Every fall and spring on Friday nights they play movies (for free!) on a big screen in the central grassy quad in front of Saks 5th Ave (one of the many perks of living in the desert is that you can have outdoor venues like this). The movies run the gamut from classics to more recent cult favorites. It's usually wildly well-attended, and if you want a good spot on the lawn, you have to get there before 6pm for the 7:30 show. People bring lawnchairs and blankets and picnics and wine...it's fun and I'm happy to make a tradition-exception for it.
*Also known as of late, in our house, anyway, as Movies in the Parp, an homage to this hilarious blog post.
Usually I am racing to get there after work, but this weekend I was actually off and we were able to go snag seats together. Natch, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to pack a real-style picnic, as opposed to our usual take-out option.
The movie was Chinatown...the menu was totally unrelated.
Menu:
Oven-Fried Chicken
Corny Corn Bread
Twice-Baked Potatoes
Fruit Salad
Oven-Fried Chicken
There are a zillion recipes out there for oven-fried chicken; here is my version. It was good, but suffered from being refrigerated in that the lovely crispy coating became pretty soggy, but it tasted good and made yummy leftovers the next day. It could also use more salt, if you're looking for more of a KFC-type chicken.
serves 2-3
2 skinless chicken drumsticks
2 skinless, bone-in chicken thighs
1 skinless, bone-in chicken breast
2 c lowfat buttermilk
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Tabasco
1/2 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp sesame seeds
dash cayenne pepper
2 c corn flakes, crushed
cooking spray
1. Combine the buttermilk, garlic powder, and tabasco in a large bowl. Add the chicken and marinate for 2 hours or overnight.
2. Heat the oven to 400.
3. Set up your dredging stations: mix the flour, salt, pepper, sesame seeds, and cayenne in one shallow dish. Spread the corn flake crumbs in a second shallow dish.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
5. Using your right hand, take one piece of chicken out of the buttermilk, let the excess drip off, and dredge in the flour mixture until coated. Use your left hand to sprinkle flour over the bare spots if needed.
6. Using your right hand, dip the flour-coated chicken back in the buttermilk.
7. Dredge the chicken in the corn flake crumbs.
8. Place on the parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
9. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
10. Bake at 400 until cooked through, about 25-30 minutes.
Corny Corn Bread
I made my previously-posted Corn Bread recipe, making the following changes: I increased the buttermilk to 1 1/4 c and added 1/2 c frozen corn kernels to the batter. I thought the result made the cornbread moister...Nate thought it was drier than last time. Huh. I don't know what to tell you.
Twice-Baked Potatoes
A lightened version of the standard. These were very tasty, even without loads of sour cream and bacon.
serves 2
1 large Russet baking potato
2 T Neufchatel cream cheese
1 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
splash skim milk
salt and pepper to taste
1 c broccoli, chopped
1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Prick the potato with a fork and bake at 400 for 1 hour or until soft.
3. Cut the potato lengthwise and gently scoop out the flesh into a bowl.
4. Mix the Neufchatel, cheddar, salt, pepper, and broccoli with the potato, adding just enough milk to make it easy to mix.
5. Divide the filling between the two potato skins. Place on a baking pan and bake again at 400 for 15-20 minutes until heated through.
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