River Watch Week – BBQ Byway
With the Army Corps of Engineers blasting levees and flooding over 100,000 acres of land I wanted to bring everyone along on a tour of the affected areas… from Cairo, Illinois to Louisiana this spring is bringing rain 300% above normal already.
Monday – Memphis District Munchies – Elvis Meatloaf
Tuesday – Vicksburg District Vittles – Mississippi River Chicken & Dumplings
Wednesday – New Orleans District Nosh
Thursday – BBQ Byway
Fishy Friday River Style
Bring the taste of The Shack from Arkansas to your house.
Today I wanted to give you some suggestions from both ends of this flood with a BBQ focus. Some are straight sauces while others are “different” dishes. Many of these could be used to serve a tasting menu of several different styles with each person getting one rib of each style.
Menu
Regional Lists
Bill’s Barbeque – Tour of the Southeastern US differences in sauce.
Southern Cooking by State – Quick category page to search the region on Allrecipes.com
Favorite Barbecue Sauce Recipes – Mega list of recipes from around the web. Only one is on the below list.
Kentucky
Owensboro Mutton Barbecue Sauce makes for a good flavor base for Burgoo, the traditional western Kentucky stew rich with vegetables and bold flavors.
Western Kentucky Pork Barbecue Sauce – Ketchup with dry mustard and other spices.
River Watch Week – New Orleans District Nosh
With the Army Corps of Engineers taking the Flood Fight 2011 – Operation Watershed downriver we will take a culinary tour of the affected areas:
Monday – Memphis District Munchies – Elvis Meatloaf
Tuesday – Vicksburg District Vittles – Mississippi River Chicken & Dumplings
Wednesday – New Orleans District Nosh
Thursday – BBQ Byway
Fishy Friday River Style
Cheese Grits makes a soft landing for the bold regional flavors.
Here are some city classics and country favorites to add to your dinner plan on days you crave upscale creole as well as those you need down home comfort Cajun.
Menu
Creole vs. Cajun
The Roots of Cajun and Creole Cuisine – There are no quick listings of the difference… it’s a history lesson… but worth the read.
John Besh’s Creole Seasoning – great combination that is light on salt.
Grillades: Cajun vs. Creole – Nice explanation of how this dish differs from North to South and from back woods to country fair.
Entrée
Crawfish Etouffee – works for shrimp as well.
River Watch Week – Vicksburg District Vittles – Mississippi River Chicken and Dumplings
With the Army Corps of Engineers taking the Flood Fight 2011 – Operation Watershed down river we will take a culinary tour of the affected areas:
Monday – Memphis District Munchies – Elvis Meatloaf
Tuesday – Vicksburg District Vittles – Mississippi River Chicken & Dumplings
Wednesday – New Orleans District Nosh
Thursday – BBQ Byway
Fishy Friday River Style
Creamy soup, moist chicken, and chewy soft dumplings.
The original recipe from RecipeArchive.net calls for boiling a whole chicken, picking off the meat and building the soup with Cream of Chicken soup. Here I have used leftover white meat from a previous post (2 May 2011 Dinner News – Abbottabad, Pakistan) and created a simple milk gravy in place of the canned soup.
If you have 6 people to serve this is a great single meal. If not, I have included my method for individually freezing dumplings and storing the soup in separate containers for later use.
Ingredients
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River Watch Week – Vicksburg District Vittles
With the Army Corps of Engineers taking the Flood Fight 2011 – Operation Watershed downriver we will take a culinary tour of the affected areas:
Monday – Memphis District Munchies – Elvis Meatloaf
Tuesday – Vicksburg District Vittles – Mississippi River Chicken & Dumplings
Wednesday – New Orleans District Nosh
Thursday – BBQ Byway
Fishy Friday River Style
Creamy Comfort Food on a rainy spring day.
This district comprises Southeastern Arkansas, Mississippi and Northern Louisiana. The coast is dotted with classic southern diners and upscale fusion restaurants providing for both old and new world flavors wherever you travel. I tried to select from lighter and less fried dishes and found some new gems I had never heard of… enjoy!
