These recipes were collected for 45 years by a Southern American lady who has lived in California, Mississippi, Texas and Oklahoma.\u00a0 This accounts for the units of measurements and products I use. It also explains why some of my recipes have a Southern or Tex-Mex flavor.<\/p>\n
My earliest memory of cooking anything was brownies.\u00a0 I was 10 years old and in the 5th grade.\u00a0 I had made them before, but this was the first one I recall vividly and there was a good reason!\u00a0 I was doubling the recipe. I even used a hammer and cracked the pecans and picked them out and chopped them to go in it!\u00a0 They came out of the oven looking beautiful.\u00a0 After supper that night, each of the family eagerly took a bite and YUCK!!!\u00a0 I had not doubled the sugar!\u00a0 They were not edible.\u00a0 ALL that hard work–just to be thrown away!!!\u00a0 I sure learned the hard way to always double check your recipe to be sure you included all the ingredients; AND to especially make sure you doubled ALL the ingredients when doubling!<\/p>\n
My parents frequently entertained friends while we were growing up, and Mom served magnificent meals.\u00a0 She was a fabulous cook.\u00a0 She and her sisters often tried new recipes and these were passed down to my cousin Judy and me\u2026but we only assisted our mothers in cooking.\u00a0 We didn\u2019t grow up learning to cook at our mothers\u2019 elbows in the kitchen.\u00a0 I usually set and cleared off the table, made salads, cookies and sometimes made lunch on Saturday (usually tuna fish salad, warmed up chili or sardine sandwiches).<\/p>\n
Judy and I left home when we were 18 years old to follow our dream of one day becoming roommates and living and working in a big city. We had bare essential cooking skills.\u00a0 At that time Judy could cook chili and pizza (using a mix) and even fry a chicken; and I could make tacos, tuna casserole and macaroni & cheese, my favorite dish.\u00a0 Thank goodness Judy had been given a Better Homes & Garden cookbook for a high school graduation present, and we used it often.<\/p>\n
The night before we left home to move 400 miles away to Dallas, Texas, I suddenly realized I would no longer have mom\u2019s recipe box available!\u00a0 So I frantically began copying the recipes I liked.\u00a0 I remember calling home once to ask Mom how many hours I needed to boil a chicken.<\/p>\n
My interest in cooking took off suddenly after I married and some friends began to ask us over for meals. I kinda felt that we should reciprocate. HELP ME! This jump started my cooking adventures.\u00a0 I learned gradually by trial and error and from many excellent cooks.<\/p>\n
One time I heard someone refer to a lady named Harriett as a \u201cgourmet cook.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 And I decided right then and there that I wanted that title applied to me also!\u00a0 I had a long ways to go!\u00a0 My parents taught me I could do anything I wanted to do IF<\/span> I applied myself\u2026and apply I did.\u00a0\u00a0 But it didn\u2019t come easy\u2014and it also came with lot of work, trials and flops!\u00a0 But gradually I progressed.\u00a0 As time went on, we exchanged dinners with 30 other church friend couples, and occasionally I even overheard the coveted title of Gourmet Cook<\/em> being applied to me!<\/p>\n Where did my recipes come from?<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 From many sources.\u00a0 Many were adventures.\u00a0 Some even came from Granny’ little 3 x 5 recipe boxes that I have occasionally bought at Estate Sales.\u00a0 You know<\/em> a Son is in charge of the sale if you are lucky enough to find one of these\u2014for a Daughter would NEVER get rid of Granny or mom\u2019s recipe collection!\u00a0 For example, Grandma\u2019s Shrimp Batter <\/a>came from one of these boxes I picked up.<\/p>\n I rarely eat something I really like without asking for the recipe\u2026and my friends usually graciously share, and I do likewise.\u00a0 The name of the person who gave me a recipe is noted on it.\u00a0 While there is a story behind practically every one of these recipes, in the interest of space, I only inserted the most interesting ones.\u00a0 Some recipes are \u201cCherie\u2019s Creations.\u201d\u00a0 Others are my copycat creations from my recipe Quests.<\/p>\n How reliable are these recipes?