Fried Chicken Strips

I promised a recipe from the upcoming cookbook but I found a great recipe tonight on the internet and I believe it is the best fried chicken I have made. The recipe is from Bon Appetit circa 2012. Although it is not in the cookbook I am posting here to share. The kids spent the day at the river and I promised them dinner; Janie wanted chicken and this is what they had. I hope you take the time to try this tasty dish and I hope your family enjoys it as much as mine.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp kosher salt, divided
2 tsp plus 1 Tbsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp paprika
3/4 tsp red pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 3-4 lb chicken, cut into 10 pieces
     (I used boneless, skinless tenders)
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
3 cups flour
1 Tbsp cornstarch
Peanut oil ( I used vegetable)

Mix together 1 Tbsp kosher salt, 2 tsp black pepper, paprika, red pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Sprinkle over chicken, both sides, and refrigerate overnight - this, of course, I did not do. Let chicken stand covered at room temperature for one hour. Whisk buttermilk, egg, and water in bowl. Whisk flour, cornstarch, remaining 1 Tbsp salt and remaining pepper in shallow dish.

Pour oil into a 10" - 12" cast iron skillet. Heat to 350 degrees using a deep-fry thermometer.

Working with one piece of chicken at a time, one hand for wet and one hand for dry ingredients, dip the chicken in buttermilk mixture, allowing excess to drip back in bowl. Dredge in flour mixture and place carefully in hot oil. Fry chicken until golden brown. Keep warm in 200 degree oven on wire racks.

Really good and as Mom would say, a keeper!
   

Home again

3123 miles and eight states later, Janie Girl and I are home. Quite an ambitious adventure for one week, but we greatly enjoyed ticking one more item off the Bucket List. And we found the most fabulous place (not that it was lost) and are determined to return next year, hopefully as a large family unit to enjoy the beautiful outdoors. I will post a couple of pictures of the trip highlights.

Oklahoma City Memorial - the items on the fence are rotated. The entire monument was impressive and I feel deserves more than a two hour visit.

  She wanted to bring this tumbleweed home until she realized how prickly it was. They were rolling over the windswept roads throughout Kansas and Nebraska.

 Heads on the mountain. Did you know Thomas Jefferson was originally to Washington's right? When they had carved down to his nose, they realized the granite was too hard so they blew off his face and started over. Rumor has it Obama is going in between Lincoln and Roosevelt.

 John Denver was right when he coined the phrase, "Rocky Mountain High". It is unbelievably beautiful and the sky so blue without pollution. One of our favorite events was the Astronomy in the Park by the Park Rangers (no pictures). The sky was so dark the stars really stood out. With the telescopes set up we were able to see Saturn and its rings, Mars, Vega, Arcturus, exploded galaxies, satellites, and the International Space Station zipping by.

 Me and Janie at Emerald Lake on the Bear Lake trail. The picture is not a good representation of the beauty, but the sheet of ice is pretty cool.

So now back to laundry, vacuuming, and work. It was a great trip and I must start planning for the next. Stay tuned to my blog as I am going to begin previewing recipes for our upcoming family cook book! - CL

Rocky Mountain National Park

Janie and I had a great day hiking in the National Park. I don't know what I thought I was doing when I agreed to a morning jaunt into the woods, but I had a serious reminder I am no longer in my thirties, or forties. But the view was sensational and we had a great time. I may not be able to move for a couple of days, but I do feel accomplished. The pictures posted here are at Emerald Lake at the top of the Bear's Lake trail head at the park. If you will note in the pics, Janie has a snowball and there is a sheet of ice still on the lake. Good times!

No Buffalo

We have arrived safely in Estes  Park, CO and it is just beautiful! One must wonder why we live in Texas when the universe around us holds such beauty. Then I am reminded of great Mexican food and I am okay with my place of residence.

I was a bit sad that I didn't see one buffalo on our drive through Nebraska or South Dakota, although we did have them for dinner on several occasions.

Our drive through Wyoming was uneventful and the stopover brief. We drove by the State Capitol and although pretty, much smaller than ours. They did have a great statue of a native American Chief which I enjoyed. I also learned a little bit about history - did you know Wyoming was the first government in the world to recognize women as having equal rights?

Almost immediately upon driving over the border into Colorado we could see snow-capped mountains in the distance. Janie slept through much of the trip; I couldn't get her to budge when we drove through the canyons leading into Estes Park or rouse her to hear the rushing water through the gorge. She was not interested in the houses collapsing on the cliffs after what must have been a very wet season for the residents. But once I parked at our hotel (the oldest hotel I have ever stayed in and I know the location for filming The Shining, Redrum!!) she was enthralled with the beauty.  She is convinced she will live here one day - she changed her mind about California.

We took a reconnaissance trip around the Rocky Mountain National Park to make our plans for tomorrow's outings and ran across a friendly beast.

Tomorrow - fishing, hiking, playing in the water with our rubber boots on. Hope your day is grand, also.

 

Great Road Trip of 2014

Janie and I have been on the road a couple of days, traveling many miles and I am just getting to my computer for an update. Our first stop was at Buc-ees. We ran in to Bill and Kerry who were shopping for barbeque grills for Father's Day.

 

We started on Sunday with a stop in Dallas for dinner at Snuffer's Bar and Grill on Lower Greenville. We had been there during a Spring Break many years ago and thought it would be a great  place to start our journey. After a quick stop we were off to Oklahoma City. The OKC Memorial was very moving and Janie and I both learned quite a bit about the history of the bombing. The Bricktown area was great and I am planning a weekend trip back with Mike.

Then through Kansas (no Dorothy, no Toto, red slippers, or tornados!)

Nebraska was beautiful and it made me think of Augustus in Lonesome Dove when he ran the buffalo over the hills. The undulating hills were awesome and if I had a horse, I would have run over the hills, too. We arrived in South Dakota on Tuesday in time for dinner and to finalize plans for tourist plans. This morning, we were off to Mount Rushmore to fulfill one item on my bucket list - the heads on the mountain. It was worth the trip! We spent the morning on the trails taking photos from every angle.

 

 

Crazy Horse Mountain was okay, nothing fabulous, although if they ever finish the carving it will be spectacular. They have been working on it since 1948 and are not even close. Maybe in another 200 years. I will send my great grandchildren. Tomorrow we are off to Cheyenne, WY and will spend the night in Estes Park, CO.

 

Happy 20th anniversary to Michael Joseph. Maybe we will be able to spend some time together for our 25th. Hope your day was productive and I will see you in a couple of weeks!

Happy 18th Birthday to Call! Celebrating with his favorite birthday cake, Sour Cream Coffee Cake, with Savannah  (my first time to use the new cake plate Janie bought me for Mother's Day). These two are on their way to Austin for a concert. Thanks for cards and calls from all well wishers!

Beginnings

Just starting our new blog; it really is the first day of the rest of our lives. We have had an eventful week with High School graduation and 18th birthday for Call. The great road trip of 2014 begins next week. Looking forward to 10 days in the truck with my children - Mike will be home with the dogs and cat but we will send regular posts!