Making My Mama Proud

My mama is the best cook that I know. Really, it's true. Although she makes some amazing dishes, I was never able to learn to cook from her. I never really understood it before, but she doesn't measure or go by recipes.

I left the teachin' up to Paula. Paula Deen, that is. She taught me a whole lot about Southern cooking and about loving what you put on the table for your family. So when I was in college, I read every single one of Paula's cookbooks, subscribed to her quarterly magazine, and even went with my sweet mama to Savannah after graduation. After several years of "experimenting" with food, I'm comfortable in saying that I'm a pretty good cook myself. And would you believe that I don't even measure anymore?! Ha! It's true! It's all about tasting as you go and for me, smelling as you go.

With all that being said, every now and then I make a dish that I know would make my mama proud. Call me old fashioned, but it's one of those special things that makes me proud of who I've become. This week I made two of those dishes and I'm still grinning.



Crock-Pot Rotisserie Chicken:

1 whole chicken (around 4lbs.)
butter, melted
minced garlic
Cayenne pepper
paprika
Montreal chicken seasoning
salt and pepper
water

Remove insides from chicken and rinse well. Place the chicken in the crockpot. Using melted butter (or spray butter if you are like me), coat the chicken lightly. In a separate bowl, mix all spices together making a paste by adding water one teaspoon at a time. Coat the chicken inside and out with the paste. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours.

Chicken Salad (with leftover rotisserie chicken) 

Approx. 3lbs. of chicken, deboned and chopped up
1/2 to 1 cup mayonnaise (I'm not a mayo fan, but I'm a Southern girl that knows mayo just goes in some dishes)
1/4 cup sweet relish
1/2 purple onion
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 yellow bell pepper
1/2 orange bell pepper
2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 can water chestnuts (rinsed, drained, and chopped)
dash of salt

Because you are using cold leftover chicken, debone the chicken and toss it for a few minutes in a skillet to warm it up. After it is warmed, dice the chicken into small pieces and put into a large bowl. Add in remaining ingredients and mix well. I like to refridgerate mine for a couple hours before serving.

This chicken salad is really good served on crescent rolls or on wheat thins. It makes a yummy salad too!

So there you have it. Two dishes that will make your mama proud! Enjoy!