Dave's 34th Birthday Feast of Nan's Fried Chicken and Southern Cooked Green Beans

Last week was Dave's daughter  Zoe's 1st birthday and this week was Dave's 34th birthday.  It is tradition, our family, that the birthday celebrator gets to choose his or her birthday dinner which Nan makes.  This year Dave chose Nan's famous, and seriously, themost delicious in the whole world, fried chicken, rice and gravy (trying to cut back a little on carbs AND they made minute rice which I would not eat, EVER!) and slow cooked green beans in bacon with vinegar.  

Nan's fried chicken is made the old time Maryland way which, in my opinion, is the only way fried chicken should be made.  She lightly dredges the chicken pieces through some flour, seasons with salt and pepper and fries them in a stainless steal (not cast iron) frying pan which was preheated with about 2 inches of oil.  After each sides browns for a few minutes, she places a lid on the pan until the chicken is cooked through.  Once cooked, she removes the lid and does a final turn to ensure all pieces of evenly browned and crispy.  This method makes a moist, tender, delicious chicken with the most flavorful but lightly crunchy exterior.  A little sprinkle of salt and a drizzle of honey and you have the best fried chicken in the world! 

To make these green beans start by rendering the fat from about 4 or 5 pieces of bacon cut into 1 inch pieces.  Add 1 1/2 of green beans and sautee them in the bacon drippings stirring frequently for about 10 minutes.  Add 1 box of good quality, low sodium, chicken stock, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cooked for about 45 minutes.  Drain the chicken stock from the pot, add many tablespoons of butter, a good seasoning of salt and pepper and a healthy sprinkle of cider vinegar.  I don't even like green beans, but when prepared in this way, I ate all of the beans on my plate and loved each and every bite.  

Dave's Super Southern Birthday meal was concluded with his favorite Peach Cobbler.  This is also an old school southern recipe that has been around for ages.  I don't know it, however, because I don't bake!  I try, but it's always a disaster.  If you want the recipe, please feel free to ask and I (and Nan) will joyfully give it to you.  It really is scrumptious, particularly with vanilla ice cream!