Mildred's Fried Chicken:

Mildred touched my life twice. She was the cook at Vestavia Elementary school and also at Cobb Lane.  Her fried chicken was as divine as her personality.

Salt and pepper the washed chicken breast, skin on and bone in. Drop in a bag of  about cup of flour. I like old bread sacks.Use a cast iron skillet with vegetable oil.  Vegetable oil can withstand the heat of cooking fried chicken. Drip a bit of water and if it dances in the oil you can gently put the chicken breast skin side down in.  Be careful because it can spit and cause the oil to jump around. Let it cook on high about 3 minutes. Flip breasts. Turn down the heat to medium and cover. Let it cook about ten minutes.  Check to see if done.  Remember there are many variable to consider such as size of boobs, not cooks the chicken's. These are just guidelines but the hot to medium and cover should give crispy yummy Fried Chicken.

What's next for this blog? 

Well what comes to mind is my Laundry Skills.  They did not come from my mother but were self taught out of absolute necessity.  When I was at Southern Living I would travel so much, one of my first questions was where is the nearest Laundromat.  I would pack dirty clothes and wash on the road.  Another trick was to buy clothes.  Never forget traveling to Norfolk extremely pregnant getting to the airport, got a quarter out, looked in the phone book for maternity shops and drove to the shop and purchased two pairs of pants to wear because I had nothing to wear. No cell phones back then.  When I moved to Auburn we still used a laundromat and the one thing I needed was a washing machine and dryer. Taking clothes to the Laundromat pregnant was not a dream come true.  Finally Alabama Power delivered our machines and I started my love affair with laundry.  Well actually it took a little longer.  We moved to the new house and David had been born and at that time I was still using hot, throwing everything in and praying for the best.  I would get entire loads completely blue and some were completely pink and throwing all the clothes away did not work after a while.  I decided at that point to become the true Laundry Queen.  Being in Auburn full time was actually extremely boring so I had to develop things to keep me excited. Getting stains out became a true thrill.  Putting in a red dirt stained sock and have it come out clean gave me a true rush. I scolded David for spilling something on his shirt and he looked at me with cherub eyes and said, but Momma you got the mustard stain out of my karate uniform.  He used to complain that his baseball pants were too white which indicated he didn't get to play much. The true test to getting a clean load is hot hot water, Clorox, and Tide. Separate the wash dark and light.  Very important!  Boy did I feel accomplished after weeks when both children returned from Camp Mac.  Check for stains and pour Tide directly on the stain.  If you need to soak that is when the top loader washer is the best. Horrible dried in stains need soaking. Ordinary stains will usually come out with the Tide method.  If the stain does not come out do not dry.  The rush comes when you open the door pull out the clothes.  Clorox has left me sad  because I have lost pants due to Clorox splatters but if the clothes can handle the Clorox go for it.  Darks are just thrown in washer and put on warm and let her rip.  When they come out of the dryer hang them up tee shirts and all.  I never iron until I actually am about to wear it.  I do remember many hours ironing Arthur's shirts.  Wonder if the adulteror does that. Sorry Jennie and David couldn't resist.  Just did something that worked.  I sprayed the Clorox Cleaner with Bleach for cleaning counters onto a stain and it got it out.  True rush!

In the kitchen....

Here I am in my kitchen cooking like a wild woman.. When you cook you must first find the recipe, hunt and gather, get the timing right, and then get down to business.

Finding the recipe is critical.  I knew someone who would not have a clue what she was cooking nor read the recipe before starting and in the middle of the recipe it would say soak overnight and she would say oh that's not important and then it would taste like, I'm not going there.  So read the recipe.  I just baked a cake for a friend's 60th birthday,  In fact it's in the oven right this second.  I do not like whipping egg whites to a hard peak. It seemed in every recipe that was important so I kept hunting.  She wanted chocolate but could not have nuts.  I found a recipe in The Progressive Farmer Cookbook given to Aunt Jennie in 1960 from her dear friend Clarisse. She spoke to her on the phone every day at 2:00 after As The World Turns.  You could set your watch by Aunt Jennie.

