#MEwx Warm, cloudy and rainy with Southern Fried Chicke`n

Good morning Augusta.

I’ve put up a new Ambient WS 5000 weather station where you can view real time readings online here.

This morning we have overcast skies with a chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely with a chance of thunderstorms this afternoon. Some thunderstorms may produce gusty winds, small hail and heavy rainfall with highs in the mid 70s. Winds are light and variable.

Tonight we’ll have cloudy conditions with showers possible and a chance of thunderstorms in the evening, then partly cloudy with a chance of showers after midnight. Patchy fog. Some thunderstorms may produce gusty winds, small hail, and heavy rainfall during evening hours. Lows in the upper 50s with light and variable winds.

We didn’t receive any rain here over the past 24 hours.

The wind is east Northeast between  2.7 MPH and 4.3 MPH.

The Relative pressure is 29.80, the Absolute pressure is 29.60 and falling with a weather graphic indicating clouds and rain.

The outdoor temperature is 62.1°F, the dew point is 57.2°F, the heat index is 62.2°F and the humidity is 84%.

Visibility is 10.0 miles / 16.1 Kilometers with overcast skies, the sun is breaking through it here and there.

The current Solar Radiation reading is 100.2W/m2, the UV Index is 0  placing the average person at no risk, the moon phase is a New Moon and the moon is 0.9% illuminated. Sunrise is 5:56 AM, sunset is 7:28 PM, moonrise is 4:39 AM, Moonset is 7:36 PM and we’ll have 13 hours 32 minutes of daylight today.

Our next full moon will be on September 10 and we’re currently in a New Moon.

 

What’s a week of chicken recipes without a dammed good Southern Fried Chicken recipe?

 

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