Buttermilk Ranch Fried Chicken Sandwich

"You don't want to make a steady diet of just lettuce. You don't want to make a steady diet of fried chicken."
- Paula Deen

If, however, you eat them together you should be just fine.  My mom made these chicken sandwiches when I was a kid, and I have only been able to get them perfect a couple of times.  Heating oil and then frying something in it (other than corn chips) takes a bit of practice.  I don't like to fry very often for several reasons:  it is not healthy, my gallbladder does not like grease, I don't like the way my house smells afterward, and unless I'm frying a batch of fresh fish and homemade hush puppies I feel it is a tad bit expensive to use oil once and then toss it.  That being said, I don't have a whole lot of practice under my belt on this particular dish.  When the crust fries to perfection, though, let me just tell you...Colonel Sanders better run and hide!  My mom never added the Ranch dip mix to hers, she just dredged them in flour after a buttermilk bath.  Either way you want to do them is A-Ok.  If you just do flour, season it with some S&P first.  I seem to be missing quite a few pictures of this process, but it really is very straightforward.

Buttermilk Ranch Fried Chicken Sandwich

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 packets Hidden Valley Ranch powdered dip mix

1 qt buttermilk

vegetable, corn, or canola oil for frying

5 or more boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1. Be sure your chicken is thawed and close to room temperature before you begin so it will cook evenly and quickly.  Halve each breast horizontally (aka butterfly it all the way through), so you have 10 pieces of thinner chicken breast halves.

2. Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed, high-sided skillet, cast iron, dutch oven, electric skillet or deep fryer, or saucepan.  I add oil to half the depth of the pan I am frying in.  Oil should be between 325º and 350º.  Use a candy thermometer (or electric skillet or fryer) to maintain oil temperature.  I used the skillet my mom always used.  If you look closely at the top center of the skillet, there is a dark spot.  That is where the skillet caught fire while she was frying up a batch of this type of chicken when I was a kid - probably 20 years ago.  There is a depression in the skillet, but no hole, so of course we still use it to fry chicken!

3. While oil is coming to temperature, pour buttermilk into a wide dish that is about 1" deep (pie plate or cake pan will work for this).  Place 4 pieces of chicken at a time in the buttermilk and soak for at least 5 minutes.  If the buttermilk doesn't cover the pieces, turn them to coat.

4. In a separate dish, mix together the flour and Ranch mix.  Stir until it is well-blended.  

5. After the breasts have soaked in buttermilk, let the excess drip off.  Lay the breasts in the flour mix.  Press them into the flour before turning them to coat.

6. Once oil is heated, carefully shake excess flour back into the dish and ease the chicken into the hot oil.  I don't do more than 4 pieces at a time.  Less is better because the oil temperature drops each time you add a piece of meat.

7. I didn't time this, so I'm not sure of an exact amount of time they need to fry.  I go more based on color.  Fry them until they are golden, then check with an instant read thermometer to be sure the internal temperature is 165º.

8. If you are frying a large batch, keep them warm in the oven.  You may want to put them on a wire rack on a pan, because the crust may stick to the pan and pull off when you are ready to serve it.  I heated the oven and pan to 250º while the chicken fried.

  
9. You can certainly serve this with any of your favorite sides, but we prefer to eat them on a white bun with lettuce, tomato, cheese, mustard, and mayonnaise.

Strawberry Daiquiri Pie

"I pity them greatly, but I must be mum, for how could we do without sugar and rum?"
- William Cowper

This pie just kind of came to me.  My book club that watches movies just finished Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (author Berendt/director Eastwood) - the book is much more detailed, the movie messes with the order of events and outright fabricates others.  I wanted to create a dessert in the spirit of Savannah for our movie date, and the following quote from the book tickled my brain:

"We have a saying: If you go to Atlanta, the first question people ask you is, 'What's your business?' In Macon they ask, 'Where do you go to church?' In Augusta they ask your grandmother's maiden name. But in Savannah the first question people ask you is 'What would you like to drink?"

