Books'nSundries

        The MILLER/PAVLISKA          MEMORYBOOK and COOKBOOK!
(ze BIG 'un)
Compiled, written and published by Emil T. Miller

* Check out the great Czechoslovakian recipe near the bottom of this page!     (Click to Enlarge)

     Here it is! This is it! This is the Whole Enchilada! For me the culmination of a lifetime of cooking and collecting recipes and much much more. We call it the MILLER/PAVLISKA FAMILY COOKBOOK and MEMORYBOOK - (*) see below as to how to get one. Not only does this big 500+ page book give all the most cherished recipes of my Miller family and Shirley's Pavliska family, it gives some of both families recipes dating back time out of mind to our old countries of origin in Europe plus scads of pictures.   It also includes both our family's more recent history by tracing our own life together as Shirley and I interacted with her family in Texas over a period of the last 45 years. It contains numerous old and recent photos, family stories and anecdotes which are not written down anywhere else. Unfortunately, since all my family and roots are in Georgia and since I spent most of my adult life in Texas there is not nearly as much about my own relatives in the book except for my mother and father who we moved out to Austin, Texas to be with us in 1964. To my knowledge this book also contains all the family history that is known of the Pavliska and Silhavy families who came to this country from Czechoslovakia in 1890 and 1892 respectively - thanks mostly to the hard work of Marie, wife of Sonny (Frank) Pavliska.
    The only other such Pavliska information is the booklet containing the Genealogy work done by Marie Pavliska, wife of Shirley's oldest brother Frank (Sonny), without which little would be known as to the particulars of their origins, and we thank Marie for her time and effort. This information is included in this Family Cookbook as well. All of Shirley's brothers and sisters have been given a copy of this book gratis, as it existed upon the original dedication to her mother Rose (Silhavy) Pavliska who still lives in Liberty, Texas. However, those of both families should know that the book has been considerably upgraded since then with more recipes, photos and family information, and the final edition is now available for any who might want one. Mrs. Pavliska, who passed away about the age of 87 (she herself was not sure exactly how old she was). As it stands now, the book is better balanced with more of my own family information and photos, and so it is now in joint dedication as a joint memorial to my mother as well, Mary Montez (Brock) Miller, who passed away at age 64 in 1976.
     As far as the recipes, there are so many also because one of my many interests and hobbies in life has been cooking and the collecting of recipes wherever I have lived, worked or traveled, including Mexico, Canada and a certain country down in South America (see my book: Once Upon a Time in South America). So in this regard I can assure you that each and every one of them are quality recipes, tried and true, and they also include all the dishes each area is famous for, such as; the Deep South, the New England states, the Midwest, the Southwest, and the far West (and south of the the border as well) - plus many from the Czechoslovakia of Old Europe. Also given are a raft of cooking hints and suggestions along with many famous sayings and quotations. For those who have not seen it I truly believe you will find it entertaining and informative whether you are a member of either family or not, because in addition to all the recipes there are things of value and interest between its covers I believe everyone can use.
      We will give yet another recipe out of the book below this introduction (just scroll on down), and include some other excerpts from the forewords of it as well. Other family members and their grandchildren, along with other folks in general (* - see below) who may want a copy, can contact us as to how they can get one.

                                                              ...© Emil T. Miller (Tony Miller)
                                                                                           (Click here for AUTHOR'S BIO)

(*) NOTE: I will produce a complete book for anyone, either family or non-family - in color, spiral bound and with covers laminated, on my computer/printing equipment for for my materials cost only if you are a family member - a little more for my time, otherwise. Please click on the buttons above, either (FOR SALE), or (The Author's Bio then scroll down) for the pricing and how to order.
...Tony

The kitchen stands quiet. No raucous rattlings emerge.
Children lick their lips, as play and suppertime converge.

Momma putters in the garden, quiet hope in her breast,
Hunger pangs won't beg her pardon, nor leftovers put to the test.

She knows what none of the others do;
Daddy's note was found left hanging,
by the pot ready for stew:
"Gone Hunting."

