Old Fashion Recipes For a Great Picnic Including Honey Fried Chicken

Want to enjoy an old-fashion picnic?  Here are some old-fashion recipes from my childhood that just might bring back some memories for you, too.  Raisin Filled Cookies make an easy to transport dessert that will also take the heat.  Grandma Leafy's Mashed Potato Salad was one of my favorite childhood foods.  I've eaten a lot of this potato salad at family reunions and picnics (and I enjoyed every bite!).  Honey Fried Chicken is easy to prepare and travels well.  So grab the picnic basket, load it up, and head out to your favorite picnic spot.

RAISIN FILLED COOKIES

1 cup shortening

1 cup sour cream

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups sugar

pinch of salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

4 cups all-purpose flour (or enough to make a soft dough)

Filling:

2 cups raisins, ground

1 level tsp salt

1 tsp vinegar

1 cup hot water

1 cup sugar

2 tbsps flour or cornstarch

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine shortening, sour cream, eggs, vanilla, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda.  Combine mixture well.  Gradually add flour to make a soft dough.  Roll the dough out thin on a floured surface.  Using a biscuit cutter or round glass cut an even number of cookies from the dough.

Mix all of the filling ingredients together well.  Using a spoon, place filling on half the cookies and top with the remaining cookies.  Use a fork or your fingers to pinch the edges of the tops and bottoms together to seal in the filling.  Bake 6 minutes at 350 degrees on the bottom oven rack.  Move baking sheet to the top oven rack and bake another 6 minutes or until browned.

Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Yield:  About 4 dozen average size cookies

GRANDMA LEAFY'S MASHED POTATO SALAD

3 to 4 lbs of potatoes, peeled and boiled in salted water until tender.  Mash with a potato masher.  Place potatoes in a large bowl.

1/4 to 12 cup cream

1 tbsp butter

1 to 1 1/2 heavy tbsps mustard

sugar to taste

vinegar to taste

1 medium onion, chopped

4 hard-boiled eggs; 3 chopped and 1 reserved

Mix together the cream, butter, mustard, sugar, vinegar, and onion.  Blend mixture into the chopped eggs until blended.  Add to the mashed potatoes and mix well.  Slice the reserved egg and use to garnish the top of the salad.

HONEY FRIED CHICKEN

3 lbs cut-up chicken

3/4 cup honey

3/4 to 1 cup buttermilk baking mix (such as Bisquik)

2 tsp dry mustard

1/2 tsp paprika

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Vegetable oil for frying

Coat chicken pieces with honey; set aside.  Combine the baking mix, dry mustard, paprika, salt and pepper together.  Dredge chicken pieces in the baking mix mixture.    Pour enough oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet to reach a depth of 1/2-inch.  Allow oil to heat to 375 degrees over medium heat.  Carefully place the chicken pieces into the hot oil and cook about 5 minutes or until the bottom side of the pieces is a golden brown.   Turn chicken pieces and cook another 5 minutes.  Reduce the heat and cook for about 10 minutes longer or until the juices run clear.  Drain on paper towels to absorb the grease.

Alternate method:  Brown both sides of the chicken pieces in skillet.  Place on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until the juices run clear.

Enjoy!