinegar 1 T canola or olive oil Goat Cheese for topping Directions Set oven on 350°F. On a baking...
Spinach Huevos
We do up something we call "Huevos Rancheros," but it's nothing like the dish you're familiar with. Ours is more like a chili-based casserole. Lots of cheese, tortillas torn into pieces; with several eggs added whole and allowed to sort of poach in the casserole....
Smothered Chicken – Clairborne
Start with the basic recipe; then modify as desired. Green peppers, onion, celery, and tomatoes for a Louisiana flair. Mushrooms & petite onons for a French twist. This is adapted from a Craig Claiborne recipe that appeared in the NYTIMES possibly as early as...
Derby Pie
Barbara Hass from church brought this pie to a pot luck we had this evening. She graciously shared the recipe. Thanks, Barbara! 1/2 cup melted butter 1 cup sugar 1 tsp. vanilla 1/2 cup flour 2 eggs 3/4 cup walnuts 3/4 cup chocolate chips Combine and pour...
Banana Bread, Whole Wheat
This is a whole wheat version I've tried. It's pretty good too. Go HERE for Sherry's Banana Bread; or HERE for Evelyn's Banana Bread. ½ cup (1 stick or 4 ounces) unsalted butter ½ cup (3 ¾ ounces) packed light or dark brown sugar ¾ teaspoon baking soda ½...
Evelyn’s Banana Bread
Evelyn is one of my good friends from church. She baked me a loaf of delicious banana bread, and I asked her for the recipe. This is a copy of what she sent me. Go HERE for Whole Wheat Banana Bread; or HERE for Sherry's Banana Bread. Ingredients 1 cup...
Zucchini Bread
Ingredients Butter, for the pan 1 ½ cups grated zucchini ⅔ cups light brown sugar ⅓ cup olive oil (or other oil such as safflower or canola) ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon baking...
What Happened to the Old Cook Book?
What We're Doing We had a problem over at blogger. I don't know for sure what happened, as Google will not discuss the matter. One morning, I returned to work on a new BLOG only to find that it had been locked. Not only did Google lock the blog from viewing;...
Grilled Shrimp with Mexican Salsa (Global)
I saw this one here:http://www.weber.com/recipes/seafood/grilled-shrimp-with-mexican-salsa Ingredients 12 tomatillos, husked and rinsed 1 Hass avocado, cut into ¼-inch dice 1 medium tomato, cut into ¼-inch dice ¼ cup finely chopped white onion 2 tablespoons...
Emeril’s Shrimp & Sausage Jambalaya
Ingredients 1 lb. smoked sausage, cut lengthwise in half, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices 1 lb. shrimp 2 tablespoons yellow onion, chopped 1/2 cup celery, chopped 1 cup green bell peppers, chopped 4 bay leaves 2 cups tomatoes (canned or fresh), peeled, seeded...
Fresh Apple Cake
Ingredients 1 cup salad oil 2 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp salt 1 tsp soda 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp vanilla 2 1/2 cups flour 1 cup pecans or walnuts (chopped) 3 cups apples, chopped Directions Mix together sugar and oil. Add eggs and beat until creamy. Add vanilla Combine...
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Ingredients 3/4 cup whole milk 1 cup coarse ground cornmeal 4 ounces unsalted butter 8 ounces dark brown sugar, approximately 1 cup 6 slices canned pineapple in heavy syrup 6 maraschino cherries 1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted 3 tablespoons juice from canned pineapple...
Vanilla Cake
Ingredients 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pans 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pans 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups sugar 4 large eggs, at room temperature 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 3/4 cup...
Apple Puff Pancake
I got this recipe from a tub of Land O Lakes Butter. Ingredients 4 T butter1/2 cup milk2 eggs1/4 cup maple-flavored syrup1 meium apple, peeled, quartered, and sliced (about 1 cup)2 T firmly packed brown sugar1/4 tsp ground cinnamonpowdered sugar ...
Shrimp Wrapped in Bacon, Dwayne’s
Dwayne served these at his house on Mother’s Day (May, 2016) at his house. They were superb! Ingredients – 16 large shrimp, peeled and deveined – 8 slices bacon – barbeque seasoning, to taste Directions Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Wrap...
