Grandma's Fried Chicken

Grandma's Fried Chicken

1 chicken, cut up
1 1/2 cups flour
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Salt and pepper the chicken.  Dredge in flour, coating well.

After the chicken is coated with flour, set it aside for 10 minutes.  This will make your chicken crispier by helping the coating stay on the chicken when fried.

In a large skillet, add butter and oil.  Heat over low heat, until oil is hot.

Add chicken. Cover with lid.  Cook on low 30 minutes, turning chicken after 15 minutes.  Don't fuss with the chicken.  Turning it frequently, and picking up the edge to check it, will make the coating fall off.

Remove lid, turn heat up to medium high, brown on all sides.

I usually bake my chicken, but every once in a while I crave my Grandma's fried chicken.  As it cooks, the aromas filling my kitchen make me feel almost like my Grandma is with me.  I miss her so much!

 My Grandma

When I was a child, we would have big family gatherings once a month.  My grandma would smile and laugh, as she prepared food for the people she loved the most.  Of course, fried chicken was on the menu.  It is amazing how certain food and smells bring back so many happy memories.

What food, brings back happy memories for you?

Enter my Double Giveaway! 

Follow my blog and or Facebook for your chance to win!

Visit my friends blogs!

You will love Bo and his blog,  Bo's Bowl.  Not only does he host great giveaways,  his recipes are incredible!  One visit to his blog and you will see why I faithfully follow it.

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Picnic Tips

It's summer, so it is time to take the food outside for a nice picnic.  Below are a few tips I use when  planning a picnic.

Picnic Tips

1. If I am planning on using a picnic table, I purchase an inexpensive plastic tablecloth and matching plates, cups, paper napkins, and plastic ware.   Lounging around on a picnic blanket is wonderful if the ground is dry.  I take a tarp to lay under our blanket to ensure a dry comfy place to sit.

2. I try to plan my food so I will not have a lot of leftovers.  Leftover food can spoil easily on a hot day.

3. I don't pack ice cream or hard to eat desserts.  Instead I pack cupcakes, cookies, or bars.

4. I try to make food interesting.  I like to serve salad in half of a pita instead of just placing it on the plate.

5. Do not partially grill or cook your food to make cooking quicker when you get to your picnic area.  You must completely cook meat to destroy bacteria.

6. To keep from digging around in the cooler looking for items, I pack the cooler in reverse order.  Last thing I will be eating goes in first.  The first item I plan to eat, is the last thing I pack.

7. I make food the night before and refrigerator it, so it will be chilled before it goes in the cooler.

8. Instead of adding ice to our cool drinks, I add sliced frozen fruit.

9. I also pack sun block, wet-ones, and bug spray.

Strange but true! 
I am a regular guest on my friend, George's, "Foodie Friday" radio segment on KICD AM 1240, which broadcasts in Iowa.  We were talking about picnic tips when he asked me if I had ever used Listerine to keep the bugs away when on a picnic.  I told him that was a new one to me!  But according to, George, his wife sprays Listerine around the picnic blanket and the bugs stay away. 

What are your picnic tips?

Enter my Double Giveaway! 

Follow my blog and or Facebook for your chance to win!

On Friday I will be posting my 

Grandmother's Fried Chicken recipe!

Visit my friends blogs!

You will love Bo and his blog,  Bo's Bowl.  Not only does he host great giveaways,  his recipes are incredible!  One visit to his blog and you will see why I faithfully follow it.

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Banana Chimichangas

Banana Chimichangas


3 bananas, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 (6 inch) flour tortillas
vegetable oil for frying

In a large skillet over medium heat, saute bananas and brown sugar in butter until sugar is dissolved.  Reduce heat; stir in vanilla and cook for 1 minute.

 Divide banana mixture between the tortillas. 

 Fold ends over mixture and roll closed.  

In a large skillet, heat 1 inch of vegetable oil over high heat.  

Place chimichangas seam down in skillet.

 Fry tortillas until golden brown. 

 Drain on paper towel.  

Serve warm.  Makes 3 whole servings or 6 half servings.

 This recipe is from the first cookbook I wrote called, MILD TO WILD MEXICAN COOKBOOK.

It is also the first recipe I cooked in front of a live audience.  It was at a woman's conference in Oklahoma.  I was really nervous before it was my time to go on stage.  They had lots of experienced people doing cooking demos, and I was the only new one.

The stage was beautiful, with top of the line appliances.  The crowd filled all available seats and people were standing at the back.  I walked out onto the stage, trying to act like I did this all the time.  It started off really well; they seemed to like the stories I was telling and they were intrigued by the recipe.

The bananas, brown sugar, and butter were cooking away and it was time for me to add the vanilla.  I gave the banana mixture a good stir, then left the spoon in the pan and reached for the vanilla.  The spoon had a heavy handle and as I lifted my hand from it, it flipped out of the pan and landed on the floor.  The audience let out a loud gasp.  I looked at them and wondered how I was going to recover from this mistake.  I laughed and told them a story about my mom putting me in dance class hoping it would make me less klutzy.

A lady and her daughter laughed really hard when I told that story.  It was a funny story, but not that funny.  After the demo was over, the mom came up to me and explained that her daughter was in dance class and wanted to quit.  She wouldn't let her because she was hoping it would make her graceful.  The mom said she would now let her daughter quit, because it obviously didn't work for me.  Her daughter thanked me several times.

