Honoring a loved one in the kitchen

Today would have been my brother Lyle’s 70th birthday. Unfortunately, he passed away ten years ago. Growing up, he always included me in the grownup activities. Being the best athlete in the family, he wasn’t afraid to take the youngest brother on his team and help him shine.

Like most of my brothers, Lyle was always at home in the kitchen. Our holiday gatherings featured some of the best cooks around. Since I can’t talk to him today, I want to honor him with the following recipes. The first is a classic, Chicken Stew. The second is a popular New Orleans soup, Oyster and Artichoke Soup. Lastly, I have a recipe for your sweet tooth, Peanut Butter Ice Box Pie. So gather up your ingredients, and Let’s head to the kitchen!

Chicken Stew

This is my version of a family favorite.Since I have been unable to find a copy of my mom’s recipe, I had to develop my own. You can add fresh potatoes in the last stage of cooking if you wish.

5 pound stewing hen, cut into pieces

Creole Seasoning

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 medium onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

4 cups chicken stock

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

Hot cooked rice

Season chicken with Creole seasoning. Heat oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat; add seasoned chicken and brown on both sides. Cover skillet with lid or foil and reduce heat to low; cook for 25 minutes, checking periodically to ensure nothing sticks or burns. Remove chicken and reserve.

Add flour to skillet with chicken drippings; whisk well. Increase heat to medium and cook, whisking constantly, 3 minutes or until roux is golden brown. Add onions, sauté 3 to 5 minutes or until translucent. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Deglaze with stock; bring to a boil, stirring well. Add parsley, thyme and reserved chicken; stir well. Return to a boil; cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 45 minutes or until chicken is tender. Serve over hot cooked rice.

Oyster and Artichoke Soup

This dish was created by the great chef Warren Leruth. My first meeting of my future sister-in-law, Laura was at a dinner at LeRuth’s 5-star restaurant. It was a wonderful treat for the family.

3 sticks butter

6 cups quartered artichoke hearts (reserve liquid)

½ gallon seafood stock

1 cup onions, diced

1 cup green onions, chopped

¾ cup flour

3 tablespoons lemon juice

¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese

½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon hot sauce

½ tablespoon oregano

½ teaspoon thyme

½ teaspoon salt

½ tablespoon white pepper

1 tablespoon granulated garlic

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 quart oysters, chopped

Melt butter and sauté onions until transparent. Add green onions and sauté for 2 minutes. Mix chicken stock and artichoke juice. Add flour to onions and stir with a wire whisk. Cook for 2 minutes. Add stock mixture and stir. Add artichokes, lemon juice and Parmesan cheese; stir. Add Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, oregano, thyme, salt, white pepper, granulated garlic, and brown sugar, sprinkling all of the ingredients over the entire area of soup to avoid clumping. Cook for 10 minutes on low temperature. Add oysters and cook for 5  minutes.

Peanut Butter Ice Box Pie

There is no way I would do a group of recipes honoring my brother and not include a peanut butter recipe. While on the wrestling team in high school, my brother was always eating spoonful after spoonful of peanut butter. To this day, that is how I eat most of the peanut butter I consume.

12 ounces cream cheese softened

16 ounce jar creamy peanut butter

1¼ cup sugar

1½ tablespoon melted butter

1½ teaspoon vanilla

8 ounce tub frozen whipped topping, thawed and divided

1 prepared chocolate graham cracker pie crust

In a large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, butter, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Fold in half of the whipped topping. Mound filling into piecrust and then smooth the top. Freeze for 10 minutes and then top with remaining topping. Chill at least 4 hours or freeze for at least 1 hour.

Each of these recipes hold a special memory of Lyle. Being the first of the siblings to pass away, he is greatly missed. He often posted quotes from Dr. Seuss. So I will end with a quote from Dr. Seuss’s book, Happy Birthday To You. “Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is your than you.”