Grandpa's Home Cooking

Grandpa's Fresh, Delicious Chicken Salad

There are not many foods that are quite as good as fresh chicken salad sandwiches on a hot summer day.  Pick and chop chicken from the chicken not eaten the night before and bring together the goodness of the chicken, chopped hardboiled eggs, chopped fresh celery, sweet pickle relish, and salad dressing. Spread the salad on fresh artisan bread and serve the sandwich with sweet ice tea for a happy and delicious lunch.

There are many taste options. Use rotisserie chicken with the nicely seasoned skin which adds flavor to the salad. Chop fried chicken with the seasoned and fried skin for a different taste experience. Use whatever you have and go ahead and chop the skin into the salad as well. Some people will not use the skin because the skin is rich in fat. I use it because the seasoned skin is also rich in flavor. Fix it the way you want it.

Choose varities of bread to suit your taste. I love chicken salad on slices of fresh Great Harvest round white. Nancy's choice is to make her sandwich on fresh, Great Harvest honey wheat. What a great taste you'll experience when you spread your freshly made chicken salad on slices of Great Harvest or other artisan bread. Try using Jewish rye, crusty Italian, sourdough, French, or whatever kind of bread you like. I wonder though, why anyone would still be buying rack (sponge bread, such as Wonder bread) when there are so many choices of fresh baked artisan breads that are available and reasonable. 

I'm not limited to a single recipe of chicken salad. The thrust of this posting is for you to use the ingredients you have on hand and/or to use the ingredients that please you. And while your at it, select some additional ingredients that add flavor.

For example, I love to add apple juice infused dried cranberries when I have them. I also use dried cherrys, raisins, walnuts, pecans, etc. You want a real treat. Chop some California dried apricots into your chicken salad. You might want stir in some fresh blueberries. Or for a real bright taste chop in some chilled seedless green grapes. Put a leaf of lettuce on the sandwich one day and use fresh basil leaves on another day. I love sweet pickle relish and I generally use it as an ingredient in the chicken salad to brighten the taste, but one might like to occasionally use dill pickle relish. Whatever ingredients I add, however, it suits me to make sure the flavor of the chicken, eggs, and celery come through clearly.

Ingredients (The ones I used  for today's chicken salad -- Use what you have available.)

• Rotisserie chicken w/seasoned skin, chopped (I used half of a chicken)
• Hard boiled eggs, chopped (I used 6 today, but less or more is okay)
• Fresh celery, chopped (I chopped 4 stalks; I like to use a lot of celery)
• Sweet pickle relish (I used a half of a small bottle and a little extra sweet pickle juice)
• Mayonnaise (Use just enough to hold the salad together)
• Iceberg lettuce (to dress the put on the sandwiches

Use what you have and/or use more or less ingredients than I to suit your taste.

Instructions:

Mix all of the ingredients and stir in only enough mayonnaise for the mixture to hold together. Grab two slices of preash bread. Lay a leaf of fresh Iceberg lettuce, or multiple leaves of gourmet salad greens, or fresh basil leaves or whatever salad green you have available on one slice of the bread. Spoon on and spread a good amount of your best fresh chicken salad on the other slice of bread. Top off the sandwich with the green and top piece of the bread. Plate. Add chips or another side of your choice. Pour a delicious summer drink. Take your food to a cool spot and sit down and enjoy your lunch.

Alternatives:

• Stuff a big red ripe tomato with your chicken salad.
• Put leafs of lettuce on a plate and pile chicken salad on top.
• Add slices of avacado to your sandwich or salad plate.

Fixes:

Oh my. Is your celery a little limp? Fill a big bowl halfway with ice cubes. Add water. Plunge the celery you have in the icy water and let it rehabilitate for an hour or so. Then remove the celery from the ice water and chop it.

It's 11:58 a.m. I'm going to fix a delicious chicken salad sandwich for my lunch!

Kabobs!

Here's a great way to make everyone happy, happy, happy. Marta will not eat salmon or fish. Period. But she loves chicken, chicken, and chicken! Grandma loves salmon, all kinds of fish, and will occasionally tolerate beef, including steak. Grandpa loves steak! We all love vegetables. So grandpa fixed up this meal to give everyone what they like, so that everyone will be happy, happy, happy.

From the top of the picture down we have a salmon kabob, a chicken kabob, a NY strip steak kabob:-), and a family kabob of extra vegetables and chicken.

