These recipes are from both sides, and are things that my family does very well. They've been made in my house since I can remember (some, even before I was born.) All are absolutely delicious!
Fried Catfish
Everyone in the south deep fries fish that is battered in cornmeal. It's good. It is very rare, however, to have fried fish that is still phenomenal when it is cold. My grandfather and father perfected this. We're all lake fishing people, but no one really fishes anymore, so the grand fish fry's with bass, crappie, brim, or white perch are no longer a thing. What is also no longer a thing is cleaning and gutting our own fish or worrying with bones. I actually miss that, but now we buy boneless catfish fillets at the grocery store. So there's two things my dad will fry up; a fillet where he has scored x's into the top layer of meat on one side, and 2" cubes of meat, because he always made fish nuggets for my sister and I, and he still does. Isn't that sweet?
4 C yellow cornmeal
1 C flour
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Salt
Pepper
Vegetable Oil
Paper Towels
01. Use paper towels to squish out any excess water from the fillets.
02. Mix first six ingredients together in a gallon ziplock bag. Put fillets in bag, seal, shake bag to evenly coat fillets. It's an art with the spices and you just season to taste and you'll adjust and work on it until you just know.
03. Fill a large pot halfway with oil. Heat on med-high heat.
03. Fill a large pot halfway with oil. Heat on med-high heat.
04. When the fillet floats to the surface and has acquired a nice golden brown colour, it is done. 05. Drain on baking sheets lined with either brown paper grocery bags or paper towels.
*According to my father, who is the frylord of the house as well as the fish expert, catfish raised in the US will float. Catfish from other countries will not float to the surface. Neither will bass, in case you come into some bass you want to fry up. Also, NEVER leave the pot unattended and NEVER overfill with oil. Always place items in without splashing. Deep frying indoors or out is dangerous, so just be careful.
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| Three cards for the same recipe. Shame it's rarely used. |
Dumplins
This is a recipe from my dad's side of the family. It's an odd recipe, because it's just for dumplins, but no one in his family just has dumplins. You make these for Chicken and Dumplins, but the chicken part is always lacking from the numerous recipe cards that we own. One of my dad's staple dishes is Chicken and Dumplins. He loves them. He loves to make them. He also cooks for an army. We're southern and love to feed people, so of course he loves to serve this to guests. Even though this is his grandmothers recipe and he raves about it, dad makes this dish is own way, and uses store bought dumplin strips in the freezer section. My dad's Chicken and Dumplins are awesome... if he just didn't put dark meat, or weird chicken parts into it. But the dumplins and broth part are very yum.
This recipe however, has only been made a couple of times by my sister to use in Chicken and Dumplins. Her chicken and dumplins are my favourite, but it would hurt dad's feelings if he couldn't make one of his top recipes, so this recipe is rarely used. But it IS good. So let's begin.
1 1/2 C flour
3 Tbs shortening (or butter)
1 egg, well beaten
5 Tbs water
1/2 tsp salt
01. Mix flour, salt and shortening together. Add water and egg to make a soft dough.
02. Divide dough into two parts. Roll out very thin and let dry 15 minutes. Cut into thin strips.
Chicken and Dumplins
4 lb Chicken*
2 Quarts water
2 stalks celery
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 - 1 1/2 tsp pepper
Dumplins
Extra chicken stock either via can or bouillon
01. Combine first 5 ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer 45 minutes. Remove chicken, reserve broth. De-bone chicken, cut into pieces.
02. Bring broth to a boil, and quickly add dumplins one at a time. All dumplins added, let come back to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 45 minutes - 1 hour. If dumplins are too thick, add some extra stock.
03. Five minutes before being done, add chicken.
*If you have the chicken already cooked, you can start with just canned or bouillon made stock with the celery and seasonings added and follow the stock making recipe from there.
*My dad likes to add whole chicken legs, whole wings and other things like this. My sister and I prefer de-boned white meat (or sometimes I don't want meat at all). You decide.
*A nice addition my sister uses in her Chicken and Dumplins that we all like (except dad) is rosemary.
