Finger-licking Good Fried Chicken

By Terry Orr

Fried chicken is a dish consisting of chicken pieces usually from broiler chickens, which have been floured or battered and then pan-fried, deep fried, or pressure fried. The breading adds a crisp coating or crust to the exterior.  Oh – also Oven Baked Fried Chicken.

American fried chicken has its roots in the Southern United States, but Europeans have been eating fried chicken since the Middle Ages! During that time period, cooks discovered that covering meat in flour and spices before cooking it helped seal in the flavor and made it more portable. (Source: Punchbowl)

Celebrating National Fried Chicken Day – today – Saturday – is a great day for a picnic with this family favorite and gathering of friends and family. There are so many good things to go along with the chicken, potato salad, and corn on the cob, baked beans, salad, chips, mashed potatoes, gravy, and more wonderful goodies.

Enjoy your long 4^th of July weekend with family and friends, be safe and have lots of fun.

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National Potato Day

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By Chef Diane

I love potatoes! When I was growing up we ate mostly rice, my parent's parents ate mostly potatoes.  Now I am a potato generation.  My son was lucky enough to share his time with my parents and myself, so he had a little of both.

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I love potatoes cooked anyway, baked, boiled, mashed, fried, hash browned scalloped, you name it, I love them.  My mother used to tell a tale that when she was growing up, she would keep hot sweet potatoes in her pockets to keep her hands warm on her way to school, and then she would eat them for lunch. Recently I found out that never happened, but it was still a good story.

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Potatoes are very good for you, full of vitamins such as vitamin C, potassium, and iron.  They give you quick energy and fill you up.  My cousin, who is very calorie conscious, has one weakness, and that is French fries.  She particularly loves the ones from McDonalds.  My father has recently started making fries and potato chips from sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving, when he cooks the turkey.

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In the US, 45 billion tons of potatoes are harvested each year for the nation's consumption. So today, on Potato Day, why not gobble a few potatoes yourself, and help keep the farmers happy.  If you need a recipe for something to fix with potatoes, a favorite southern dish is potato salad.  Below is a great recipe from southernfood.com to try.

Potato Salad

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds potatoes, cooked until just tender, cubed, cooled
• 5 or 6 hard cooked eggs, cooled, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped celery, optional
• Thinly sliced tomatoes and cucumber, for garnish, optional

Dressing:

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise (a little more or less, as desired)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Combine potatoes, egg, onions, and celery. Stir in mayonnaise, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. (Stir the mayonnaise and mustard in a little at a time, until you have the flavor and consistency you like.)

Top with thinly sliced tomatoes and cucumber, if desired.

Serves 6 to 8.

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National French Fries Day

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By Terry Orr

Sweet, curly, spicy or slathered with chili and cheese, French fries are always a hit. That’s why we’re glad today is National French Fries Day!

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The first French fries are said to date back to the 17th century in Belgium. The inhabitants of the region, which was then known as the Spanish Netherlands, often accompanied their meals with small fried fish.  When weather conditions were too dangerous to fish, they “julienned” potatoes to resemble the fish. This meant that they cut strips of potato into long, thin slices. They then fried these potatoes, which served as excellent substitutes!

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Getting good French Fries these days can be a challenge and many competitors of the golden arches have yet to learn ‘crispy’ without soggy, greasy fries.

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National Potato Chip

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By Diane Forrest

Have you ever gone to a restaurant and ordered something that wasn't cooked the way you wanted?  Steak too rare?  Chicken too burned or eggs too runny?  This has happened to me occasionally, and it would always embarrass my husband and my child when I would send it back.  I would explain to them that I work hard for my money, and I don’t want to pay for something that I can't eat.  I can make bad food at home; I go out to eat so that I can have something better.  I know I’m not the first to send something back, and I won’t be the last.  About 159 years ago a customer at a restaurant in Sarasota Springs, NY had complaints about his potatoes.  He complained that they were too thick, too soggy, and too bland. Too greasy.  The chef by this time was completely aggravated and sliced the potatoes so thin and fried them, that they could not be eaten with a fork.  Then out of what must have been spite, he covered with salt, probably wanting to give the patron a "taste" of his own medicine.  But, to the surprise of the Chef, the customer (who some think to be Cornelius Vanderbilt) Loved them, and the rest....is history.

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At first you could only get them in restaurants, but then they started putting them in bags made out of wax paper that were folded and ironed or stapled, and selling them in mass production.  In the 1950's Joe "Spud" Murphy decided to try some seasoning on the chips.  They had been unseasoned until this time, well except for the salt.   The first seasonings were cheese and onion, and salt and vinegar.  Today there are dozens of different flavors to choose from, as well as plain, wavy, baked, thick cut or kettle cooked.