© Emil T. Miller (Tony)

Here is an excerpt from the FOREWORDS of our Cookbook, followed by a favorite and much-loved, age-old Czechoslovakian recipe: Brram Bodevo Padifco, which dates back time out of mind:

           ~THE RECIPES and OUR FAMILIES~
                                                        by Emil T. Miller (Tony)

      A brief history and background of OUR RECIPES in this book - and of OUR FAMILIES:

The following recipes all represent main, traditional, most authentic, most used and most recognized recipes from all over the country, but the emphasis is on two specific and general areas - those areas which are the "stomping grounds" of the Miller/Brock family in Northwestern Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee (the Southern recipes), and those of the Pavliska/Silhavy family in Southeastern Texas, Southwestern Louisiana (the Southwestern recipes), and Czechoslovakia. I give the following brief synopses as a background and setting for the majority of the recipes contained in this book:

SOUTHERN:    Miller/Brock

    The original Colonies of what is now the South and Deep South, were populated by far predominately by people from Ireland and to a lesser extent, Scotland, and this long before the later influx of people from Ireland beginning in 1847 which was caused by the "Great Potato Famine" there. I don’t know that anyone can place the exact percentage today but it is safe to say that it was more than 70 percent. In declining order the rest came from Scotland, England, and to a minor extent France and Spain (small numbers of Spaniards came to Florida).
     From all along the Southeastern Seaboard these people and their offspring gradually pioneered westward, primarily settling the states of Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico, with a significant number going farther, many all the way to California and Oregon. The majority of those who died at the Alamo fighting for Texas’ independence were from Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama in that order, and of those more than 80% have Scotch/Irish family names. Texas’ first governor (Sam Houston) had also been governor of Tennessee, and it was he who led the Texans to victory at the Battle of San Jacinto.
     It is no wonder then, that all our Country and Western music, dancing & clogging, and most of their musical instruments can be traced specifically back to their roots in the original Scotch-Irish settlers of the South and Deep South who brought all these things with them from the old countries. If you say "Southern" or "Southwestern", then you must also think and say "Irish/Celtic".
     Other of their traditions are readily traced back as well, such as the making of their own whiskey, all feeling the government has no right to either prevent it or tax it, and for most, these beliefs they have always held are no different today than when "moonshining" was in its heyday in my youth. Only the times and methods have changed, those so inclined not having changed their ways in the least. After all, it was from such (and other) oppressions that our Irish/Celtic ancestors came searching for freedom in the first place. Unfortunately many also brought with them their family feuds which went so far back as to be out of mind as to the original reasons for them in the first place (the Hatfield/McCoy feud being the most notorious).
   The Irish have always been noted also for their contradictory behavior and qualities; hard-working, hard-drinking and honesty, love of music, dancing, good times, and fighting; whiskey-making; friendliness and congeniality; Christianity, respect for virtuous women, loyalty, and a strict sense of family and strong family bonds. All these things to some extent or another, I can personally verify and have witnessed in my own Miller/Brock families as I grew up (early on, my own father would rather fight than eat, and sadly, until his health went south on him when I was about 13 years of age, "pop-skull" whiskey (moonshine) was his frequent companion).
     Indeed, all these facts are so recognized and established that at the insistence of the Celtic peoples of the South the Federal Government purchased and set aside a vast area in the lower Blue Ridge Mountain chain that extends into East Tennessee (The Great Smokey Mountain National Park), in order to preserve that representative area of original pioneer Irish/Celtic homesteads along with their traditions and way of life. This Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area of Tennessee now has by far the largest visitorship of any place in the country - over 4 million people a year come to tour and enjoy these beautiful mountain areas so rich in so much of our country’s early history, and so colorful - especially in the fall of the year.
     The first Brock ancestor (Reuben O’Brock the Ist, or an earlier one) may well have been an original colonist, since he settled near Jamestown, Virginia. He was living there in 1742 as shown by public records still existing, and a son of his (Reuben O’Brock II) later fought in the American Revolution, drawing a small pension for his service in his later years. It is established that the Millers of my family came over from Scotland, but at the time of this writing my son Max had only traced specifically back as far as the late 1700's to Charles Miller from Glasgow, Scotland. Many of BOTH these families fought and some died (including my Great Grandfather James Daniel Brock) in the War for Southern Independence (also known incorrectly as the so-called "Civil War", mis-named purposely at the time, the misnomer continued today by the Liberal politicians for obvious reasons).
     Most of the Miller/Brock Family, both of which are of all SCOTCH/IRISH/CELTIC descent, finally settled primarily in an area where three states converge; Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama. Both sides of my particular immediate family lived for the most part in Carroll and Haralson Counties in the state of Georgia, Carrollton being the county seat of Carroll County where I was mostly raised and attended school. Their recipes in this book are true, genuine traditional Southern/Irish dishes predominant to this day in this three-state area and in the Deep South in general.

