Weekend Bits: Cornmeal Waffles with Fried Chicken & Mushroom Milk Gravy

While the rest of you were enjoying your leisurely weekend activities, we were busy throwing our New Year's resolutions to the wayside, our caution to the wind, and our healthy eating habits to the dogs. And it was SO much fun.

First, Peef wandered over to Bunzel's Old Fashioned Meat Market to pick up a bit of their double-smoked slab bacon. What he DID expect was the usual Saturday morning crowd. What he didn't expect was for the butcher to hand him a package of bacon that was... unexpectedly fresh. Oh, yeah baby. This smoked piggy had just made its way to the butcher case from the smoker -- and it was still warm. He was seriously giddy when he brought the bacon home and pushed it into my hands. As the smoky bits warmed my palms and permeated my nostrils, I decided that this was going to be a Very Good Day indeed. And it turns out I was right.

I cooked up a batch of good old fashioned southern greens with that bacon. And my, oh my, were they good. Also made some delicious smashed potatoes with garlic and smoked gouda.

And then... the crowning moment... we fried up some chicken. What you should know about us is that we fry chicken... oh, maybe once every couple of years. So, this was a very special day. And you can imagine that hopes were particularly high.
Fortunately for us, all possibility of myocardial infarctions aside, this fried chicken was Seriously Good. And we enjoyed our southern dinner with particular gusto.

But, the best was yet to come. Now there was LEFTOVER fried chicken. We were almost too giddy for words. We popped straight out of bed the next morning in anticipation of what came next -- waffles with fried chicken and gravy.
This was a special occasion, so we didn't make just any old waffles. Nope. We hauled out the big guns and manufactured some of the best cornmeal waffles that you've ever laid eyes upon. They were light. And crisp. And flavorful. And the cornmeal gave them just the right amount of "oomph" to push them right past "good" and so far into "fabulous" that we have to just take a moment, right now, to reflect.
And yeah -- I'm going to give you a little bit more time with this photograph. Cuz it was seriously That Good.
If you've got somewhere to be, then I'll let you go. But, please -- take a couple of recipes along. After all, you might be frying up some chicken real soon.

Milk gravy with mushrooms

Cornmeal waffles with buttermilk



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