How hard is this? Not. This cooking project requires that you first broil one side of the chicken, steak, and vegetable kabob. Use your tongs to turn the kabobs to the flip side when the first side is cooked perfectly. Then add the salmon kabob to the rack (because fish doesn't require as much time to cook). You can cook both sides of the salmon kabob while the flip side of all of the other kabobs cook. When you see the first side of the salmon kabob cooked, flip it over to the second side. And when all of the kabobs are perfect use your hot pads to pull the pan out of the broiler.

And wala! All four kabobs are cooked perfectly and are ready to serve at the same time! 

Ingredients:

• 2 and 1/2 inch strip of salmon fillet (a Whole Foods/other store fishmongers are delighted to cut only as much as you request).*
• 1/2 of a skinless boneless chicken breast (ditto Whole Foods/other meat cutters are delighted to cut and wrap only what you want).* 
• 1 NY strip steak
• 1 large onion cut into large pieces
• 1 Orange and/or yellow pepper cut into large portions
• 1 Green bell pepper cut into large portions
• Seasonings (Marta loves Toronto Rub which is pictured on her chicken kabob, Grandma wants just a little salt, and Grandpa wants his mix of salt, pepper, and garlic powder.)
• wood or metal kabob skewers (available at most stores) 

* If your store fish or meat counter is not staffed, ring for a butcher. Ask them to cut a package open and cut and package only what you want. I've yet to find one who hasn't been happy and/or agreed to cut and package only what you need!

Instructions:

Preheat range broiler.

Add sections of meat or fish and vegetables to kabob skewers.  Set the kabobs on a metal rack on a broiler pan or in a dish as shown in the picture. Broil one side of the meat and vegetable kabobs until the food is well done. Use your tongs to turn the kabobs. Add the uncooked salmon kabob to the broiler rack. Cook both sides of the fish kabob while the flip side of meat and vegetables cook. When all of the kabobs are broiled, use your tongs to move the skewers to a sering platter and serve immediately.

You can bet that our cat, Frisky:-), wasn't sitting in "Frisky's big chair" when this meal was served. She was at her usual place on the floor by Grandpa's feet, looking up wantonly in my eyes every time I looked down. Here's Frisky all nice and cozy in her big chair.

 

 

 

Chicken Vegetable Soup

It's as easy as can be to make a pot of wholesome chicken vegetable soup. You might intentionally shop for ingredients to make this soup, but hold on. Look first to see what you already have on hand. You might, as I do, keep some zip bags in the freezer of chicken parts you didn't need to cook for a meal. I keep a zip bag of livers, another of wings, and I've a notion to start keeping one chicken legs since they often do not get eaten. Then too, you might use the white and dark meat left over from last nights dinner. 

By the way. Get busy some afternoon and make a pot of chili or chicken soup for shut-ins or folks living in an independent living facility. Take them some freezer containers of your homemade soup. There are times they don't want to go to the facility dining room.

Ingredients:

• Chicken, cubed (use as much or as little leftover or fresh chicken as you have)
• 1 large sweet onion, chopped
• 2-3 large fresh carrots, chopped
• 4 stalks or more of celery, chopped
• 2-3 (32 oz) boxes of chicken broth, or as much broth from cans 
• Parsley, chopped (optional)
• Salt
• Pepper
• Crackers
• Butter

Note: If you do not have leftover chicken, buy a small package of fresh skinless chicken breasts. Cut the breasts into cubes and add the raw chicken to the pot. Just bring the pot to a boil until the chicken and vegetables are thoroughly cooked. 

Instructions:

Chop vegetables and chicken and put them in your soup pot. Pour enough chicken broth over the vegetables to make a good pot of soup. I usually use 2-3, 32 oz boxes of chicken broth (or like amount of chicken broth from cans). Season the pot with salt and pepper. Cook the soup over a medium hot burner until the pot is boiling (and any fresh chicken added is thoroughly cooked). Lower the heat to very low to keep the soup hot until you're ready to serve it.  Yes, you surely can add other chopped vegetables you have on hand and wish to use.

Serve up this great soup with crackers and butter and you've got a great meal for tonight and maybe tomorrow night too!

