I was raised in a time so far removed from the 1800s' pillars of the cult of "true womanhood" that growing up I truly believed it was shameful for a woman or mother to not work. If she were at home, either as a homemaker or mother (or more than likely both), she should still be able to "pull her weight" and be employed too.
I don't know exactly why I have been so hard on other women throughout my life, but another of the many things motherhood has taught me is that I was part of the problem. Meaning, I was part of this whole culture that devalues anything feminine and encourages women to "act like men" in order to be successful.
There was a very recent time when I bought into that old-timey concept that woman equals inferior unless she can be a man... and a woman too, of course. Because she's not really a man, after all. She's less than a man - her only chance at success is to act enough like a man that in some moments other men forget she's a woman... That is another ugly topic for another day!
To the point, in that same vein of thinking, I never envisioned family-scale meal preparation being a huge priority in my life. When I was working full-time, and not planning on having children, I never fancied myself a woman who'd waste her time preparing, cooking and cleaning up after working all day. My husband, who also worked all day and wasn't going to do any of those things either, never demanded that I did. When we were hip and childless living in Santa Monica, we ordered out. Too often in fact.
Now that I'm a mom and we live in the 'burbs, I (of course) have been rapidly filling what I once thought was a frivolous role - I take all of my domestic responsibilities quite seriously because managing a household with a baby in it is a whole new world. And where we live now isn't an exciting place with a lot of options. In terms of delivery we have three choices: Chinese, Indian or Pizza. They all get old fast. And so if I want good food I've come to think I need to make it myself.
I have also recently been more curious about my mom's southern roots than ever. My parents are both from North Carolina and are very much "southern" - from their accents to their shared love for fried okra. My mom actually says "Bless her heart" and means it. My mom can cook well but she also worked full-time (and commuted) when I was growing up. She did cook elaborate meals on occasion, but we generally ate a piece of meat with rice or potatoes and a side of canned vegetable. They were healthy enough meals for very busy, working parents. But I want to at least know how to make those elaborate meals. So I've recently been asking her for little pieces of advice. And she showed me a lot of fun tricks during the first 4 weeks of baby girl's life - when we were lucky enough to have my mom stay with us and teach us how to be parents (sort of).
This past Sunday, I finally picked up my copy of The Newlywed Cookbook (by Sarah Copeland) and found the two most Southern-ish recipes: Buttermilk Fried Chicken and Pan Fried Pork Chops. I took baby girl over to Sprouts with a long list of items, and she witnessed as I began the process of preparation - step 1 of this new domestic world I'm learning to "work."
Once I found the Crisco Coconut Oil, I felt even more motivated and was excited to get started. Suffice it to say that frying chicken is quite an ordeal, but worth the mess and the time. It was actually surprisingly not difficult once I had everything I needed ready - a lot of oil, tongs, a deep frying pan and a splatter guard. I actually captured a few moments of the all-day process.
{If you want the entire step-by-step now, let me know in the comments and I'll post the whole thing!}
I don't know exactly why I have been so hard on other women throughout my life, but another of the many things motherhood has taught me is that I was part of the problem. Meaning, I was part of this whole culture that devalues anything feminine and encourages women to "act like men" in order to be successful.
There was a very recent time when I bought into that old-timey concept that woman equals inferior unless she can be a man... and a woman too, of course. Because she's not really a man, after all. She's less than a man - her only chance at success is to act enough like a man that in some moments other men forget she's a woman... That is another ugly topic for another day!
To the point, in that same vein of thinking, I never envisioned family-scale meal preparation being a huge priority in my life. When I was working full-time, and not planning on having children, I never fancied myself a woman who'd waste her time preparing, cooking and cleaning up after working all day. My husband, who also worked all day and wasn't going to do any of those things either, never demanded that I did. When we were hip and childless living in Santa Monica, we ordered out. Too often in fact.
