Good Morning,
As I hear the familiar churning of the washing machine and gather my recipes, I return to a semblance of normalcy, as I know it, in my home. Like Gladys, I also turned to comfort food to serve my family; something to nourish and warm us, to sustain us and evoke memories of a days past. Food can be a source of great comfort to many of us as we all struggle to make sense of what is happening in the world and so, I urge all of you to post your wonderful recipes of warmth and love as we come together to this table where we share our stories.
I chose Debbie D's Buttermilk Chicken because my next door neighbor made it twice in one week, now that's a compliment if ever I heard one! Debbie, thank you for sharing this delicious recipe....it makes it's own thick gravy and the chicken is so tender, it's a sin!! I am so glad I have some leftover to enjoy for lunch today.
This chicken was served with different vegetables and Debbie's Mama's Iced Tea...what a treat served in quart sized Mason jars!!! On the counter, I have Southern Pound Cake, it keeps well and it's just wonderful with a cup of coffee.
May you all find comfort within yourselves and family....Gina
The Menu:
Debbie D's Buttermilk Chicken
Brown Sugar and Mustard Carrots
Stewed Squash and Zucchini
Black-Eyed Peas ala Kelly
Debbie D's Mama's Iced Tea
Southern Pound Cake
The Recipes:
DEBBIE D'S ALABAMA BUTTERMILK CHICKEN
4 chicken breasts ( I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts--cut into filets)
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, divided
3/4 cup seasoned flour (I used parsley, onion powder, garlic powder, and poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup butter
1 can cream of mushroom soup
Combine flour, herbs, salt, and pepper. Dip chicken into 1/2 cup buttermilk. Roll in seasoned flour mixture. Melt butter in a 9X13 baking pan. Put chicken in pan. Bake at 425 uncovered for 10-15 minutes. Turn and bake 5-10 minutes more. Turn chicken over again. Pour 1 cup buttermilk and cream of chicken soup mixed together over chicken. Bake 15 minutes more--or until chicken tests done.
****Gina added 1 T. paprika to the flour mixture for color and 1 T. of paprika to the buttermilk-soup mixture to get a darker gravy. YUM!!!
Baby Carrots with Brown Sugar and Mustard
Cold-Weather Cooking by
Sarah Leah Chase, pg. 81
makes 6 servings
1 lb. baby carrots
3 T. butter
2 1/2 T. light brownsugar
1 T. grainy Dijon mustard
Steam carrots til crisp tender, 8 minutes. Melt the butter in a skillet, stir in the sugar and mustard to make a smooth sauce. Add the cooked carrots and toss to coat Cook one minute more and serve at once.
Stewed Squash and Zucchini
serves 2
1 yellow squash
1 green zucchini
1 slice onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Put all ingredients in a small saucepot, top with water to cover and gently stew the veggies til tender. Drain and serve.
recipelink.com Chat Room Recipe Swap - 2000-11-24
From: Kelly~WA
Black-eyed Peas With Ham
3 1/2 c Fresh black-eyed peas or Frozen, thawed
3 c Chicken stock or canned low-salt broth
4 oz Ham, finely chopped
1 small Yellow onion, chopped
2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar
3 large Garlic cloves, minced
1 Bay leaf
1/2 tsp Dried thyme, crumbled
1/4 tsp Dried crushed red pepper
Bring all ingredients to boil in heavy large saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer until peas are tender, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Yield: 6 servings
MAMA'S SWEET TEA from Debbie D. in Alabama
2 family-size LIPTON Tea Bags--It's the only kind of tea that we ever use
3/4-1 cup of sugar
2 cups boiling water
Put the tea bags in a half-gallon pitcher. Add the sugar and the water. Stir the sugar, tea, water mixture until the sugar has dissolved. Let the tea "steep" for 10-15 minutes. When the tea has steeped, fill the half-gallon pitcher with cold water. Stir this mixture and taste. Remove the tea bags. If it's too sweet, add the juice from one fresh lemon. If it isn't sweet enough, add 2 T. sugar until it is sweetened to your liking. Serve the tea in tall glasses with ice. I always add my lemon slice to the glass before pouring the tea. Pouring the tea over the lemon slice lets it have a nice, robust flavor.
If you have "leftover" tea, place the pitcher of tea into the refrigerator. Bring 1/2-3/4 cup of water to a boil. Add the boiling water to the tea to "cut the sweetness" and to make the tea clear again.
P.S.--Save the tea bags. When you get 4-6, rip the paper away from the bags and add the tea grounds to the area around your roses. My roses love the leftover tea!
If you have leftover unsweetened tea, you can pour this on ferns. I have many, many ferns and they love to have their "spot of tea." However, make sure that it is unsweetened tea. If not, the ants will chew those green plants down to nothing!
I hope that this helps!
Southern Lemon Rind Pound Cake
1 1/2 Cup Butter softened at room temp.
3 Cups Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Teaspoon Lemon Extract
1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Teaspoon Grated Lemon Rind
6 Eggs
3 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup Evaporated Milk
Heat oven to 325 degrees.
Grease and flour 10 inch tube pan.
Beat butter in large mixing bowl until light and fluffy.
Add sugar 1/2 cup at a time, creaming well after each addition.
Stir in vanilla, lemon extract, juice and rind.
Add eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition.
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk.
Stir thoroughly after each addition.
Pour into prepared pan.
Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean; about 70 to 80 minutes.
Cool 20 minutes;
remove from pan.
Yields 1 cake