A Delicious & Juicy Roasted Turkey

There is a lot you can do to insure you turn out a delicious, juicy Thanksgiving and/or Christmas Turkey. Here are the things I think one must do to set a delicious and juicy turkey in front of your family:

1. Buy a premium turkey at an quality meat or poultry market, Whole Foods, or a Fresh Market. Can you buy a good turkey at the Food Lion, Harris Teeter, Kroger, Lowes, or another supermarket? You certainly can. I would chose a premium organic turkey. The one thing on my holiday menu that I want to make certain is done right is the turkey. Therefore, my preference is to buy my turkey at a store well known for the quality of its meat and poultry. The turkey pictured was purchased at Whole Foods.

2. However, the way you prepare your turkey will be the biggest determining factor in whether or not you serve a delicious, juicy turkey. Scary? Yes. None of us is perfect, including Grandpa, but if you properly thaw the bird, prepare it well, keep your eye on the bird, take its temperature, and do not under or overcook the bird you're likely to fix a delicious, juicy bird.

3. If you don't have one, buy a meat thermometer and spare batteries. Use the thermometer to determine when the bird is done just right. You want the temperature of the middle of bird's breast to be 170 degrees (the thermometer should not be touching the bone). If you'd like take another reading, take one in the middle of a thigh (the thermometer should not be touching the bone) and the temperature ought not to be more than 180 degrees.

 4. Roast the turkey for 12-15 minutes per pound. If you look at a lot of recipes you're going to see recommendations of anywhere between 12 and 20 minutes per pound for an unstuffed turkey. Sure, there are variances in oven temperatures and this is a darn good reason to own and use a meat thermometer. The turkey in the picture was 12.38 pounds. The breast temperature was 170 degrees in 2 hours and 45 minutes which was very close to 12 minutes per pound (unstuffed). This was a delicious, tender, and juicy turkey!

Why does a turkey turn out to be dry? Probably because it was overcooked. Start taking temperature readings when your bird has been roasted at something close to 12 minutes per pound. 

When the center of the turkey breast registers close to or at 170 degrees, pull the bird from the oven and let it rest for a full 15 minutes before you start slicing it. (Be careful. Don't let the turkey fly off the platter:-)

It is your choice, but I don't recommend stuffing the bird. I bake dressing in a casserole dish.

Ingredients:

• A great turkey:-)
• Duck fat and butter (or olive oil)
• Rock sea salt
• Coarse black pepper
• Fresh rosemary
• A good white wine

Move the turkey from the freezer to the refrigerator to thaw 2 to 3 days before the day you cook the bird. Two days is usually enough for a small bird. Move a big bird 2 1/2 to 3 days before you want to cook it. The turkey must then be cooked within 24 hours after it is thawed. Check the bird the night before you cook to make sure it is close to being thawed. If not, run cold water over it for an hour or so (preferably while it is still tightly wrapped in plastic). Of course, one should also read and heed the USDA recommendations for cleanliness (aka the Poultry Police).

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees

1. Remove the giblets and neck from the cavity of the bird and save these parts in the fridge to make juices to use in preparing a nice dressing (used to be called stuffing but since some of us no longer stuff as a result of warnings from the Poultry Police, we now bake a dish that we call a dressing). Truthfully, I prefer eating dressing baked in a casserole. Refer to my dressing recipe which explains how to cook the giblets to make turkey juice.

2. Wash the bird thoroughly and pat it dry with paper towels. Oh yes, wash your hands with hot soapy water, the counter, cabinet doors and drawers, the walls, the seat of the car, your spouses arm, or anything else that might have come in contact with the raw bird, as recommended by the Poultry Police. Sure, if you like, get out your Clorox wipes and give the counter an extra good cleaning. Then get out that fancy bottle of that soft and soothing Hand Sanitizer, pour a dollop in the palm of your hands and rub your hands tenderly as you would in the old days with hand lotion:-) 

Now comes the fun part.

Use your lovely clean hands to tenderly rub duck fat (or olive oil) all over the cavity of the turkey (the inside the bird). 

Now rub the cavity of the bird with sea salt and coarse black pepper.  If you have a rosemary bush, cut a wad of it off the bush and stuff the cavity of the turkey with the rosemary.

Rub the skin of the turkey with duck fat (or olive oil) and sprinkle salt and pepper on the skin.

Set a wire rack in a baking dishing. Taste the white wine to make sure it is good stuff. Pour about an inch of white wine in the dish below the baking rack. Set the turkey on top of the rack. Make a foil tent and set it over the bird. Put the turkey in the pre-heated 450 degree in the oven.

