Southern Fried Chicken and Gravy

Southern Fried Chicken and Gravy

Dorcas Annette Walker

I’ve only met a couple of men along the way who didn’t love fried chicken. Thankfully my husband wasn’t one of them as traveling around you could always count on having fried chicken. In fact, preachers often joke about all the fowl that have entered the ministry. I discovered that while one can get tired of eating roast beef for some reason it doesn’t apply to chicken. Today one can buy chicken cut up and ready to cook or pull some out of the freezer- unlike in my Grandmother’s day when having fried chicken meant a lot of work. In those days fried chicken started out at the hen house where one chose a plump hen or a fattened rooster, caught the chosen fowl, wrung its neck and then chopped the head off, scaled the chicken, plucked the feathers, gutted it, and cut it up. Then the iron skillet was heated up and frying the chicken began.

Next to my room where I am working on the computer there are some chicks hatching in the incubator. First you see a tiny hole in the egg that slowly widens. Then you can hear the chick peep in protest as it tries to break out. The egg shell will expand and wobble around. Slowly, all so slowly, a tiny foot and miniature wing will poke out until at last, kicking and fluttering the chick will break loose from its shell. Dana and I were up at midnight last night watching a chick finally break through its shell. There is something awesome about seeing an egg come alive. Like a good farmer’s wife, for a couple of weeks now I’ve faithfully turned all the eggs at noon in the incubator. To be quite frank there isn’t much joy in turning eggs that don’t respond, but the reward comes in seeing newly hatched chicks turn into adorable balls of fluff that chirp and move about. We have six other small chicks with feathers that Dana moved from the brooder (where the young chicks stay until their feathers grow out) to another section near the grown chickens.

Our small farm is alive and growing. Zebulon, our rooster, keeps a close eye on all the hens while strutting proudly among them showing off his gorgeous feathers. He is a perfect alarm clock starting to crow between 4 and 5 am each morning and also makes an excellent watch-dog, sounding an alarm if anything out-of-schedule happens on our place. I never thought there’d come a day when I’d have to try to sneak around to hide from a rooster. For some reason every time Zebulon sees my face he thinks he needs some scraps. He knows a push-over when he sees one and will loudly crow his demands. The crazy bird probably thinks I am one of the hens. Every so often I remind Zebulon of his pal, Nebuchadnezzar, who was fattened up, put in the freezer, and eaten to try and keep him in his place.

When preparing Southern Fried Chicken and Gravy you don’t want to rush the process or you end will up with uncooked or tough meat. First the chicken needs to be browned to a crisp to hold in the meat juices and then slowly simmered until the meat is tender. My Southern Fried Chicken and Gravy recipe takes about an hour to prepare and serves four.

Southern Fried Chicken and Gravy

4 chicken thighs or breasts
5 tb shortening
Seasoned salt and flour
Melt shortening in an iron skillet. Roll pieces of chicken in seasoned flour and brown both sides of the chicken. Sprinkle seasoned salt on both sides. Turn down the heat to low, cover, and simmer for thirty minutes. Place the fried chicken on a platter lined with paper towels to drain the grease and cover.

Stir in the hot grease:
½ c seasoned flour
½ tsp salt
Turn up on high for a couple of minutes until the flour mixture is browned stirring frequently. Lower to medium heat and add:
2 c cold water
1 c cold milk
Stir briskly with a wire Wisk and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and serve!

Weekly tip: Seasoned flour: 2 c self-rising flour, 2 tsp poultry seasoning, ½ tsp lemon pepper seasoning salt, and ½ tsp black pepper. Mix together and store in a covered bowl in the refrigerator until needed!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, syndicated columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net For more information check out: www.dorcasannettewalker.com

Blueberry Cheese Delights

Blueberry Cheese Delights

Dorcas Annette Walker

Fatherhood has different meanings unique to each family. A father is a god in the eyes of a young child with his size and strength, someone who is quite outdated and old fashioned to a teenager, and then one of the first persons to ask advice from in adulthood. What an awesome responsibility for a dad to live up to! So this Father’s Day start the man of your house off with my Blueberry Cheese Delights along with his favorite cup of coffee.

