Lyons hopes to hand down cooking to kids
Food has always been a joy in Tarra Lyons’ life.
When she was growing up, her family would watch the Food Network together. It was their favorite thing to do together, Lyons said.
Lyons’ mother, Yolonda, would let her and her brother Xavier help in the kitchen.
Lyons, a lifelong Philadelphia resident, said she started cooking with her mom when she was 7 years old.
Now a mother of two boys, Jace and Korey, and her newborn baby girl, Xara, Lyons loves to cook for her own family, including her husband, Chris Lyons, who owns Lyons Heating & Cooling Services LLC in Philadelphia.
Lyons loves all kinds of food but some stand out more than others.
“Baked salmon with lemon Cajun butter and white rice,” is among her favorite foods and would be her last meal is she had to choose. The recipe is included below.
“I love anything with white rice and I love the flakiness of the salmon … I love to add garlic on the fish as well,” Lyons said.
Lyons credits her mother with passing on a love for white rice, which she said her mother served with almost every meal.
Lyons said her grandmother Evelyn Young, who died this spring, was also a big inspiration for her in the kitchen.
The turkey recipe featured in this article was her grandmother’s. Lyons, a stay-at-home mom, said she doesn’t have any particular hobbies other than raising her children. She loves to cook and hopes to pass on her love of cooking to her children.
MAMA’S CHICKEN AND RICE
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cup of rice
4 cups of chicken broth
2 cans or 1 large can of cream of chicken soup
1 pound of chicken of your choice, (breast, chicken legs or thighs)
1/2 large onion
1/2 tbsp. of black pepper
1 1/2 tbsp. of salt
1 tbsp. of garlic powder
1 tbsp. of onion powder
1 tbsp. of Tony’s creole seasoning
1/2 stick of butter
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse the chicken with water and pat dry. Season the chicken with black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, 1/2 tbsp. of salt, and Tony’s Creole Seasoning. Rub seasonings into the chicken, front and back. Set chicken aside.
Chop or slice onions (your choice). Set onions aside. In a large casserole dish, sprinkle rice into the dish. Add in chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, and 1 tbsp. of salt. Stir mixture. Add in chicken and onions on top of the chicken. Cut butter into pieces and sprinkle on top. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 1 1/2 - 2 hours.
TARRA’S BAKED
GARLIC CAJUN SALMON IN BUTTER SAUCE
INGREDIENTS:
1 large salmon filet
2 tsp of Tony's seasoning
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp of garlic powder
2 tsp of salt
1 sliced lemon
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup of water
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Scale and gently rinse the salmon filet. Pat dry. Season one side of salmon filet with 1 tsp of Tony’s seasoning, 1 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of garlic powder, 1 tsp of minced garlic. Flip salmon, sprinkle remaining seasoning on the other side of salmon, rub in both sides.
Place salmon in a large pan, place pats of butter and lemon slices on top of salmon. Add 1/2 cup of water into the pan. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove aluminum foil, increase the temperature to 400 degrees, bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until browned.
Serve with rice or/vegetable of your choice.
GRANDMA’S TURKEY
INGREDIENTS:
1 large turkey
2 sticks of butter (softened)
1 tbsp. of salt
1 tbsp. of seasoning salt
1 tbsp. of garlic salt
1 tsp of cayenne pepper
1 tbsp. of garlic powder
1 tbsp. of onion powder
1 tsp of black pepper
32 oz. of chicken broth
1 1/2 Chopped onions and bell peppers or 1 package of seasoning blend.
DIRECTIONS:
Rinse and clean the turkey. Pat Dry. Mix all seasonings in with the butter. Smear butter all over the turkey and under the skin. Let sit in the refrigerator overnight. Pour onions/bell peppers and chicken broth in a large roasting pan.
Add in turkey, cover with aluminum foil, bake overnight at 300 degrees for 7-8 hours, until tender.