Enter my Double Giveaway! 

Follow my blog and or Facebook for your chance to win!

Visit my friends blogs!

You will love Bo and his blog,  Bo's Bowl.  Not only does he host great giveaways,  his recipes are incredible!  One visit to his blog and you will see why I faithfully 
follow it.

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Double Giveaway!

I am giving away two sets of my cookbooks, MY KIND OF COOKING and BUSY WOMAN'S SLOW COOKER.

Giveaway #1 Follow my blog.

Sign up to follow my blog by clicking the "Follow" button on the right side of the page and you will be automatically entered to win a copy of MY KIND OF COOKING COOKBOOK and BUSY WOMAN'S SLOW COOKER COOKBOOK.

Giveaway #2 Like my Facebook Page.

Click the "Like" button on the right side of the page and you are automatically entered to win a copy of MY KIND OF COOKING COOKBOOK and BUSY WOMAN'S SLOW COOKER COOKBOOK.

This cookbook has over 500 yummy recipes using only 3, 4, or 5 ingredients.  It has everything from appetizers to desserts and everything in between.  It also includes slow-cooker recipes! 

 

BUSY WOMAN'S SLOW COOKER COOKBOOK Meals Ready & Waiting!

Over 500 delicious slow cooker recipes with few ingredients.  Let your slow cooker do the work, turning common ingredients into an amazing meal. Spending only minutes in the kitchen will result in yummy entrees, soups, sides, desserts, snacks, drinks and more!

Bonus!
Leave a comment on this post and you will receive an extra entry in the giveaway.

The giveaway is open to all of my Followers and Facebook Fans, regardless of where they live.   If your name is drawn and you have a blog, I will mention your blog address on my "Fast Food Fridays and The Cross Connection" radio shows on the The Passion Radio Network, and post your blog address on my blog.

Winner will be chosen by random.org and announced on August 5th.

Visit my friends blogs!

You will love Bo and his blog,  Bo's Bowl.  Not only does he host great giveaways,  his recipes are incredible!  One visit to his blog and you will see why I faithfully 
follow it.

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Slow Cooker Cherry Dump Dessert

Slow Cooker Cherry Dump Dessert

2 (21 ounce) cans cherry pie filling
1 (18.25 ounce) box yellow cake mix
2/3 cup butter, melted

Spray the inside of the slow cooker with cooking spray.  Pour the cherry pie filling in the bottom of slow cooker.  Sprinkle the dry cake mix over cherries.  Drizzle butter over top.  Cover.  Cook on high 3 1/2 to 4 hours.  Serve with ice cream.

This is a great dessert for the 4th of July.   Serve the bright red cherries and creamy vanilla ice cream on a blue plate, and you have all the colors of our flag.  You make this dessert in the slow cooker, so you don't have to worry about heating up your kitchen.  It is a perfect recipe to have your kids make all by themselves! 

Enter my Double Giveaway! 

Follow my blog and or Facebook for your chance to win!

Visit my friends blogs!

You will love Bo and his blog,  Bo's Bowl.  Not only does he host great giveaways,  his recipes are incredible!  One visit to his blog and you will see why I faithfully follow it.

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

SPAM Herb Garden

As SPAM month comes to a close, I am left with several empty SPAM cans.  I thought the cans were really cute and did not want to throw them away.  I decided to use them as planters.  The cans are just the right size to fit on my kitchen windowsill.  So far I have planted basil, parsley, and chives to create a little kitchen herb garden

I love cooking with fresh herbs and I am really excited that now instead of going to the grocery store for them, I can just walk over to the window and pick what I need.  I plan to use some of the basil to make my Italian Pinwheel recipe.

Do you have an herb garden? 

On Friday, I will be posting my 

Slow Cooker Cherry Dump Dessert

 

Enter my GIVEAWAY for you chance to win a box of SPAM goodies!

Visit my friends blogs!

You will love Bo and his blog,  Bo's Bowl.  Not only does he host great giveaways,  his recipes are incredible!  One visit to his blog and you will see why I faithfully follow it.

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Asian SPAM Fusion Salad

Asian SPAM Fusion Salad 

1 (6 ounce) package rice noodles
1 (16 ounce) bottle Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing
1 (12 ounce) can SPAM 25% Less Sodium, diced or 2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 (5 ounce) package Italian blend lettuce
1 cup chow mein noodles

Prepare rice noodles according to package directions.

 

Drain noodles well.  Arrange noodles in bottom of 13x9 inch baking pan.  

Add 1/4 cup Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing. Mix well.

Sprinkle diced SPAM over top.

Arrange lettuce over SPAM.  Sprinkle chow mein noodles over top.  

Serve with dressing.

It is hard to believe, but the month of June is almost over and this is my last SPAM recipe.  The last few days have been really hot here in New Mexico.  When the weather heats up sometimes we like to have a cold lunch or dinner.  This recipe is perfect for one of those hot and lazy nights.  You have everything you need for a delicious refreshing meal all in one dish.

Enter my GIVEAWAY for you chance to win a box of SPAM goodies!

Visit my friends blogs!

You will love Bo and his blog,  Bo's Bowl.  Not only does he host great giveaways,  his recipes are incredible!  One visit to his blog and you will see why I faithfully follow it.

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!