To really have tasty chicken it has to be free range, just caught, be-headed, plucked, cleaned and thrown immediately in the fryin’pan. That’s how my grandaddy always did it. Catching the chicken was always exciting. He usually kept a dog that was particularly good for that job.
I think this is why my husband likes to cook—it is so different than his work and it relaxes him. He cooks a lot on the week-ends too. He jumps up on Sunday mornings and launches right in making waffles. I just cannot imagine doing that 
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I don’t think so. I’m sure your estimates and results are fine. And that chicken dish sounds very good. I’ve had cooked cabbage that was really good—of course it had butter on it which we can’t have now—but I think I’ll see what we can do with cabbage, I’m so darned tired of zucchini! And cornbread—who wouldn’t like cornbread? Come on to Iowa!
I was thinking that maybe you were thinking I had used those more flat kind of breasts. I know those cook super fast.
Oh gosh. Can you imagine how long it would have taken me to make that chili if I had to catch the chicken first. Not to mention arranging to separate it from its head. Oh heavens! It would be interesting to taste chicken that was that fresh. I’m sure I never have. Weekenders, maybe there is a free range chicken farm nearby where you could chase down a tasty chicken for yourself. A little weekend excursion, might be fun .
but I think I’ll see what we can do with cabbage
My mom tears up the cabbage, adds a little water and a bit of sugar, throws it in the microwave for just a bit, it still needs to be crunchy when served. Butter on cabbage? Never tried that. I have to have white vinegar and salt on mine. I save the butter for the cornbread that goes with it.
That’s been my traditional birthday food from mom for many years. I like it better than any cake.
I’ve got neighbors who still raise young fryers, free range, just for their frying pan. Like their eggs which are much more flavorful, the free range, natural chickens are better too.
You know, I always hated gathering eggs -one of my chores growing up on the farm. There was always an old settin’ hen who would be determined to not get off her nest. Since she was right at my eye level in a nest box, I’d end up with her flying right out in my face when she’d finally give up to my poking and prodding. But I did love playing with the little chicks that resulted when grandaddy would “set” a hen. He’d place her and chicks in a little open slatted triangular coop. She was trapped inside, but the babies could come out and play. On occasion, I’m tempted to get a few chickens and a rooster, just so I can wake up to him crowing in the morning, and hear the girls cackelwhen they’ve laid.
That does sound yummy. I do something similar (in spirit) that I think at one time I got from a Jeff Smith cookbook. Cut two leeks in 2: pieces, split and clean them (this is the hard part). Dice an onion. Saute the onion in some oil or butter until clear, add the leek and cook until limp. Add ~1 lb cubed chicken breast, maybe a little salt and pepper, and 2 or so tbsp of dijon mustard. Toss all together and add a cup of white wine. Cook over low heat till the chix is done. Whisk 1 tbsp cornstarch and 1 c milk or cream and add to the stuff. Bring to a gentle boil and cook till it’s all well mixed and thickened.
Serve over rice or noodles.
Damn, that stuff’s good, I think we might have it for supper tomorrow. It’s a good dinner for a school night, cooking time is about half an hour (put the noodles water or rice on right after the glop starts simmering; good timing), prep time is maybe 10-20 minutes.
I actually chased down a chicken once, for dinner, in, of all places, Hyderabad, India. The family I was staying with decided to celebrate Christmas (even tho’ they were Hindu), for me, I guess. But I had to catch the chicken. Well worth it. Homemade chicken curry is always worth it…Goat curry is even better, but I’m glad to have not had anything to do with that particular despatch…
I’ll have to give this a try. I haven’t heard of vinegar and salt on cabbage. I guess it would just be a light sprinkling of the vinegar, right? Not so it would really make you pucker up or anything. And the salt would just be to a normal saltiness? And the sugar, that would just be a tiny amount, not enough to make it actually taste sweet I guess? Like a pinch of sugar? I don’t know, cooking cabbage may be too complicated after all . But it sounds interesting. It’s certainly low fat!
brave of you to mention that…cattle background, eh?
Did it give ya much of a problem?
Just when the red hot W brand came out the other side. 
djm
Light on the sugar, yeah just a pinch, during the cooking. Light on the salt, oh and a generous sprinkling of black pepper. But plenty of white vinegar, it’s got to be running over the plate, mixing in with the mashed potatoes that go great with the cabbage and cornbread.
Yeah, they run fast, smarty. The chickens that is. The cattle you can rope. I kept wonderin’ why they didn’t have a big ol’ net…I think they were hidin’ it from me to watch me look foolish.
Mashed potatoes? Uh oh. I think I saw a recipe for those in the low fat cookbook I got my husband. And cornbread at the same meal. Oh boy. This is turning out to sound pretty challenging. Say, are there other people besides you who put all this vinegar on and let it get on the mashed potatoes .
What ever happened to him? There was the “underage” thing going on and I never heard anything more. He taught me how to make an omelet, complete with the flip. Something my kids wonder at, everytime I do one.
Other things aside, I thought he was a good cook.
What ever happened to him? There was the “underage” thing going on and I never heard anything more. He taught me how to make an omelet, complete with the flip. Something my kids wonder at, everytime I do one.
Other things aside, I thought he was a good cook.
There are those who MAKE mashed potatoes with vinegar. I got some mashpoes in a diner in Richmond and got all puckered up. I told my then fiancee that the mashpoes had vinegar in them. She said, naah, they were probably made with sour cream. I gave her a bite, and we both agreed it was vinegar. Now, mashed potatoes are a classic dish that’s stood the test of time. Why do people mess with stuff like that? I would have no problem if a place advertised “vinegar mashed potatoes”, but they shouldn’t advertise mashed potatoes and then go and put vinegar in them. It was really pretty good, but I wouldn’t just call it mashed potatoes.
Cynth, low fat mashpoes are just fine. A small knob of butter and low/non-fat milk, some salt and pepper makes 'em okay. And you don’t need to do all the crap with the mixer and all that. Just cook them well and mash them with a masher, put in the stuff, and mix 'em well with the masher. Then lick the masher off and enjoy.
Mashed potatoes? Uh oh. I think I saw a recipe for those in the low fat cookbook I got my husband. And cornbread at the same meal. Oh boy. This is turning out to sound pretty challenging. Say, are there other people besides you who put all this vinegar on and let it get on the mashed potatoes .
Once a brother-in-law of mine was visiting unexpectedly at dinner time and I’d fixed this. He likes cabbage and saw me pouring a bit of white vinegar on mine so he tried it like that. He loved it. This is the way my grandaddy always ate it and that’s why I started. I don’t know how “low fat” mashed potatoes would be. I always just boil them in a little salted water, drain, put in some butter and milk, salt and pepper then beat with a mixer. That butter probably kills the low fat aspect. Cornbread is no big deal to make IF you’ve got the right skillet. Proper cornbread around here has to be made with white corn meal and baked in an old well “seasoned” cast iron skillet. That way you get the crunchy outside. Come to think of it, that’s not low fat AT ALL, with the shortening that you melt in the bottom of the skillet before you pour in the batter. Oh well, it’s really easy to fix and wonderfully tasty.
Now I’m hungry for this and it’s way to late at night. (the fact that I had to fast from last night until 1:30 this afternoon for blood work is probably a factor) Durn, I’m gonna have to fix this in a few days, no time tomorrow night-pipe band practice after work, maybe Wed)
Do don’t they…corner pretty well too.
A blanket helps.