Laura's Kitchen

Southern Style Fried Chicken

2005-02-03T17:01:00.000-08:00

Southern Style Fried Chicken

Cut the chicken into desired pieces and have thoroughly chilled before cooking. Salt and pepper each piece, then carefully roll in flour. Have the frying fat very hot and drop a few pieces into it at a time. After each piece has been turned, lower the heat and cook until golden brown. Drain on brown paper. To make a delicious creamed gravy, you drain off the surplus fat when the chicken is fried, leaving all the crumbs in the frying pan; these must not be burnt. Add a little flour and stir while browning, then add 1/4 cup of hot water and stir until smooth. As this is very thick, thin it to desired thickness of gravy with milk or cream. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

A perfect Plantation dinner or Southern dinner consists of Fried Chicken, butter beans, spinach ring wiht hard boiled eggs, green salad of mixed vegetables, lemon pie or a cobbler of fresh peaches or berries. Oh yes, don't forget to have plenty of mint for your tea, and no bread could take the place of hot biscuit. Have an extra pound of butter and a dish of preserves.

Chicken Dumplings - from the Argyle

2005-02-02T08:27:00.000-08:00

Chicken Dumplings -from the Argyle

Cook a large hen by simmering several hours; remove the hen and cook the dumplings in the liquor by dropping the dough into the simmering stock by spoonfuls, seeing that each drop is entirely covered by the liquid. Then cover tightly with a heavy lid and steam 15 minutes. Remove the bones from the chicken; keep it hot while cooking the dumplings and add just before serving. For Dumplings: mix 2 cup flour, 4 teaspoons of baking powder, 2 tablespoons fat (from cooking chicken), 1 cup milk. Mix by chopping fat into flour and baking powder, then adding milk.

The Argyle

2005-02-01T17:36:00.000-08:00

The Argyle Restaurant
I was looking at some of my cooks books trying to decide what I could post next and I cam e across a cookbook I have from 1941 that belonged to my great aunt. It was from a restaurant that was called the Argyle restaurant. The Argyle had a heritage of rich living, even before it became a hotel. Built before the War between the States, it was first the ranch home of Charles Anderson. Southern Colonial in type, it followed the pattern of the old plantation architecture, but it was built as the headqurters of a horse ranch. Its builder hoped to raise horses for the United States cavalry, with a ready market at nearby Fort Sam Houston. A man of means, Anderson entertained lavishly, many of the notables of the period having been guests at what was then known as the Anderson ranch. Robert E. Lee and Albert Sidney Johnaton, both later to attain fame as two immortal leaders of the Lost Cause, were guests there, as were many other early-day army personages. The ranch was sold three more times, then finally was bought by a pioneer family in the 1890s named The O'Gradys who came from Wesport, Ireland, and settled in Boerne, TX. It was the 3rd owners who named it the Argyle because of the rolling hills of the section reminded them of their native hills in Scotland. It was the second generation of the O'Grady's who made the Argyle what it was. Alice O'Grady ("Miss Alice") wrote the cookbook to share her cuisine that was made so famous. Several other famous people stayed there before they moved on to fulfill their destinies. Well that is the basic background for the Argyle. As I mentioned I will be posting recipes from Miss Alice's cookbook. Hope you enjoy them! I also want to note that I will write the recipes just as they are in the cookbook so they will be authentic instead of my regular recipe format.

Tortilla Roll-ups

2004-10-22T11:48:00.000-07:00

Tortilla Roll-Ups

Ingredients:
8-Oz. pkg. softened cream cheese
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 can green chilies, drained & chopped
1 cup Cheddar cheese, grated
1 (4-oz.) can black olives, drained & chopped
1 pkg. large flour tortillas

Directions:
Mix first five ingredients into a mixing bowl, spread on tortillas. Roll up tortillas fairly tight and refrigerate. Cut in 3/4 inch strips, eliminating end pieces.

Variations:
Could use just cream cheese and chives. Also for a mexican flair it could be made with refried beans, onions, and cheddar cheese.

Herb Roasted Potatoes

2004-10-18T17:06:00.000-07:00

Herb Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients:
12 new potatoes (cut into wedges) 2 lbs.
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic (pressed)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cumin (comino)
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper

Directions:
Toss together all ingredients in a large mixing bowl; spread mixture evenly into a lightly greased, foil lined 9x13 inch baking pan. Bake at 425*F for 30 minutes or until tender.

Variations:
For Mexican style potatoes omit the last 3 ingredients and use 1 tsp. of chili powder and 1/4 tsp. black pepper along with the garlic, cumin & salt. You could also substitute the fresh garlic and salt for 1 tsp. garlic salt.

