The Houston Livestock Show recently announced the stars appearing in their show lineup this year celebrating their 93rd anniversary. Wow – what an achievement for that institution. My heroes have always been cowboys, so this girl has attended many of the parades, livestock shows, entertainers’ shows and even a cook-off or two. But thinking about the 93rd year of the iconic rodeo reminds me of my leatherbound commemorative cookbook from their 50-year anniversary.
I know the best recipe for beer batter shrimp I ever tasted (and the only one I use) came out of that book. I didn’t remember much more about the book, so I pulled it out to refresh my memory of what was in it. A treasure trove of delectable things awaited my rediscovery. It was a collection of history and recipes reflecting the spirit and dedication of an organization whose purpose was to benefit the youth in the community.
This cookbook was copyrighted in 1981 and was published in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. It was the culmination of a two-year long project of the ladies of the Go Texas Committee. All sales of the book benefited the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. I know I paid $50 for mine. (When I worked for Texaco a million years ago, the assistant head drafter’s partner worked on the book sales.)
Besides the recipes – some from the entertainers and the rest from the Go Texan Committee members and executive board who put on the event each year – it contains: a short history from its inception in 1932 until the 1982 50-year anniversary; a list of the stars who played the event and what years they played; and a reminder of what the event was all about. It has always benefited the youth and supported education.
The inside covers of the book list the sites of the event and when they played there: Sam Houston Hall, 1932-1936; Sam Houston Coliseum 1938-1965 (I saw Rin-Tin-Tin, Lorne Green, Dan Blocker, Chuck Connors and Johnny Crawford, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans there among others.); and the Astrodome complex from 1966-1982.
The cookbook is split in sections: one section for history, one section for a list of all the celebrities and when they played the rodeo, one for recipes for the celebrities, one section for recipes from the World Championship Bar-B-Q Cook-off, one for the recipes from the committee and one section on how to find things.
They commemorate special remembrances of celebrities who played the rodeo. For instance, 1942 was the first year a major celebrity became an attraction. Gene Autry and his horse Champion made their first appearance (of many) that year. And in 1970, Elvis Presley ushered in a group of bigger celebrities who appealed to more people than country western fans.
But the book was mostly recipes, and it is interesting how differently we cook today. I thought you might like to have a recipe or two from the book. The first one is from the celebrity section, from sausage magnate Jimmy Dean (rodeo star 1966, 1967). His recipe’s first ingredient is – you guessed it – some of his brand sausage.
Sausage Cream Cheese Balls
4 ounces Jimmy Dean sausage
4 ounces cream cheese
1 tablespoon chopped green olives
Parmesan cheese
Crumble and slowly cook sausage over medium heat in skillet. Drain off excess fat. Mix cooked sausage with cream cheese. Add chopped olives. Form into bite sized balls. Roll in Parmesan cheese. Serve on toothpicks. Makes approximately 1½ dozen balls.
And below is the best beer batter you will ever use on fish or shrimp (I threw everything else away when I found this). This recipe is from Lynn Stephens, one of the ladies who put together the cookbook. Happy Anniversary Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Here’s wishing I’ll be around to celebrate the 100th with you.
Beer Batter Shrimp
2 pounds fresh, cleaned shrimp
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons of paprika
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 can (12 ounce) warm beer
Peanut oil
Combine flour, paprika, pepper and salt in mixing bowl. Beat in beer a little at a time. Batter will be thin. Dip shrimp in flour and then in beer batter. Deep fry in peanut oil at 400 degrees, 2 minutes or until golden brown.
