A picnic

So Summer is in full swing and thankfully the heatwave has let up a bit so that we can enjoy it rather than go outside for five minutes and come back grunting. Unfortunately the 4th of July was unbearable so the picnic that I had envisioned we would have in our back yard had to be brought indoors

Herb-Lemon Fried Chicken

¾ cup olive oil

2 lemons

3 cloves garlic

2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped

Freshly ground black pepper

2 chickens cut into pieces

1 ½ cups flour

Salt

¼ cup basil and rosemary, chopped

1 egg

¾ cup milk

Vegetable, corn or safflower oil

Combine the olive oil, juice of 1 lemon and its rind coarsely chopped, garlic, rosemary, pepper and the chicken pieces in a pan or a large bowl. Make sure all the chicken pieces are well coated with the marinade. Refrigerate overnight or at least 5 hours. Mix the flour, salt and herbs in a large bowl. Beat the egg and milk together. Remove the chicken from the marinade; dip the pieces in the egg wash then dredge in the flour mixture. Fill your heaviest, largest frying pan with about 1” of oil and heat until very hot. Fry the chicken in batches (do not overcrowd the pan). Cook 12 minutes, turn and cook another 12 minutes. Lower the heat if chicken is browning too fast. Serve hot, cold or at room temperature. Serves 6 to 8.

Corn Salad

2 20-oz. Packages frozen corn kernels, or the kernels removed from about 6 ears of corn

1 cup chopped scallions, both green & white parts

2/3 cup chopped pimentos

½ cup red wine vinegar

¼ cup Dijon mustard

2 tbspns. Honey

2 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 cup olive oil

¼ cup chopped fresh coriander

1.      Cook the frozen corn according to instructions. Drain

2.      In a large bowl, combine the corn with the scallions and pimentos.

3.      In a separate bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, honey, garlic, thyme, cumin, slat and pepper. Add the oil in a steady stream, whisking constantly until the mixture is emulsified. Pour the dressing over the salad, add the coriander and toss until well mixed. Serves 8

Potato and Egg Salad

1lb. small red potatoes, halved
6 hard boiled eggs, quartered
scallions, chopped
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tbspn sour cream
salt & pepper to taste

Cook the potatoes in boiling water until tender. Drain and move to a serving bowl. Pour the vinegar over the potatoes while still warm and stir. When the potatoes cool off a bit add the eggs, scallions and stir. Combine the mayonnaise with the sour cream and add to the salad, stir to combine. Season with salt & pepper to taste. I have no idea how many this serves because I made it up.

Serve it, hopefully outside on a picnic blanket...or not.

Either way, have some Rose with it or cold hard apple cider.

Then take a nap.