SOUTHWESTERN/CZECH: Pavliska/Silhavy:

     The area generally considered the "Southwest" is almost entirely taken up by the state of Texas and most of Oklahoma, Southwestern Louisiana, and New Mexico. Originally this area that is now Texas was claimed by Mexico who first made a feeble attempt to colonize it. This effort largely failed and was pre-empted by the migration of the predominately Irish pioneers from the original Southern Colonies moving westward in wanderlust and in search of new land to settle. These new settlers along with the original Spanish settlers already living there became incensed at their harsh and non-representative treatment by the Mexican government, declared their independence, then side by side they fought for it, and then won it decisively at the Battle of San Jacinto, just a scant 10 miles from where my dear wife Shirley (Pavliska) Miller was born and raised at Liberty, Texas just southeast of Houston. Thus was born the Lone Star Republic of Texas.
     Being a fresh new country then, it took the notice of the world and many Europeans began thinking of immigrating there. Later when Texas gave what is now Colorado and southern Wyoming to the United States in return for admittance into the Union, it became a state; the Lone Star State of Texas. In subsequent years Texas became the fortunate beneficiary of large numbers of good people with hardy pioneering spirits from Poland, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Sweden, and even Acadian Nova Scotia (these people are now called "Cajuns") and other countries, all seeking freedom and escape from the religious and class oppressions of their homelands in the “Old Countries”.
     Texas is arguably richer in its many different and wonderful ancestries than any place in the country. Each of the prominent groups of immigrants with their abundant traditions have come together to form what I believe to be the most tightly knit state in terms of pride of being both Texans specifically, and Americans in general, in loyalty to both country and state, and feeling of oneness and personal independence than any other, while still retaining and honoring the character and flavor of their ancestry and traditions. Anyone coming to Texas (as did I in 1956), if to make their home there, is immediately accepted as a Texan and made to feel that he "belongs" (Pod’nah, if ya hang y’re hat heah, you’re a Texan!). I myself, having spent most of my adult life in Texas, consider myself more a Texan than a Georgian, even though I was born and raised in Georgia. Contrast this with Colorado for instance, where those moving there to live are given the cold shoulder and treated rudely for years before finally being "accepted", if ever, in certain places.
     Texas, and especially the area around Liberty, the place of Shirley’s childhood home, is unbelievably rich in the ethnic foods and traditions of such a diverse number of ancestral areas of the world that it is rather amazing. Each contrasting yet contributing to the overall quality and flavor of life so as to make it an intensely interesting and enjoyable place to such as me. In that one area alone can be found people of French Acadian, Polish, Czechoslovakian, Spanish, German, English, Swedish, and Irish descent, as well as others.
     The Pavliska/Silhavy families, both of which, according to Marie Pavliska’s book "The Pavliskas ‘Who We Are'", are of all CZECHOSLOVAKIAN descent (Bohemian and Moravian), settled in this Southeastern area of Texas and Southwestern Louisiana which includes Wharton, Galveston, Beaumont, Liberty, Baytown, and in Louisiana, Lake Charles and Alexandria, and in the rural areas and smaller communities of that whole general area. Both the Silhavy and the Pavliska families immigrated to this area of the United States in the 1880's and 1890's respectively. Shirley’s immediate family settled at various times in Wharton, East Bernard, Dayton and Liberty, Texas and near Alexandria, Louisiana (outside of Pineville). Their wonderful, age-old recipes in this book are all genuine traditional Southwestern/Czechoslovakian dishes predominant today in these particular areas of Texas and Louisiana, and the Southwest in general.   Scroll on down for a cherished recipe called Brram Bodevo Padifco (a brown potato soup) from Ms. Rose (Silhavy) Pavliska.

