Well, hey there! You may not know me but my name is Mama and I’ve been cooking fried chicken since before most of ya were a twinkle in your daddies’ eye. Cookin’ is what I love to do and the folks around me ain’t complainin’. So, if you want to learn how to cook up some of the best fried chicken that you ever put your lips around, you’ve come to the right place.

Here’s Mama’s Best Fried Chicken Recipe

1 Whole Fryer, cut-up

2 cups of buttermilk

1 egg

2 tablespoons Texas Pete Hot Sauce (this will not add heat to the chicken, only flavor, the heat will cook out)

1 cup of self-rising flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 quart size ziploc freezer bag

Peanut Oil for fying

Put the chicken in a glass baking dish with the buttermilk, turning to coat all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight.

Heat peanut oil to 350 degrees F.

* If using an electric deep fryer, follow the manufacturers’ directions.

* If using a dutch oven when cooking fried chicken, fill it about 2/3 full of peanut oil.

* If pan-frying, you’ll need a cast iron skillet (recommended) with an inch of oil.

In a pie plate, mix together the egg and hot sauce, set aside.

In plastic ziplock bag, combine flour, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, poultry seasoning and paprika.

Place chicken in colander to drain off buttermilk. Allow to sit for about 15-20 to warm up to room temperaure.

Roll the chicken around in egg mixture starting with the dark meat first. Shake off the excess egg and drop into the ziplock bag with the flour mixture and shake ( no more than 2-3 pieces at a time) to coat well. Allow to sit on plate for a few minutes so that the flour can stick to the chicken.

Slowly drop the chicken into the oil starting with the dark meat. Don’t get in too big of a hurry or you’ll lower the temperature of the oil too quick and your chicken will soak up the oil and be greasy (not a good thing). If pan-frying, you will need to turn the chicken a couple of times so it will brown evenly. Cook until it’s a nice golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

The times for cooking fried chicken will vary but as a general rule:

(These times are for bone in chicken. Boneless will take only about half the time depending upon the thickness.)

13-14 minutes for dark meat

10-12 minutes for white meat

Mama’s not just cooking fried chicken, you’ll find a whole lot more recipes and tips on my website, www.mamas-southern-cooking.com

If you would like to reprint this article, it must be reprinted in it’s entirety with the link intact.

By: Kathy Coffey

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Pizzeria Recipes

Although eating chicken feet is an acquired taste, those who love to eat chicken feet will swear by it. It is a delicacy in its own right. Chicken feet can be cooked in many ways. The chicken feet is rich in cartilage, hence it is known among old folks that it is good for their joins. In this article , I am going to talk about some easy tips to prepare chicken feet dishes.

I prefer to use chicken feet to boil soups or stews. I use them to boil nutritious such as black bean soup, lotus root soup, peanut soup and old cucumber soup. They can be used to boil in various type of soups such as herbal soup, black bean soup, lotus soup and old cucumber soup. For the stews, you can refer to my Chicken Feet stew with Chinese Mushroom. Some people prefer to use fried chicken feet for stews, that is tasty too. You can easily enhance the flavour with clove and star anise, and cinnamon stick. Chicken feet can be used to cook curry too.

Basically, there are two types of chicken feet. The white feather chicken feet that we consume almost daily, is easily available in the markets. The other type is “Kampong chicken” (Kampong is the Malaysian dialect for village) which is often found in rural village areas have feet which is firmer and tougher. Why is it firmer? Because the free range chickens run around a lot and thus its meat contain less fat. Of course, you can find “kampong chicken” in any supermarket nowadays, and not only in the “kampong”. This is best to use in boiling soups as mentioned in the above.

If you are not used to cleaning chicken feet, it can be quite tricky. These are some steps to prepare the chicken feet for cooking. First, you have to cut off the claws and trim of the harden unwanted spot normally seen beneath the feet. Then, rub the chicken feet with salt to clean it thoroughly. Rinse it. Finally, scald the chicken feet in hot boil water for 5 minutes. Then the chicken feet is ready to be cooked in any way you want.

For more simple and delicious chicken feet recipes, and handy cooking tips, please visit http://www.simplecookingideas.com

By: Mary Ly

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Website content

It is often hard to find just the right large quantity recipe for the theme of your party or for the “culinary experience” you are aspiring to offer your guests. Here are a few tips and suggestions on how to modify your favorite 4-6 serving recipes when you find yourself cooking for a crowd of 20 or more.

What constitutes a crowd? Of course it’s all relative (your relatives, not mine). Seriously, if you are accustomed to cooking for one to three, cooking for 20-50 people may seem overwhelming. When cooking for a crowd, there are three important considerations; adequate cookware, sufficient refrigerator space and recipe selection.

