6 Minute Egg with Soft Yolk

I love a good fried egg but they can be tricky to get them just right. I do not like any part of my whites brown or chewy, and I don't like it runny either, but I prefer my yolks slightly runny, but not watery and never hard. If you agree with me, then what you are looking for is not a fried egg, but a six minute boiled egg.  

 Start a pot of boiling water with about 1 teaspoon of salt. Once it begins to rapidly boil, carefully place the eggs in the pot.  Immediately set your timer for 6 minutes and walk away.  As soon as the timer goes off, place your pot under cold running water and allow it to overflow into the sink until the water is all cool.

 Then you can break and peel your eggs. If you did it just right it will peel easily and will not break the whites.

 When you cut into your egg it will be creamy and just right.

 Not too runny or too hard. All of the whites will be cooked firm but not rubbery.

 MM, delicious! Put it on top of toast, or a biscuit and enjoy!

Low Sugar Chocolate Milk

Who doesn't love a glass of ice cold chocolate milk? I don't because it's usually so full of sugar (high fructose corn syrup) and other weird ingredients like carrageenan and "artificial flavors" and "spice",  What is spice? Generally MSG.  I can't prove it, but most of the time that is what "spice" in an ingredient list means. I don't know why they would want to put that in chocolate milk though. 

Chocolate milk lovers, with a health conscious mind, have no fear. I am here to save the day. 

 The ingredient list is simple.
1/2 gallon of milk. I like raw, but that is your preference, and may be hard to find
1/3 cup scant of cocoa powder
1 Table spoon Truvia (all natural herbal sweetener from the Stevia plant)
2 Table spoons honey.  You can use raw or not, your personal preference

I just dump all of the ingredients into my 1/2 gallon jar and use a stick blender to combine it well. I used a regular blender once, and ended up with a much too frothy drink.  The stick blender is best because it doesn't incorporate too much air in to the milk, but is fast enough to get that dry cocoa powder mixed in.

There you have it! Easy, healthy alternative to commercially prepared chocolate milk.
There are 8 cups of milk in half a gallon, and two tablespoons of honey in this recipe, that comes to 1/4 of a tablespoon or 3/4 of a teaspoon of honey per serving.  That is less than 5 grams of sugar and with the milk sugar, is 17 grams of sugars. Compare this to one cup of the popular brand with 13 grams of sugar plus the milk sugars, comes to a total of 31.71 grams of sugar.  (Which is 7.5 teaspoons of sugar in one cup!)

You can compare the sugar in my recipe for chocolate milk to eating a large apple, which has a close glycemic index to milk sugars.
    

Classic Style Fried Chicken

I'm no southern lady, (unless being from Southern California counts) but boy do I know how to fry up a delicious piece of chicken.  It's one of those things in life I just couldn't live without.  I think we all agree that chocolate is number one, and for me, fried chicken runs a close second.

Here is my recipe:
Begin to heat coconut oil in a pan or deep fryer.  You need enough to cover the chicken but not too much that it will bubble over when you put the chicken in.

 You will need buttermilk and Season Salt. I would recommend my recipe for it here. I cultured my own buttermilk from raw milk, but you are not expected to go so far.

 Place a few chicken tenders, or pieces of chicken breast cut to that size, in plastic wrap.

 Pound the chicken so that it is all approximately the same thickness, this will promote even cooking and tender juicy chicken.

 Pour your buttermilk in a bowl.

 Toss your chicken in to the buttermilk and coat each piece. Leave it there until you are ready to dredge it in flour.

 Mix one cup of flour with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of season salt.  I highly recommend my recipe or it may be too salty or not seasoned enough.

 Take a buttermilk coated piece of chicken and place it in the bowl.

 Using a fork, I cover the chicken in the flour.

 Then I gently pat it down, flip it over and gently pat the other side.

 Nicely coated and dry.

 The oil bubbles when I throw a little buttermilk and flour in there, it is ready.

 Gently place a piece of chicken in the hot oil.

 It should vigorously bubble and boil.

 My oil was about 325, it was not hot enough.  350 F would have been better.  Don't crowd the pan, it will lower your temperature and make your coating fall off.

 Here are two finished pieces of  golden brown, crispy, melt in your mouth chicken.

 I couldn't even wait until I was done cooking to eat one... or two...  It was so buttery, moist, crispy and had an unbelievable flavor you do not get by frying with eggs and milk.

 TIPS:
-Use fresh not frozen chicken.
-Use a deep fryer or a thick pan like cast iron.  It will keep the temperature better.
-Don't bother using a raw or virgin oil. It will obviously get really hot and then it wont be raw anymore.
-Don't eat this too often if you like your current dress size.
-This same recipe makes amazing buffalo wings.  Just add the hot sauce after.
-If you want it to taste more like chic-fil-a, add 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar.
-Don't substitute the coconut oil. It is healthy and more natural, plus it can take the heat better without turning into trans-fat.

Seasoned Salt Recipe

I was checking my Seasoning Salt Label for MSG, like I do all my prepackaged foods, when it occurred to me how easy it would be to make it myself.  The ingredients are basic, and simple, minus a few unnecessary ingredients like anti caking silicon and coloring.  I love using seasoning salt because it ads a little extra flavor to dishes without a lot of complication.  Most likely you would be adding the spices contained within it to your dish anyway.  You will need a mortar and pestle or a high powered blender like a Blend Tec, or a vita-mix or a coffee/spice grinder, or use finely ground salts and spices to start with. To prevent settling, it's best to have all of the ingredient particles roughly the same size.

1. Salt
I like to use Redmonds Real Salt, it is minimally processed sea salt.  It maintains many beneficial minerals, that is why it is pinkish in color.
2. Chili Powder
I love a good chili powder,  Get one that is a nice bright red and smells like fresh chili's for best flavor.
3.  Pepper
I used fresh ground black peppercorn blend,  If you do not have a grinder or blender I would recommend white pepper.  the hard shell has been removed and it is very finely ground. Go easy on it though! Use roughly half what you would regular pepper.
4.Celery Seed
Celery seed is so savory and fragrant! If you are not already using this to season dishes, you should!
5. Onion
Use dry onion powder, or flakes if you are using a blender or mortar
6. Paprika
Ads more of that classic red seasoned salt color, plus a gentle heat.
7. Garlic
Use dry garlic powder.
Without the coloring added to this mix, the color will be more pink in the bottle, than red like commercial seasoned salt, a small price to pay...  It tastes just like it and this recipe will make enough to fill your old 8 oz seasoned salt container!



1/2 Cup Salt
2 Tablespoons Chili Powder
1/2 Tablespoon White pepper
1 Tablespoon ground Celery seed
2 Tablespoons Onion powder
1/2 Tablespoon Garlic

Grind any whole spices or flakes, or put the whole shebang in your blender.  It's that simple!
Happy Cooking!
-Valerie