                                                                  ...© Emil T. Miller (Tony Miller)
                                                                                                                               (Click here for AUTHOR'S BIO)

My beloved PAVLISKA family, PLEASE NOTE: Shirley and I (and all three of our children) would very much like to see one or more of her many Pavliska brothers and sisters take up the task of running the Pavliska/Silhavy genealogies back in depth, going back for things such as the family crest, seal, tartan, or Coat of Arms, etc., and tracing the ancient roots of the family in Europe. Sonny has recently passed away, but his wife Marie has done great work on some of this already, as pertains to our immediate Pavliska family (all of you have a copy of her book), without which we would know almost nothing of the family roots and history. I myself have been so enmeshed in such things of my Miller/Brock family and my trips to Southeast Asia researching for my next book that I am now burnt out at it, and Shirley is not yet adept at computers or such work.

* "Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did, and it never will. Find out just what people will submit to, and you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them; and these will continue till they have resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they suppress."
...Frederick Douglas

* "Always do your best. This will gratify some and astonish the rest."
...Mark Twain

* FEATURED RECIPE for this page:

BRRAM BODEVO PADIFCO
(Brown Potato Soup)

English slang by the Pavliska children: "BROWN BOOTY"

(This could be described in English as POTATO SOUP made with a browned roux)

                            From: ROSE (Silhavy) PAVLISKA   (NeNaw)

     This is an age-old Czech dish, the fare of the common people, is tasty yet quickly made from the economical and readily available ingredients all country folk had in the Old Country. One might say it is a "soul food" of the Czech people and their descendants. Just good country cooking. It is a quick and fast, tasty, rib-sticking soup Shirley ate and learned to fix as a young girl. She made this for me and her all our married life, and our children loved it as well.
     Growing up at home, neither Shirley nor any of her brothers and sisters could pronounce the name of this dish in the language of the old country which their parents sometimes used, so they simply called it "Brown Booty".
     ...It is curious to note that to this day, except for this Irishman and Mrs. Pavliska, that family still could not say the name of this dish in Czech (maybe I can because it has Irish potatoes in it)! Not knowing the correct spelling, I have spelled it here phonetically (Mrs. P did not know how to spell it either), but this should enable everyone to say it correctly if you roll the "r"s a little bit.

INGREDIENTS:
6 medium Potatoes, cubed
1 large Yellow Onion, chopped large, course and pulled apart
6 thick slices Summer Sausage (the kind about 1 inch in diameter - otherwise cut
     the slices into smaller pieces but not too small.
2 heaping tblspns. Regular Flour
2 heaping tblspns. Shortening
Salt and Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
     Fill a big stock pot with about 2 quarts of water (add more if needed). Add potatoes, onions, and summer sausage, Cook until the potatoes are almost done. As this is going, in a large skillet put the shortening, and when hot add flour and stir until the mixture is brown. Add this to the soup in the stock pot and stir well (it will turn the soup a light brown), then turn the heat off (make sure the potatoes were just done, so they won’t be mushy).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bless us, O Lord, and these thy gifts
Which we are about to receive
Through thy bountiful hands.
In Christ’s name,
Amen

{This Website was Designed and Created by ©Tony Miller}
    ~ Shamrock Creations ~
    "Nice websites at sensible prices"
           Contact:    1Shamrock@bigfoot.com

                                                                              © All Copyrights, Emil T. Miller
                                                                                         All rights reserved.
No part of these books or articles may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the author, unless otherwise indicated here, or, upon availability, when purchased as an E-Book and used accordingly.
    PLEASE NOTE: To our knowledge, none of the other material on this site infringes on the rights of others, and exists in the public domain. Should any be found otherwise it is not intentional, and will promptly be removed upon notification and request.