My Quest for the Perfect Fried Green Tomato

I love fried green tomatoes. I know lots of people don't like them, but I do! I don't have them often and consider them to be a rare treat mainly because you can never find green tomatoes in the store.

Well this year my garden has been abundant with tomatoes and since we have a very short growing season, the tomatoes will not have time to ripen on the vine. I have to pick them early before they freeze. Guess what that means?

FRIED GREEN TOMATOES!!!

It's been a long time since I've made them, so I had forgotten what to use, so I have been looking online for various recipes to try. This one too bland, this one too oily. I even came across a baked green tomato recipe that I tried. It wasn't so good, but I'm not ready to give up on it yet. It just needs a little tweaking.

Just now did I find my perfect fried green tomato recipe and here's what I did.

Items Needed:
Deep fryer with oil (I have a little Fry Daddy- I like to call it my Fry Baby)
A good number of tomatoes
Flour
Bread Crumbs (Italian style is great, but all I had on hand was plain)
Various seasonings - my favorites are pictured here:

Don't forget a few plates, paper towels, and something to scoop the tomatoes out of the fryer.

Layer a plate with paper towels and set aside. This is what you'll drain them on.

In a medium mixing bowl combine bread crumbs, flour, and spices and mix them well. I didn't use a measuring cup or spoon, but I had way more bread crumbs than flour. I might have only had a couple table spoons of flour.

Slice your tomatoes up. You don't want them to be too thin! Too thick and they will be hard! Mine were about 1/4 inch thick.

Now, here's the part I've been missing in other recipes. Dip the tomato slice into some water and dredge them into the bread crumb mixture. Make sure they are coated all around. Cover several tomatoes BEFORE cooking.

When you're all ready, drop 3-4 slices into the fryer. While they are cooking, take your scooper thing and flip them around in the oil. They do not take long to cook! If you over cook them, they will be soggy and full of oil... YUK! Don't cook more than 2 minutes - even that might be too long. When you take them out, poke them with a fork - if it goes in easily but has slight resistance, that's about right.

Lay them on the paper towel covered plate to drain excess oil. While they drain, do another batch of tomatoes in the fryer. Don't stack new ones on top of the ones you just put down otherwise they will soak up the oil draining off the new ones... BLEH. And don't leave them on the paper towel too long because they will soak the oil up again. Put them on another plate or paper towel.

Serve hot and enjoy!

Growing Up

I can't believe my son is going to be 13 years old this year! He's going to be a teenager! Honestly though, I still see him as my little baby boy.

This year, hubby suggested, and it was a very good suggestion, that we get him a desk for his room. That way he could have his own personal space where he could work on things - other than the floor, where he used to play.
I thought it was a good idea, but the thought of my little baby growing up made me feel...not old, but not quite young anymore, and I didn't want to. Reluctantly, I agreed.

We picked up a desk, lamp, and a few other things at the office supply store and set them up. My son loves it! He said, "Mom! I can build lego things on my desk!" Oh thank you for not growing up too fast!

Happy Birthday!

It's Officially Fall

After a stalled Fall, it finally feels and looks like Fall.


This morning I watched a front of some kind blow in. The clouds rolled in and as Pooh would say, "it is a blustery day", and we watched hundreds of golden leaves flutter to the ground.

I'm no where near ready for winter as we still have firewood we need to chop and stack and I'm actually nervous about what winter will be like out here. At least at the old house, I KNEW what to expect. I KNEW it was going to be cold and snowy 9 months out of the year. ha! I think we'll be better out here, but it's new to me.

I love Fall though - the colors and smells and feel in the air and knowing that the smell of baking goodies filling the house make me feel warm and fuzzy. Too bad Fall can't hang on through winter!

Time to start planning for baking! :D

The Reality

My grandmother was allowed back to her property today to see it. She was already told that it was gone, but she had not seen it yet. 11 days after evacuating her home, she came back to this.


My Aunt took the photo when she went out there with my grandmother. I'm so glad she did not go alone. I was expecting it, but when I saw the picture, tears started flowing again. What once was a warm and inviting home filled with the smell of baking breads is now a pile of rubble.

Fortunately, she is getting some help. FEMA will be working with her to assess what kind of aid she qualifies for. Many people have donated items and clothes. For a little while, FEMA will be putting her up in a hotel.

It's been a rough time for my grandmother but she is a strong woman.

Update

A quick update on the status of my grandmother's home .

According to the Bastrop County survey of destroy structures, my grandmother's house is gone. She has lost everything but the clothes on her back.

She has been safe with my mother so at least she is alive.

I sort of expected it, but hoped that it was still okay. All the waiting was difficult as we knew no news at all, but now the tears are flowing. It hits so close to home for me that I cannot help but grieve for her loss.

Please keep her in your thoughts.

2011 has proven to be a very trying year for many.

For us, we had to move and then my son broke his leg. But that pales in comparison to what else is happening. In July, my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer. From what I have heard, she is staying confidant, strong, and determined to fight it. She is a very strong woman. However, I'm sure the rest of us still have our worries.

Then there is The Bastrop County Complex Fire. The what? Okay, I know there is a whole big world out there and Bastrop is just a teeny tiny piece of it, most have never heard of it before the fire. It's where my grandmother lives, and two of my aunts and their families. Sunday a massive fire broke out that caused evacuations, including my family. High winds from Tropical Storm Lee and one of the worst droughts in who knows how long, made conditions perfect for a blaze. Monday, the fires worsened and burned something like 30,000 acres - it's still burning now. 600 homes have burned and I fear that some of them were my grandmother's and aunt's homes. Family is safely evacuated, but the thought of them loosing everything they have is heartbreaking.

I'm far from it all the way up in Idaho, but I grew up in there, it is where many memories come from and so it is still "close to home" thus making it far more emotional. I can't help but think the worst. It brings tears to my eyes thinking that my grandmother has lost everything - the place I would look forward to visiting is gone - my grandmother homeless. But I think the thing that makes the tears spill is that my grandmother has had so much to deal with this year with the cancer and the loss of one of her closest friends (also to cancer), the last thing she needs is to loose her home. She's trying to stay positive - as I probably should too - but when (if) she finds out her home is gone, I think it will finally sink in. And the tears spill over because I can't be there to give her a hug and simply hold her close. At least she is alive and safe.

I suppose we just have to wait to see...