Then wash your hands in hot soapy water and rub them with some more of your soothing Sanitizer!

In 15 minutes, reduce the temperature of the oven to 350 degrees. Do not forget to do this or you're going to burn the bird!

When there is an 45 minutes to an hour of roasting time left, remove the foil tent and baste the bird with butter. Return the turkey to the oven without the tent. Start checking the temperature of the turkey's breast when there is 30 minutes of baking time left. Follow the instructions above for taking the temperature of the turkey. Now that you know the temperature, you'll have a good idea of how much longer you need to roast it. Take the temperature often enough to get the bird from the oven at 170 degrees. Pull the bid from the oven and follow let the bird rest before slicing it.

Duck Breast

Does this duck breast look good or what? They were delicious and preparing them is so easy. The duck skin contains all of the fat you'll need to cook them when you prepare them following my instructions. Unless you have an large meat store with a comprehensive selection, you're probably going to have to buy packaged frozen duck breasts. The Bell & Evans brand of frozen split duck breasts are excellent and you'll find them in a case of frozen specialty meats at Whole Foods. The box contains two perfect 6 oz servings.

Ingredients:

• Split duck breasts
• Salt
• Pepper
• Your favorite heavy skillet (I reach for my seasoned cast iron skillet.)

Instructions:

Thaw the duck breasts.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Then heat a heavy skillet on a medium high burner on a range top burner. 

Cut the individually wrapped packets and turn the split duck breasts out onto a cutting board, skin side up. Use a sharp carving knife to cut the skin into a cross-hatch design. Score the skin one way and then the other so that you have diamond shape cuts in the skin.

Put the breasts, skin side down into the hot skillet. The skin will release enough duck fat for cooking. You shouldn't need to add any fat to the skillet.Turn the breasts over after the skin side is brown and crisp. Cook the meat on the flip side for 2 minutes. If you're using a cast iron skillet, you can immediately put the skillet in your preheated oven. Otherwise, transfer the meat to a baking dish, put the baking dish in the oven, and bake the breasts until they're done as you like them (about 10-20 minutes). 

If you're using a heavy skillet and you prefer, you can do all of the cooking on top of the range and the breasts will turn out great. 

Curry Chicken and Basmati Rice

I can't think of a better place to eat curry chicken and basmati rice than in Guadeloupe in the French West Indies. This is where I was when I was enjoying island green curry chicken. Nancy and I spent most of our time at the beach, but on this fine day we went to the jungle of the national park on the island. 

Basmati Rice (Grandpa's recipe is posted in the rice category).

Curry Chicken

Ingredients

• 3 Tb olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 to 3 Tb curry powder (how old are your spices?)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp ginger root, grated
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 2 cooked chicken breasts halves, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 Tb tomato paste
• 1 can Thai coconut milk
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• Salt to taste

Instructions:

Heat olive oil (over medium heat). Saute onion and stir in garlic, leaf, curry powder, cinnamon, paprika, ginger, bay leaf, sugar, and salt. Cook for 2 minutes. Add chicken pieces, tomato paste, and coconut milk. Bring the mix to a boil., then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Stir in the lemon juice and cayenne pepper. Simmer for 5 more minutes. 

Plate the basmati rice. Pour the curry chicken on top of the rice and serve.

French Roast Chicken

Just what is a French Roast Chicken? Maybe the best chicken you've ever tasted! Grandpa is not a trained chef. I am just a family cook. However, I own Escoffier's cookbook and I sometimes work from his recipes. George Escoffier was a great French chef, restaurateur, and the writer of a cookbook that many professionally trained chefs consider to be the ultimate source for cooking. This recipe is basically Mr. Escoffier's, but with some changes that Grandpa decided to make.

There was a funny episode the first time I made this recipe. Mr. Escoffier says that one should place a thin slice of salt pork on each of the chicken breasts before roasting it. When I asked a Whole Foods butcher for an organic chicken, I also asked him for two thin slices of salt pork. His smile froze, he pulled his upper and lower eyelids together and stared at me with a squint that suggested he wondered what I was up to. After a moment of confusion and study, his gaze thawed, eyes opened wide, and his smile broadened as he figured out why I wanted two thin slices of salt pork. He said, "Ah, you just need a couple of strips of bacon. You know, Applewood bacon would be very nice."  "Yes sir!  Now that's a plan!"

