Fill Your Gut

Many of us don’t eat until we are no longer hungry, we eat until we are full. There are a lot of bad things about it, but it is so easy to do as the signal from your stomach to your brain is a slow one. The most commonly quoted time is 20 minutes to feel that you are full. I know I can do a lot of eating in 20 minutes.

There are ways you can help yourself when you use that knowledge to your advantage:

• Drink 8-12 ounces of water 20 minutes before eating. It will start to reduce the amount of space in your stomach and you give time for your brain to realize it.
• Eat a salad or soup first. Again, starts the process.

Scientists have developed yet another alternative – the gut gel. Made from plant-based products, you eat some of the gel and when it hits your stomach acid, it expands. This fills your stomach up and makes you feel full. It is slow to digest, so the full feeling lasts longer and causes you to eat less. It is an interesting development that is worth tracking. Check out an article about it here.

Deep-Fried Chickens

I’ve had a deep fryer for many years, but find that I generally do chicken wings much more often than whole birds. It was time to change that. Aren’t these just beautiful?

I decided to do two chickens as long as I was heating up the oil.

Season the outside.

My fryer came with this stand that was built for birds. You simply slide the bird down the center pole.

Here is the rig. I am very careful to keep it far away from any structure.

Out of the fryer and on to my counter.

Half a chicken anyone? I think I’ll fill my gut this way!

Delicious!

Deep-Fried Chickens

Servings: 8

Ingredients:

2 4 1/2- to 5-pound whole chickens (halved lengthwise and backbones removed if using pasta pot with insert)
4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 quarts to 4 gallons (about) peanut oil for frying (amount depends on fryer)

Directions:

Place 2 whole chickens in insert of turkey deep fryer (or 2 chicken halves in basket insert of large deep pasta pot); place insert in deep fryer (or pot). Measure number of cups of cold water needed to cover chickens by 1 inch; number of cups of water is amount of oil needed for deep-frying. Remove chickens from water and pat very dry. Thoroughly dry deep fryer (or pot) and insert; reserve.

Mix salt, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper in small bowl. Sprinkle chickens all over with seasoning mix. Let stand at room temperature at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours.

Place required cups of peanut oil in deep fryer. (If using pasta pot, place oil in pot and attach deep-fry thermometer to side.) Heat oil over medium heat to 350°F. Pat chicken dry, if moist. Place 2 whole chickens in insert of deep fryer (or 2 chicken halves in basket insert of pot; reposition thermometer to side of basket insert).

Carefully lower chickens into oil. (If using pot, increase heat to high.) Fry chickens until cooked through and instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 165°F, about 25 minutes.

To avoid oil spills, very carefully and slowly lift chickens from oil. Using tongs, transfer chickens to rack set over baking sheet. (If using pasta pot, repeat with remaining chicken halves.)

Cut whole chickens into quarters (cut chicken halves into 2 pieces). Serve.

Source: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/deep-fried-chickens