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.

(Photos from Google) 

Celebrating Corn on the Cob Day – 2013

By Chef Terry

It is that time of year again – some of the early crops are ready to harvest and one of my all time favorites is fresh sweet corn on the cob. It is one of the few veggies that I prefer cooked than raw and there are many fine ways to prepare your corn on the cob.

Boil your corn on the cob.  Clean your corn of the husk and silk, drop into a pot of boiling water and cook until tender.

Get this: we don’t boil it at all.

Instead, we boil water on it’s own, and then toss in the corn. Once the water gets back up to a boil, we simply shut off the heat. You can let the corn hang out in the pot for a few minutes, or until dinner’s ready, or until you just can’t resist the promise of its perfection. (Source: http://food52.com/blog/3825-the-best-way-to-cook-corn-on-the-cob)

Microwave Corn on the Cob

There are several ways to microwave you corn and here are a couple examples:

Cook fresh corn on the cob in the microwave with husks and silk intact. They will cook in their own natural moisture.  Place on dampened paper towel. Turn ears over and rearrange after ½ cooking time. (Source: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1850,158185-243196,00.html)

Cook fresh corn on the cob in steamer bags for three minutes – be sure to add a little water before sealing the bag. 

Grilling Corn on the Cob. The two popular methods are with and without the husk.

Steam Corn on the Cob

Rotisseries corn on the cob with husk – Favorite at large outdoor events, peel the husk back, wrap a paper towel around the bottom and dip in butter - you’re all set for a special treat.

Campfire corn on the cob - there are methods for accomplishing this – my favorite has been to leave the corn in it’s husk, place on the rocks around the fire and cook until tender – rotate from time to time.

What is your favorite way to cook Corn on the Cob?

(Images from Google) 

Corn on the Cob Day 2012 - Yum

(Google Image) 

Chef Diane

In 1816, children’s home was built in the city where I live.  It is a privately run facility, meaning they don’t accept money from the government, but rely on donations and contributions from the community.  My parents are very active with this home, my mother serves on the board of directors, and my dad can be found there helping with minor repairs and even building necessary furniture.  I even volunteer there at times when they need an extra hand.  Some of the area businesses not only donate money, but also goods or services.  Every year one such business, a farm, donates huge bags of fresh picked corn.  The director will give some to my parents for their hard work and dedication.  Luckily for me they will pass some along to me too.  It’s the gift that keeps on giving.  As luck would have it - the fresh crop just came in and I have a dozen ears here for me to enjoy.

(Google Image) 

Cooking corn is really easy to do; even a novice in the kitchen can perform this task. First, you remove the husks and "silk" from the corn and snap off the stalk. Make sure to wash it to remove any access silk. Then there are 3 ways to cook it, (4 if you want to grill it)

Microwave:

• This method is good when you are cooking only 2 or 3 ears of corn. If you are cooking more, you should choose one of the other cooking methods or do it in batches in the microwave.
• Place the corn in a microwave safe dish and add about 2 Tablespoons of water to the dish. Cover the dish with plastic wrap, making sure to leave a small opening (a steam vent) in the corner to let the steam escape.
• Microwave the corn on high for 4-to-6 minutes - depending on the strength of your microwave.
• Carefully remove the plastic wrap from the corn. There will be a lot of very hot steam escaping, so you probably should use a pair of tongs to remove the plastic wrap.

Cooking on stove top with cold water:

• Place the shucked corn in a large pot. Cover it with COLD tap water. Cover the pot and set it on the stove. Bring the pot to a boil. Once the pot has reached a boil, the corn is cooked.

(Google Image) 

Cooking on stove top with boiling water:

• Fill a large pot half way with COLD water. There should be enough water in the pot so that when you add the corn, it is covered with water but not overflowing.
• Bring the pot of COLD water to a boil. Using a pair of tongs, carefully drop each ear of corn into the pot. Cover the pot and return the water to a boil. Boil the corn for 5-7 minutes or until done.
•  
• The cooking times listed above are general cooking times. Some people eat corn raw, and some dunk it in boiling water for 30 seconds to just heat it slightly. The simplest answer is to taste the corn to see if it cooked to your liking. Salt and butter to taste.

