Chicken Pudding and some Pecan Pie

Here are some recipes you will love...hopefully. I haven't tried the chicken recipe yet. We'll all experiment together. With those ingredients, I think it'll be a winner. If you want to wait until tomorrow to try it, I'll be the guinea pig and go first. I'll let you know how it turns out tomorrow. I clipped the recipe out of an old Southern Living magazine. It reminded me of something I'd eaten at Groff's Farm Restaurant in Pennsylvania years ago. It was the craziest most fabulous thing--cracker pudding. Made with saltine crackers. They brought us a little bowl of it while we waited for our orders to arrive. I ate my bowl and could have eaten the bowls off everyone else's table as well. So I figure chicken pudding made with saltine crackers has to be good too.

The pecan pie I can vouch for, it the greatest. It's my mother-in-law's recipe. And I know some of y'all might threaten to take the 'southern' out of my name when you see the secret ingredient, but don't do it until you've given it a try. It isn't noticeable and does something magical to the pie. Trust me.


Chicken Pudding

1 (5 lb) whole chicken
4 carrots
4 celery ribs
1 large onion, quartered
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
6 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. chicken bouillon granules
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/4 c. shortening
2 c. self-rising flour
3/4 c. milk
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 c. coarsely crushed saltine crackers
1 Tbsp. butter, melted

Combine the first six ingredients and water to cover in a large pot. Bring to a boil over medium-hi heat; reduce heat and simmer 1 hour or until tender. Remove chicken and let cool.

Pour 6 c. of the broth through a wire-mesh strainer into a large bowl; discard solids. Reserve the remaining broth for a later use. Whisk 6 Tbsp. butter, bouillon, poultry seasoning into broth until smooth. Set aside to cool.

Cut shortening into flour with a pastry blender or fork until crumbly. Add milk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Spread dough to a 1/2" thickness on a lightly greased baking sheet, forming 1 large hoecake.

Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack; break into pieces.

Skin, bone, and coarsely chop chicken. Layer chicken and hoecake pieces in a lightly greased 13x9 baking dish. Whisk together chicken broth mixture and eggs; pour evenly over chicken and hoecake pieces.

Stir together cracker crumbs and 1 Tbsp. melted butter; sprinkle evenly over top of chicken mixture.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown and set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.


Grammy's Pecan Pie

3 eggs
2/3 c. sugar
1/3 tsp. salt
1/3 c. melted butter
1 c. King syrup (you could substitute cane syrup, but use King if you can get it)
1 c. chopped pecans
1/2 c. coconut
2 tsp. vanilla

Mix all together and pour into a 9" crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes.

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