Southern Fried Chicken

When I have a really good fried chicken dinner like we had tonight, I daydream that my grandmother is really Paula Deen and that every Sunday afternoon we enjoy her Southern comfort food. Luckily for our cholesterol levels, she is not. In reality, we do not actually eat this greasy of food every day, so when we splurge, we can really appreciate it. This recipe is Art Smith's and he knows how to make extra crispy chicken that is unbelievably moist. (Buttermilk is the key!) I love this chicken when it is hot out of the fry pan and when it is cold the next day.
Fried Chicken
3 1/2 lb chicken, cut into 8 pieces
2 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. salt
vegetable oil for frying
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
In a large bowl, pour buttermilk over chicken and sprinkle with salt. Toss until chicken is well coated - cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Heat 1" of vegetable oil in a large deep skillet or cast iron pan over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer reaches 360 degrees. In a shallow dish, mix flour and seasonings. Using tongs, remove chicken from buttermilk and dip into flour mixture. Shake off excess flour and place in hot oil. Turn chicken occasionally until golden brown and cooked through. Chicken should have an internal temperature of 165 F. Drain chicken on paper towels.
Note: Smaller pieces of chicken work best for frying. When I made this, the larger chicken breasts and thighs needed additional baking at 375 (about 15 minutes) in the oven to get to the right temperature. This could have also been because my oil was a bit too hot.
Recipe from Art Smith, featured in April 2010 Food Network Magazine.
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Good Meatloaf

Meatloaf became popular during the depression as an economical meal to feed your family and it has remained an American staple ever since. I know every family has their own spin on this comfort food and everyone probably thinks their mom makes it the best. My mom uses oatmeal or crushed saltines in her recipe but I like using bread crumbs. The beauty of making this meal is really almost anything works. You can be creative with what you use to flavor this dish. I used to bake this in a loaf pan but I have switched to forming it into a log shaped with my hands on a sheet pan since it is easier to cut and serve. This meat loaf is full of flavor and just plain good.
Meatloaf
1 lb. ground beef
1/3 c. unseasoned bread crumbs
1/2 small onion, diced
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbs. Heinz 57 sauce
salt/pepper
1 egg
1/4 c. ketchup (for topping)
Combine all ingredients (except ketchup) in a large bowl. Using your hands form mixture into a loaf and place on a baking sheet (or fill a loaf pan if you choose).Top with ketchup and bake at 375 F for 45-55 minutes.
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Chocolate Fondue

This is less of a recipe and more of a great dessert idea for the next time you entertain. I love how simple melted chocolate and fruit can be for a wonderful dessert. If you have a fondue pot, you can take the dessert experience to a new level. I find that guests like to get involved and have fun with their food, and fondue is the perfect way for them to do this. As a host, the only work you have to do is preparing your fruit which makes for easy entertaining. If you do not have a fondue pot you can still melt chocolate in a small sauce pan and then serve immediately. Do you fondue? We do!

Dark Chocolate Fondue

2 c. good quality chocolate

1/2 c. heavy cream

1/2 vanilla bean
Set fondue pot to low setting (I have an electric pot) and add all ingredients. Stir occasionally until melted. Serve with...well anything goes! My suggestions below:

Strawberries

Pineapple

Marshmallows

Pound Cake

Brownie

Cheesecake

Pear

Banana

Apples

Chicken Pot Pie

Nothing says comfort like a warm serving of this delicious chicken pot pie. You take the basic ingredients of chicken noodle soup, add cream and flakey puff pastry and you have a mini masterpiece. I was so excited to work with puff pastry because I never had before. Just remember to take the frozen dough out 45 minutes before you need it so it is easy to work with. We made our pot pies in individual ramekins (you just feel so special when you have a personal serving made just for you) but you could also make this family style in a large casserole pan.

