I thought about my grandma a lot yesterday. She pops into my mind most days…usually when I’m cooking. My cousin Tammy seems to have been thinking about her as well because she sent me this precious meme with a grandma and her littles. It brought tears to my eyes.
Homemade Buttermilk Pancakes
We live a rich life here on Marshmallow Ranch. We pinch our pennies and make do with what we’ve got a lot more of late. But we don’t feel deprived in the least. Even when we’re doing something as mundane as a doctor’s visit, we still make it fun. Mr. FixIt has a bad back…too many years of hard work, hard play, and abusing his body has caught up with him. We’re making progress in getting him some relief so yesterday was a very good day. This strong man never, ever complains. I really admire him.
I found the mug my own littles gave me for Mother’s Day a long time ago!
We stopped at Sam’s yesterday and bought a crate of eggs…seven and a half dozen for $22 and change. That’s $10 less than a month ago…one of the bright spots in my day. We got home and I brought all the groceries in and put them away, then we just hung out together all afternoon. Mr. FixIt dozed off around 5:30 and I went in to start supper.
I didn’t feel like cooking a big meal earlier, then I thought of my grandma and how she could feed a crowd with a chicken and some fresh veggies from her garden. I took out some chicken thighs, broccoli, and corn on the cob and set to work. I wanted to make a dinner like my grandma’s so I washed four thighs, patted them dry, dipped them in buttermilk, then coated them well by dredging them in seasoned self-rising flour. Yes, self-rising flour. Baking soda gives fried foods a really crispy crust. If you don’t have self-rising, just add some baking soda to all-purpose flour and it does the same thing. Also, I let the thighs sit aside for a bit to let the coating dry a little. I fry them on medium heat in a skillet with canola oil and butter. Grandma used butter alone, but I think that tastes a little too heavy for me.
While the chicken was frying, I cleaned the corn and heated up the water with about a tablespoon of sugar and some salt in it.. When I could see the chicken was almost done, I brought the water back up to the boil, popped the ears of corn in, turned off the heat, and immediate put a tight-fitting lid on the pan and let it sit while the rest started to come together. I steamed the broccoli, sliced and buttered the fresh bread I baked on Tuesday. Everything came out perfectly and at the same time. We had dinner together in the dining room. I like that so much better than eating in front of the TV. It forces us to chat about life and what we see out the big picture window. The dinner was perfect and I know it would pass Grandma’s inspection. Especially the bread. She LOVED homemade “yeast bread” and I would indulge her on my visits home by baked a few loaves and hot rolls.
By the time I was finished, I was too tired to do the dishes. I always like my kitchen to be clean in the mornings to start the day right, but we’ve been busy and we’re not caught up yet from traveling. They’ll still be there this morning. I have to go back into town yet again this afternoon.
My view as I head out to the camper at dusk.
Isn’t it beautiful outside?!
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“Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”” Luke 12:15 NLT
***Gratitude Journal*** Today I am grateful that we are finding some relief for Mr. FixIt’s back pain. Chronic pain really wears on a person and I hate it when he hurts.
#CountryCooking, #FarmLife, #FriedChicken