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Most of the time, my son would taste them at least, even though I might not, and sometimes he loved them. Even though his dad died 31 years ago, the recipes are still occasionally cooked and never forgotten.

So, in memory of John R. Williamson, a Korean War veteran, let’s get started.

FRIED GREEN TOMATOES

Each year, my dad looked forward to the tomatoes fresh from our garden. As soon as the green ones appeared, the fried green tomatoes that we all loved appeared on the table.

6 green tomatoes, 2/3 cup flour, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup milk, 4 tbsps butter.

Cut tomatoes into 1/2-inch slices after washing them well. In a bowl, mix together flour, salt and pepper to taste, and milk. Melt butter — or use oil — in a fry pan. Coat the tomato slices on both sides with the flour mixture and place in the heated oil. Fry on both sides until lightly browned. Drain on paper towels, keeping warm until served.

Use the remaining flour mixture to make a gravy in the fry pan drippings, stirring quickly to keep from burning — removing from heat when slightly thickened. At this point you can add sugar if you like. I like mine as is with a little spicy mayo.

SWEET POTATO PIE

My dad would eat cake or cookies, but he loved homemade pie of any type. Mom would always make pies “from scratch� for the family for this reason. One of his favorites was sweet potato pie.

THE CRUST: mix 4 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups shortening, 1 tablespoon white sugar and dash of salt, Set aside. Then mix 1 beaten egg with 1/2 cup cold water and 1 tbsp vinegar. Combine flour mixture with egg mixture and mix into dough. This will make 5 to 6 (9 inch) size crust. Store left-over dough, wrapped in saran wrap, in the refrigerator.

FILLING: Cream together 1 stick softened butter with 1/2 cup brown sugar and add 2 cups mashed sweet potatoes and 3 slightly beaten eggs. Mix well and add 1/3 cup corn syrup, 1 can evaporated milk, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp lemon extract, and 1 tsp vanilla. Mix well and pour into unbaked pie crust. Bake in preheated 425-degree oven for 10 minutes, reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue to bake for 45 to 50 minutes . Remove from the oven and sprinkle with nutmeg to taste.

SWEET POTATO BUSCUITS

While we are on the subject of Sweet Potatoes, Mom’s sweet potato biscuit recipe was one of Dad’s favorites and mine too.

2 1/2 cups biscuit mix, 1/3 cup soft butter, 1 cup mashed sweet potato, 1/2 cup milk.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine biscuit mix with butter, sweet potato and milk. Mix until soft dough forms. Pour dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead 3 to 4 times only. Break off balls of dough, shape into biscuits and place in an ungreased baking pan. Make about 18 biscuits, and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

OYSTER STUFFING

Oyster stuffing was another one of Dad’s favorites and was present at every holiday dinner.

1/2 cup chopped celery, 1/2 cup chopped onions, 1 bay leaf, 1/4 cup butter, 6 cups dry breadcrumbs, 1 tbsp dry parsley, 3 cups fresh shucked oysters, 2 beaten eggs, 1 tsp poultry seasoning, 1 tsp salt, dash black pepper.

In a medium saucepan cook celery, onions, bay leaf and butter, but do not brown. Discard the bay leaf and stir in breadcrumbs and parsley. Drain the juice from oysters, reserving the juice. Mix oysters in breadcrumbs along with eggs, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Mix lightly and add some of the reserved oyster juice, if necessary, for a moist dressing. Stuff the bird — turkey or oven stuffer hen — with this mixture or bake in a casserole dish. If stuffing a bird bake according to package directions or bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes in a casserole dish.

OYSTER FRITTERS

For as long as I can remember, my dad loved oyster fritters. Whether from carnivals, church Sunday dinners or home made by my Mom, you’d find him with a stack. He would buy a bushel of fresh-dredged oysters and opened them as needed, and my mom would make the fritters.

1/2 cup flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, 1 beaten egg, 1/2 cup milk, 1-1 1/2 pints fresh oysters.

In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. In another bowl mix together egg and milk. Combine the dry ingredients with the egg mixture and stir until you have a smooth batter. Gently stir in oysters, adding additional reserved oyster liquor if needed. Pour oil in a large fry pan over medium high heat, using a large spoon drop in hot oil. Fry until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Serve hot.

LIVER AND ONIONS

This is the one dish my parents didn’t make me eat when they had it. I can still see the purplish brown meat laying on the cutting board waiting to be cooked. I did try it a few times but couldn’t do it. Still can’t.

LIVER: ⅓ cup cooking oil, 1 lb calf beef liver, 1½ cups all purpose flour, 1½ tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tsp onion powder, ¼ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp paprika, 1 sliced large onion. GRAVY: 2 tbsps of seasoned flour reserved from dredging the liver meat, 1½ cup water, ½ cup milk.

Preheat a large skillet over medium heat; add cooking oil and heat to 350 degrees. In a shallow dish, mix the flour, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and paprika. Dredge the liver slices in the seasoned flour, shaking off excess. If you wish to cut the liver slices in half, do so while in flour mixture as it is easier to handle without tearing the meat. Place the dredged liver slices into the skillet. Reserve a couple tablespoons of the seasoned flour for gravy and discard the rest. Sear the liver slices for 3-4 minutes per side until browned (overcooking can make liver tough). Remove from the pan and set aside on a paper-towel-lined sheet pan to remove excess grease. Next, add the onions and cook until softened or caramelized (about 5 minutes), stirring occasionally. Be sure to scrape the tasty bits from the bottom of the skillet. Next, add 2 tbsps of the reserved seasoned flour to the pan with the onions and stir to incorporate with the onions and pan drippings. Allow the mixture to cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the water and milk to the pan and stir to combine with the onion and flour mixture. The gravy will not be thick at this time. Return the liver to the skillet and reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes until the gravy is thickened. Taste the gravy and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve liver, onions and hot gravy with your favorite sides. On our table was usually some sort of green veggie like green beans, string beans, collard greens with vinegar. Liver night was the night I ate bologna and cheese.

Black eyed peas on New Year’s Day, Muskrat, rabbit, squirrel just about any wild game my father loved. A true lover of Eastern Shore of Maryland cuisine, most of this stuff he carried with him through the years. Growing up poor in a large family, dinner was whatever they caught, grew, trapped or shot. Ice water or a cup of coffee was the usual drink and sometimes a Coca Cola.

I hope you enjoyed these recipes and a few stories about my father.