People!! I went to the butcher for the very first time this weekend!

I usually go to the shop and get frozen ready-cooked meat, but my friend said that he went to our local butcher’s, and the quality of the meat was great, as well as being really really cheap!

It was a lot of fun; I went in and at first, I was really put off by the stinky meat smell and actually seeing dead animals freshly laid out everywhere and guys in blood stained aprons… I remembered why I was a vegetarian for those three whole months… !!!

But, anemia has driven me back to meat, and it’s a very good thing. I read that if you eat one portion of meat a day (so, the size of your fist) or every other day, that is a good amount to strive for. Apparently, meat used to be an every-once-in-a-while thing, so it’s better to get fresh ingredients.

OK, back to the quaint little butcher’s shop on my road… I literally had NO idea what I was looking for. I just wanted some chicken I guess? I wandered around inside for a little while, looking at GIGANTIC fish with the heads and eyes still on, and all manner of herbs and spices (I might need those later when I figure out what the heck to do with spices…)

So, I stepped bravely up to the counter and ordered three chicken thighs. And the man behind the counter said they don’t do chicken thighs. So, instead, I asked for three chicken breasts. And I got handed the most gigantic, fresh cuts of meat I’ve ever handled.

So, I took that chicken home and this is what I did:

1. Cut one chicken breast into bite-sized pieces

2. Put the cut up chicken breast in a pan

3. Drizzled some olive oil over the chicken breast

3. Sprinkled spices on the meat (uh, just whatever was on the counter top– salt, pepper, some random Jamaican BBQ spices, and paprika)

4. Turned the oven on (Gas mark 7… i think?!)

5. Put the chicken inside

6. Every once in a while, (maybe every 20 mins) I checked to see how the chicken was getting on. For example, I turned the pieces over when the tops looked kind of brown, and I also stuck a fork in them to see what color the juice was. (If the juice is milky white, the chicken isn’t done yet. If it’s clear, the chicken is completely cooked.)

People!!!! The chicken turned out wonderfully!!!! It was tender, juicy and delicious! OMG! I ate it with some lettuce, blue cheese and tomatoes. I can’t hardly believe it.

So, the next day (Sunday) I went back to my old ways, and I bought a ready-made chicken pie. I popped it in the oven for an hour and, unfortunately the top got burnt and the bottom was gummy and undone. Go figure.

love,
Naimah.

I had to take some time out to post on fried chicken! It’s incredible, and you can make it healthy if you know how to cook it! So, here is the original, traditional recipe (how-to-cook-gourmet.com/) and here is a recipe that’s a little healthier (taken from womenshealth.about.com). I’m going to try them both and get back to you guys about how I did!!!

It’s mmmm mmm good!!!!

Naimah

Southern Fried Chicken

• 1 cup salt

• 1 quart water

• 1 chicken, 2 ½ to 3 pounds, cut into 8 pieces

• 3 eggs

• 1/3 cup water

• 1 cup hot red pepper sauce

• 2 cups self-rising flour

• 1 tsp. pepper

House seasoning (approx. 1-2 tsp.)

• 1 cup salt
• ¼ cup black pepper
• ¼ cup garlic powder

Dissolve salt in water in a large bowl; add the chicken. Cover; refrigerate 3 to 4 hours. Pour off the brine; rinse the chicken well under running water in the bowl. Drain. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the water. Add enough hot sauce so the egg mixture is bright orange. In another bowl, combine the flour and pepper. Season the chicken with the house seasoning. Dip the seasoned chicken in the egg, and then coat well in the flour mixture.

Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil; stir in bacon drippings. Heat to 350 degrees, or until a drop of water spatters when it hits the hot oil. Add drumsticks, wings and thighs, skin side down (the oil should come about halfway up the sides of the pieces of chicken). Cover; cook until tiny bubbles begin to appear in the crust on the side facing up, about 10 minutes. Turn; cook 10 minutes. Uncover the skillet; reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until chicken is golden brown, 5-10 minutes. Remove to a rack placed over a cookie sheet.

Raise heat under skillet to medium-high. Heat oil to 350 degrees; add breasts, skin side down. Cook until tiny bubbles begin to appear in the crust, about 10 minutes. Turn; cover. Cook 10 minutes; uncover. Lower heat to medium-low; cook until golden brown, 5-10 minutes.

Healthy Oven-Fried Chicken

• 1/2 cup skim milk or buttermilk
• 1 tsp poultry seasoning
• 1 cup corn flakes, crushed
• 1 1/2 Tbsps onion powder
• 1 1/2 Tbsps garlic powder
• 2 tsps black pepper
• 2 tsps dried hot pepper, crushed
• 1 tsp ginger, ground
• 8 skinless pieces chicken (4 breasts, 4 drumsticks)
• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• paprika to taste

Preheat oven to 350° F. Add 1/2 teaspoon of poultry seasoning to milk. Combine all other spices with cornflake crumbs and place in a plastic bag. Wash chicken and pat dry. Dip chicken into milk, shake to remove excess, then quickly shake in bag with seasoning and crumbs.  Refrigerate for 1 hour. Remove from refrigerator and sprinkle lightly with paprika for color.

Evenly space chicken on greased baking pan. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 40 minutes.

Remove foil and continue baking for an additional 30 to 40 minutes or until the meat can be easily pulled away from the bone with a fork. The drumsticks may require less baking time than the breasts. Crumbs will form a crispy “skin.” (Do not turn chicken during baking.)