Cabbie’s Cooking

A few years ago some friends and I made a trip to Memphis, Tennessee.  We only had two days for our trip, and so we wanted to make sure we used our time wisely and saw plenty of the Memphis sites of interest, and we wanted to make sure we tried some real Memphis barbecue ribs while we were there.  If you ever plan a similar trip to Memphis, check out Trusted Tours and Attractions.  Better yet, sign up for the Trusted Tours newsletter. That way you’ll get information on siteseeing and tours in not only Memphis, but all the cities where Trusted Tours provide service.  The newsletters are full of family vacation ideas, too.  For example, if you ever visit New York City, you could take their tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  And by the way, when you sign up for the newsletter you can enter to win an IPOD Nano!

Back to our trip to Memphis.  We saw most of the tourist sites, and we stopped by the Rendezvous to try their world-famous ribs.  In Memphis, ribs are traditionally served up dry.  “Dry” doesn’t mean dried out.  It simply means they don’t serve barbecue sauce with them.   So when you visit Memphis, make sure to see all the sites via Trust Tours, and then finish up your trip with the best barbecue ribs around at the Rendezvous.

I don’t have the Rendezvous recipe for their barbecue rib rub, but I came up with this one that comes pretty darn close.   

MEMPHIS STYLE RIB RUB

5 teaspoons paprika
3 teaspoons salt
2 and 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
2 and 1/2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 and 1/2 teaspoons cayenne (or to taste)

Mix ingredients together. Spread evenly on prepared ribs that have been patted dry with a paper towel. Smoke until tender and delicious. I actually cook mine in a low oven (275 degrees) for a couple hours before putting them in the smoker. That seems to make them extra tender.

This is my mother’s recipe, and it is delicious.  She makes these to take to  covered dish dinners, and they are always snapped up immediately - not even any crumbs left to take home.

Ruth’s Fried Salmon Patties

2 eggs, beaten

salt/pepper to taste

1 Tablespoon dried onion flakes (or 1/2 small onion, chopped finely)

1 handful of cornmeal (1/4 cup)

1 handful of flour ( 1/4 cup)

1 large can of flaked salmon, drained

In a mixing bowl, add all ingredients except salmon.  Mix well.  Add the drained salmon and mix well.  In a large frying pan add 1/4 inch of vegetable oil and heat.  Use a large serving spoon to dip out a ball of batter and put it into the hot oil - flattening it into a circle.  When it browns on one side turn it over and brown on the other side.  Drain and blot on paper towerls.

My niece, Lyn, and her husband, Ricky, have a delicious sweet and sour chicken recipe. After making it a few times, I felt I no longer needed to look at the recipe. I could make it from memory. After I had the sauce mixed, I realized it didn’t look like it usually does. I checked the recipe. Oops! For some reason I thought the recipe contained mustard and I had already added some mustard to the sauce, but mustard was definitely not in the recipe. So I accidentally came up with a new recipe - because adding the mustard made it better than ever. So here is the recipe - with my own touch:

Ricky and Lyn’s Sweet and Sour Chicken a la Carol

8 boneless chicken breasts (I use frozen chicken tenderloins)

1 8-ounce jar peach or apricot preserves

1 8-ounce bottle Catalina dressing

2 envelopes onion soup mix

1/4 cup prepared Dijon mustard

Mix all ingredients except chicken breasts.  Place chicken in casserole dish.  Pour mixture over the chicken breasts. Bake covered for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Remove cover and bake an additional hour.

I serve it over rice.

RT needed something to take to an office party.  We were going to buy some wraps at Kroger, but they didn’t have any fresh ones.  So, I decided to make some myself.  Looking at the ones at Kroger (the ones that had been there since Friday), I figured it couldn’t be too difficult.  Here’s the photo of the tray after I finished them. I think it looks very nice.  And since we snacked on the “leftovers”, we already know that the wraps taste really good. The wraps are now in the refrigerator - ready for RT to take to work with him tomorrow morning.  They were surprisingly easy and quick to make.  I don’t know why I haven’t tried making wraps before.  I’ll be looking for more wrap recipes now since these turned out so well.  Here’s how I made them:

WRAPS

3 large tortillas (large, wrap size - whatever “flavor” you prefer.  I  bought three packages of tortillas: garden spinach herb, sundried tomato basil, and whole grain wheat.  I had no idea how many tortillas I’d need, but that ended up being WAY too many tortillas.  I used three tortillas total - one of each kind - for the tray in the photograph. RT and I will be eating tortillas a lot in the next couple weeks in order to use them all up). 

1 package of thinly sliced or shaved sandwich meat - turkey and ham (you can use roast beef or other cold cuts, too)

1 package of grated sharp cheddar

A few grape tomatoes

A few leaves of romaine lettuce

Mayonaise (I used light mayo)

Take a tortilla and spread mayonaise on it.  Sprinkle it with grated cheese.  It’s important to put the cheese on top of the mayo in order to hold the cheese in place.  Layer the lettuce and then the meat on top.  Starting on one side, roll the tortilla as tightly as possible - being careful to keep the fillings inside.  Once it is rolled up, place it seam side down on a cutting board.  Take a knife and cut off 1-inch slices. Line your serving tray with lettuce, and use the grape tomatoes as a garnish.

Very tasty!

I tried a new recipe for dinner tonight. I usually make adjustments to any recipe to reflect my own tastes, and this recipe is no exception. It tasted very good!

