Jan D'Atri

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Best Fried Chicken

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Today, on the 4th of July, I want you to experience freedom! Freedom from the fear of cooking fried chicken at home, and this is just the recipe to do it!  It’s absolutely perfect, not only for your Independence Day picnic or celebration, but next Tuesday is National Fried Chicken Day, so you have a legitimate excuse to make a double (or triple!) batch and enjoy it all week!  I came across this fried chicken recipe in Cook’s Country Magazine. I was looking for a method that would yield an extra crispy on the outside, super moist on the inside version, and I found it in this recipe! First let’s talk about what makes this chicken moist. It gets soaked in buttermilk and salt brine which helps the chicken retain moisture and also gives it a wonderful flavor. What makes the outside crispy is the combination of flour and spices that the chicken is dredged in, and then refrigerated for several hours or overnight. When you get ready to fry the chicken, that coating has pretty much glued itself to the chicken making it the perfect crispy crust I was hoping for! If your turns out the way I think it will, it’s going to be winner, winner chicken dinner!

Watch my How To Video for Best Fried Chicken here!

Man Cave Meatballs

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Dad deserves a delicious dish for Father’s Day, and this one is hearty enough for a Man Cave meal, and elegant enough for a gourmet dinner!  Who doesn’t love a giant juicy meatball surrounded by melted cheesey deliciousness hiding inside a delicate puff pastry? They are so easy to prepare, and it all starts with puff pastry sheets. The only tricky thing about this recipe is to remember to buy the puff pastry sheets (they will be frozen) and let them thaw out in the refrigerator overnight. (Never thaw the puff pastry sheets on the counter at room temperature. You’ll end up with a doughy mess!)

Other than that, it’s a breeze! I love meatballs that have an equal amount of beef and pork or pork Italian sausage, although I’ve made these with turkey meatballs and they’re just as delicious!

The original recipe calls for adding raw onion and garlic to the meatball mixture, but I always sauté the onion and garlic first, then let it cool down before adding it to the mixture. By doing that, you’ll get a richer, sweeter flavor out of the meatballs!

Happy Father’s Day, Dads! Let’s hope meatballs are on your Father’s Day menu!

Watch my How To Video for Meatballs in Puff Pastry here!