Welcome Home Everyone :

Welcome Home this Tuesday! On Tuesday I will be chatting about what makes a house a Home :

i live in the Family Home that I inherited and everyday I find something special about the house . So grab a cup of coffee and Welcome to my Home ! Lisa

Today is Memories from my childhood and Grandmas Fried Chicken and her favorite Cast iron skillet she always cooked it in. I remember her making big batches of chicken to feed the family at dinner time. After moving in the family Home and cleaning out the kitchen cabinets – I found her old frying skillet in the cabinet . Time to clean the iron skillet and do a little frying…Lisa

Re Seasoning an old iron skillet:

1. Clean : with a little Soap and water. Use a nylon scrub brush or fine steel wool scrubber to remove rust, if needed. Once the pan is clean, dry it thoroughly inside and out. (And keep the pan dry in the future to prevent rusting.)

2. Oil : Rub a thin layer of vegetable oil or melted shortening over the entire pan. Make sure to cover the inside, outside, and the handle. Don’t add too much, you don’t want the pan to be so oily that it’s slippery. A nice even coating is what you’re looking for.

3. Bake : Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Place the pan upside down on the middle oven rack. This prevents the oil from pooling inside the pan. Put a sheet of aluminum foil on the lower rack to catch any drips. Bake the pan for one hour.

4. Cool : After one hour, turn off the oven and leave the pan in the oven to cool completely. When the pan is cool, wipe away any excess oil with a paper towel.

When it’s time to cook with your shiny new skillet, make sure to wash it with hot water (no soap this time) and dry it completely after each use. If and when it needs to be reseasoned again, now you’ll know what to do.

Grandma’s Fried Chicken :

1 small chicken, cut into pieces
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper
2 cups Crisco or peanut oil, may need more

Line a large platter with paper towels or brown paper bags.
Season both sides of chicken with 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Add remaining salt and pepper to the flour in a large bowl and dredge the chicken pieces through the flour, then set chicken aside.
Heat the shortening or oil in a large, deep skillet on medium-high until it sizzles when a drop of water is added. This would be about 375.
Just before adding chicken, dredge each piece through the flour again, shaking slightly to remove excess, then place each piece one at a time in the hot oil. Do not overcrowd the skillet.
Cook, turning about every three minutes until chicken is brown on all sides. This will probably take about ten minutes.
Then cover the skillet, leaving one side open slightly to vent, and turn heat down to medium. Cook another 8-10 minutes, turning occasionally, until chicken is deep, golden brown.
Dark meat may take a little longer and should be at least 165° when done.
Place chicken pieces on the lined platter and cover with aluminum foil until ready to eat.

Favorite Fried Chicken Take-out :

POPEYES LOUISIANA KITCHEN

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen is home to America’s best fast food fried chicken. Popeyes has mastered the traditional T.L.C. method of hand-battered, deep-fried chicken at scale, without sacrificing quality. Their Bonafide Chicken and boneless tenders alike are consistently the crunchiest and most flavorful in the fast food circuit. Peeling off the skin and eating it on its own is otherworldly. The dark meat is as juicy as any other homemade, hand-breaded drumstick you’ll find. We could go on about their chicken as a class of its own, but it doesn’t stop there. Popeyes serves the classic Southern sides, like red beans and rice, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes and (best of all) biscuits at the same high caliber. Thank goodness for meat and sides that compliment each other rather than compete.

Food aside, Popeyes maintains the cultural magic that makes fried chicken so great — eating at a Popeyes is like eating at a mom-and-pop joint. For striking that rare and finicky balance between authenticity and the masses, Popeyes is most deserving of this top spot. It’s exactly where you should celebrate National Fried Chicken Day!

RAISING CANE’S CHICKEN FINGERS

Raising Cane’s is the ~other~ Louisiana-based fried chicken chain. They have a solid trinity of chicken fingers, crinkle fries and Texas toast, but what really sets Cane’s apart is the chicken’s best friend — Cane Sauce. The blend of mayo, ketchup, worcestershire, black pepper and garlic is a perfect melange of tangy and rich, with a touch of sweetness. It is the ultimate flavor companion to the seasonings in their fingers and crinkle fries. Wash it all down with a swig of their homemade lemonade and you’re experiencing Raising Cane’s at its finest.