This was for Mother’s Day

Fried chicken
1 whole chicken, cut up with skin left on, soaked in buttermilk for at least 3 h. Mix in a bowl about 6 cups flour, 6 Tb salt and 2 Tb black pepper. Toss chicken in flour and fry in oil deep enough to cover over half of chicken, about 30 minutes, turning once. Place on paper towels to cool.

Biscuits and gravy
For the biscuits, mix 1 and 3/4 cups flour with 3 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp salt and 1 Tb sugar. Using your fingers, mix in 1/4 cup butter until flour mixture is like sand. Mix in 3/4 cup buttermilk and knead on the bench with a bit of flour. Flatten out dough to a thickness of 1 inch and cut out desired shapes. Bake in a 400 F (200 C) oven for 10-12 min. Place on a wire rack to cool.

For the gravy, sauté 1 large onion, 4 garlic cloves, 2 stalks diced celery and 2 diced carrots until onions are translucent. Add 2 cups chicken stock, 1 bay leaf and 1 Tb oregano, cover and simmer for about 20-30 minutes. Strain mixture through a sieve, retaining liquid. In the original saucepan on medium heat, melt 1/4 cup butter and then add 1/4 cup flour. Sauté until thick, and then slowly add retained liquid, whisking all the time, until smooth. Add 2 cups milk while whisking and bring to a simmer. Salt and pepper to taste.

Green beans
Sauté 1 cup diced bacon, 1 large minced onion and 4 cloves garlic until onions are tender. Add 1/2 kg (1 lb) topped green beans, 2 cups chicken stock, and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until green beans are tender. Salt and pepper to taste.

Creamed corn
Sauté 4 cloves garlic until tender. Add in freshly cut corn from 4-5 cobs. Sauté for another 5-10 min, then add in 1 cup chicken stock and simmer for 20 minutes. Add in 1 cup milk and simmer for another 20 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.