Along those lines I knew I wanted something of a dessert drink, and I could think of no better dessert drink than a daiquiri.  I have only ever had a virgin daiquiri, but they are delicious nonetheless.  This pie is decidedly drunk - not so much that you will be tipsy from having a slice (or two if no one is looking), but enough that you can taste the flavor of the rum.  Regardless of how little alcohol makes its way into each slice of pie, I do not recommend allowing young children to eat this pie.  It does take a while to prepare, so start this a day or two ahead of when you plan to serve it - I started mine on a Friday afternoon, finished it on Sunday morning, served it Sunday evening.

Strawberry Daiquiri Pie

2 graham cracker pie crusts

16oz fresh strawberries

2 8oz blocks cream cheese, softened

1 8oz Cool Whip

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c Captain Morgan's Silver Spiced Rum (or your personal favorite)

1. Core, trim, and slice strawberries into bowl.  Add sugar and rum; stir.  Cover and refrigerate 12-36 hours (I did closer to 36).

2. Beat cream cheese in medium mixing bowl (handheld mixer).

3. Drain strawberries, reserving liquid in bowl.

4. Puree strawberries (stick blender).  Reserve 1/4 cup puree in 2 cup bowl or measuring cup.  Add remaining puree to cream cheese in mixing bowl.

 

5. To reserved puree, add 3/4 cup of sugar/rum liquid you drained from strawberries.  Add remaining liquid to cream cheese.  Refrigerate reserved puree/liquid.

6. Mix puree and liquid into cream cheese on LOW speed until smooth and creamy.

7. Gently fold Cool Whip into cream cheese mixture.

8. Divide filling evenly between 2 crusts and refrigerate until chilled and firm (or overnight).

9. Place reserved puree/liquid in small saucepan over medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil and cook until reduced by half.  It will resemble loose strawberry jam.  Cool to just above room temperature - any cooler and you may not be able to complete step 10!

10. Spoon puree reduction over chilled pie.  Slice, and serve.

Beer Bread

"There is food in beer, but there is no beer in food. Beer is like liquid bread-it provides the same necessary nutrients. I say, just lay off the food." - Jim Koch 

First and foremost let me say:  I am not a beer drinker.  I don't have anything against people who do drink beer, it just ain't my thang.  I happen to disagree with the above quote, because while I don't drink beer, I do cook with it.  Chili and bread are my two favorite things to include a dark beer in.  Michelob Amber Bock and Michelob Dunkel Weisse are my all-time favorites to use.  Speaking of beer used in chili, my favorite recipe for such a thing is Rachael Ray's Indian Summer Turkey Chili - absolutely divine!  Back to the bread, though.  Beer bread is just plain old good stuff.  Tastefully Simple makes a mix, but as expensive as it is for no more than what you're getting, why not just throw these 4 ingredients together and bake up a batch that tastes better than what you pay that high price for?  I urge you...look at the label on a beer bread mix.  Nothing special in it.  Once you bake this, I doubt you'll go back to a mix!  While you're at it, head on over to Amanda's Snowy Day Chili - they go great together!

Beer Bread

1 12oz dark beer (Michelob Amber Bock or Dunkel Weisse)

3 cups self-rising flour
1/2 cup sugar
4 tbs butter, melted

1. Mix the flour and sugar together.

2. Slowly pour in the beer (it will foam!) and mix with a fork.

3. Add melted butter.  Stir rapidly (or whisk) until thick and smooth.

4. Grease and flour a 7" loaf pan (1lb).  Pour batter into pan.

5. Bake at 350º for 40-50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.  Turn bread out of the loaf pan, and let it cool for 5 minutes before slicing and buttering...if you can wait, that is!

