In 1973 Mother gave me The New Complete Book of Cookery. One of my “go to” recipes was Beef Bourguignon. It was easy, prepared beforehand and allowed me to enjoy my guests. And a have a drink without the fear of messing up the meal. There were some pretty memorable “dinner parties” at our home on 11th Street. My sister Susan and brother in law Robin were almost always part of the party. One dinner party that stands out included Susan, Robin and Steve Halliburton. We sent Mother and Joe to the movies and I made Beef Bourguignon. Robin was bartender and started making the trending drink, a Harvey Walbanger. A “few” Harvey Walbangers later….. Let’s leave it with “the Beef Bourguignon saved the day!” The book is still on my shelf. I wish I could have one more of those “dinner parties” with Susan.
Another favorite cookbook, Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Louisiana Kitchen, was a Christmas present in 1984, from Greg, Jon and Eric. Greg and Rana fell in love with Cajun cooking while in school in New Orleans. In July, 1979, Chef Paul and his late wife, K, opened K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen in the historic French Quarter of New Orleans.
My copy is tattered and marked up from over 30 years of use. The kid’s favorites include Barbecued Shrimp and Cajun Shepard’s Pie. I’ve included both recipes.
In 1983, my sister Patricia, wrote, and I mean hand wrote, her first cookbook. It included many of the family recipes handed down from Mother and Mamaw. As you can see from the photo, my copy has been well used. Twenty years later she updated the cookbook. This time she used a computer. She gave me a copy for my 50th birthday.
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Other cookbooks that I still use.
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I love to cook and I love to eat. Two other sources that I use when I feel like my eating has gone off track are The Ultimate Rest and The 21 Day Fix.
