Do you have a recipe that’s just for the family? We share a few.

Recent stormy weather brought back memories of Hurricane Katrina. Some of the treasured items that Coastians missed were their cookbooks, especially family and local ones.

Two of the deluge of Katrina books were two cookbooks published by Volunteer Gulf Coast and Sheila Vahey and Jill Bloomer with help from Coast kids. These cookbooks were symbolizing that life goes on and the resiliency of the Coast and its people.

Both cookbooks were dedicated the folks of South Mississippi and contain recipes that were lost or simply good, old-fashioned ones.

In “Cooking Up Some Relief,” Vahey and Bloomer write in their dedication: “To our families and friends on the Coast, our hearts are always with you. The Coast has always been so richly blessed with great cuisine, loving people, beautiful homes and nature’s most majestic landscapes and creatures. We know in our hearts it will soon return to that wonderful place we remember.

“Cooking Along the Coast” was four years from start to finish and contains recipes from friends, families, local and national volunteers and even some Coast restaurants.

These recipes are ones to pass on to future generations. They are tried and true.

Nutty lemon chicken

4 chicken breasts, halved

2 tablespoons oil

2 tablespoons oleo, melted

Salt, pepper, paprika

2/3 cup water

Pound chicken to flatten. Sprinkle with seasonings. Brown in skillet containing oil and oleo. Remove from skillet; add water to drippings.

Stir in:

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon lemon rind, grated

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Cook, stirring, till thick and smooth.

Place chicken in casserole and pour sauce over it.

Sprinkle:

Chopped pecans

Bake at 325 to 350 degrees about 30 minutes (till warm through). – Recipe by Aletha Burge in “Cooking Along the Coast”

New Orleans barbecued shrimp

16 jumbo shrimp (12 per pound about 1 1/2 pounds) with heads and unpeeled

1/2 cups Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

2 teaspoons Creole seasoning

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cubed

French bread as accompaniment

In a large skillet, combine shrimp, Worcestershire, lemon juice, black peppers, Creole seasoning and garlic and cook over moderately high heat until shrimp turn pink, about 1 minute on each side. Reduce heat to moderate and stir in butter, a few cubes at a time, stirring constantly and adding more only when butter is melted. Remove skillet from heat. Place shrimp in a bowl and pour sauce over top. Serve with French bread for dipping. Serves 2 as an entrée or 4 as an appetizer. – Recipe from Mr. B’s Bistro in “Cooking Along the Coast”

Seared tuna steaks with wasabi-green onion mayonnaise

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons minced green onions

1 teaspoon wasabi paste

2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar

4 (8 ounces each) tuna steaks (preferably ahi, each about 1-inch thick)

Vegetable oil

Whisk first 3 ingredients in small bowl to blend, adding more wasabi paste if desired. Cover and refrigerate.

Whisk teriyaki sauce, soy sauce and rice vinegar in small bowl to blend. Place tuna steaks in re-sealable plastic bag. Add teriyaki mixture, seal bag. Turn bag to coat. Let stand at room 30 minutes, turning bag occasionally.

Brush grill with vegetable oil. Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Drain tuna steaks. Grill tuna to desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium. Top each steak with 2 tablespoons wasabi mixture and serve. – Recipe by Diane Wolfkie from “Cooking Up Some Relief”

Jackie’s wild rice dressing

1/2 pound bulk sausage (Tennessee Pride)

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 pound fresh mushrooms

1/4 cup flour

1 box Uncle Ben’s Long Grain and Wild Rice

1 cup sour cream

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Cook sausage until well done. Drain and reserve 1/4 cup drippings. Sauté onion and mushrooms in reserved drippings. Remove mushrooms and add flour. Cook rice as directed in 1 cup chicken broth. When nearly done, add remaining ingredients. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. -- Recipe by Kimball Smallwood, Haley’s Bloomer’s grammy

Andrea Yeager can be reached at ayeager51@cableone.net/ and Cooks Exchange, 205 DeBuys Road, Biloxi, MS 39535-4567.