I then decided I wanted to make another change to the recipe. I just happened to have some nice duck fat in the fridge. Oh yes! I decided to rub the cavity of the chicken with duck fat. And so I did. Woo-eee! After I buttered the cavity good with duck fat, I rubbed the inside of the chick with coarse kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Outside of the bird and up top, I put a slice of applewood bacon on each breast. Then I put the chick on a metal roasting rack that I then set in my roasting pan. Then I poured about 1/2 inch of good white wine below the rack in the bottom of the pan. I always taste the wine first just to make sure it is good! Finally, I put an aluminum foil tent over the bird and popped that 5 pound chick in the oven. The instructions I've included below provide the rest of the details for making this delicious French roast chicken.  

Ingredients:

• 4-5 pound whole chicken (don't worry about having leftovers)
• 2 slices of bacon (use apple smoked bacon if you can)
• 2-3 Tablespoons of duck fat (or butter)
• Kosher salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• White wine (or water)
• Aluminum foil
• Roasting pan or dish
• A metal roasting rack to elevate the chick (Bad:-), Bath, & Beyond have them) 

Note: Some gourmet stores sell duck fat in their dairy section near butter.

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Remove the liver and gizzards from the chicken. (I add them to separate bags in my freezer and will use them for something else one of these days).  Wash the chick inside and out with cold water. Dry the chick tenderly with a couple of paper towels.  Salt and pepper the outside of the chicken. Lay a slice of applewood bacon on each chicken breast. Sit the chicken on a metal roasting rack and set the rack in a roasting pan or dish. Pour 1/2 inch of wine in the bottom of the pan. Put the pan in the oven. Set an aluminum foil tent over the chick. Bake the chicken for 1 1/2 hours. When there are 40 minutes left in the roast, pull the aluminum foil tent off of the chick so it will brown in the remaining roasting time. Move the bacon slices to the bottom sides of the chicken. (They'll taste good too.) Continue the roasting the bird for the final minutes on the timer. Check the chick for doneness near the end of the cooking time. Use a meat thermometer, if you have one, to check for doneness. If not, use a sharp knife to make a cut between a chicken leg and the body. Juices will flow. The chicken will be done when the juice runs clear. If there is still red in the juice, roast the bird a little longer. 

A 4-5 pound chicken should be done in an hour and a half. If you use a chicken that is less than 4 pounds, you might find it to be done in an hour and 20 minutes. Bon Appetit!

Don't worry about having leftovers! If you have a lot of leftovers the meat can be reheated for another delicious meal. OR ... you can cut up the leftover meat and make a nice rice and some delicious green curry sauce for a fabulous new meal. Yes. I'll provide a recipe for this in the near future. I'll even include a picture of me eating green chicken in the jungle in French Guadeloupe in the West Indies.) That was a very nice treat! 

Apple Chicken Sausage & Duck Cassoulet

This is a French apple chicken sausage and duck cassoulet. Oui ... oui ... It is similar to one you might expect to be served at the Brasserie de I'Ise St. Louis, a sidewalk cafe located near the Notre Dame Cathedral, on the I'lsle de la Cite, in Paris. Now, don't be concerned, this is an easy casserole for you to make. I made this cassoulet for a Friday evening dinner.

Shopping Information:

Whole Foods, gourmet grocery, and some large supermarkets sell apple chicken sausages. You can substitute another sausage if you can't find apple chicken sausage where you live. 

Whole Foods and large supermarkets sell frozen split duck breast. Ask a meat department employee to show you where to find them. You'll also need to look for duck fat (or just use butter). I found duck fat in the dairy case, next to butter, at A Southern Season. You should be able to find duck fat in a local gourmet store. Do try to find duck as the taste is worth the search. Use leftover duck butter when baking other poultry dishes, for example, to rub a chicken cavity before baking the chicken. 

