It’s officially been a record-breaking weekend here in Portland, as far as temperature is concerned. Yesterday, we hit 105, or something thereabouts, and in a string of decisions that make me question my own judgement, I decided it’d be a great day to do a lot of cooking. So I did. Strawberry gin coolers, oregano cannellini dip, watermelon feta salad, panzanella–they all turned out well. But the winner, by far, was buttermilk pecan fried chicken. Yes, pecan!

Here’s what you do: slice some boneless skinless chicken breasts into strips (roughly into thirds), then submerge them in buttermilk. Let that soak for about 20 minutes. Mix together 1½ cups of flour, 2½ cups of chopped pecans, and salt and pepper to taste. Dredge the chicken in the flour-pecan mixture, then refrigerate for about 30 minutes. When that’s done chilling, cover the bottom of a cast iron skillet with about 1 centimeter of olive oil. Fry the chicken over medium high heat until it’s golden brown (2-3 minutes per side). Drain it on paper towels and enjoy. It’s effing fantastic.

The other big hit were the strawberry gin coolers. Here’s what you do: put 4 frozen strawberries in a shaker with 2 shots of gin. Shake it up. Divide the strawberries and gin between two glasses, and top them off with some chilled soda water. It’s delightful. The strawberries keep the drink cool, and by the time you’re done, they’ve thawed, and you can eat them. Good times!

Now I’m off to make blueberry-cranberry pie and strawberry cupcakes in preparation for a mini-vacation. Wish me luck, kids!

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