(Google Image) 

On the Grill:

• Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat and lightly oil grate.
• Peel back corn husks and remove silk. Place 1 tablespoon butter, salt and pepper on each piece of corn. Close husks.
• Wrap each ear of corn tightly in aluminum foil. Place on the prepared grill. Cook approximately 30 minutes, turning occasionally, until corn is tender.

(Google Image) 

Once the corn is cooked, stick some corn cob holders on the end to prevent burning your fingers, add salt and butter and enjoy.  You can also remove the corn with a cute little device like the one shown above or simply cut off with a knife.  That will prevent hulls from getting stuck in your teeth.  You can even save the cob after you eat and make an old fashion corn cob pipe for your grandpa.

(Google Image) 

So today, on Corn on the Cob day, grab some corn, cook it up, and enjoy!

Corn on the Cob

Have you ever seen the movie PollyAnna?  It is a Disney movie that was released in 1960 staring Haley Mills about a young girl in a small Iowa town who brings joy and a new outlook to the whole community.  It is a wonderful heartwarming story that Im guessing takes place in the 1920's or 30's.   There is a scene in the movie where the town puts on a "bazaar" to raise money for the town's orphanage.  Several children put on a show, and booths are set up for selling things.  You should see the slice of cake that sells for a dime!  It is huge!  But the thing that caught my attention was the big silver kettle sitting on the fire.  Inside the pot are ears and ears of corn swimming in butter.  The two small stars of the movie walk up and get the corn and start chomping away.  It is as if you could almost taste it yourself!

 I remember when I was younger, going to the farmer's market with my grandmother and getting big brown grocery bags full of corn on the cob then going home to shuck them.  Its a little harder these days to eat corn on the cob, the hulls get caught in between your teeth, so make sure you have dental floss on hand afterwards!

Cooking corn is really easy to do, even a novice in the kitchen can perform this task.  First, you remove the husks and "silk" from the corn and snap off the stalk.  Make sure to wash it to remove any access silk.   Then there are 3 ways to cook it, (4 if you want to grill it) 

Microwave:

This method is good when you are cooking only 2 or 3 ears of corn. If you are cooking more, you should choose one of the other cooking methods or do it in batches in the microwave.

Place the corn in a microwave safe dish and add about 2 Tablespoons of water to the dish.  Cover the dish with plastic wrap, making sure to leave a small opening (a steam vent) in the corner to let the steam escape.

Microwave the corn on high for about 2 minutes - depending on the strength of your microwave.

Carefully remove the plastic wrap from the corn. There will be a lot of very hot steam escaping, so you probably should use a pair of tongs to remove the plastic wrap.

There is another handy way to microwave your corn - in those nice little streamer bags.

Cooking on stove top with cold water:

Place the shucked corn in a large pot. Cover it with COLD tap water. Cover the pot and set it on the stove. Bring the pot to a boil. Once the pot has reached a boil, the corn is cooked.

Cooking on stove top with boiling water:

Fill a large pot half way with COLD water.  There should be enough water in the pot so that when you add the corn, it is covered with water but not overflowing.

Bring the pot of COLD water to a boil. Using a pair of tongs, carefully drop each ear of corn into the pot.  Cover the pot and return the water to a boil.  Boil the corn for 5-7 minutes or until done.

(Granny’s rule – once the water is boiling (generally in three or four pots, kids high tail it into the garden, take two or three good ears, begin shucking and cleaning them, walk into the kitchen and hand to Granny.  She puts them into the water … you get a slice of bread or two, making sure there is lots of butter when the ears are ready.  Roll in buttered bread, season to taste and enjoy!!)

The cooking times listed above are general cooking times. Some people eat corn raw, and some dunk it in boiling water for 30 seconds to just heat it slightly. The simplest answer is to taste the corn to see if it cooked to your liking.  Salt and butter to taste.

On the Grill:

Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat and lightly oil grate.

Peel back corn husks and remove silk. Place 1 tablespoon butter, salt and pepper on each piece of corn. Close husks.

Wrap each ear of corn tightly in aluminum foil. Place on the prepared grill. Cook approximately 30 minutes, turning occasionally, until corn is tender.

So today, on Corn on the Cob day, grab some corn, cook it up, get a copy of Pollyanna and enjoy!