Oven-Fried Chicken

Adapted from: The Blue Willow Inn Bible of Southern Cooking by Louis and Billie Van Dyke

2 Tbsp. butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. parsley flakes
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. thyme or oregano
1 whole chicken cut into pieces (I used 1 lb. chicken tenderloins)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Melt the butter in a 9x13-inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, mix the flour with the parsley flakes, paprika, salt, and thyme (or oregano). Dredge the chicken pieces in the mixture. Place in the prepared baking dish. Bake for about 35 minutes. Turn and cook for about 15 minutes or until fork tender.

I was looking on Amazon one day trying to find a cookbook for Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. While looking for that cookbook, I happened to see this cookbook as another popular choice. Needless to say I ended up buying it and here we sit. Every single recipe looks absolutely incredible, but this is one that I knew I had to try first. It was delicious!!! I would highly suggest dredging the chicken, dipping it in a little butter, and then dredging it again. It makes a WORLD of difference. I say this only because I did that for two pieces, and they came out perfect. The rest of the tenderloins I had to pull out halfway through cooking and dredge again just to make sure we had a good breading on each piece. Lesson most certainly learned. I can't wait to make this again and maybe add a little bit of cayenne pepper (just a smudge) to kick it up a little bit! As for my pictures, they will get better one day, I promise. By the time we both get home it is too late to take advantage of the daylight, and last night I cleaned my whole plate before realizing I didn't have a picture yet... oops!

All-American Cheeseburgers

Adapted from: Taste of Home Magazine June/July 2012

2 Tbsp. finely chopped onion
2 Tbsp. ketchup
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. steak sauce
1/4 tsp. cider vinegar
1 lb. ground beef
4 sliced sharp cheddar cheese
8 cooked slices bacon
Toppings of your choice

In a large bowl, combine first seven ingredients. Pour over beef and mix well. Shape into four patties; grill burgers, covered, until done. Add cheddar cheese and continue to cook until cheese is melted.

I came across this recipe in the Taste of Home magazine on my Kindle, and I knew that it was one that we had to try. Luckily, we had the whole family over to celebrate Father's Day a couple of weeks ago, and we thought it was the perfect time to give this recipe a shot. I typically don't like to try a new recipe on the whole family, but with all of these awesome ingredients, I thought it quite necessary. Vann actually threw everything together the night before so that the meat could marinate all night, and I think that made a huge difference as well. It really allowed all of the flavors to blend together and soak into the beef. These tasted incredible, and they were so juicy and tender. Next time we make these I would love to throw some pepperjack cheese on the burger with the cheddar, and I think some french fried onions would be great as well. This recipe is a definite keeper!