This Friday, July 6th, is National Fried Chicken Day. You probably did not know that. As good Southerners, we should mark the date on our calendars.
When I think of classic Southern food, fried chicken is one of the first foods that pops in my mind.
Now I know that health wise, we should look for other ways to prepare our chicken. I also know that sometimes I just want a piece of chicken with the skin on it and fried in grease. I think you call that a “hankering.”
My son and my husband adore fried chicken. Any time there is a birthday or some other celebration in their honor, I know what to prepare — fried chicken. Their chicken piece of choice is fried chicken drummies.
I prepare about five packages so they will have leftovers the next day. It is quite a chore and takes almost all afternoon, but that is what I do for my “boys.” They tell me they can smell the chicken frying when they pull up in the driveway. Actually the aroma stays in my kitchen until the next day. I make a huge mess and I generally have to end up mopping the floor.
The accompanying vegetables may vary, but there is always rice and gravy.
My son’s birthday was last week, and we had fresh vegetables — squash, green beans with new potatoes, black-eyed peas, lima beans and cornbread.
There are a lot of different methods in preparing the chicken before you fry.
My grandmother always soaked the chicken pieces in salted ice water before she fried it. Some people soak the pieces in buttermilk overnight before frying. Paul Deen soaks hers in her favorite hot sauce.
A paper bag works well to use for flour and seasonings to coat the chicken before frying. Remember to throw away the bag and seasonings that have been in contact with the raw chicken.
Celebrate National Fried Chicken Day with your family.
I have been known to pick up chicken at the grocery or a drive-thru. I do love to cook, but there are only so many hours in the day.
I hope you and your families have a Happy Fourth of July.
We will have our annual family picnic and pool party complete with barbecue chicken and ribs, potato salad, slaw and baked beans.
The desserts will be well worth waiting for. I have included some classic desserts, as well as family favorites for this special holiday. I hope you can use them. Thanks for reading.
RED WHITE & BLUE COOKIES
1 cup vegetable shortening
½ cup sugar
1½ cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1¾ cup flour
½ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups oatmeal
4 tablespoons hot water
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup dried blueberries
1 (10 ounces) package white chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream shortening and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
Sift flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon together. Gradually add to creamed mixture.
Combine oatmeal and hot water and add to mixture.
Stir in cranberries, blueberries and white chocolate chips.
Drop by tablespoons onto a lightly greased cookie sheet.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Makes about 36 cookies.
*Great with homemade ice cream.
FOURTH of JULY FLAG CAKE
1 (6 ounces) package cherry Jell-O
1 (1 pound) loaf pound cake
2 (8 ounces) packages of cream cheese, softened
½ cup powdered sugar
2 cups whipping cream
1 pint fresh blueberries
1 pint fresh strawberries
Boil 1½ cups water.
In a glass dish, stir the water and gelatin until dissolved.
Add 2 cups cold water; stir and refrigerate for about 15 minutes. Jell-O needs to have begun to thicken, but still be loose enough to spread.
Spray a 13-x-9-inch baking dish with Pam.
Cut the pound cake into thin slices and lay them evenly on the bottom of the pan.
Spread the Jell-O mixture over the cake.
Refrigerate for several hours, until gelatin has set and formed a firm layer over the cake.
Beat together the cream cheese and powdered sugar until very fluffy.
Fold in the whipped cream.
Spread evenly to cover the gelatin layer.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.
About 30 minutes before serving, slice the strawberries in half.
Decorate the top of the cake in a flag patter, using the strawberries for the bars and the blueberries for the stars.
*Great fun for the young ones to help to decorate.
JAN JAN’S
HOMEMADE
ICE CREAM
Scald 2 quarts milk in a double boiler.
Prepare: 8 well-beaten eggs
2 cups sugar mixed with 2 tablespoons of flour
Mix eggs and sugar thoroughly.
Pour slowly over hot milk, stirring constantly.
Return to heat and cook slowly while stirring until custard coats the spoon.
Remove from stove and let cool.
Then add 2 tablespoons vanilla flavoring.
Let mixture get cold in refrigerator before freezing. Just before putting into ice cream freezer, add 2 cups whipping cream, slightly beaten.
*My mother-in-law makes two freezers of this every year. There is never even a spoonful left at the end of the day. It is worth the trouble.
HOMEMADE ORANGE SHERBERT
2 can Eagle Brand condensed milk
1 tall can pineapple juice
1 large orange drink
Pour the 2 cans of Eagle Brand directly into the ice cream freezer cylinder.
Add equal amount of pineapple juice and orange soda until the fill line is reached. Freeze according to directions.
*This is the easiest thing in the world to make and is absolutely delicious. The children in our family have always loved to have this as a special treat at the pool. One year I decided to be creative and add a small can of crushed pineapple. They hated it, but the adults loved it!
nContact Lee Ann Flemming at lafkitchen@hughes-.net.