Chicken Cobbler

6 T. butter, divided
5 cups cubed bread (I used a few slices of sourdough bread that I cubed - other breads would be good, too)
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 T. chopped parsley
2 medium onions, chopped
1 cup buttermilk (you can substitute regular milk OR wine, depending on your taste)
1 (10.5 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup drained/chopped roasted red peppers
2 1/2 cups chopped/cooked chicken (I used canned chicken)

(1) Melt 4 T. butter and toss lightly with rolls, cheese and parsley. Set aside.
(2) Saute onions in 2 T. butter until golden brown.
(3) Stir in the buttermilk.
(4) Add the soup, peppers and chicken.
(5) Heat in the saucepan until bubbly.
(6) Pour into a 9-inch square baking dish.
(7) Top with the bread mixture.
(8) Bake at 375 for about 20 - 30 minutes until browned.

Last year I wrote about what I make for a New Year’s Day meal.  The meal is filled with tradition and symbolism.  I can’t think of a better way to start a new year of living. Since I enjoyed last year’s New Year’s Day meal so much, I thought I would re-print that menu and description of symbolism here.  Enjoy!

On each New Year’s Day, I cook my version of a New Year’s Day meal. Here’s the menu, the recipes and the symbolism - some serious and some definitely tongue-in-cheek:

Menu
Hoppin’ John

Tossed Salad

Cornsticks

Sweet Iced Tea

Recipes

Hoppin’ John

1 can mild tomato/jalopena mixture (RoTel) If you like things a little spicier, use regular RoTel.

2 cans black-eyed peas

1 can diced tomatoes (optional - I love tomatoes)

1/2 lb link of turkey sausage

Cut the turkey sausage into bite-size pieces - dump everything together and cook. You can serve this over rice or mix some rice in it, or eat it by itself with no rice. It’s delicious riceless or not.

Tossed Salad

Lots of lettuce, sliced tomatoes, grated carrots, diced bell peppers with grated cheddar cheese on top.

Cornbread Sticks

2 cups cornmeal MIX

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 egg, well-beaten

buttermilk (enough to make a good batter)

Pour into cast iron cornstick pans that have been sprayed with Pam and pre-heated in a 425 oven. The batter should sizzle when you pour it into the pans. Bake until golden brown. Serve hot. I like to crumble a cornstick or two into my hoppin’ john.

Sweet Iced Tea

4 family-size tea bags

1 gallon distilled water (You don’t HAVE to use distilled water, but that’s what I always use).

1 cup Splenda

Put the tea bags in a 4-cup measuring cup, fill with some of the water and microwave on high for about 6 minutes. Let it sit (steep) for about 5 minutes. Pour into a pitcher and add the remaining water to make one gallon. Add the Splenda and stir. DELICIOUS and refreshing!

SYMBOLISM

The blackeyed peas in the Hoppin’ John symbolize coins - a sign of prosperity for the new year. May there be lots of that in 2008. The turkey sausage symbolizes my American heritage - the wild turkeys from the first Thanksgiving. For me, it also reminds me of the land where RT and I live - dozens of wild turkeys reside here. The tomatoes and jalopenas symbolize good taste and spiciness. May I never grow too old to be spicy.

The leaves of lettuce in the salad are a symbol of folding money - currency. Again, may there be lots of that in 2008. The tomatoes remind me of the fruits of summer, the carrots for year-round bounty, and the cheese for the perfection of aging (I wish!).

The corn in the cornsticks is another symbol of my American heritage. Enough corn for good health, enough oil to smooth out the rough places in life, an egg to remind me of the newness of life, and the buttermilk to remind me that the sour places in life make the good places all the more sweet. Baking the cornsticks in cast-iron pans reminds me of what the American pioneers used in their travels cross country to explore new lands.

The iced tea is symbolic of my Southern roots. Sweet iced tea is pure Southern! The Splenda makes it something I can drink without worrying about calories. RT and I go through a gallon of this tea about every two or three days. I make several gallons every single week. I have to admit that I almost always used decaf tea so I can drink it in the evenings without worrying about it affecting my sleep.

There you have it! A New Year’s day feast with some traditional and some Carol-grown symbolism attached.

The title of this recipe has been cleaned up a little as you can imagine.   This recipe came from my daughter, Stinkeroo, but I’ve seen versions of it all over the place.  The alcohol cooks off, but it leaves the chicken super moist.  I’ve made this chicken several times, and it’s true - it’s deliciously juicy and tender.  Stinkeroo knows people who cook several and then freeze a couple for quick meals later.  It’s that good.

Chicken With a Beer Up Its Booty

1 whole chicken

1 tsp. Liquid Smoke

1 tsp. What’s-This-Here Sauce

1 can cheapest beer you can find (pour half of it out - or drink it)

salt, pepper, Emeril’s essence, a litle bit of every spice in your cabinet (within reason!)

Poke holes in the chicken - a lot.  Season the outside of the chicken with the salt/pepper and Emeril’s Essence.  Place the giblets in the beer can.  Then add the liquid smoke, What’s-This-Here Sauce, salt, pepper and other spices to the can of beer.  The combination is not real important.  Set the chicken on the can of beer and place it on the preheated grill.  It looks like the chicken is sitting on the beer can.  You can set this on a cookie sheet to make it a little more steady so it won’t tip over on the grill.  Cook on low for one hour and fifteen minutes.  DO NOT OPEN THE GRILL LID DURING THIS TIME.  That is important or it messes up the way it cooks.  When done discard the can - and enjoy the delicious chicken.