Ingredients:

• 3 large apple chicken sausages (or other sausage, like a Polish kielbasa)
• 1 duck breast, split (you can easily find frozen duck breast)
• 4 strips of bacon, fried crisp (try apple smoked bacon)
• 1/2 cup onions, chopped fine
• 2-4 garlic cloves, chopped fine  
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons + 2 additional Tablespoons of duck fat (or butter)
• 2 cans white cannellini beans
• 1 14 1/2 ounce can of diced tomatoes
• Salt
• Pepper
• A bouquet garni. Put a couple of parsley sprigs, 4 whole cloves, 2 -3 sprigs of thyme, and 2 bay leaves on a piece of cheesecloth. Bring the corners of the cheesecloth together and use kitchen string to tie the resulting bag shut. 
• 1 glass, plus a splash, of red wine (optional). You might wish to sip a little wine while making this beautiful cassoulet, and if the dish gets a little drier than you would like for it to be, add a splash to the cassoulet and stir it in. 
• Cooking spray 

Are you ready? Let's go for it!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Instructions:

1. Put the sausage and 1/4 inch of water in a Teflon skillet. Turn the burner to medium high. Occasionally turn the sausage. Cook the sausage until all of the water has disappeared. Set the sausage aside to cool. Wipe out the skillet to use it again in step 2.

2. Melt 2 Tablespoons of duck fat over medium heat. Lay both halves of the duck breast, skin side down, and cook this side of the breasts halves for 12-15 minutes. Turn the breast halves over with the skin side up and cook the breast halves for 6 more minutes. Check the breast halves for doneness. They should still be slightly pink in the center. Set the duck meat aside. Wipe the skillet out to use it again step 3.

3. Fry bacon over medium heat until the bacon is crisp on both sides. When the bacon is done, drain the strips on a paper towel and set the bacon aside. Wipe the skillet with paper towels and prepare to use it again in step 4. 

4. Melt 2 Tablespoons of duck fat in the skillet over medium heat. Put the onions in the skillet and saute them until they are translucent. Add the celery and continue sauteing the vegetables until the celery is tender. Add the garlic and continue sauteing the vegetables for 1 minute. Set the vegetables aside.

5. Open both cans of beans and drain the beans in a colander to remove the liquid.

6. Meanwhile, cut the duck, sausage, and bacon to 1/2 inch pieces.

7. In a large mixing bowl gently combine the vegetables, beans, and meats. Add the contents of the can of tomatoes and gently combine the tomatoes and juice into the ingredients. 

8. Salt and pepper to taste.

9. Lightly spray cooking oil on the sides and bottom of a cassoulet or casserole dish.

10. Spoon the ingredients into the cassoulet or casserole baking dish. Bury the bouquet garni in the center of the ingredients. 

11. Bake the cassoulet for 1 hour. Remove it from the oven. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes. Remove the garni bag. Gently stir the cassoulet and then take it to the table.

Serve the cassoulet with rustic artisan bread and butter, a fresh salad, and your choice of beverage.

When in Paris, it is nice to have a room with a view! Here is a picture I took from a room in Paris.  

Chicken Old Ladies On A Bus

  
This is a great recipe that results in very tasty chicken. I modified a recipe I found in a cookbook to the extent that I use premium James Keiller & Son Dundee Orange Marmalade and Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce. Use whatever you like, it's your chicken!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. of chicken pieces
• 1/2 cup of Dundee Orange Marmalade, or the best orange marmalade you can find. 
• ½ cup hot barbecue sauce
• 2 T Worcestershire sauce
• 2 T lemon juice (squeeze fresh from a lemon)
• Salt
• Fresh ground pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine marmalade, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice, and mix well.

3. Place chicken, skin side up, in a baking dish (if you use a pan, line it with aluminum foil). 

4. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.

4. Pour the good sauce over the chicken.

5. Bake 1 hour at 350, basting occasionally. Increase heat to 400 degrees and bake 15 minutes longer.

6. Put the chicken on a platter and garnish the plate with parsley and lemon wedges. 

7. Provide a dish of the remaining sauce from the pan for those who want more. 

This is a good dish to take to the church pot luck. A large package of thighs provide a meaty selection for a pot luck dinner. 

Rev. Stephanie's Chicken Salad

Grandpa made this very special chicken salad using daughter Rev. Stephanie Curran's recipe and the outstanding butter roasted chicken prepared by daughter Marta Pipes! How can you beat a deal like this? Marta cooked dinner last night and we enjoyed her buttered chicken roasted with pearl onions, potatoes, and carrots. Today I used the leftover chicken to prepare chicken salad.

Ingredients:

• Slices of fresh-baked bread
• Cold chicken, with skin removed and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 3/4 cup celery, chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/3 cup dried tart cherries
• Mayonnaise or plain whole-milk yogurt (or half mayonnaise and half yogurt) 

Instructions:

Take the skin off of leftover cold chicken and cut it into bite-size chunks. Put the chicken in a mixing bowl. Add chopped celery, chopped walnuts, and dried tart cherries. Slowly add mayonnaise until the ingredients hold together as chicken salad. Spread a little mayonnaise on slices of fresh bread, and make a sandwich using a healthy layer of the chicken salad. You’ll never taste better chicken salad!