Bacon Wrapped BBQ Smokies

"The rule on tailgating here: There are no rules, so plop your canopy down, set up your lawn chairs, fire up the grill and party."
- Dave Hollingsworth

This was something I toyed around with for a movie night with my book club (yes, you read that correctly), but no one wanted to make it.  So, I just waited until the Super Bowl and made them to couchgate with my family.  Who doesn't love little smokies drowned in barbecue sauce?  Who doesn't love bacon?  Throw them together, and it is a winning combination.

Bacon Wrapped BBQ Li'l Smokies

2 packages li'l smokies (approx 50 per pack)
1 lb hickory smoked bacon
barbecue sauce of your choice (I used Sonny's Sweet)

1. Drain the liquid from the packs of smokies and dump them into a bowl or casserole dish for easy access.

2. Separate each slice of bacon from the pound and quarter it (down the middle lengthwise and across) so you have 4 skinny strips of bacon.  I only quartered the piece I was going to be using for the next 4 smokies.

3. Wrap each smokie in 1 skinny strip of bacon and lay it back in the casserole dish.

4. Bake them at 350º for 30-40 minutes, depending on how done you like your bacon.  I like mine crispy, but this was more or less the texture of a baked ham when it was done.

5. Heat the barbecue sauce on the stove so you don't crack your casserole dish.  Once it is bubbling, pour it over the smokies and return them to the oven.

6. Bake an additional 5-10 minutes (or longer) until the sauce is bubbling and has reduced some.

Chicken and Dumplings

“The fricassee with dumplings is made by a Mrs. Miller whose husband has left her four times on account of her disposition and returned four times on account of her cooking and is still there.”

- Lily Rowan

Chicken and dumplings are my ultimate comfort food.  When I'm feeling down about something, a big helping of steaming chicken and dumplings can just about make it all better.  They are great as leftovers, and unless you are feeding a small crowd you will have leftovers.  If I'm making an entire meal to go with the dumplings, I add baked beans, deviled eggs, corn or corn pudding, and broccoli casserole.  I've got to stop!  Talking about it is making me hungry!

Chicken and Dumplings

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4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

water

1 can chicken broth

1 batch Blue Ribbon Buttermilk Biscuit dough (use regular milk and go easy on it!)

Rubbed sage

1. Place chicken breast halves in a pressure cooker and fill to the halfway mark.  Cook at a steady jiggle for 20 minutes.  Carefully release the pressure and remove the lid.

2. Remove chicken breasts to a cutting board.  Add the can of chicken broth to the liquid in the pressure cooker.  Turn heat on medium and allow it to come to a steady boil.  Add a palmful of rubbed sage to the liquid.

3. Shred the chicken (or dice it very small) and keep it on the cutting board.  You may want to cover it so it doesn't dry out.

4. Prepare the biscuit dough with a small adjustment:  use regular milk instead of buttermilk, and only add enough milk to bring the dough together.  Pat out very thin (~1/8").  Use a pizza cutter (or butter knife) to cut the dough into squares.

5. Once liquid is boiling, add the dumplings one at a time and allow them to sink and then float back up before you add too many more.  Basically if you add them all at the same time they will clump together instead of cooking.  You can really add about 4 to the liquid at a time as long as you space them out around the perimeter.

6.  Very gently stir the dumplings with a large wooden spoon so they cook evenly.

7.  Once the dumplings have plumped up (about 4x the original size), add the chicken a handful at a time to the dumplings.  Stir carefully after each addition.  If you stir too vigorously you will destroy the dumplings.

NOTE:  You have to get the dumplings thin because they will stay raw/gummy in the center if they are too thick.  Mine were too thick this time, and while the outer two-thirds of the dumplings cooked through, the center was still uncooked.  It won't hurt you to eat them that way, they just have an odd texture and are a little heavy.  Alternatively, if you don't want to pat them out and cut them (lack of counter space, maybe?), you can use a large tablespoon to make "drop" dumplings.  All you do is drop the dough into the boiling liquid and wait for them to begin to cook.