Today is my mom's 63rd birthday. I am not sure how birthdays are celebrated in heaven, but I bet they are fantastic. I picture a big section of Gold Street blocked off for a street dance. And the more contemporary of the angel bands rocking some serious praise and worship music. I picture moms tan bare feet dancing along and her hands lifted high in the air. The music drifting down the street..."I'm trading my sorrows. I'm trading my pain. I'm laying it down for the joy of the Lord. Yes Lord. Yes Lord. Yes Yes Lord Amen." I love the thought of that.
My mom's all-time favorite food was Popeye's Fried Chicken and she usually chose it for her birthday dinner. (Popeye's and Publix-brand cake with butter-cream frosting!) Last year on her birthday, my entire family made sure to celebrate by eating fried chicken! There is no Popeye's in Iwakuni. So this year I decided to make one of her most famous recipes- Oven Fried Chicken. When I was younger, mom actually bought a whole fryer and cut it up herself to make this recipe! Now that is love (and is also a little beyond my level of expertise and willingness). :0) Several years ago, she reminded me of something that I said when I was a little girl. She said that once, while watching her cut up a fryer, I told her that the only reason that I would ever get married would be to have someone to cut up my chickens!
The best thing about this recipe from my mom is that it is handwritten. She made each one of her children a cookbook with our favorite family recipes and gave it to us when we married and started our own families. She made sure to handwrite our favorites. The cookbook was a treasure when she gave it to me and it has only become more valuable over the years. And no, my chicken did not turn out quite as good as hers. It never does. She was magic.