\u00a0<\/strong> Yes, I have personally tried out all the recipes in this collection (except for a few that have the notation \u201cNot Tried,\u201d which I intend to make soon.)\u00a0 Recipes that I have prepared at least a zillion times due to popularity with my family, friends and co-workers, I have designated as ***FAMILY FAVORITE***.\u00a0<\/strong> I highly recommend them.\u00a0 You won\u2019t be disappointed.\u00a0 I personally typed all these recipes and I admit that I am not a perfect typist.\u00a0 I apologize in advance should you discover any errors.\u00a0 Please, please let me know if you do so I can make corrections.<\/p>\n It has long been a hobby of mine to try new recipes (preferably those recommended by others known to be good cooks).\u00a0 I also enjoy \u201cQuests\u201d<\/strong> where I attempt to duplicate a dish I have eaten in a restaurant or elsewhere.\u00a0 I usually have several ongoing Quests.\u00a0 Sometimes I am successful and other times I finally give up and decide that it\u2019s something I\u2019m willing to pay to eat it prepared by someone else.<\/p>\n A little about my Quests.\u00a0<\/strong> For ten years I tried to make a recipe for Chicken in Orange Sauce<\/a> I ate at a small Chinese restaurant in\u00a0 L.A., California around 1998.\u00a0 The chef told me he saut\u00e9d orange peel in oil for the orange flavor\u2014so that was all I had to work with.\u00a0 I knew the flavor didn\u2019t some from orange juice, which was used in so many Orange Chicken recipes. I looked thru countless cookbooks and websites for recipes. Finally in 2014, I had success!!\u00a0 (16 years later)<\/p>\n Cr\u00e8me Brulee <\/a>was another Quest with a happy ending this year.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t create this recipe; however, I researched a ton of recipes on line.\u00a0 I found a man on the internet who had also been on a Cr\u00e8me Brulee<\/a> quest.\u00a0 He told how he had tried and was disappointed with numerous recipes.\u00a0 He finally discovered what he claimed was the easiest and best recipe ever\u2014and it was his Aunt Susan’s recipe!\u00a0\u00a0 That was good enough for me!\u00a0 I tried it and I totally agree.\u00a0 That search had a happy ending. I think you will like it also.\u00a0 You don\u2019t need a mixer or a torch, and don\u2019t have to \u201cstir constantly.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n A tip!\u00a0 Any recipe that stays \u201cstir constantly\u201d<\/strong> is a perfect candidate for the microwave.\u00a0 You\u2019re stirring so it won\u2019t scorch\u2014and nothing scorches in the microwave!\u00a0 You just have to figure out the micro length of time and stop and stir it often while it thickens.<\/p>\n What cooks helped shape my cooking experience?\u00a0<\/strong> One of the first notable sources was the Dallas Times Herald<\/strong> Food Editor which printed many great recipes\u2014from which came our Family Favorite recipes for Corn Casserole and Cabbage Hollandaise.<\/p>\n Another was Helen Corbitt<\/strong>,<\/a> a chef for 14 years for Neiman Marcus\u2019 restaurant, the Zodiac Room, in downtown Dallas.\u00a0 My co-workers and I sometimes celebrated our birthdays\u00a0 there, and surprisingly, the prices for lunch were most reasonable!\u00a0 And better yet, if you ate something there that you really liked\u2014you could often times find the recipe in one of Helen\u2019s cookbooks and make it yourself\u2026like her Poppyseed Dressing<\/a> for Fruit Salad and her Cocktail Sauce<\/a> for shrimp!<\/p>\n Another consistently good source was Barbara Richardson McClellan,<\/strong> who writes a daily food column for the Longview (Texas) News Journal where we lived for 9 years.\u00a0 She also published several cookbooks and owned a restaurant for awhile.\u00a0 If Barbara printed it \u2013 I knew I could depend on it being good enough to serve to company without making it beforehand.\u00a0 That says a lot! Several recipes in my collection have her name beside them.<\/p>\n When we moved to Oklahoma City, I followed a weekly recipe column in the Daily Oklahoman (OKC) by Melba\u2019s Swap Shop by Melba Lovelace.<\/strong>\u00a0 Readers brought to her column ideas and recipes to share and requests for particular recipes.\u00a0 Melba often shared some very good recipes.\u00a0 My family can vouch for her Turkey and Dressing recipes,<\/a> which we made for many\u00a0 Thanksgivings.<\/p>\n