You have pecans instead of walnuts or dried apricots instead of cherries? Use what you have. If you have dried apricots, I hope they are from California. They may not be as big and pretty as Mediterranean dried apricots, but they taste better. Or use fresh tart apples if this is what you have, and they will be good too. Just make sure you try this chicken salad made with dried tart cherries and walnuts. You can buy dried tart cherries at Whole Foods.

Sunday Fried Chicken

First comes church. Then comes Sunday Fried Chicken. When I was a boy, more often than not, Mom served the family a wonderful Sunday fried chicken dinner. Now and then she would serve her trademark pot roast. I've posted my short story, My Church When I Was A Boy, after my fried chicken recipe. I hope you'll keep scrolling down to read my story. It may bring some smiles to your face. Some of you will chuckle, laugh, and some may shed a tear or two. The first thing you'll see is a picture of my church. My church was torn down and has since been replaced by a church of another denomination. The picture will be meaningful as you read the story. [After the first paragraph, you'll need to click on the link to read the rest of the story.]

Grandpa’s Sunday Fried Chicken

Ingredients:

• Chicken pieces

• 1/4^th cup salt

• 1/4^th cup black pepper

• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1 tablespoon paprika

• 1/4^th cup fresh thyme leaves, chopped fine

• 1/4^th cup fresh marjoram leaves, chopped fine

• 4-5 cups flour

• 1/3^rd quart buttermilk

• 2 eggs

• Cast iron skillet (or your favorite skillet)

• Dipping bowl for buttermilk and eggs

• Large plastic zip bag

Instructions:

Pour flour into a heavy plastic zip bag. Then add the salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, and fresh thyme and marjoram leaves. Zip the bag and shake the dry ingredient s to mix well.

Whisk the buttermilk and eggs in a bowl large enough to dip the chicken pieces.

Dip each piece of chicken in the egg/milk wash to cover well.  Then drop the wet piece into the plastic bag of dry ingredients. Zip the bag and shake it to cover the chicken well. Take the chicken from the bag and carefully put it in the skillet of hot oil. Complete the process for all of the pieces of chicken you are frying.

Use tongs to frequently turn the chick pieces in the skillet and fry them to a golden brown. Remove the brown chicken and put it in a baking dish. Put the dish of fried chicken in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes to insure doneness. You can check on the doneness by inserting a thermometer halfway into the meatiest portion of a chicken breast. When the thermometer registers 160 degrees the chicken is done. Go for a higher temperature if you want to cook the dang bird in hell.

You may have noticed in the picture that I didn’t fry the chicken wings or the liver. I add each to a freezer bag and return the bag to the freezer. Down the road, I’ll give you recipes for Hot Wings and Chicken Liver Pate. Oh yeah, bring on the pate and onion jam!

My Church When I Was A Boy

When I think of my church, when I was a boy back in the Forties and early Fifties, I sometimes get a little choked up. The Northside Church of God, as it was known in those days, stood at the corner of 30^th and Annette Streets in Indianapolis, Indiana. As always, it is the people and what goes on within a church that makes a difference.

Grandpa's chicken steamed over white wine

Bake and steam chicken the way folks like it.

Some folk love skinless and boneless chicken breast. Some like thighs with skin and bone. Some folk, like grandpa, love salt and red cayenne pepper. Others just want a light dusting of salt and black pepper. Here's how to make everyone happy!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients and necessities:

• Chicken pieces (whatever pieces folks like)
• White wine
• Red Cayenne pepper
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Cholula Mexican hot sauce (for the table)
• Metal roasting rack 
• Baking dish

Instructions:

Place a metal roasting rack in a baking dish. Fill the bottom of the dish with about an inch or more of white wine (wine that you like enough to drink). The wine should not be touching the metal rack. Season each piece of the chicken the way folks like it. Some folk might want a light dusting of salt and pepper. Others, like grandpa, might prefer a liberal dusting of salt and red cayenne pepper. Oh my, I love a heavy dusting of red cayenne pepper. It is not too hot and it tastes so good.

