Category: Family Recipes

Caitlin Parker
Springdale

Mano’s chicken & rice

1 cup of rice cook separately
After rice is cooked while it is steaming place a piece of bell pepper & cilantro with lid on let it sit to give it flavor.

Chop & salute until soft
1 green bell pepper
1 onion
2 celery stocks
2 packages of Sazon Goya

Then add:
cup of green peas
1 small jar of chopped pimentos with juice
1 teaspoon of capers

Mix with rice and another package of Sazon Goya

Add 1 cup baked/roasted shredded/chopped chicken and Stir to combine

Mano was my grandmother. She was from Panama, and her grandmother name suited her perfectly. “Mano” in Spanish means hand—and her hands were always in motion, always giving, always serving. Her home was the heartbeat of our family, the place where everyone gathered. At the center of it all sat her big, beautiful cherrywood oblong dining table, forever covered in dishes she made with love—especially her chicken and rice.

We lived about five hours away, so we often arrived late at night. But no matter how late it was, without fail, she was always there in the kitchen, perched on her little yellow Costco stool, preparing that chicken and rice so it would be ready the moment we walked through the door. Her hug and the smell of her chicken and rice the moment we walked in the door is a piece of her that will stay tucked in my heart forever. And of course, Mano served it with Lea & Perrins sauce sprinkled over the top—don’t forget that part! It’s essential. Yum.

Mano taught me what it means to serve, to host, to create, and to pass on traditions. She reminded me over and over how important it is to keep family connections alive, to hold onto our stories as we grow older. She believed deeply in storytelling and heritage sharing. After she was gone, she said, it would be up to us to carry the memories—and the recipes—forward.

Some of my core memories are of sitting up with her long past midnight, playing cards, talking about life, love, and loss—even when I was very small. Whenever I eat chicken and rice now, I can close my eyes and find myself right back at her table. I can feel everyone there—alive, laughing, sharing, creating—and it fills me with peace.

These are the recipes for love and life that she placed in my hands, and they will live in my heart forever.

John Ford
Winslow

Slice hard green tomatoes very thin with a mandoline or knife. Place in a bowl, sprinkle with a bit of salt and toss. Drain after five or ten minutes. Add some freshly ground black pepper, a few spoonfuls of drained capers, chopped fresh parsley and a glug of extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with a bit of lemon juice if you like things tart and serve.

Who doesn’t love green tomatoes dusted with cornmeal and fried golden brown? But when you are looking for something light and bright, this salad is quick and delicious!

Heather Artripe
Springdale, Ar

Granny Moody’s Egg Custard
Ingredients
4 lightly beaten eggs, room temperature
¾ C sugar
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 ½ C whole milk, room temperature
9 inch unbaked pie crust
Pinch ground nutmeg

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.

Place your pie crust in its dish on a baking sheet.

In a bowl, add eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla, and milk. Whisk to combine.

Place your baking sheet and pie crust in the oven, pull out the oven rack so you can pour your custard into it. Pour in the egg mixture. Carefully sprinkle with nutmeg.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.

This is the first thing I ever remember making. My Granny wasn’t keen on having anyone in her kitchen, until I came along. As soon as I was big enough to drag a chair across her kitchen floor, I was helping her create magical southern delicacies. We made at least one Egg Custard each week. She taught me a lot about cooking and life in her kitchen. That is where my love for cooking and teaching blossomed. I am the only person in our family now that makes them and they taste exactly like Granny Moody’s.