Fried Okra

2004-10-15T15:32:00.000-07:00

Fried Okra

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 & 1/2 cups water
12 oz. individually frozen okra
2-3 saltine cracker crumbs
vegetable oil

Directions:
Wisk flour and water. Place okra in a bowl, and put crumbs in a separate bowl. Pour half of the flour mixture over okra. Tossgently to evenly coat. Let stand for 10-15 seconds. Add remaining flour mixture and toss until evenly coated. Remove okra with a slotted spoon and add to crumbs. Toss gently to coat. Remove & place on tray or baking sheet. Place in freezer until ready to cook. In deep fryer, heat 3-4 inches of oil to 350* F. Place frozen okra in fry basket. Fry 5 minutes or until golden brown. Shake basket during cooking to prevent clumping. *Could also be made on the stovetop if you don't have a deep fryer.

Pineapple yellow cake

2004-10-12T15:02:00.000-07:00

Pineapple yellow cake:

Ingredients:
1 yellow cake mix
15 oz. can crushed pineapple (don't drain)
4 eggs
1 cup oil

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together. Pour into pan(s). Cook 40 min. at 350*F. Let cool thoroughly before icing.

Whipped topping for Pineapple yellow cake:

Ingredients:
1 medium size Cool Whip.
1 can crushed pineapple (drained)
1 small box vanilla pudding

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, then ice cake. Make sure cake is thoroughly cooled or whip cream icing will melt. If not serving right away, keep cake in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Makes a 9x13 rectangular cake or 2 (8 -inch) rounds.

Variations:
This cake could be made into a torte-type layered cake. Just slice the cake layers in half horizontally. Then ice each new layer to give that torte look.

Pumpkin Bread

2004-10-08T13:40:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:
1 & 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup pumpkin pure'e
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice

*Optional Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2-3/4 cup of chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350*F. Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, & baking soda. Mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, water & spices together, then combine with the dry ingredients, but don't mix too thoroughly. Stir in any optional ingredients here. Pour into a well buttered loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn out of pan onto a cooling rack. Makes a 9x5x3 -inch loaf.

Variations:
You can also double the recipe and make into a bundt cake and then either drizzle a little powdered sugar glaze icing or sprinkle a little powdered sugar. You could also drizzle a little melted chocolate over the top of a bundt. This also makes a good breakfast muffin! My kids love it that way or with the chocolate chips mixed in! This bread is great to make up a bunch of loaves at once and then freeze the extra ones. You can then thaw out as needed. This also makes a great gift to wrap in colored plastic wrap or tissue paper and put in a gift basket!

Broccoli Rice Casserole

2004-10-05T13:22:00.000-07:00

Broccoli Rice Casserole

Ingredients:

1 cup onions
1 pkg. Frozen chopped broccoli
1 cup celery
1 small can sliced mushrooms
1 stick butter
1 small can pet milk
3 cups minute rice
1 small jar cheese whiz
1 can of cream of (chicken or mushroom) soup

Directions:

In a saucepan, cook broccoli, onion, and celery in butter until tender. Then mix in cheese whiz, rice, soup & milk. Put in casserole dish. Cook approx. 20-30 minutes at 350* until hot.

Betty Jo's Banana Cake

2004-10-01T15:23:00.000-07:00

Betty Jo's Banana Cake

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup sour milk or buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
3-4 RIPE bananas - mashed

*Add-Ins:
*raisins
*chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans)

Directions:

Combine all dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, & salt) together in a mixing bowl and set aside. In another mixing bowl, cream together sugar and shortening. Stir in eggs. Add remaining ingredients (sour milk, vanilla, bananas). Next combine wet mixture with dry ingredient mixture. *If using nuts or raisins add them here. Grease and flour cake pans. Bake in 375* for 25 minutes. Let cool then ice with butter frosting recipe.
Yield: 1 (9x13), 2 (8"rounds) or 1 bundt cake. *You can also cook in loaf pans for a quick bread and omit frosting.

Butter Frosting:

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp. butter - softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar)
1 tsp. vanilla
2-3 tsp. milk

Directions:

In mixing bowl combine sugar & butter. Then stir in the vanilla and the milk until frosting is a creamy glaze texture. Not supposed to be thick but it isn't supposed to be watery either. You may need to adjust the amount of milk or powdered suger.

*Note:
This recipe is one handed down to me by my paternal grandmother: Betty Jo Higgins Folks who inspired me to bake by letting us bake with her during summer vacations as a young kid. This banana cake was one that was most requested by family and friends alike and she turned the recipe over to me to be the new banana cake maker for the family. I have named the recipe in her honor. She has Alzheimer's now and can no longer bake like she used to love to do! So I proudly share her recipe for others to enjoy!