For my husband fatherhood was a juggling act of being in the ministry, which often times involved traveling away from home, pastoring a church, working with a local construction crew, and being the father of a boy with severe hemophilia along with a daughter who had mild hemophilia. To this family dad was:
- the young father who was present for each birth and proudly carried his infant daughter and son to the nursery
- the dad who, when a lot of other fathers deserted the family upon hearing that their son had severe hemophilia, became a leader within the hemophilia community for his active this is my son approach, and made history learning to factor our son intravenously before he was two years old
- our daughter’s hero who could fix any toy that got broke (causing my husband to sometimes have to seek help from one of his buddies at work)
- the best story teller, who added all kinds of adventures into regular stories pushing our kids to learn to read early as they tried to figure out what those words really said- often scaring them half to death with gory details yet always begging for another story
- letting our four-year-old son help change the oil in the car and truck
- the dad whose wake-up call involved tickling until they screamed for mercy or dumping kids and the mattress out onto the floor
- the guy who let our kids help build our home teaching them how to lay a block foundation to proudly nailing shingles on the roof
- someone they could count on to bring home a surprise just for them every time he went away on a trip
- a dad whose idea of a water fight on a hot summer day was drenching our kids with a water hose
- the guy who built a sandbox and then later a tree-house out in the woods
- the dad who kept our daughter from drowning at a local creek during an out-of-state revival meeting, which unknown to us adults had carved an limitless bottom with a whirlpool; my husband had to swim underwater hunting the two young teens (who thankfully hung onto each other) then kept pushing them up out of the water so they could get air until his buddy could swim across and help him get the girls to safety
- the guy who needed a teenage daughter’s supervision to help him match his socks and ties yet let her drive on the interstate to revival and camp meetings
- the father who drove sixteen hours without a break in order to get his teenage son back in state to our doctor because of internal bleeding after a knee operation
- the strong fellow who broke down and cried at his daughter’s wedding after the bride cried on his shoulder
- the one who my daughter still calls for advice every time something needs done at her house
- and now the grandpa who is the best playmate and best story reader of all

My Blueberry Cheese Delights are quick and easy-to-make breakfast rolls that take only three ingredients. These Blueberry Cheese Delights are a perfect way to start out the day or eaten as a snack with a smooth creamy cheese filling topped with fruit- delicious hot or cold. You can substitute blackberry or cherry pie filling instead of blueberry. Preparation time is fifteen minutes and this recipe makes eight delicious Blueberry Cheese Delights.

Blueberry Cheese Delights

1 can of refrigerated jumbo buttermilk biscuits
½ pkg (8 oz) cream cheese
½ (21 oz) can of blueberry pie filling
Stretch out each biscuit into a square with your fingers. Spread on a thin layer of cream cheese and then place a tablespoon of blueberry filling in the middle. Bring up each corner and firmly press to seal. Place each blueberry biscuit on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350º for fifteen minutes. Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon over a thin glaze of powdered sugar!

Weekly tip: Center the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat. Keep the pan or cookie tray centered on the rack (at least two inches away from the sides of the oven) for the most even baking!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, syndicated columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net For more information check out: www.dorcasannettewalker.com

Taco Potatoes

Taco Potatoes

Dorcas Annette Walker

My Taco Potato recipe is for the fellows like my husband who are meat and potato guys. No matter what else may be served unless there is meat and some kind of potato a main meal isn’t complete. My father was the same way. He’d sniff suspiciously at any fancy dish, but pass him meat and potatoes and he’d always smile with satisfaction. Today the microwave cuts time drastically when it comes to fixing potatoes. Now that’s enough to make a cook smile too.

There is evidence that the Incas cultivated potatoes for centuries dating back to the second century A.D. Three centuries later the Spaniards introduced potatoes to Europe. From 1845 to 1846 blight destroyed much of the Irish potato crop triggering off a widespread famine where around 2.5 million people died from starvation and disease. Ireland was the most likely source of potatoes being introduced to the United States when approximately one million Irish immigrated during this time. Today the United States ranks fourth in worldwide potato production.

Sprouts from portions cut from whole potatoes are planted in the spring. Then potatoes are harvested from the roots of the potato plant in the fall; Russet being the main potato variety grown here in the United States. Only ten percent of the potato crop is harvested in the winter, spring, and summer months. Potatoes are well suited for long-term storage in climate-controlled rooms allowing potatoes to be sold throughout the year, which also allows greater flexibility to sell U.S. potatoes on the open market. Idaho and Washington account for half of the entire U.S. potato production, although the highest yield of potatoes per acre are in Oregon, Washington, and California. Today the net import value of potatoes amounts to between $8 and $9 for each American while the potato farmer grosses close to $2,000 per acre in potato sales.

Russet Burbank’s are used commercially for French fries. The processing potatoes are contracted, negotiated, and signed to commercial fryers before planting. The volume of frozen potatoes consumed is now larger than the volume of fresh potatoes (less than one third of production sold) with French fries dominating. The rest of the potato production is processed into potato chips or other dehydrated products.

