Shopping Around the World

Hello sweet friends ❤  For the month of June we are focusing on something that you have cooked lately that you absolutely went bonkers for and everyone enjoyed.  This could be anything – even a cheese cracker.  Just make it the best cheese cracker you ever had and post prices… and pictures are awesome.  That gives us something to drool on while we read your recipe.

Today, I’m handing our recipe over to mom.  Can you believe that me and dad actually got her to cook dinner for us one night?  Now don’t get me wrong.  She cooks for us but she’s been watching her diet lately so we have to say she went overboard with this dinner.  And *we* all appreciated that – trust me.

So without further ado, take it away mom!

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Hello friends.  If you know me really well, then you know here in the south I just can’t get enough of fried chicken – ever.  I’ll admit it.  Usually instead of taking the time to fix it, I will usually just buy it from the store or a local restaurant.  Every once in a while, I will bring out my southern experience and fry some for the family.  Of course when I do, everyone wonders what they’ve done to deserve it – HA!  It just keeps them on their toes I say.  What you will need:

♦ A package of chicken.  We enjoy thighs.  You get whatever pieces your family likes – mixed or whatever.  This date, we bought a package of thighs.  There was 8 of them for $3.23

♦ You should have some of these ingredients on hand:  flour (3 cups – $0.75); buttermilk (2 cups – $0.50); eggs (3 – $0.50); frying oil (4 cups $2.50); salt/pepper/cayenne pepper

Now this is a pretty basic recipe that we have used in our family for years.  You can also use the same ingredients with different types of  meat – fried fish, shrimp and you know that other white meat that we can’t mention on Bacon’s blog.  You can also use different spices that you like.  Be creative and have fun.

Now is the time to get your assembly line going.  It gets a little messy.  You will need two bowls.  One bowl you will put your ‘dry’ ingredients in – the flour, salt, pepper and shake cayenne pepper to your taste.  Now test your taste.  Remember you can add more, you can’t take out.  In the other bowl, put your 3 eggs and beat them.  Add your milk, salt, pepper and more cayenne pepper.  As that is sitting, put your grease in a frying pan (we like to use an iron skillet) and let that start to get hot somewhere around medium/high.  Now while that is getting hot, put about 4 pieces of raw chicken (that you have already washed) into the wet ingredients.  Let the oil get hot.

Once hot, here comes the fun part. You want to take the pieces of chicken out of the wet ingredients and coat them in the dry ingredients.  Get everything coated.  Now repeat that step.  Yep, I believe in double coating for an extra crispy skin on the chicken.  Dip the floured chicken back into your wet ingredients, back into the dry ingredients and then place the chicken in your hot oil skin side down.  Your pan should comfortably hold 4 thighs – don’t overcrowd.  I cook the chicken about 8 minutes and then flip the chicken over to the other side for about 6 more minutes.  Once it is nicely golden brown, put on paper towels to drain and do the remainder of your chicken.

There you go – a classic southern dish from the Hotel Thompson.  Eight wonderful fried chicken thighs for around $7.50 – great for a Sunday meal.  Enjoy ❤

 

Travels in the South

Hello sweet friends.  Today on Travels in the South I want to share some pictures that I found recently on mom’s iPhone.  Of course it’s food pictures.  I think mom/dad take more pictures of food than Doan’s has little pills these days – snorts with piggy laughter.  So are you ready?  Here we go.

These pictures are from a delightful restaurant that mom/dad found on the River Street in Savannah, Georgia a while back.  The restaurant is called The Cotton Exchange and they have everything from hamburgers to steaks.  On this day, mom/dad were looking for appetizers to share with each other while exploring the wonderful seafood cuisine.

If you have read anything in the past about mom/dad’s food adventures, you will know that they love some good hot cheese and bread as an appetizer.  Why?  Because this is something that don’t usually eat at home.  In fact, mom usually stays far, far away from bread.  So on vacation, she likes to dive in head first and ask questions later.  At this restaurant, this lovely picture is titled but of course “Hot Bread and Cheese”.  The cheese is a garlic cheese, very hot from the stove and very tasty.  The bread left something to be desired.  Don’t get me wrong, mom/dad said it was good but look at it.  It was a side of loaf bread thrown at you.  Now some would say you could pull it apart and dip to your heart’s delight.  And that is true.  But don’t you think it would be easier to eat said bread if it was already sliced… you know especially since it’s hot?  But, I digress with mom’s finickiness.  All in all – mom/dad said it was good but could have been better.

Then when in Savannah, you *know* my mom/dad are going to get their buffalo shrimp on and ready.  Mom/dad’s second choice in an appetizer was this lovely buffalo shrimp served with celery and blue cheese.  Now, if you have never had buffalo shrimp – what are you waiting for?!  You must try this!  Even this little piggy has had buffalo shrimp from when mom fixes it here at the Hotel Thompson.  It’s like buffalo wings – same sauce – but done with fried shrimp.  How could you go wrong, right?  Mom likes them with light sauce – as she tells the waiters, “I don’t want them swimming in sauce, just lightly coated.”  You know the taste of the sauce without wearing the sauce all over your face, fingers and shirt.  Mom/dad gave this buffalo shrimp both hands up yummy!

The third appetizer that mom/dad got was called Shrimp Orleans.  These are shrimp wrapped in bacon and a cajun spice.  They are then pan blackened and served with a creole mustard.  Now first up, thank goodness I’m not that kind of pig, right?  Mom/dad said these were interesting.  Of course that’s like hearing Andrew Zimmern from Bizarre Foods saying something is interesting.  We all know what kind of food he eats and the translation of interesting means it’s okay, nothing to write home about folks.  Personally mom thought they could be a little bit more spicy since they are Shrimp Orleans.  And in the bigger scheme of things, put them below the hot bread and cheese.

This leads us up to what dad calls the best thing that has ever passed his lips.  And you know my friends, this has to be good because dad is a professional eater.  This was the final appetizer that mom/dad ordered and it was a special that day.  Mom/dad can’t remember what the ‘official’ name was but it is deep fried pork.  I know – I know – I should be scared since daddy liked this but mom says I’m safe.  The kitchen took pork that was already cooked, floured it and deep fried the already goodness into cute little pork bites.  It was served with a somewhat spicy barbeque sauce on the side.  In fact, mom says she could go for some of these right now.  Thanks mom.  That makes my kind feel safe – snorts with piggy laughter.

So my friends.  Thanks for traveling in the south with me and I hope you enjoyed some of these food break downs.  Until next time, keep eating good food!