Diamond in the Rough

She'd been holding out on us from the start.

That's what Paula Deen said about her originally published fried chicken recipe.

When I was at BlogHer in Chicago, I learned I'd get an opportunity to meet the Food network star and diva of Southern cooking. This was a big deal in my book, considering my entire family has some fascination with the Savannah woman. My mother owns several of Paula's cookbooks, and my sister and brother-in-law have dined at The Lady & Sons restaurant.

Needless to say, when Paula breaks out a stick of butter, we watch.

Knowing I'd meet Paula, I wracked my brain for a good question to pose. Her favorite time saving kitchen trick? Her favorite Southern dish? No.

I'd ask her a question about one of her signature dishes and the crazy ice she wears on her fingers.

Knowing full well I was going to inquire about her fried chicken, you can imagine my delight when Paula, on her own, spilled her big secret on that deep fried delicacy. Apparently Paula didn't give up her secret ingredient when she first published the recipe.

Check out this video to discover the secret to Paula Deen's amazing fried chicken.

Now that we've let the cat out of the bag...

For my one-on-one time, I had to ask Paula about the dirty chore of cooking as it relates to that massive rock on her left hand.

Kate: Paula, I have one question for you.

Paula: (hesitantly) Okay...

Kate: My sister and brother-in-law love your show. They love Southern cooking and have been to your restaurant.

Paula: (hesitantly) Okay...

Kate: And my brother-in-law really admires how you make your fried chicken. He loves how you really dredge the chicken and make sure its good and coated.

Paula: Uh huh.

Kate: And what he's wondering, and me too - How do you keep your jewelry so clean?

Paula: (grinning, waving hand) Oh, honey! I've got this solution that I soak 'em in, and that cleans 'em up. But it still doesn't get everything out. (Shoving massive Rock-of-Gibraltar engagement diamond in Kate's face) See? I was just frying something two days ago, and there's still junk in there.

Kate: Oh, wow. There is...

All in all, Paula was a dynamite lady. I was so excited to meet her. Ms. Deen was genuine, down-to-earth and quite personable.

And if the batteries hadn't died, I would have caught our entire meeting on video camera. Unfortunately I only have :10 seconds of her touching my hand.

Kate's Random Musings by Kate the Great is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.