Menu
Entrée
Smoked Chicken and Dumplings – add some flair to a Southern tradition.
Mississippi River Chicken and Dumplings – Traditional boiled chicken with flat noodle dumplings.
Mississippi Delta Tamales – Great step by step pictures of filling and assembly with the History of Hot Tamale in Mississippi available at the same blog.
Plate Lunch – More of a philosophy than a recipe, hot meat, choice of potato, choice of vegetable, and biscuit or biscuit. This blog provides a nice look at menus and happenings around Oxford Mississippi.
Side Dish
Barbecue Rice – Served as part of the Gillett Coon Supper in Arkansas. This event was a popular school fundraiser that drew people from all over the state for Raccoon, corn, rice, and even ham for the squeamish.
Comeback dressing – Between a Remoulade and Thousand Island this salad dressing can also be used as a sandwich spread or a variety of entrée creations.
Hearty Black Eyed Pea Dirty Rice – Could also be an entrée with ground beef, bacon and sausage.
Dessert
Mississippi Mud Pie – Four different recipes including one that has coconut.
Arkansas Oatmeal Cake – Brown sugar and cinnamon with pecan topping
River Watch Week – Memphis District Munchies – Elvis Meatloaf
With the Army Corps of Engineers taking the Flood Fight 2011 – Operation Watershed down river we will take a culinary tour of the affected areas:
Monday – Memphis District Munchies – Elvis Meatloaf
Tuesday – Vicksburg District Vittles – Mississippi River Chicken & Dumplings
Wednesday – New Orleans District Nosh
Thursday – BBQ Byway
Fishy Friday River Style
Serve coated in sauce with classic southern sides.
This Paula Dean version of Elvis’ favorite meatloaf makes for a light and cheesy alternative to tomato based classics. Paula’s recipe called for a condensed soup based sauce, but I decided to go old school and build it from scratch sans salt.
Ingredients
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River Watch Week – Memphis District Munchies
With the Army Corps of Engineers taking the Flood Fight 2011 – Operation Watershed downriver we will take a culinary tour of the affected areas:
Monday – Memphis District Munchies – Elvis Meatloaf
Tuesday – Vicksburg District Vittles – Mississippi River Chicken & Dumplings
Wednesday – New Orleans District Nosh
Thursday – BBQ Byway
Fishy Friday River Style
Elvis meatloaf with a Paula Dean twist for a light and cheesy lunch.
From Cairo, Illinois in the North to the mouth of the White River in Arkansas the Army Corps of Engineers Memphis District is the center of as levees are blasted and the Mississippi spills from its banks. Here are some suggestions on local fare you might find as you travel the Great River Road.
Menu
Regional Recipe Guides
Southern Illinois Outdoor Magazine
Elvis Recipe Postcard Collection – 13 recipes published as a series. There are other places on the web that the recipes are easier to read, but this is the only place that may have all of them in one place.
Entrée
Cheeseburger Meatloaf and Sauce – Paula Dean’s spin on Elvis’ recipe.
Slow Cooker Rotisserie Style Memphis Chicken – Spiced whole chicken cooked dry on aluminum foil balls in a slow cooker.
Brunch News Sunday – Käsewähe
Ease into the week with a tart that is cheesier than the average quiche and easily customized with your choice of bacon and onion.
It looks like a simple combination, but there are many options on this theme to play with… Spanish onions, turkey bacon, and a rich Emmental? Sweet Vidalia / Walla Walla, thick cut applewood bacon, and a local smoked Swiss? I used a double smoked hickory bacon with a plain swiss and some baby Vidalia, but the combinations are endless.
The original recipe calls for a single tart pan with a removable bottom, but I decided to make it more leftover friendly by creating two 2-person serving size dishes. With a bright leafy salad or fresh fruit cup it makes a relaxing meal. If you would like to use this as a starter for dinner some regional suggested dishes can be found in the Fat Tuesday 2011 in Switzerland post.
Ingredients
Dinner Table Diplomacy 