Miss Moxley’s Buttermilk Fried Chicken With Torpedo Gravy, Reba May’s Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Angel Biscuits, Reba May’s Next-Day Fried Tater Cakes, and Man…it’d been dry!

Good morning, good morning. Man, I got up bout 5:15, fixed a cup of coffee, went out on the porch…and it was RAININ! Not a shower mind you, but a full fledge rain! Good night, we were needing, it!

It had gotten SO dry down here…the trees were bribing the dogs!

It had been SO hot and dry, the birds were pullin worms outta the ground…usin potholders!

I was tellin Deb that it had been SO dry, I saw our neighbor Skeet feedin his chickens crushed ice to keep em from layin hard-boiled eggs.

Her response, “If Skeet’s brains were made of gasoline, he wouldn’t have enough to ride a motor scooter around the inside of a doughnut.” I left fore she could start on me!

Anyway, tonight we’re supposed to have another couple good batches, and we’re sure needing all we can get.

Well, the grow area is planted, and irrigated! YES! We like 1-1/2 rows, but that for the black tomatoes. They’ll be out there too, before long. The start off is just about behind us, and I gotta tell you guys again…I’m havin a ball watchin this stuff grow. It’s a little different, but we’re getting the hang of it.

Changing gears, we sure hope all ya’ll are doing fine. We’d seen where there were some areas that had been having some really nasty weather, and we hope you, and all your loved ones, are all in good shape.

Today’s recipes come from a book very similar to our last post’s recipes. They were from “White Trash Cooking,” while these come from… “White Trash Gatherings!” I think I recognized some of ole Deb’s people in this one…. “GATHERIN!” LOL!

It was written by, Kendra Bailey Morris, and published by Ten Speed Press. We’ve used some of her recipes before, and have gotten a kick out of her book, plus some pretty dern good recipes. Get ya one!

Miss Motley’s Buttermilk Fried Chicken With Torpedo Gravy

  • 1 frying chicken, cut into pieces
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • Flour
  • Salt and pepper, as much as you’d like
  • ½ cup butter
  • ½ cup shortening
  • Paprika
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1-1/2 cups evaporated milk, more1-1/2 cups whole milk
  • Reba May’s Creamy Mashed Potatoes (below)
  • Angel Biscuits (below)

Make sure your chicken pieces are all the same size, and are all on the small side. If the breasts are too large, cut em into halves. Two to three hours before you plan to fry, rinse the chicken and put it into a large sealable plastic bag with the buttermilk. Store in the fridge until ready to cook.

Take a brown paper bag and put enough flour to easily coat the chicken in it. Add salt and pepper, as much as you’d like. Remove your chicken from the buttermilk and put it in the paper bag. Shake your chicken up good and get ready to fry it. Save your flour mixture foe making gravy later on.

Melt equal parts butter and shortening in a cast iron skillet. Have your heat at medium to medium-high, but be careful not to burn the butter. When the pan is hot, drop your chicken in the pan and brown on each side. Sprinkle paprika on each side along with salt and pepper the way you like it. Cook for about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium –low, add the water, put a lid on the pan, and steam the chicken for 15 to 20 minutes. Take off the lid and continue to cook the chicken on each side to crisp it up again. Place the chicken on a rack to drain.

Scrape up the little crispy pieces from the bottom of the pan. Add 2 to 3 heaping tablespoons of the flour mixture from the paper bag. Stir, scrape, and cook for about 3 minutes. Add equal parts of the evaporated milk and the whole milk to the mixture and stir real good. You should have about 3 cups of liquid. Bring up to a low simmer. Continue stirring until your gravy thickens (the secret to a first-rate gravy is good drippings and fast stirring). If you find your gravy is getting too thick, add a little evaporated milk. Add salt and pepper the way you like it. Serve up your gravy with a mound of mashed potatoes and hot biscuits.

Reba May’s Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Peel and cut enough potatoes into chunks for your group. (I always make a little extra, so there will be leftovers for next-day tater cakes). Cover your potatoes with water and cook until tender. Save your potato water to use when mashing.

Heat your mashing liquid, which should be half evaporated milk, half potato water, and a big chunk of butter. Using your potato masher (NO electric mixers!), smash the potatoes and add enough hot liquid to make them fluffy. Add salt and pepper the way you like it. Pile the potatoes in a big bowl and make a well in the top of your potato mound. Add a generous spoonful of butter into your potato well while your potatoes are good and hot. Let it run down the sides like a tasty, buttery volcano.

I gotta tell you guys, while I’m posting this…I’m slobbering at the mouth!

Angel Biscuits

  • 1 package active yeast
  • 2 tablespoons very warm water
  • 5 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup shortening
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 1 egg white, whisked

Turn your oven to 400. Grease up a baking sheet.

Dissolve your yeast in a bowl with warm water. Let it stand for about 5 minutes, or until foamy. If it doesn’t foam too much, use it anyway. Your biscuits will still be delicious. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar and salt together in a big bowl.

Cut in your shortening using 2 knives. Make sure you have small grains of shortening. Now, add your buttermilk and yeast mixture. Turn onto a lightly floured board and knead gently for a minute or so. Don’t worry if your dough is a little sticky. And be sure to go easy on the flour.

Roll out your dough to about an inch thick and cut your biscuits with the open end of a clean tin can or with a biscuit cutter. (My Granny once told me; avoid twisting off your, can or biscuit cutter when you’re cutting up biscuits as it can keep your biscuit from getting a good rise). Brush the tops of each biscuit with a little egg white. Put your biscuits on a baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Heavenly!

Reba May’s Next-Day Fried Tater Cakes

Take your cold leftover mashed potatoes and shape em into ½ inch thick cakes about the size of a Ball canning jar lid. Dip both sides of the cakes lightly in flour. Fry over medium-heat in shortening in a cast iron fry pan till both sides are browned and crispy. (Cast iron fries up the best cakes). Season them with salt and pepper the way you like!

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