Carolyn is a very special mother, because she is Debbie’s (our pastry chef’s) mom.  Carolyn was born in Magnolia, Arkansas in 1929.  She spent most of her adult life in Texas – first Austin and then Houston.  While she moved here to Portland in 1995, we’ve deemed Carolyn our Texas mother.

She was a Medical Technologist and working mother of four before there were convenience foods, take-out services and deliveries, so most of Carolyn’s cooking revolved around easy-to-make dinners for her family.  She was a Southern mother – so fried chicken, catfish and hush puppies had to make it to the table – at least a few times a month.

Now 71, Carolyn vividly recalls when she was young, every week a man with live chickens in the back of a horse drawn cart would pull up in front of her house and ask her mother “Miss Hester, how many chickens will you be needin’ today?”  Her mother would always take three, and the children would watch as he snapped their necks, plucked and cleaned them — all within fifteen minutes. Hester would pay her thirty cents per chicken, take them to the kitchen, and immediately proceed to fry them right up for the family.  We didn’t buy our chickens live off a horse drawn cart, but hope you find them as tasty !

Enjoy, ya’ hear

M.O.M. Menu

Breakfast

Biscuits & Gravy

two homemade baking powder biscuits topped with gravy

Lunch

Cornmeal-Crusted Catfish Po’ Boy

on a roll with tartar sauce & coleslaw, served with french fries

Texas Chili

coarsely ground “Painted Hills” beef, slow-cooked with spices and pinto beans, topped with cheddar cheese & green onions

Dinner

Fried Chicken

with gravy, smashed red potatoes & braised greens

Cornmeal-Crusted Catfish

with housemade tartar sauce, hush puppies (cornmeal fritters) & braised greens

Texas Chili

coarsely ground “Painted Hills” beef, slow-cooked with spices and pinto beans, topped with cheddar cheese & green onions

Dessert

Praline Cheesecake

topped with one of Debbie’s homemade pralines

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