Fried Chicken Amandine

This dish was interesting, with the crispy chicken being smothered with a creamy sauce.  I am a dipper by nature, perhaps I would try to make the sauce separately and use it as a base, sprinkling the almonds over the chicken next time. I didn't use the parsley this time and I always use toasted almonds.

Fried Chicken Amandine

2 fryers or broilers, approximately 1 1/2 pounds each

3/4 c. flour

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

1 t. paprika

8 T butter

1 c. half and half cream

3/4 c. blanched, slivered almonds

2 T chopped parsley

1. Cut up the chicken into serving sized pieces. 

2. Place flour, salt, pepper, and paprika into a paper bag. Shake several times to mix well. Place two pieces of chicken at a time into the bag and shake until the chicken is thoroughly coated.

3. Melt butter in a large skillet and arrange the pieces of chicken so that they will fry evenly. Fry over moderate heat until the chicken is browned on both sides. Turn frequently to assure even browning. Turn the heat down to simmer, cover pan and continue to cook for 15 minutes longer.

4. After this 15-minute cooking period, add the cream.  Stir well, so that it is evenly distributed. Continue to cook over low heat for 15 minutes longer. Add the slivered almonds and cook for an additional 5 minutes. 

5. Place the chicken on a heated platter, pouring the cream and almonds over it. Garnish with the chopped parsley. Serves 4.

Homemade Kettle Corn

I was walking through my local farmer's market and a booth was selling a small bag of kettle corn for $6, I just couldn't do it.  I had never tried kettle corn before, but I thought I would like it.  When I got home I searched the Internet and came up with this recipe.

Definitely tasty, but I had to be careful of unpopped kernels that didn't stay at the bottom of the bowl, as well as some hard clumps of sugar. This recipe can be tweaked depending on how sweet or salty you want your kettle corn.

Homemade Kettle Corn

1/4 c. unpopped popcorn (I used white kernel)

1/8 c. white sugar

1/8 c. oil (I used peanut oil)

salt

1. Place 3 kernels of corn in the oil, cover the pan.  Heat over medium heat until the kernels pop. 

2. Quickly pour the sugar and stir into the oil.  Immediately pour the remaining kernels into the pan and return the lid.

3. Shake the pan constantly while kernels are popping.  You may need to pour some off to make more room. When you are nearing the end of the popping (longer time between pops), turn off the burner.

4. When kernels are almost done popping, pour them into the bowl and salt to your preference. Makes 1 big bowl of popcorn.