Obviously you should seek out recipes geared towards feeding a crowd. It is often easy to find large quantity recipes for basic dishes such as lasagna and mashed potatoes. But what do you do if you have your heart set on using your favorite 4-serving recipe for Corn and Black Bean Polenta for a party of 25?

Even for expert cooks, modifying a recipe for large quantity cooking is not just a matter of endless multiplications. If you expand a recipe too much–you are bound to run into trouble and end up with an off tasting or a poorly flavored dish.

For a basic dish like mashed potatoes, it would be acceptable to multiply all of the ingredients in a 4-serving recipe by two, thus doubling the recipe to serve 8. However, recipes are not indefinitely expandable (or shrinkable for that matter) and enlarging a recipe any more then 2-4 times is not
recommended.

You may also use recipe converters which are easily found online. The converters however, simply “do the math”, multiplying each ingredient amount by the increased number of servings you enter into the converter. It does not take into account, for example, the pungency or texture of the ingredients. If a 4-serving recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of finely chopped rosemary and you want to triple the recipe to serve 12; 3 tablespoons of rosemary will probably overwhelm all the other flavors and seasonings in the dish.

It is a good idea to be cautious when multiplying ingredients like salt, flour, cornstarch, eggs, seafood, meats, robust herbs, oils, onions, garlic, celery and peppers. Some ingredients will impart enough flavor, texture or body when only increased a fraction. In addition some of these ingredients can be added a little at a time as you continually check for taste.

What if you want to serve 25 people with a not-so-simple, 4-serving recipe with numerous ingredients? Doubling or tripling more complex recipes could get complicated. One trick is to batch cook. Batch cooking requires planning ahead and cooking in advance. It may also mean freezing prepared dishes. It is also a matter of “doing the math”.

To serve 25 with a 4-serving recipe, you can cook 5-6 individual batches of that recipe or, you can expand the recipe (no more then 2-4 times) and cook in batches accordingly. For example, to serve 25 from a 4-serving recipe, double the recipe to 8 and cook three batches or, triple it and cook two batches. To serve 18 with a 6-serving recipe, cook it three times or cook one 6-serving batch and one batch that has been doubled to serve 12. You get the idea.

It is almost impossible to double or triple recipe ingredients for cakes, cookies, pie dough, or breads, without meeting with utter disaster. It’s a chemistry thing. Instead, prepare a single batch repeatedly until you have enough food to feed your guests. Again, cooking in advance is the key.

Chances are you can successfully double or triple the ingredients of recipes for individual appetizers, such as stuffed mushrooms or crostini; and for snack mixes, dips, salsas, punches, one serving-size pieces of meat, poultry or fish, tossed salads, pasta salads and vegetables dishes.

If you are cooking for a crowd of 25 or more you will most likely serve buffet style. It is the best way to serve larger crowds. On a buffet of numerous dishes, people will take smaller portions of each in order to sample everything. Also, not everyone will sample every dish. This means that every dish
you prepare need not serve 25. You need only prepare a few large quantity dishes. Look for recipes that serve 8-12 and double them (or not).

With a calculator and a little ingredient know-how you can comfortably convert most of your party food recipes and present a tantalizing menu to your
guests.

Have fun!

Debra Haydel

By: Debra Haydel

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Caffeinated Content

Fresh seafood delivery is now more widely available than ever before. Thanks to improved shipping and packaging methods, you can have fresh fish and seafood caught, frozen, and shipped to you within 24 hours. Your grocery store’s seafood might not even be that fresh.

Some seafood, such as lobster, is usually shipped live. Even so, the longer a lobster sits in tank waiting to be shipped, the more degenerated the quality of the meat becomes. If you’re sparing no expense to order lobster online, look for an online retailer that advertises overnight shipping and same-day catch. This will be the best-tasting lobster around.

Mollusks and other shellfish are also shipped lived sometimes for optimum freshness of the meat. It is always better-tasting to purchase these live.

On the other hand, King Crab legs and other species of crab legs are frozen almost immediately after catch. Freezing crab legs directly after the catch is the best way to preserve the freshness of that kind of meat.

Companies will vary in their methods of shipping fish, fresh or frozen. Some ship frozen salmon, halibut, etc. Others advertise filleting and shipping the fish of your choice the day you order it. This is obviously fresher than you could ever find fish at the supermarket. Whether you need yellow fin tuna steaks, haddock, cod, chances are you can find an Internet retailer offering to catch it and ship it to you in the same day.