Now that I'm a mom and we live in the 'burbs, I (of course) have been rapidly filling what I once thought was a frivolous role - I take all of my domestic responsibilities quite seriously because managing a household with a baby in it is a whole new world. And where we live now isn't an exciting place with a lot of options. In terms of delivery we have three choices: Chinese, Indian or Pizza. They all get old fast. And so if I want good food I've come to think I need to make it myself.
I have also recently been more curious about my mom's southern roots than ever. My parents are both from North Carolina and are very much "southern" - from their accents to their shared love for fried okra. My mom actually says "Bless her heart" and means it. My mom can cook well but she also worked full-time (and commuted) when I was growing up. She did cook elaborate meals on occasion, but we generally ate a piece of meat with rice or potatoes and a side of canned vegetable. They were healthy enough meals for very busy, working parents. But I want to at least know how to make those elaborate meals. So I've recently been asking her for little pieces of advice. And she showed me a lot of fun tricks during the first 4 weeks of baby girl's life - when we were lucky enough to have my mom stay with us and teach us how to be parents (sort of).
This past Sunday, I finally picked up my copy of The Newlywed Cookbook (by Sarah Copeland) and found the two most Southern-ish recipes: Buttermilk Fried Chicken and Pan Fried Pork Chops. I took baby girl over to Sprouts with a long list of items, and she witnessed as I began the process of preparation - step 1 of this new domestic world I'm learning to "work."
I love taking the baby to the grocery store. It's a wonderfully stimulating and educational experience for her. She's also very social and because she's so adorable, everyone stops to admire her and talk to her.
First and foremost, both recipes require a lot of oil for frying. I thought I'd just use regular coconut oil. I usually use one from Trader Joe's, but once the oil started to heat up, it had a definite fragrance and so I would imagine, taste. So I went back to the grocery store and decided I'd just get Crisco. That's what my mom always used - anytime I've ever eaten homemade fried chicken in my life, it was made with Crisco. So I was resigned...
Then I saw it! 100% Organic Coconut Oil by Crisco. It's USDA certified and 130 calories per tablespoon (this is comparable to what I usually use, which is 117 calories per tablespoon). It also does not smell or taste like coconut.
Then I saw it! 100% Organic Coconut Oil by Crisco. It's USDA certified and 130 calories per tablespoon (this is comparable to what I usually use, which is 117 calories per tablespoon). It also does not smell or taste like coconut.
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| I've fallen in love with lard. |
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| I felt it appropriate to show you what the oil looked like as it started to melt before frying. You can also see how much oil I used from the freshly opened jar (on top of the toaster oven). I guess I also wanted you wall to know that my kitchen isn't very fancy or cool... I'm claiming the food is good, not that it was made in a cute place! |
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| Food Photography is so difficult. It looks weird but tasted oh-so-good. The fried chicken is pictured with almond green beans and roasted potatoes. |
{If you want the entire step-by-step now, let me know in the comments and I'll post the whole thing!}
So what's next? Fried pork, of course!
I used to actively root against pork, except pulled pork BBQ! I'm nobody's fool - I love pulled pork Carolina BBQ style. But otherwise, I've always found that pork is dry. My mom recently showed me how to make a juicy pork roast in the oven (because I don't have a crockpot - BLASPHEME!). And so I decided to better acquaint myself with the other white meat. Since I was getting all of the ingredients for fried chicken anyway, I also got 4 organic pork loins and placed them in a homemade brine on Sunday afternoon (during the prepping madness). They've now been submerged and soaking for 2 days.
I wanted to wait 3 days, but I'm getting so eager! I think I'll pull 2 out and pan fry them tonight... Then my husband can grill the other 2 tomorrow night. He's pretty eager to grill the brined pork - and due to some recent over-done chicken breast and steak filet incidents, I think it's a better idea to have the juiciest cuts for the grill. Breading and frying will lock moisture in (I just learned!).
I think I'm going to do it.
F*CK IT. I'm doing it right after I finish this post.
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