Dwayne’s Chess Pie
Dwayne sent me this recipe. He served it for Mother's Day. Ingredients - 2 cups white sugar - 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour - 5 eggs - 2/3 cup buttermilk - 1/2 cup melted butter - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract - 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust Directions - Prep - 30...
Soup, Stock, and Beans
Just about every week, I make up a big batch of stock; mainly for Sherry's lunches. (She usually takes a home-made turkey-vegetable soup with her to work every day.) I also use the stock for cooking beans and peas, etc. A couple of days ago, I put on close to 7...
Oven Braised Spinach
Wok in the oven? Yes!
Sweet Potato Crust and Quiche
Sherry loves this sort of thing! Ingredients: 2 medium sweet potatoes 1 teaspoon canola oil 1 (5-ounce) bag baby spinach 1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper 4 large eggs 2...
St. Bede’s Family Service
t 9:08 in St. Bede’s Chapel we wonder if anyone other than the core team of worship leaders will show up for the 9:15 Family Service. Then, in a matter of minutes, we have a crowd of probably 75. Babies being babies,...
Playing for Pizza
PLAYING FOR PIZZA I just finished reading John Grisham's "Playing for Pizza," a story about an NFL quarterback who takes a five-month contract to play minor league football in Italy.
Stock, Soup, Crock Pots
I found a 6 quart slow-cooker at Target for $24.99. With 6 quarts, I could make some pretty big batches of stock; eh? I gave it a try. To around 4 pounds of turkey neck bones I added onion, garlic, carrots, and celery, and 2 quarts of water. Yes, just 2 quarts. I...
Alaska Cod Florentine
In looking for ways to cook fish from its frozen state, I came across this one. Also I did another post on cooking cod from frozen (with a video). Interesting stuff. What I wanted to take away from that recipe at Wild Alaskan Seafood is the way they say to cook the...
Cooking Frozen Fish without Thawing
http://www.wildalaskaseafood.com/cook-it-frozen-cooking-techniques/ Steaming Bring about 1-inch of water/seasoned liquid to a boil. Line the steamer with lettuce, onion, herbs or citrus (without covering all the holes) to keep seafood from sticking Rinse seafood under...
Strawberry Filled Butter Cookies
I just bought two new quarter-sheet pans; and this recipe was on the label. I haven't tried them yet. Ingredients 3/4 cups butter, room temperature 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 egg 1 tsp. almond extract 1 3/4 cups flour 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 cup...
Rice Krispie Treats
Classic Rice Krispies treat! Ymmm!!!
Pan Roasted Potatoes and Mushrooms
Sherry loves potatoes, and sometimes I cook her up some with onions. Last night, I added mushrooms, and they turned out nicely! Ingredients 3 medium red potatoes; quartered and sliced thinly 1 medium yellow onion; coarsely chopped 1/2 pound white mushrooms; sliced...
Country Style Ribs with Chinese Five Spice
I heard this one on NPR. Today, I used 4.77 pounds country style ribs. Sprinkle with a generous amount of 5-spice. Place in the bottom of a cast iron dutch oven; cover with big jar of sour kraut. Then sprinkle with brown sugar. Cover and place in 350 oven. ...
Banana Oat Energy Bites
Sticky to make but SO good!
Swai
Swai, or "basa" sauteed in a bit of butter and olive oil. This works very well. (2 minutes per side in a aluminum frying pay.) But I like this way too even BETTER! I preheated the ridged cast iron grill pan for a few minutes over medium-high heat. I dried the fillets...
New Fry Pan
Just ordered a new Commercial Grade 12" Frying Pan. It's NSF rated and looks like the 10" pan I got from Mother. That 10" pan supposedly came from the kitchen at the International Harvester Plant in Memphis. I really like the 10" pan I have now because it's durable,...
Beets and Potatoes
I picked up a couple of "commercial grade" sheet pans (1/2 sheet) at Walmart for just under $7 each the other day; and I've begun using them for supper. Tonight, I peeled and diced a couple of beets; tossed them with olive oil; seasoned with salt and pepper and ...