Fried Chicken, mac and cheese with carrot casserole

After last nights lazy meal I decided to go and fix out of 3 cookbooks.  I opened up Paula Dean & Friends living it up , Southern Style..  and what is more southern then FRIED Chicken... Flipping thru I found Bert's southern Fried Chicken. You really need a well- seasoned cast-iron skillet to make this.
Be sure to season the chicken early in the day otherwise the seasonings just wont penetrate. 

• chicken 8 serving pieces. Get the kind you like, breast, thighs, wings or drumsticks I used

leg quarters and split them.

• seasonings you like, salt pepper, Cayenne ect
• 2 cups of flour
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup milk

Season up the chicken and place in  a covered dish covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator til time to cook.

Place the flour in a plastic kitchen bag.

When ready to cook, beat the eggs with the milk and dip the chicken in the egg mixture , then place each piece in the bag. Shake until coated. Set the floured chicken on a dish while you heat the oil.

Pour enough oil into a cast-iron skillet to come only halfway up the sides of the pan. This is important as the oil rises when each piece is added.

Turn the heat to med-high; test by adding a drop of water to the oil. If it sizzles the oil is ready. It takes about 5 minutes. Place only 4 pieces in at a time. Cook about 8 to 9 minutes on one side before turning and cooking another 8. If using pieces with large bones, the legs and thighs, it may need  a few minutes more on both sides. Remove from the oil and drain on paper bags. 

It was very good.. not as wonderful as I remember my sister in law Cheryl's chicken... someday I really need to get her recipe *lol*

I decided to stay down south and pulled out Pit Stop in a Southern Kitchen with Jeff Gordon's mom Carol Gordon Brickford and Martha Earnhardt Dale Earnhardt's mom.

Ralph Earnhardt Dale's dad was a MEAT -and POTATOES man. He refused to eat casseroles but the rest of the family loved it. But the Mac and Cheese recipe  I am making was the only pasta dish he would eat.

Baked Mac and Cheese

• 1 16 ounce box of macaroni
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 pounds sharp cheddar cheese or as much as you like , shredded or cubed
• 1/2 stick butter
• 2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs

Cook macaroni and drain. Spread layers of macaroni, cheese and slices of butter until dish is full. In mixing bowl, combine egg with milk and pour over casserole. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top and bake at 300 for 1 hour.

OH MY >...... I don't care if it is a heart attack waiting to happen with all the cheese and butter.. because.. I used x sharp,  and 5 x cheddar... and it was HEAVEN!!!!!

Moving to The Blue Willow Inn  I came across their Carrot Casserole.

• 1 tablespoon grated onion
• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1 teaspoon of horseradish
• 2 cups cooked sliced fresh carrots
• 3/4 cup crumbled Ritz crackers
• 1 tablespoon butter

In a med mixing bowl add the onion, mayo and horseradish. Stir until blended. Add the carrots mixing well. Put the crackers on top dotted with the butter.  Put in a 350 oven for 20 minutes.

Add a salad with some fruit for supper and  there you have it...  now that I am stuffed.. I think its time to watch alittle tv.. til tomorrow... have a wonderful night!