Potatoes are quite versatile to fix, in fact the possibilities are endless, yet no matter how they are prepared potatoes remain a filling staple. Instead of using a taco topping you can substitute:
- barbeque pork/chicken with shredded mozzarella cheese
- cooked mixed vegetables with cheese sauce
- leftover chili topped with shredded cheddar
- cooked broccoli and cheese sauce
- salsa, pepperoni’s and shredded mozzarella cheese
- sour cream with bacon bits and diced chives

Taco Potatoes

Brown 2 lbs of hamburger in an iron skillet.
Add 1 pkg taco seasoning with a small amount of water and simmer for five minutes.
While the hamburger is browning:
Poke holes in 4 medium-sized potatoes with a fork, wrap in a paper towel, and microwave for two minutes. Let sit for a couple of minutes and microwave again for two minutes until the center is soft.
Slice the potatoes in two.
Spoon taco mixture onto the top of each half potato.
Sprinkle shredded cheese over meat.
Cover and microwave for one minute until the shredded cheese is melted.
Garnish with sour cream and chives!
Preparation time is approximately fifteen minutes and this recipe serves eight one-half potatoes.

Weekly tip: After microwaving and cutting a potato in half, pinch each end of the halved potato and then take a fork to fluff up the inside pulp. This will help to keep your topping from sliding off of the potato and also let the topping seep all the way through to make your potato more flavorful!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, syndicated columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net For more information check out: www.dorcasannettewalker.com

Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake

Dorcas Annette Walker

The stove is an extension of the cook. In fact a stove will take on a personality of its own the more you use it and become familiar with its quirks. Up to the time I got married I took stoves for granted. I hit reality when I encountered my first stove of an unknown origin in our cabin on the school campus. Not only did I have to learn the difference in cooking with gas instead of electric, but the oven temperature knob was missing. “No problem,” my new husband assured me. “A set of pliers will turn the oven on and set it at whatever temperature you want.” To allay my fears even further he bought a temperature gauge to hang on the oven rack. Unfortunately it wasn’t quite that simple. I twisted the pliers a couple of times trying to judge where 350º would be the first time I went to bake a cake. When the cake batter was ready I checked the oven temperature and it was over 400º. I gave a twist in the other direction and when the oven cooled down to 350º I slid my cake batter in. Ten minutes later a check revealed that the oven temperature was now down to 225º. So I slowly re-twisted it back. By the time my cake was baked I was worn out from using the pliers to try and control the oven temperature. Despite my valiant attempts my cake flopped.

The first months were stressful trying to learn how to control the oven temperature, with the oven winning leaving a trail of wrecked cakes. Anyone else would have gone back to making pies as cakes are particular to being baked in an even temperature. Not me. I was determined to master the ancient stove or die in the attempt. My husband and his buddies ate every cake disaster (usually in one setting) making regular rounds to our cabin every couple days. A few of his friends had the nerve to tell me that they hoped I’d never figure out the oven temperature as they were enjoying all the cakes, which only served to fuel my resolution even more. Within six months I had mastered the technique of how far to twist the pliers for a correct oven temperature.

Through the years I’ve had to switch back and forth from gas to electric in different parsonage kitchens. One oven I had to prop shut with a chair as the door had a tendency to fall open without warning- a rather nerve rattling experience. I’ve cleaned all kinds of filthy ovens and scoured stove tops using all kinds of covers. To me trying to cook on a grimy stove is the same thing as wearing dirty clothes. I reached the heights of ecstasy the day I was able to buy my first new stove with a self-cleaning oven. I felt I was liberated forever. Then I splurged and bought a new electric solid-top stove that was a breeze to keep clean. Six months later I was back in another parsonage out-of-state on my knees cleaning a dirty encrusted oven and re-learning how to cook with gas while another lady (renters) enjoyed my new stove. I am once again back in my own house and cooking on my own stove. To those of you who don’t cook I may seem overly semimetal about my stove, but this is one girl who never takes her stove for granted.

When the Carrot Cake first came out I made it from scratch. Some recipes called for raisins or nuts to be added along with grated carrots. Today it is quicker to buy a Carrot Cake mix. For a healthier cake you can add grated carrots, raisins, or nuts. I even bought a cream cheese frosting, which saves time and garnished my icing with grated carrots.

Carrot Cake

1 carrot cake mix
Prepare like the directions say on the back of the box.

1 (12 oz) prepared cream cheese frosting
When the cake is cool ice the carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Garnish with grated carrots!

Weekly tip: To bake a level cake once you’ve poured the batter into the cake pan tilt the pan sideways so the batter reaches up along each side leaving the middle slightly lower. As the cake bakes the middle will rise and meet the edges making an even cake on top!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, syndicated columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net For more information check out: www.dorcasannettewalker.com