Monthly Archives: July 2012

Peach and Jalapeno Jelly

I didn’t jump on the canning bandwagon right away.  I’ve got a vivid imagination and I had plenty of fears that one false move during the canning process would result in a botulism epidemic.   I made attempts, but wasn’t confident in my canning abilities or, for that matter, the steps necessary for safe canning.  I tried to find satisfaction playing around with refrigerator jams, but in the back of my mind I had visions of filling my cupboards with brightly labeled mason jars packed to the brim with summer’s best harvest.

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Fried Chicken

Let’s talk fried chicken.  Not the healthy oven-baked version, but the real thing.  The fried chicken that leaves you with a greasy chin and flavorful fingers.   The fried chicken that only comes from soaking for hours in buttermilk before being fried in a cast-iron skillet with shortening and butter.   The fried chicken made with an equal combination of both love and hunger.

When it comes to fried chicken, I’m a tough critic.   I’ve wanted to write a post for years on fried chicken, but until now I was never completely satisfied with my final product.  After all, who wants to eat soggy, greasy, and dried fried chicken.  Not me.   Which is why I waited until I had a recipe that yielded juicy, crispy, and downright mouth-watering fried chicken to post it here on Minced.  I’m excited the day has finally come.  I’m thrilled that all that fried chicken testing got me to a recipe that I wouldn’t mind repeating again and again and again.  I can’t wait to hear what you think.

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Salade Niçoise

Salad as a main course is a tricky thing.   The thought of it immediately conjures up visions of dressing-soaked lettuce, sad chicken, and limp toppings.  Slapped together haphazardly with little love, it’s never my first choice when eating out.

At home, it’s a different thing altogether.  A little care and good ingredients can make a side dish that steals the show or a main course that satiates even the hungriest diners.  This recipe for salade niçoise makes one of those salads.

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