Spicy Texas BBQ Sauce

2004-09-28T12:48:00.000-07:00

Spicy Texas BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 cup diced onion
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. Worchestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup water

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes. Use on all your favorite BBQ dishes!

Tabouli - Bulgur Wheat Salad

2004-09-25T10:27:00.000-07:00

Tabouli - Bulgur Wheat Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup bulgur
5 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
3 Tbsp. mint - fine chopped
1 bunch scallions - fine chopped
2 fresh tomatoes - diced

Directions:

Put bulgur in a bowl with 2 cups cold water & soak for 1 hour. Drain well. Toss in salad bowl with remaining ingredients. Taste and check seasoning. Chill before serving.

Orange Julius

2004-09-22T10:19:00.000-07:00

Orange Julius

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 (6 oz.) can frozen orange juice
1/2 cup sugar
14 ice cubes

Directions:

Put all ingredients into a blender. Blend till smooth. Serve.

Hot Sour Pickles

2004-09-16T06:26:00.000-07:00

Hot Sour Pickles

Ingredients:
1 gallon jar Sour Pickles
1/2 box cloves
4 lbs. sugar
1 head garlic (peeled & sectioned)
1 large jar of salsa

Directions:
Drain pickle juice from the jar of pickles. Slice the pickles crosswise into 1/2" - 3/4" thick wedges. You will then start layering the pickles, then sugar, then cloves, then garlic sections, then the salsa making about 4 layers in the 1 gallon pickle jar. For 7 days leave the jar on the counter and (making sure the lid is on tight) flip jar over and leave resting on the lid. Flip the jar every day from top to bottom. After the seven days on the counter, Refrigerate for 7 more days still flipping the jar.

*Info: Don't let the name of these pickles fool you! They are great! The level hotness depends on which kind of salsa you use. The hotter the salsa, the hotter the pickle! This recipe was given to me by my friend Lynn and they are terrific!

Fresh Salsa - Basic Recipe

2004-09-14T09:08:00.000-07:00

Fresh Salsa - Basic Recipe

Ingredients:
3-4 Roma Tomatoes
1 whole Jalepeno
1 can plain diced tomatoes
1 tsp. crushed Red pepper
5-6 green onions or 1/2 cup reg.
dash garlic salt
7 drops (shakes) Tabasco Sauce
pinch black pepper

Directions:
Chop all the vegetables in to large size pieces and place in blender. Use the button called chop. Blend all the way up to the top. Stop. Don't overblend or it will be too watery! This fresh salsa usually keeps up to about a week in an airtight container!

Variations: (some like it hot)
The basic recipe is pretty mild, but if you are like Me and my family like it very hot! Also I usually use whatever tomatoes I have on hand from the garden or whatever. I also usually put 9-10 shakes of Tabasco or Piquin Sauce in mine. You can use whichever brand you like as far as the pepper sauce goes also. Now as to the jalepenos I usually put anywhere from 5-7 very hot fresh jalepenos from my garden. You can use store bought pickled ones if you don't have any fresh they work good too. Also the kind of peppers can vary too - you could also use habaneros or serrano peppers. Whichever you prefer. Also if you don't want to use any canned tomatoes you can just substitute them for fresh. And with the green tomatoes the more of the green part you use the darker and less red your hot sauce will be. It won't hurt anything and will taste fine, just if you want a pretty reddish salsa don't go overboard with the stems.

Something About Me

2004-09-13T08:31:00.000-07:00

Hey! Or shall I say howdy? Anyway for those reading this who don't know me (and even the ones who do) I thought I would start this blog out by telling a little bit about myself and one of my favorite pastimes - Cooking! Now I don't claim to be a gourmet chef or anything, but I do know my way around the kitchen and my family hasn't taken away my chef's hat or apron yet so I guess I do alright. Anyway about me: I am a 38 year old Texan, wife, and mother of 4 wonderful daughters! I have always loved to cook and being married at the age of 18 I have been cooking meals for 20 years. My sisters and sometimes even my mom will call me and ask " How did you make that such and such?" And most of the recipes aren't something I came up with from scratch! Although I can when needed. Most of them are ones someone gave me and I either make them exactly to a tee or improve upon them. Lately I have been making fresh salsa with the jalepenos from my garden so at the moment that is the recipe everyone seems to want! So next time I post will be with the Fresh Salsa Recipe! Until then I leave a quote from my favorite chef Jack Peppin...... "Happy Cooking"