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I love potato chips, and have been doing extensive research for this article.  I like to eat them with sandwiches, or just with dip or alone.  I practically lived o ruffles and french onion dip when I was pregnant, and still prefer the wavy ones with dip, because they hold up under the weight.

Today is National Potato Chip day, so why not spend the day with some research of your own to see which one is your favorite.

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Ten Potato Chip Facts you may not know:

1. Potato Chips date back to 1853. An unhappy customer at a restaurant in Sarasota Springs, NY kept returning his fried potatoes to the chef, requesting they be prepared much thinner. The chef sliced them so thin that they could not be eaten with a fork. Thus was born the potato chip.
2. It wasn’t until the early 20th century that potato chips expanded from restaurant food and started selling in bags.
3. Flavored chips were born in the 1950′s by a small independent manufacturer who then sold the concept to the larger corporations.
4. As junk food goes, potato chips contain only ingredients (potatoes, oil, salt) and are considered by some nutritionists the lesser of savory evils.
5. Potato chips sales are over $15B (!!!) a year worldwide. They tally up about one third of all savory snacks.
6. While we call them potato chips, our overseas friends use the word crisps.
7. A single serving of potato chips, 1 ounce, contains only 150 calories, 10 grams of fat and 180mg of salt. That’s less than 10% of the daily calories of most people, about 15% of the fat, and 8% of the maximum sodium intake.
8. Problem is that most people don’t stop at one serving. Honestly, are 11 chips enough for you? People can wolf down 5 times that amount in sitting, dip not included…
9. One of the most popular flavored potato chip varieties is Sour Cream and Onion. Compared to just 3 ingredients in the original version, this one has 20 ingredients including MSG, Palm oil, and artificial coloring's.
10. Just in case you were wondering, this national holiday does not appear in congressional records. It’s just another made up holiday by snack food industry marketing geniuses.

Sweet Potato Month

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By Chef Diane,

Did your parents ever tell you about the tough time they had growing up?  My mother's story was she had to walk 10 miles, uphill, in the snow and carry hot sweet potatoes in her pockets to keep her hands warm, and then eat them for lunch.  She loves sweet potatoes, but only cookies them for the holidays.  She just likes them plain, with butter and topped with marshmallows.

When my dad started frying turkeys at Thanksgiving, he sliced sweet potatoes and fried them too, made chips.  Now you can even go to restaurants and order sweet potato fries too.  Seems to have been a big explosion in the awareness of sweet potatoes with good reason too.

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Did you know that the sweet potato ranks number one in nutrition?  Sweet potatoes are high in the following: beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin B6 and vitamin C; fiber, thiamine, niacin, potassium and copper. They are also a good source of protein, calcium, vitamin E.  Sweet potatoes rank highest in Vitamin A and beta carotene.  Vitamin A promotes good vision, especially in low light. It may also be needed for reproduction and breast-feeding. Vitamin A helps form and maintains healthy skin, teeth, skeletal and soft tissue, mucus membranes, and skin. It is also known as retinol because it produces the pigments in the retina of the eye.

Beta-carotene is an antioxidant. Antioxidants protect cells from damage caused by substances called free radicals. Free radicals are believed to contribute to certain chronic diseases and play a role in the aging processes.

My great state of Mississippi produces 19% of the country's total sweet potato crop.  Mississippi has about 150 farmers growing sweet potatoes on about 8,200 acres (33 km2), contributing $19 million dollars to the state's economy. Mississippi's top five sweet potato producing counties are Calhoun, Chickasaw, Pontotoc, Yalobusha, and Panola. The National Sweet Potato Festival is held annually the entire first week in November in Vardaman (Calhoun County), which proclaims itself as "The Sweet Potato Capital", they also elect a Sweet Potato queen who goes on to participate in the Miss Mississippi Pageant.

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Since sweet potatoes are being recognized all month, you have plenty of time to try them, try some new recipes, or eat sweet potato fries instead of regular fries.  Who knows you may like them better, they are better for you too.

Another way to eat them is in bread.  A friend of mine gave me her sweet potato bread recipe, so I’m sharing it with you.  Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Bread

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Ingredients:

• 3 Cups sugar
• 3 cups self rising flour
• 2 cups cooked mashed sweet potatoes (cook in microwave until done, scoop it out of the skin)
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup oil
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1 cup shredded coconut (optional)

Directions

Mix all ingredients well, pour in greased loaf pan, bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for an hour, or until done.

