My Fried Chicken

In the early spring my dad always ordered 100 baby chickens. The mailman delivered them in a cardboard box, with holes in it. We kept them by the heater in the sweet potato house until it was warm enough for them to run around outside... where they ate bugs, worms, cracked corn and rocks.  When they weighed  about 2 pounds each, they became Sunday dinner, with two of them killed at a time so there would be enough for all of us to eat. Those chickens, always fried - and with chicken gravy, were our entree on Sundays until the next spring.  As they got bigger, one was enough to feed us all.

Mama would pick out the victim, grab her and quickly wring her neck, put it in a big pan and pour boiling water over it and pluck off the feathers. She would then crumple up several sheets of newspaper, set it afire, hold the chicken by the feet and the head and rotate it over the flame so all the tiny hairs were singed off of it.  All of the chicken went into the frying pan, except the head, feet and guts.

Mama always kept about 12 or so of the new hens to be the laying hens for the next year. The old fat hens who had stopped laying became chicken and dumplings... but more about that later.

This is the way I make my fried chicken.

Fried Chicken

plain flour

Lawry’s seasoning salt

cayenne pepper

1 lemon

small chicken cut into pieces, skin and remove as much fat as possible

canola oil

nonstick skillet or frying pan

Pour small amount of canola oil in a nonstick frying pan (just until bottom is covered). Season chicken lightly with lawry’s seasoning salt and cayenne pepper. On wax paper next to pan, dredge chicken pieces in plain flour. Heat pan over medium heat and when oil gets hot, place chicken into hot oil. After all chicken pieces are in the pan, cover with lid. After 4 minutes or so of cooking, pour juice of ½ lemon over chicken, cover. When chicken browns, turn it over and add juice from the other lemon half over the chicken and cover. When chicken is done, place on paper towel covered serving dish. Enjoy!

To make gravy, sprinkle 2 Tbsp plain flour into drippings. Let the flour brown lightly (dark browning just tastes like burnt flour). Pour in 2-3 cups milk and stir. Allow to thicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

In the summertime I serve it with hot buttermilk biscuits, creamed corn and fresh tomato slices. In the winter I serve it with hot buttermilk biscuits and homemade applesauce.

Chicken Cacciatora

I have made this recipe for more than 50 years  and we still enjoy it.

Chicken Cacciatora

2 1/2-3 pounds chicken thighs
1 large yellow onion
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup flour
1- 14 1/2 oz can whole tomatoes
1 large green pepper
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tsp oregano
6-8 mushrooms, quartered
salt and pepper to taste
Skin the chicken, season with salt and pepper (I sometimes use cayenne pepper) and roll lightly in the flour. Heat the oil in the skillet over medium heat  (I use a nonstick skillet) and brown the chicken on all sides for about 10 minutes. Stem, seed and slice green pepper lengthwise. Peel and quarter the onion. Put green pepper, onion, garlic, oregano, tomatoes,and the chicken into the skillet. Cover and simmer slowly for 40-50 minutes. Add mushrooms and simmer covered for 15 more minutes. Taste for seasoning. Serve hot over rice. Serves 4-6 depending on how many thighs used.

Enjoy!

My Sweet Tea

Back in 1968, when we lived aboard the Marine base at New River, North Carolina, I started to look for a mint plant because I wanted to try a Mint Julep. I looked at all the places that sold plants but couldn't find any mint for sale. In fact, there were no herbs for sale at that period of time. In the spring of 1970, we were living aboard the base in Quantico, Virginia and when my husband mowed the lawn for the first time, the aroma of mint was overpowering. I had finally found my mint!  I named it "Hyatt's Virginia Mint".

When we moved back to Alabama that August, I dug up some mint and brought it with me. I've had Hyatt's Virginia Mint ever since and put it in my tea every time I make it. Still haven't had the Mint Julep though...

5 cups of water
8 regular sized Luzianne tea bags
1/2 cup sugar (add more sugar if you like sweeter tea)
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 six inch sprigs of Hyatt's Virginia Mint (Spearmint)

Bring the water to a rolling boil, put in the tea bags,and turn heat to lowest temperature for 8 minutes. Put lemon and juice sugar and mint in a 2 quart glass pitcher. Muddle with a long metal spoon. Leave spoon in pitcher and pour in the hot tea, discarding tea bags. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add water to make 2 quarts. Pour over ice. Enjoy!