Fried Chicken, February 4, 2015

I very seldom make such a thing as fried chicken. It's messy and uses a ton of oil and isn't very good for me. Furthermore, I sometimes get weird about chicken with bones in it and fried chicken is, traditionally, bone-in. However, I made it last week, with macaroni and cheese (I tried the version with egg in it this time---it was yummy, but not as good as my go-to stovetop mac & cheese) and a Dole Spinach Cherry Almond Bleu salad (to which I added some walnuts I'd sautéed in butter and brown sugar). I ended up getting wigged out about the chicken and not eating it. Jeannene assured me that it was really good, but I just couldn't eat it. Isn't that ridiculous? Next time, I think I should probably make boneless fried chicken. I know all the cool foodies look down on skinless, boneless chicken, but I do believe that's the direction I need to go. Ah, well, I cook with canned soup, too, so there you go.

Spicy Fried Chicken

3 eggs

1/3 c. water

1 c. hot sauce (I used Louisiana Hot Sauce; use your favorite)

2 c. self-rising flour

Salt

Pepper

Garlic powder

1 chicken, cut into pieces

Oil for frying

Beat eggs with water in a large, shallow dish (a pie plate is good). Add hot sauce (adjust for your taste buds, depending on how spicy you like it). Place flour in a similar dish. Season chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Dip in egg, then dredge in flour. Heat oil to 350 degrees in a deep pot (making sure not to fill the pot more than half full). Carefully add chicken and fry until golden brown and crisp, 8-10 minutes for white meat, 13-14 for dark meat. Serves 4. 

Creamy Stove-Top Mac & Cheese

8 oz. macaroni

2 tbsp. butter

2 eggs

3/4 c. evaporated milk (put the rest in coffee)

1 tsp. salt

A good grinding of pepper

1 tsp. dry mustard

1-2 tsp. worcestershire sauce

Pinch cayenne or dash hot sauce

2 c. shredded sharp cheddar

8 slices American cheese

Cook & drain macaroni. Stir in butter. Whisk everything but cheese together. Stir into macaroni. Add cheeses, a little at a time, and stir to melt completely. Serves 4-6. 

I made myself a baked apple for dessert. Jeannene didn't want one, so I just did one for me, a cinnamon red hot glazed one. The concept was great, but the actual result was an undercooked, dry apple with no filling. Not so great. It was okay, but nothing I'd bother with again. Perhaps if I pass along the recipe to y'all, though, you will figure out a way to make it super. I am far from an expert when it comes to baked apples! I think the best one I ever had was the one somebody brought me as a birthday gift when I was turning 5 or 6. 

Cinnamon Red Hot Glazed Apples

3/4 c. sugar

1/3 c. cinnamon red hot candies

1 c. water

4 apples

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix sugar, red hots, and water in a pan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat and simmer a couple minutes. Turn off heat. Peel the top third of each apple and core them, but leave the bottom intact. Brush apples with lemon juice. Place in small baking pan that's been greased. Cut the butter in 4 and place inside the apples. Brush well with sugar mixture. Bake 1 hour, basting often with sugar mixture. Serves 4.