Sweet Potato Nutrition Facts (for one medium size sweet potato)

• Calories 130
• Fat 0.39 g
• Protein 2.15 g
• Net Carbs 31.56 g
• Dietary Fiber 3.9 g
• Calcium 28.6 mg
• Sodium 16.9 mg
• Potassium 265.2 mg
• Foliate 18.2 mcg
• Vitamin C 29.51 mg
• Vitamin A 26081.9 IU

Spud Lover’s Day – Yahoo!!

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By Chef Diane,

As I was looking at this month's schedule I noticed that February is Potato Lover's Month.  Well if there is anything I love, its chocolate and potato’s.  How great would a chocolate potato be?  Potatoes are wonderful, in fact, according to http://blog.souplantation.com/10-reasons-to-love-the-potato/ there are 10 reasons to love the potato, and they are:

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1. It’s no coincidence that February is Potato Lovers’ Month and American Heart Month. Potatoes (with the skin) are a good source of potassium. Research shows that potassium may help lower blood pressure, contributing to a heart-healthy diet.
2. This one’s simple: one medium-sized potato (5.3 oz.) has 110 calories and is fat- and cholesterol-free.
3. Did you grow up listening to your mother tell you to eat your vegetables? Well, potatoes are vegetables, so eat away!
4. It’s cold season and what you eat can help you fight off the winter bug—a medium-sized spud has nearly half the recommended daily value of vitamin C and is also a good source of vitamin B6.
5. Potatoes are also a source of dietary fiber, a complex carbohydrate, which is known to increase satiety and help with weight loss.
6. Russets, reds, fingerlings, blues, purples, yellows and whites—with six common fresh potato varieties, there’s always a new color or texture to experiment with.
7. No time to boil or bake? That’s a good thing! The quickest methods for cooking potatoes, microwaving and steaming, are also the healthiest because they allow the potato to retain the most nutritional value. Visit www.potatogoodness.com for healthy and quick potato recipes.
8. Potato casserole, potato salad, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, roasted potatoes—the possibilities for potatoes are endless!
9. Potatoes with skin rank highest for potassium content among the top 20 most frequently consumed raw vegetables and the top 20 most frequently consumed raw fruits. That means they have more potassium than a banana, more than broccoli, more than an orange, more than spinach…you get the idea!
10. Each year, there are more than 1 million acres of potatoes planted—that’s like filling the whole state of Rhode Island with potato plants. It’s the leading vegetable crop in the US with a total production of 41.3 billion pounds! That’s plenty of potatoes for everyone.

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Of course I love potatoes because they taste good, and can be prepared in so many different ways.  You can bake them, boil them, fry them, mash them, make potato salad, soup, or even pancakes with them.  You can steam them, roast them, julienne, them scallop them, hash brown and au gratin them.  I haven't found any type that I didn't like.  When my parents were growing up their families ate potatoes daily, they grew up wanting to never see another potato.  When I was growing up we had rice all the time.  Well that made me shy away from rice and only eat potatoes.  My son, who spent half the week with me, and half with my parents who watched him while I worked had a equal balance of both, so I hope that breaks the rice/potato cycle, but I still eat my potatoes.  I especially love a baked potato when I’m not feeling well.  They are easy to digest, and are considered a comfort food.  My cousin craves French fries, and my favorite side with breakfast is crispy hash browns.  Every Sunday after church I have lunch with my parents.  We watch a program that has something to do with remodeling restaurants and teaching them a new dish or two to help their struggling business.  This past Sunday the host of the show taught them an appetizer to make to help increase sales.  He took a small potato, baked it, cut it in half, then scooped out the inside and filled with barbequed pork.  Then put some mashed potatoes in a pastry bag and topped the stuffed potato with it.  It looked so delicious and wish I knew where that restaurant was!  Since I don’t have that recipe, I thought I would share this potato soup recipe with you instead.

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To find out more about potatoes, click here: http://www.idahopotato.com/

Potato Soup

Ingredients

• 3 bacon strips, diced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 large baked potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 cup half-and-half cream
• 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• Shredded Cheddar cheese
• Minced fresh parsley

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp. 
2. Drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings. Set bacon aside. 
3. Sauté onion and garlic in the drippings until tender. 
4. Stir in flour, salt, basil and pepper; mix well. 
5. Gradually add broth. 
6. Bring to boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes. 
7. Add the potatoes, cream and hot pepper sauce; heat through but do not boil. 
8. Garnish with bacon, cheese and parsley.

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Do you know?? Who was the Vice President who misspelled the word Potato in a spelling bee?