When you receive your seafood delivery, make sure someone is there to sign for it and inspect it immediately. Fresh fish should not smell like fish at all and the meat should look lively and be springy to the touch. Live clams, mussels and oysters should clamp tight when tapped. Live lobster should be moving around to indicate they are still alive.

Plan on eating/cooking any fresh shellfish, mussels, oysters, etc. within a day of receiving the shipment. Discard (before cooking) any mollusks that don’t close when you tap their shell. Also, these live mollusks and shellfish should not be stored on ice or submerged in water or put in briny water before cooking. Ideally, store them in a colander placed over a bowl. This allows for air circulation and catches any drips.

Ordering seafood online might seem like a risky prospect since you can’t inspect the food for freshness yourself before purchasing. But any Internet retailer with any amount of credibility will guarantee overnight delivery and a fresh product or your money back (or replacement product). As long as you’re present to receive and inspect your fresh seafood delivery (and perhaps have a backup plan) you should have a positive experience.

By: Anne Clarke

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Just when you thought there was a lot of variety of beef jerky flavors available on store shelves, there are hundreds more flavors available by way of hundreds of recipes, either concocted by today’s top chefs, handed down from generation to generation or just created by experimenting jerky enthusiasts. This page will contain links to some of our favorite recipes. However, the beef jerky recipes don’t stop here. There are books available and plenty more recipes available on other cooking sites, as well as on packages of marinades and seasonings.

Remember, to begin making your own beef jerky, in addition to these beef jerky recipes you will need to understand the basics of the health risks involved when working with raw meat. You will also need to have the necessary supplies as discussed on how to make beef jerky. Once you have your supplies, you are ready to explore what types of jerky you can make.

Remember, it just doesn’t have to beef either! You can make jerky from deer, elk, alligator, pork, turkey and even duck and goose. Then, consider what type of flavor you want. Do you want it hot and spicy? Do you want it sweet? Do you want it tangy? Maybe you would favor it smoky, or garlicky. Maybe you’d prefer something combined like a sweet and sour. Or, perhaps you want something out of the ordinary and want it fruity. Once you figure what kind of taste you are going for, you can narrow down a specific recipe.

Here are three that we like:

Alligator Beef Jerky

That’s right. Our first beef jerky recipe example isn’t even really beef jerky, but something more exotic. We offer two recipes for alligator beef jerky, one basic and one with a Cajun flair.

Hawaiian Beef Jerky

Say Aloha to this sweet and tangy beef jerky recipe that brings our Pacific Island to the west into our ovens, smokehouses and dehydrators.

Honey Barbecue Beef Jerky

The combination of honey and barbeque has made many a food taste delicious, from chips to burgers to, well, beef jerky. Check out our chosen recipe for a honey barbecue beef jerky.

By: Caleb Liu

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Pizzeria Recipes

Who can pass up a big dish of chicken wings? Spicy, crunchy, and delicious, they’re simply irresistible.

If you like chicken wings as much as I do, below are 4 chicken wing recipes you can prepare at home:

1. Cajun Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

- 12 Chicken wings – tips removed
- 5 Bay leaves – crumbled into bits
- 3/4 teaspoon Caraway seeds
- 1/2 To 3/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon Ground cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon Ground coriander
- 4 Garlic cloves – finely
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Dry mustard
- 2 teaspoons Paprika – preferably
- 3/4 teaspoon Dried thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 2 tablespoons Brandy
- 2 tablespoons Fresh lemon or lime juice

Directions:

- Defat the chicken wings by cooking them in boiling water for 10 minutes.
- Drain and set aside to cool.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Using a large mortar and pestle, grind together the bay leaf bits, caraway seeds, cayenne pepper, coriander, cumin, garlic, mustard, paprika, thyme and salt for about 10 minutes.
- Add the brandy and lemon or lime juice to the pulverized herbs and stir into a thick paste.
- With a pastry brush, cover both sides of each wing with the herb paste.
- When no more remains in the mortar, squeeze the last few drops from the brush.
- Arrange the chicken wings on a baking sheet.
- Bake until the skin turns deep brown and is quite crisp approximately 30 minutes.

Takes about an hour to prepare.

