Planning a Southern Fried Dinner Party

Down South, we like our food to be fried, fresh, and downright tasty. So get out your frying pans and get ready to sample some tried and true Southern favorites. This is everything you need to host a successful Southern Fried Dinner Party for a couple of good friends of everyone on the block!

For starters, we are going to be making a couple of Southern delicacies. The first is Sweet Tea with Lemons.
What you need to make this: 3-4 large tea bags, 4 cups boiling water, 3 cups cold water, 1 cup sugar, ice and 1 large lemon.
Steep tea bags in boiling water until a deep red color. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Add cold water, ice, and garnish with a lemon slice.
Then we will need something to snack on while supper is cooking. We will make Fried Dill Pickles.
What you need to make this: 2-16oz jars dill pickle chips, 1 large egg, 1-12oz can of beer (your choice), 1 tbsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. seasoned salt, 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, and vegetable oil.
Drain pickles and pat them dry. Mix the egg, beer, baking powder, and seasoned salt. Add flour and beat until smooth. In a large frying pan, pour the oil about 1 1/2 inches deep and heat over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-high. Dredge pickles in batter, then gently drop into hot oil. Allow them to fry for about 4 minutes or until golden. Remove and place them on a plate covered with paper towels to drain. Serve hot with ranch dressing for dipping!

Before we get to the main course, we will need a couple of sides. First, we will whip up some Buttermilk Garlic Mashed Taters.
What you need to make this: 8-10 medium red potatoes, 6 cups water, 1 cup whole milk, 1/2 cup buttermilk, 4 tbsp. stick margarine, 2 tsp. salt, 2 tsp. pepper, and 1 clove garlic, finely chopped.
Slice potatoes into quarters, leaving skins on. Boil in water until soft. Drain all but about 3/4 cup water from pan and mash potatoes until texture is slightly lumpy. Using a hand or stand mixer, beat potatoes on low while adding remaining ingredients.
While the potatoes are boiling, we'll make some Skillet Cream Corn.
What you need to make this: 6 fresh ears of yellow sweet corn, 1 stick margarine, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup milk, salt and pepper to taste.
Using a butter knife, scrape kernels off of cobs into a plastic bowl. Heat 1/4 stick of margarine in skillet until sizzling, add corn and fry until heated through. Add the rest of the margarine, sugar, milk, and salt and pepper, and heat until bubbling.

And now for the main course, every Southerner's weakness, Fried Chicken!
What you will need to make this: 8-10 chicken legs, 3/4 cup milk, 1/4 cup honey mustard, 2 tsp. seasoned salt, 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, vegetable oil, salt and pepper to taste.
heat oil about half way deep in skillet until hot. reduce to medium-high heat. Put flour in a bowl and set aside. Mix milk, honey mustard, and seasoning in a separate bowl. Dip chicken leg in honey mustard mixture, then roll in flour to coat. carefully place chicken legs in skillet 4-5 at a time, and fry, turning frequently, until golden brown and crispy. Remove chicken and set on a plate with paper towels to drain excess oil.

We are not done just yet. What would such a perfect meal be without some dessert? These Stewed Apples should hit the spot.
What you will need to make this: 10 medium granny smith apples, 1/2 cup red hot candies, 1 can sierra mist, and 6 cups water.
Peel and core apples. Boil until they begin to get soft. Pour off about half the liquid in the pan and the return to stove. Add red hots and sierra mist and boil until the apples turn a bright pinkish red color. Serve these cold like applesauce or hot on buttermilk biscuits.

Now the food was only the tip of the iceberg. We still have to set the party atmosphere. It can be a lot of fun to setup for a dinner party, especially with a good theme. For this type of event, I usually like to serve it outdoors. So first you will need one or two pcicnice tables and benches. I like to throw a simple red and white checkered tablecloth over them. Then for serving ware, I love the authenticity of serving tea in Mason Jars. Slightly worn tin buckets make amazing caddys for silverware and tin pie plates are amazing as dinner plates. Line up a bunch of simple unscented tea lights to help set the mood. Since this is a relaxed down-home dinner party, i like to keep it simple and use plain white serving dishes for the chicken and vegetables.

There are some extra added sparks you can make if you have the means. One is to have a good classic southern movie playing on a projection screen, kind of like the effect of a drive-in. Movies such as State Fair, Gone With the Wind, and The Grapes of Wrath make excellent party choices. Another wonderful bonus if season permits, is fresh, cold watermelon. Having small pools set up for the kids is a sure to please addition. You could even make this a neighborhood block party event. Add sparklers for the kids and a fireworks show, and have all your neighbors begging you to host all the parties!