Chicken Pot Pie
2 chicken breasts
3 carrots, peeled and chopped (about 1/2 c.)
2 potatoes, peeled and chopped (about 1/2 c.)
2 stalks of celery, chopped (about 1/4 c.)
1 onion, chopped
1/2 c. heavy cream
Salt/Pepper
1/2 c. flour
3-4 Tbs. butter
2-14 oz cans chicken broth
1/2 tsp. parsley
1/4 tsp. rosemary
egg wash (one egg beaten with 1 tbs. water)
17 oz box frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed

Peel and chop all vegetables so they are all approximately the same size and set aside. Cube chicken breasts and cook in saute pan over medium heat with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Spoon cooked chicken into a bowl and add chopped vegetables into the pan. Add chicken broth to the vegetables and simmer for 15 minutes. In a small saute pan melt butter over medium heat. Add flour to the butter and cook for a minute or two stirring constantly. Add cream to the flour mixture and stir until smooth. Add flour/cream mixture to chicken broth and vegetables to thicken. Add cooked chicken, parsley and rosemary. Spoon finished mixture into baking dish so that it fills the dish leaving about a 1/4" of space from the top. Brush egg wash mixture of the top edge of the baking dish and then place the pastry sheet over
the top, pinching the sides closed. Make a small slit on the top of the pastry dough with a knife and bake at 375 F for 45 minutes.
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Simple Grilled Cheese

I am sure you are questioning me right now. Grilled cheese Elizabeth? You are blogging about grilled cheese?  I know there is hardly anything interesting about grilled cheese. But the fact is, we all make these wonderfully simple sandwiches every now again. My husband would (sadly) eat these every week if he could. I do a few small touches to my grilled cheese to make it stand out above the rest. I start with sourdough bread - good quality sourdough. Then I use a mixture of cheeses - havarti which melts in your mouth, Swiss for a stringy quality and American for the taste we all love. Lastly I give the bread a kiss of garlic by lightly rubbing a clove over the bread for a unique grilled cheese experience.

Grilled Cheese
sourdough slices
havarti, sliced
Swiss cheese sliced
American cheese, sliced
butter
fresh cracked pepper
garlic clove cut in half
Take each slice of bread and lightly rub the cut side of a garlic clove over one side. Next butter the garlic side and lightly sprinkle with black pepper. Set griddle pan to medium-low heat and place a slice of bread, buttered side down. Next layer the three different cheeses in amounts to your liking. Add the next slice of bread on top of the cheese (buttered side up). Grill for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden
brown.
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Grilled Chicken Salads

We broke a record yesterday with a high of 64 degrees, proving that spring has sprung in more ways then on our clocks. After a walk around our neighborhood, it was official...springs arrival was confirmed with the smell of charcoal and barbequing which was as thick as the fog we experienced last week. We put some chicken breasts in a bag to marinade, chopped up our favorite salad toppings and fired-up the grill for a light and delicious grilled chicken salad. We grilled extra chicken so that we could have a grilled chicken sandwich for the next day's lunch...yum-o!
Grilled Chicken Salad
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 c. lemon juice
lemon zest
3 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Place all ingredients in a large ziploc bag and close. Toss bag around until chicken is well coated and refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Grill chicken until internal temperature reaches 165 F on a meat thermometer.
Let rest for 5 minutes and then slice and serve on your favorite salad.
The salad we made tonight:
leafy green lettuce
craisins (my favorite salad topping)
pecans
carrots
green onions
peas
feta cheese

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Beef Stroganoff

Oh how I have missed blogging! The first couple of days I did not blog I felt a bit of relief since I gained more time in my evenings to get things accomplished. But there is something about staying in a routine that is so comforting to me. I wake - I think of food - I work - I think of food - I cook - We feast - I blog (Repeat).  This routine is pretty simple but it feels good to get back in the swing of things. This beef stroganoff was by far Ryan's favorite meal that I have made in a very long time. I have to agree with him. The earthy flavors of onions, mushrooms and beef are given the chance to truly develop after slow-cooking together and then at the end they are touched with a bit of sour cream for a surprise tang.

Beef Stroganoff
1 lb. stew meat
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 Tbs. shallots, sliced
15 oz. can beef broth
salt/pepper
1/2 tsp. steak seasoning
4 Tbs. flour
3/4 c. sour cream
egg noodles
Parmesean cheese (optional)
In a heavy casserole pan add stew meat, mushrooms, shallots, seasoning and broth. Bake covered at 350 for 90 minutes stirring occasionally. After cooking for 90 minutes, add flour and stir well. Place back in the oven and bake an additional 15 minutes. Next add sour cream and cook an additional 5-10 minutes. Serve over cooked pasta. Top with shredded parmesean.
Tip: This recipe could also be prepared in a crock pot.
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