Hunting and gathering because if you are missing a critical ingredient well you are up the creek without a paddle. First look in your own kitchen to see if that box of baking soda is really there and the vanilla has more than a quarter of a teaspoon.  I like 3x5 cards for my lists or backs of envelopes although they still get left but do you best to keep your list in your pocketbook. I can swear like a sailor to realize my list is on the counter in the kitchen, Hey these things happen. When that happens look at the box in the grocery store and find a recipe that will work.  Best pecan pie is on the back of light Karo Syrup and the best Mac and Cheese is on the back of pasta so if that happens it's okay just be flexible.

Timing is critical. If company is coming at 6:00 and it's 5:59 and the steaks are still frozen I don't believe they will accept an invitation unless they are homeless. Baking cake this morning was important because you cannot ice a hot cake and the birthday is tomorrow so I will ice and decorate in the morning. Plan your life around the timing although I know life can get in the way of the schedule. That's when you cut up two tomatoes and dump a drained can of small LeSuer peas into the bowl dump a couple of tablespoons of Hellman's and serve as if you have been slaving all day.  Have stand bys available.  I thought I would tell the adulter this recipe and say it was my ex's favorite salad. He hated it... Hee hee hee.  Still want to but could not ever speaking to that woman.

The preparation is the fun part.  I do remember the Cooking Staff at Southern Living would always mention they cleaned there kitchen after every meal prepared.  I remember trying to cook with Jennie and David at my feet, trying not to step in spilled apple juice ( they were born before sippy cups)  I remember David pouring his apple juice out of his cup as if he was discovering gravity. I wondered how the kitchen staff would handle two children three and four in the kitchen with them.  Tricky but then they grow up.  Rejoice in the time spent and the fact they grew up.  Cake is done and it smells divine.

I've been missing you. Sorry!

Since I last wrote much has happened.  Most importantly is I have moved into a new apartment which was at once the Pizitz Department Store.   A treasured memory of growing up in Birmingham was to go  downtown usually after church at Christmas and Easter to see the windows at Pizitz and Lovemans and Burger Phillips. Trains would move around smiling and turning Santa who had a twinkle in his eye to astound the children.  Easter time the little furry bunnies would carefully hold their eggs and move their little heads.  Whole families of little bunnies filled the window and we watched with sheer delight.  The photo of me above is significant because the outfit I am wearing in the Santa picture is what I would wear to see the windows at Christmas.  Notice the mink muff and imagine me with it around my neck with a satin braided ribbon. Oh the softness of that little muff and a magical texture to this day I remember.


        Anyone who grew up in Birmingham would remember The Pizitz as a wonderful department store in the center of down town.  We lived in a new part of Birmingham away from town in a home designed and built by my parents with four children  Long Sunday afternoons we played kickball or later tether ball. A whole wall allowed one to hit a tennis ball for hours.  Games played like Annie Over where a tennis ball was thrown over the roof and if caught the one that caught it would sneak around and then try and hit the opponent with the ball thus making them go to the other side. If you could run around the house back to your side you didn't have to go to the other side. The game was won when one side had all the other team members. Daddy made is own grill  with cinder blocks and a steel grate that he would light hickory wood under for the most divine Sirloin Steaks.  No one lived near by so you could ride your bike up and down the gravel road without seeing a soul.  I had a Mimosa tree I climbed to look out. We had horses we rode and because the house was made for children there were large rooms where we could roller skate inside with our boot skates. When the milkman came we would ride with him to the end of the road and walk back to the house.  Isolated yes but a joy growing up.  I would complain that my only friends were trees.
         The best thing was Aunt Jennie who lived right next door. Her sister, Aunt Nell lived with her in a house that was build mostly by my father and his brothers.  My Grandmother was there too but she tragically died of of breast cancer when I was 7.That affected my mother quite deeply.  The chicken salad sandwich recipe Aunt Jennie did was made because Mimi died close to my mother's birthday and she wanted to help momma over the sadness she felt. Another time I will reminisce with Aunt Jennie and Aunt Nell stories.
         Living at the Pizitz is so very wonderful and I am so happy.  Willie the big black and white dog and I walk around the block but sometimes we venture to Railroad Park for an extended walk.  We are smack dab in the middle of  downtown.The house momma loved so much is on the market and I am slowly trying to sort out the good from the not so good.  I am in the middle of books right now. It is painful but I found someone whose high school burned and they are trying to get the library filled with books so a whole trunk full went with her.  It is slow but I am chipping away at it. We did have an estate sale and many things did sell but a lot was left.