#MEwx sunny, cooler, less humidity and a fantastic Southern Fried Chicken recipe

Good morning Augusta

The Red Sox beat the Detroit Tigers yesterday afternoon 10-6. We’re 48 and 40. 

A direct, real-time feed from my personal weather station is available for you here.

This morning it’s Sunny with expected highs in the upper 70s. Northwest winds around 10 mph.

Tonight we’ll have Clear skies with lows in the mid 50s. Light and variable winds.

The readings from my weather instruments are:

Our outdoor temperature is 63.7°F, the humidity is 57% and the Dew Point is 48.2°F.

The wind direction is North Northeast between 3.6 MPH and 4.9 MPH.

The Relative pressure is 29.90, the Absolute pressure is 29.70 and rising with a weather graphic indicating sun.

Visibility is 10.0 Miles / 16.1 Kilometers with a bright and sunny sky.

The UV rating is 1 out of 16, Sunrise is 5:02 AM, Sunset is 8:25 PM, Moonrise is 10:40 AM,  Moonset is 11:57 PM  and the moon phase is waxing Crescent. 

We received 0.06 inches of  rain here over the past 24 hours.

The RAW METAR reading from Augusta’s airport is:

METAR KAUG071053Z AUTO 35010KT 10SM CLR 16/09 A2995 RMK AO2 SLP143 T01610094  

Sometimes all you really want to do is to tuck into a real good piece of fried chicken and enjoy yourself. So, enjoy yourself!

Southern Fried Chicken

2 cut up fryer chickens in 16 pieces

4 1/4 cups buttermilk

5 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons seasoned salt, such as Lawry's

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons ground dried thyme

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus more for seasoning

1/4 cup milk

Canola or vegetable oil, for frying

Directions

Thoroughly rinse the chicken, then cover all the pieces with 4 cups buttermilk and soak in the fridge overnight or up to 24 hours. When you're ready to fry the chicken, remove the bowl from the fridge and let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes, just to take off the chill.

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 360 degrees F and mix up the breading. Place the flour, seasoned salt, paprika, pepper, thyme and cayenne (extra cayenne if you like heat) in a very large bowl. Stir together well.

In a small bowl, combine the 1/4 cup buttermilk and the milk. Pour the milk mixture into the flour and, with a fork, gradually mix until there are little lumps throughout. This will adhere to the chicken and make for a crispier breading. If necessary, add a little more flour or milk to the bowl in order to make it slightly lumpy.

Heat 1 1/2 to 2 inches of oil in a deep skillet over medium high heat until a thermometer reaches 365 degrees F. Lower the heat slightly, if necessary, to keep the oil from getting hotter.  Working in batches, thoroughly coat each chicken piece with the breading, pressing extra breading onto the chicken if necessary. Place the breaded

pieces on a plate. Add the chicken to the oil 3 or 4 pieces at a time. Make sure they aren't sticking together, then cover the pan and fry for 5 to 7 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure the chicken isn't getting too brown. Turn the pieces over, cover again, and cook 3 to 5 minutes more. All the while, monitor the temperature of the oil to make sure the chicken doesn't burn.

Place the chicken on a baking sheet and continue frying the rest of the chicken. When all the chicken has been fried, remove the wings and legs to a plate and keep covered. These should be cooked all the way through by now but always check, if any pink juice or meat is visible. If so, return to the hot oil for another minute or so until fully cooked. Leave the thighs and breasts on the baking sheet.

Bake the thighs and breasts for 15 minutes to finish the cooking process.  Sometimes I'll cut into the thicker part of one of the larger pieces, just to make sure the chicken is cooked through. If any pink juice or meat is visible, the chicken needs to continue cooking in the oven.

This Recipe is courtesy of Ree Drummond