Yield:  Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

Slaw

1 medium-sized green cabbage

½ - red bell pepper

1 medium-sized carrot – grated

½ medium sweet yellow onion – finely chopped

Dressing

1 ¼ cups good mayonnaise, I prefer Hellmann’s

¼ cup cider vinegar

1/3 cup sugar

½ teaspoon celery salt

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

PREPARATION

Wash and cut the cabbage and bell peppers into long strips.  Place them in a medium-sized bowl.  Add finely chopped onion and grated carrots.  Set aside.  To make the dressing, add all ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir until well combined.  To make coleslaw, pour dressing over slaw mixture and mix well.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving to ensure that the flavors meld together.

Sweet ice tea is a mainstay in the South.  There are numerous recipes for sweet tea, but the good ones all have one thing in common – the use of simple syrup as the sweetener, as opposed to granulated sugar.  Granulated sugar does not dissolve well in cold water and if you sweeten the tea with it you can sometimes get a “grainy” feel to the tea and the sugar settling down in the bottom of the glass.  Any brand of tea can be used, but my personal favorite is Luzianne.  

INGREDIENTS

Simple Syrup

1 cup water

2 cups granulated sugar

PREPARATION

Bring water to a boil and then stir in the sugar.  Cook until the sugar dissolves completely and then remove from heat.  Allow to cool to room temperature.

Tea

3 family-sized tea bags

Pinch of baking soda

PREPARATION

Bring 3-4 cups of water to a boil.  Add a pinch of baking soda to the water and add 3 family sized tea bags.  Remove from heat, cover and let steep for at least 20 minutes.  Pour into a gallon pitcher and add cold water.  Add simple syrup to taste.  Refrigerate. 

In case you’re wondering….. a small bit of baking soda reduces the bitterness in the tea.

I have made this recipe a number of times and it always turns out great.  Soaking the chicken overnight in buttermilk is the key.  The chicken fries up tender and moist and the overnight soak gives the chicken time to absorb all the great spice flavors.

Yield:  Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS

1 quart buttermilk, plus 2 cups

2 tablespoons hot sauce

2 chickens (3-4 lbs) cut up into 8 pieces

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Peanut oil for frying

Warm honey for drizzle, if desired

PREPARATION

1.    Combine 1 quart of the buttermilk, kosher salt and hot sauce in a large baking dish.  Add the chicken and coat each piece.  Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.  Place remaining 2 cups of buttermilk in a bowl and refrigeration for later use.

2.    Stir together the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and cayenne pepper in a large bowl.  Divide the mixture among 2 shallow platters and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

3.    Drain the chicken in a colander and pat dry.  Dredge a few pieces at a time through the flour mixture and pat off the excess.  Dip the chicken in the reserved buttermilk and then into the second platter of flour and pat off the excess flour.  Place chicken pieces on a baking rack set over a baking sheet while the oil heats.

4.    Pour about 3 inches of oil into a deep cast iron skillet (I think a cast iron dutch oven is ideal).  Make sure that the oil does not come up more than one half up the sides of the skillet.  Put the pot over medium high heat and heat the oil to 375 degrees F on a deep fryer thermometer.

5.    Working in small batches, add the chicken pieces to the hot oil, 3 or 4 at a time and fry, turning the pieces occasionally, until golden brown and cooked through, about 20 minutes.  Remove from oil with slotted spoon and transfer to a rack to drain; repeat with the remaining pieces.

6.    If desired, while hot, drizzle the chicken pieces with honey.

Recipe:  Bobby Flay – FoodNetwork – Boy Meets Grill

Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Since beginning my food blog, I have picked up some tips on how best to photograph food.  Currently, I use a Canon Power Shot S5 IS and it does a credible job in photographing the foods that I prepare to showcase on the blog.  My daughter, 11 year old Maria is the talent in the family when it comes to photography.  She shoots most of the photographs used on the blog.  For both of us, there has been a learning curve on how best to photograph foods.  We came across these ten simple tips for photographing food and they have been very useful in creating more appealing food photographs.  If you ever get the urge to photograph some of your memorable dishes, keep these tips in mind:

1.   Settings:  Choose a setting that enhances and doesn’t detract from the food.  Simple and plain backgrounds do the best.  Make sure there is no distracting clutter in the background (unless that is your intent).  Use plates that contrast or harmonize with the food.

2.    Light:  Natural light is the best for food photography.  An ideal set-up is next to a large window with a light curtain diffusing the light.

3.    Color Balance:  Learn to balance color, particularly when natural light is not available.

4.    Don’t Move:  Keep the camera still.  Sounds simple, but it can be really difficult.  In low-light situations, long exposure will be very sensitive to any camera movement causing the photo to be blurred.  If possible, use a tripod or try resting the camera on the back of a chair.

5.    Shoot A Lot:  Practice, practice, practice!  Shoot a lot of pictures and don’t be afraid to try different angles when taking photos of food.  Some shots are best taken from above and others look better when taken from the side where you can get a full appreciation of the texture of the foods.

6.    Zoom In:  Photograph food as close as you can.  Use the macro setting on your camera if it has one.  Usually a macro setting can be identified on the camera by a flower symbol.  This will allow you to photograph the food close-up without the blur.

7.    Preparation:  Don’t forget to take photos of the food being prepared, not just the final product.  Sometimes they can yield a more interesting photo.

8.    Be Quick:  Work quickly!  The faster you take the picture the more appealing the food will look.  

9.    Details:  Make sure you check the edges of your plates and glasses for any smudges and wipe them away before photographing.  Again, the camera will pick up any minute particles or smudges.  To add color to a drab dish, sprinkle with chopped parsley, basil or dress it up with a lemon wedge.

10. Don’t Shoot:  Learn that some foods will never photograph very well.  Meals that are all one color or that contain brown sauces are difficult to capture in an appealing manner.