Adventures in Cooking & Other Randomness

Hey gang! If you read my last blog and have been following me on T.w.itter then you know I'm a little more than stressed the HAIL out right now. My boss/mentor/friend took a job in NC. Is there a feeling beyond sad? Because that is me! This dude is great. The BEST boss ever. Although we toed the line of what is considered appropriate boss/employee relationships (you could often hear me telling him "Gator don't play that shit!" lol) I always respected him. He cared about my professional and personal development and that is rare in the workplace.

Now.. as the recruiter in my department, I am charged with the daunting task of searching for my new boss. {{blank stare}} Awkward, right? I get to phone screen, interview and hire the person that will eventually tell me what to do..so weird. Hence my lack of blog posting and random sh*t talking on T.w.itter.

Buttermilk Brine

Anywho.. last week I went on and on about how I was going fry some chicken! For the first time. Don't look at your computer screen like that. Just because I'm black doesn't mean I should know how to fry chicken -- just ask Jameil, lol. While cruising foodie sites on T.u.mblr, I came across this recipe for fried chicken, using a buttermilk brine. Sold! I bought a whole chicken, already cut up country-style and soaked it in the buttermilk overnight.

17 herbs & spices :p

The next evening I gassed myself up telling anyone that would listen how I was gonna' put my foot in this chicken! Yes! I was going to make some slap yo' momma good fried poultry. I poured some wine, cranked my E.Badu station on P.andora and got busy.

I mixed some cayenne, Lawry's (what's fried chicken without LAWRY'S?!) Fresh ground black pepper, paprika and garlic powder.
I battered up my chicken real chef-like. Ya' know? I was dippin' and shaking it up in the kitchen, drinking my liquid courage and acting like I knew what I was doin, hmph..

Ready for the fryer!

So, the recipe said to get the oil nice and hot. Check. Next, put the pieces in, not letting them touch and cover with a lid. Hold up.. I ain't never heard of covering fried chicken with a lid before. But, I was game for trying something new so I did it. Amazing results! When I peeked to check on the chicken, it seemed as though the steam was browning and cooking the part of the chicken that wasn't sitting in the oil. So far, so good.

Of course.. I wander off and do other things.. and come back to find that I'd cooked the first few pieces to long -- drats!!

A little 'too' well done

I had more pieces to cook, so all wasn't lost. And, I like my meat well done anyway, ha!

Perfect batch of fried chicken

So, I get to cooking my second batch and watched it like a hawk... It paid off! Wonderfully golden brown pieces. Ya'll when I tell you the chicken tasted like heaven..Mmmmmm!! The buttermilk was like some kind of magic potion. The chicken was moist & flavorful. I can honestly say I can fry some chicken now.




Can YOU fry chicken?