Put the dish in a 350 degree oven and bake/steam the chicken pieces for 45 minutes. Set a bottle of Cholula Mexican hot sauce on the table for those that want a little extra ZIP. Original Cholula is pretty mild and adds a delicious bright flavor.

If you don't have a metal roasting rack, you need one! You'll find them at a good kitchen supply store. I use them for roasting, steaming, and as cooling racks for baked goods. 

 

Grandpa's Rosemary Roasted Chicken

My rosemary roasted chicken is as easy as it gets to prepare and it tastes good. We have two gigantic rosemary bushes out back, not far from the kitchen door. As you can see, I like to stuff the bird. The aroma is enough to bring folk to the table without delay. 

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Ingredients

• A big dead chicken (properly washed and dried:-)
• Olive oil (extra virgin olive oil is for the table and not necessary for roasting)
• A fistful of rosemary (grow your own or spend big for a supermarket package)
• Sea salt
• Coarse ground pepper

Instructions

Remove the gizzard and liver pack from the chicken cavity. Save them in a freezer bag as you might wish to fry them or make pate with them at a later date. 

Wash the pretty chicken well inside and out in cold water under the tap. Pat the bird dry with paper towels. Tenderly rub the entire chicken with olive oil, Yes, I realize the chicken skin contains enough oil. You can bake a nice chicken without adding anything. It's your chicken so do with it what you please. I like rubbing the chicken with olive oil because it tastes good. The additional flavor, aroma, and beauty of the roasted bird is nice. Stuff the bird with as much rosemary as you have available. Put the chicken in a roasting pan. Salt and pepper the bird as much as you wish. I like a heavy coat of coarse black pepper. Put the bird in a hot 375 or 400 degree oven and set your timer for 1 hour (most supermarket chickens will be 3.5 to 4 pounds). This beautiful chicken from the Amish country in Pennsylvania weighed in at 5.2 pounds, so I upped the baking time to 1 hour and 20 minutes. If you want to insure the meat is done, insert your meat thermometer in the breast meat from the top of the bird down. I pulled my thermometer out when it reached 140 degrees and the digits were continuing to roll. Let the chicken rest in the pan for 10 minutes before carving it. This was a juicy and delicious chicken!

You might ask why I roast a 5+ pound chicken for 3 people? The answer to this question is the chicken provides the dinner Entree for two nights. Roast a chicken for Sunday dinner and warm the meat again for Monday's dinner. Roast chicken is also a wonderful ingredient for chicken soup and chicken salad. 

Grandpa's Cholula Fried Chicken

This isn't how Mom fried chicken. It’s how Grandpa makes it and you don’t know good until you’ve had Cholula fried chicken. 

Buy a package of chicken breasts and a package of thighs.

Ingredients:

• As many big chicken breasts and thighs as you can eat
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons of *Original Mexican Cholula Sauce (1 tablespoon per egg)
• 2 cups of flour 
• Crisco oil
• Salt
• Coarse black pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary needles, chopped

*You can buy four varieties of Cholula Sauce, including Original, Chiptole, Chili Garlic, and Chili Lime. http://www.cholula.com/. If your supermarket doesn't sell Cholula sauce, you’ll have to use Tabasco, but Cholula has a brighter tomato taste that works great with chicken. 

Instructions:

Pour about a half inch of Crisco oil in your cast iron skillet (or use a Teflon skillet if that’s what you prefer). Get your skillet hot at a medium-high setting.

Mix the rosemary needles and the flour in a bowl and set it aside.

Whisk 2 tablespoons of Cholula into 2 eggs in a shallow bowl. (Start with two eggs and 2 tablespoons of Cholula. Add more if needed).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Fry the breasts first and then the thighs.

Dip your chicken good in the whisked egg and Cholula sauce and then roll each piece in flour and rosemary. Shake off the excess. Use tongs to lay the chicken easy into your hot skillet. Liberally shake salt and coarse black pepper over the chicken. As you turn the pieces salt and pepper the other side. 

Keep your eye on the chicken and turn the pieces until they are golden brown. Use tongs to pull the pieces from the skillet and put them in a baking dish. Put the dish in the oven.

Bake the chicken for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees. Your chicken needs to sizzle in the oven and turn an even prettier color of brown. When you serve it, it will be pleasingly done. Set the Cholula bottle on the table for those who want just a little bit moreJ

I made this batch of Cholula fried chicken at the Ocracoke Island, NC, cottage we rented for our spring break. Here is the scene just outside the door of the cottage.