[AnAmericanMother]

I use my mama-in-law's fried chicken recipe.

If you have a proper fryer AND you have your oil at the correct temperature, the chicken does not come up greasy. Also, if you dip the chicken in a beaten egg before you roll it in flour, it's lightly but uniformly coated and doesn't absorb too much oil.

Also you have to have the chicken near room temperature - you can't fry it straight out of the fridge. I guess this is stuff that you have to learn at stove-side or be told, you don't get it out of the cook books . . .

But my favorite meal is still lamb chops grilled with Blackened Steak Magic (no, really, try it - it's perfect), a nice rice pilaf with plenty of butter cooked in, romaine salad with a ranch or poppy seed dressing, and green beans cooked Gujarati style with mustard seeds and garlic. My home made Key Lime Pie (with real key limes) for dessert, or maybe my Scots Trifle.

Pretty eclectic menu, but our family's been in the South since the 1600s, we don't see any need to cook Southern all the time.

Of course, mama-in-law's fried chicken DOES form the centerpiece for a tasty traditional meal. I make rice-and-gravy instead of mashed potatoes, green beans, corn meal spoonbread (a REAL old fashioned southern specialty that I guess is a souffle), lime jello with pear halves (my grandmother's standby), and baked custard (that's creme brulee for you hoity-toity folks) for dessert.

[Coldwater Creek]

This is the recipe that my friend from Chattanooga taught me:

Use a large bowl that has a lid. Dump in a a bunch of flour 1 or 2 Tablespoons baking powder, 1 pkg. Italian salad dressing, a little garlic salt, salt, pepper. Mix all of these ingredients together, then put chicken breast on top of the dry mixture. Take about a cup or more of buttermilk and pour on top, then shake it all up. The batter should look sort of like corn flake consistency.

I use a deep fryer with a lid and basket. This chicken is never greasy.

My l2 yo grandson told me that if he had to choose between chocolate chip cookies and the chicken, the chicken would win every time.

[virgil]

I learned you don't need an egg to roll the chicken in. YOu just roll the chicken in flour (with your favorite seasonings)and put the chicken in the fridge for 20-30 min. That way the flour sticks to the chicken and when you put it in the fat, it "seals" the chicken so its more like a steamed chicken, instead of fried.

[StarCMC]

Mmmmm!!! What time's dinner??

My mom did pear halves with shredded cheddar cheese on top!