2. African Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

For the Wings

- 4 Garlic cloves
- 2 Shallots
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
- 1 tablespoon Chinese 5 spice
- 2 teaspoons Paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary – crumbled
- 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne – or to taste
- 2 tablespoons Vegetable oil
- 4 pounds Chicken wings — about 20-24
- Tips removed

For the Sauce

- 1/3 cup Natural style peanut butter
- 1/4 cup canned cream of coconut – Well stirred
- 2 Garlic cloves – chopped
- 1/4 cup Water
- 1/4 cup Red bell pepper – chopped
- 1/8 teaspoon Dried hot red pepper flakes Or to taste
- 1 teaspoon Soy sauce
- Coriander sprigs

Directions:

The Wings:

- Prepare the chicken wings: Mince and mash the garlic and shallots to a paste with the salt.
- In a large bowl stir the paste together with the 5 spice powder, paprika, rosemary, cayenne, and the oil. Mix well.
- Add the chicken wings.
- Toss and stir them until they are completely covered with the marinade.
- Let them marinate, covered and chilled for 4 hours or over night.
- Arrange the wings, skin side up, on the rack of a foil lined large broiler pan and bake them in the upper third of a preheated 425F oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until they are golden.

The wings may be prepared one day in advance, kept covered and chilled and then reheated before serving.

The Sauce:

- In a blender, blend together the peanut butter, cream of coconut, garlic, water, bell pepper, red pepper flakes and the soy sauce until the mixture is smooth, season the sauce with salt, to taste.

The Presentation:

- Transfer the sauce to a serving bowl set on a platter.

- Arrange the wings around the bowl and garnish the platter with the coriander.

3. Barbecue Wing Dings

Ingredients:

- 3 pounds chicken wing
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 drops Worcestershire sauce
- 4 cups ketchup
- 1 onion

Directions:

- Cut off the small piece of the chicken wing and the bony part so you have only the meaty part.
- Mix the ketchup, onion (cut up), brown sugar and sauce together. Dip wings in the sauce.
- Put on cookie sheet.
- Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 1/2 hour. If you have extra sauce, cook in saucepan until thick.

4. Barbecued Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

- 35 Chicken wings – tips removed
- 1 Stick butter
- 1 cup Brown sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon Sauce
- 1/2 cup Dry red wine
- 2 teaspoons Dry mustard
- 2 large Garlic cloves – crushed
- 1/4 cup Fresh lemon juice and Fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions

Requires marinating and long cooking time but it is simple.

- Place chicken wings, disjointed, in large flat pan.
- Combine other ingredients and pour over chicken.
- Let stand for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Be sure all wings are well coated with marinade.
- Place pan in 350 in oven and reduce heat to 250.
- Bake 4-5 hours, turning wings at regular intervals.

If all marinade is not absorbed, pour off and dry wings out a bit longer in oven (but not too much) before serving.

By: Lucille Green

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Vegetarian Cooking

Chicken breast meat is probably one of the healthiest meat you can eat if you are on a low-calorie, low-fat diet to lose weight. That’s because this part of the chicken has less fat and if you get the skinless ones, it is choke full of protein and very little fat.

However, many are not sure about cooking the chicken breast meat as it could turn out to be stringy and tough. You can always use a meat tenderizer but if you prefer not to use that, there are more natural ways to make sure the chicken meat is tender, soft and succulent after it was cooked. Here is a simple stir-fry chicken recipe that is healthy, wholesome and easy.

Easy Stir-fried Chicken Breast Meat with Vegetables

The ingredients you may need are:

1 pc chicken breast meat 6 tbs light soya sauce 2 tbs fish sauce 1 tbs dark soya sauce 2 tbs five spice powder 1 cup green peas 1 cup chopped carrot 1 cup sweet peas 3 medium potatoes, boiled, skinned and cubed 2 tbs diced garlic 1 onion, diced 1/2 cup boiling water 2 tbs cooking oil

To prepare the chicken, you need to first slice the chicken meat very thinly. Then season it with 2 tbs light soya sauce, 2 tbs fish sauce, 1 tbs dark soya sauce and 2 tbs five spice powder. Let it marinade for about 30 minutes or so.

In a wok, heat up the cooking oil. Saute the garlic till fragrant and then add the onions and continue to saute till it is almost brown. Add the marinated chicken. Stir fry over medium heat for a minute or so but make sure the chicken is still half-cooked before you add the carrots, peas, sweet peas, potatoes and water. Cover and let it simmer over medium heat for two minutes. Then add the remaining light soya sauce and cover. You can let it simmer for another two minutes then remove.

This dish is best served hot with steamed wild brown rice or you can even eat it as an all-in-one meal since it has potatoes and vegetables too. The recipe is ideal for two if eaten with rice or for one if eaten as is.

The secret behind ensuring that the chicken is not tough when cooked is to time the cooking time to ensure that it is not overcooked. Always cook it just right and it will remain tender and juicy. Seasoning the chicken before cooking it is a great way to add wonderful flavours to it.

By: OP Foong

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