Floured French Fries
This is one of my mothers recipes. She learned to cook from a neighbour and this was their recipe. It is time consuming, but SO worth it. They are insanely good, even cold!
Potatoes, peeled and cut (at least four, but you'll probably want more)
Flour
Sugar
Salt
Vegetable oil (or use something that can withstand a high heat)*
01. Peel potatoes and cut into french fry strips (1/2" thick)
02. Fill large pot halfway with vegetable oil, heat medium - high heat.
03. Add to a paper grocery bag enough flour to coat potatoes and about 2 tsp of sugar. Coat cut potatoes in flour mixture, shake and add to oil.
04. Deep fry 5 - 10 minutes.
05. Lay fries on paper grocery bag lined baking trays to drain. While hot shake with salt.
*There's no written recipe for this, so unless you are a French Fry frying fry-lord, you might have to adjust temperatures and times. But if you have made regular french fries from scratch, you can make these. The fries should be soft inside and just a tad crunchy on the outside (because of the flour), not limp. Also, it's preferable if they are slightly browned. New oil will not brown fries and you'll end up over cooking. Previously used oil (we keep re-using oil a few times) makes excellent fries, & they will brown. So if you're using used oil, cook fries until light golden brown.
*If the oil isn't hot enough, you'll end up with limp, oil soaked fries. This is bad. If you don't shake off the excess flour, you'll end up with lots of flour ending up in the oil, sinking to the bottom, burning and ruining the oil. This is also bad. If you find the fries are not crisp enough (are too limp), finish the second or third fry batch you are on, then take the first batch and put it back in for a couple of minutes.
*NEVER leave the pot unattended. NEVER over fill the pot with oil. My father likes to do both. It's messy, not to mention dangerous. If you've never re-used oil, but would like to there are two ways to do this. If you deep fry a lot, just leave the pot on the stove and cover with a lid until the next time. If it's going to be awhile, you'll want to put it back into the container. Just sit the empty oil container into the sink, put a funnel in the opening and put a wire mesh strainer into the funnel. If you are new to this, you'll need two people. Pour the oil back into the container. If you are really adventurous, save the stuff in the bottom of the pot. Use that, with a little oil and some flour and you can make some damn good brown gravy to use over rice, fried pork chops, country friend steak, etc.
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| How cute is that groovy oven mitt?! |
Chicken Poppy Seed Casserole
It's labeled just Chicken Casserole, but we changed the name (mainly because we couldn't remember it didn't contain the word poppy seed). This recipe is from my mothers side of the family and it is actually super good. Most of her dishes are rather... well, bland. Sorry mom and grandma, but it's kinda true. They deal with a lot of boiling and not a lot of spices or anything. We have three cards for this one but my favourite is on top. It's adorable, it's in my grandmothers handwriting (and she's no longer here), plus it was officially handed down to my mom when I was born; September 1980. Awww! We deviate a little, but it's basically the same recipe.
Chicken breast, cooked and chopped (I'm guessing about 2 cups worth of meat?)
1/2 pint sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 Tbs poppy seeds
1 stick butter
Ritz crackers, broken up
01. Combine chicken, sour cream, condensed soup, and poppy seeds.
02. Melt butter in skillet. Toast cracker crumbs for a few minutes. Just until they're mixed with butter and warm.
03. Put mixture into square baking dish. Top with buttered crumb mixture.
04. Bake uncovered 45 minutes - 1 hour at 350 degrees, until bubbling and browned.
Jerky
My dad is a big fan of jerky and he spent a lot of time while I was growing up making batches and tweaking spices and amounts in order to arrive at jerky heaven. That man can make a mean mess of jerky. It is fantastic! He'll use deer or beef, and while both are good, I prefer the beef.
Lean meat
Blood can be left in or soaked out in salt water over night.
Spice meat with onion salt or powder, garlic salt or powder, salt, and pepper.*
Dehydrate in oven over night.*
*You'll have to experiment with the portions of spices.
*He set the oven temperature at the lowest. Lay the meat on the oven racks (it will hang down a bit at both ends, that is fine). And he would close the door, but wedge pot holders in at the top so there was about a 2 - 3" gap, so that the oven wasn't completely sealed off.
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