Fried Green Tomatoes

We cleaned the garden and at the end of the year, you have a lot of green tomatoes. I usually make a salsa, but this year, I thought the kids and I could try Fried Green Tomotoes, and we stumbled upon a great recipe.


Most recipes are similar. They call for eggs, flour corn meal and bread crumbs. I went to the store and they were out of corn meal, and decided to picky up a Jiffy Corn Muffin mix. Essentially, a sweetened version of corn meal.


The flavor from sweetened corn meal was great. You can use either corn meal or the Jiffy mix. However we are going to stick to the Jiffy Mix.

Ingredients

1 Egg Beaten

5-6 Medium/large sized green tomatoes

1/2 cup Bread Crumbs

1/2 cup all purpose floor

1 cup of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix or Corn Meal.

Cracked Pepper

Cracked Sea Salt.

In a bowl beat the egg with a 1tsp of milk. Next prepare the batter. Add all the ingredients together.

In a sauce pan heat about a 1/4 inch of oil on medium heat. (Coconut Oil is a great alternative)

Dip the fried green tomatoes in egg and then the batter. Place in the fry pan cooking about 2 minutes on each side til golden brown. Set on a paper towel. Add cracked pepper and salt to your liking.

(Do not try ripened tomatoes. We did, and there is a reason why you only use green tomatoes.)

"Red Hots" Applesauce

Here is an easy sneezy recipe for dads and kids. Your kids will love applesauce with Red Hots. Such a fun fall activity after apple picking.

BTW....this is how you make regular apple sauce. You can also just add cinnamon to make a simple cinnamon apple sauce for your kids lunches.

Ingredients

8 -12 large apples peeled and chopped. (Apple Peeler From Christmas Tree Shop is Amazingly quick)

1/2 Cup sugar

1 cup water

1/4 cup Red Hots Cinnamon candy

Preparation

In a 4-6 quart pan, place the cut up apples, sugar and water together. Over a low medium heat, cook for about 20mins. Check periodically, as you want to be able to mash the sauce similar to a consistency of mashed potatoes.

When you get the consistency you want, reduce to a low heat, add the red hots. Stir until completely dissolved. Set aside and refrigerate. Oh my....sooooo GOOD!!!

Apple Crisp Made Easy

Fall is a such a great time to take the kids apple picking. This year was a bit rough in Upstate NY as warm weather in March and a late frost in April damaged most orchards. However, we found some wonderful apples and made Apple Crisp this weekend. The entire house is warm with smells that delight the mind and spirit. (I highly recommend you buy an Apple Peeler from the Christmas Tree shop)

Ingredients. (Makes 2 9x13 pans)

4-5 pounds 10-15 apples peeled

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup uncooked rolled oats

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (1/2 stick), cut into small pieces, plus more for coating the dish

Grease the pans with butter. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, add the apples. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Layer the bottom of the plan with the apples. Next, in a sealed container, add all the ingredients including the cold butter(cut in small cubes). Shave vigorously. Top the apples with the mixture. Distribute evenly to ensure proper baking. Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes. At about 45 minutes, check the mixture, and stir with a spoon as needed to ensure a proper consistency.

Pull out of the over, serve warm with ice cream. Enjoy!

Hamburgers - Fresh Versus Frozen

The secret to a great hamburger is a fresh patty. Even the best frozen burgers will not compete with a freshly made burger. One of the biggest reasons is that commercially made Hamburg's are compressed so that they can be processed in a box. A fresh burger (like Red Robins) are easily better because of the consistency is different. Every patty is unique in texture and size. Another benefit is a patty with a raised center allows for the juices to be self contained, and the flavors within the homemade patty will be more succinct.


Ingredients

2 lbs ground hamburger (80-20)

2 eggs (scrambled)

One onion finely diced

2-3 tsp of Garlic Pepper

2 tsp of cracked sea salt

2 tsp of cracked pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp of teriyaki sauce

1/2 cup of Italian bread crumbs

In a bowl, first mix the hamburger and egg together. Next, mix the rest of the ingredients together. This will require numerous times of kneading and mixing until the correct consistency. On a plate, place a sheet of wax paper. Make 1/3 - 1/2pd patties for the grill. 

Giardiniera (HOT)

It is that time of the year. Harvesting the peppers. In our area, you can pick up hot peppers for a song. A basket of long hots or cherry peppers are very reasonable. We begin to make with a mixture of  vegetables a common cold bath recipe knows as Giardiniera. Borrowing from my name....Giardino (Garden in Italian), they simply are a garden brine of vegetables. I love this as a topping to crackers and cheese. You will also.

Ingredients

Cauliflower

Peppers (Cherry, Long Hot)

Carrots

Onion

Celery

Garlic Cloves

Italian Mix of Parsley and Oregano

2 cups White Vinegar

1 cup Oil (Olive or Vegetable)

Pickling Salt (2 tsp)

Cracked Pepper (1tsp)

Canning Jars

Slice and dice the vegetables to your liking. I prefer cuts that I can top on a cracker as a measurement guide. Rinse and soak in water over night with some pickling salt. Rinse in the morning and set aside.

At the bottom of your jars add the seasonings on the bottom. Next, add the vegetables just shy of the rim. Add a mixture of 2/3rds vinegar and 1/3 oil. Seal and set in the back of your refrigerator. Within 24hrs you have Giardiniera. Experiment with your recipe. You can make regular Giardiniera without hot peppers. Enjoy!

Refrigerator Pickles - Sweet

In our next series of pickling, we present a recipe for sweet pickles. Easy to make, and we believe much better than store bought pickles.

Ingredients

Cucumbers (3-5) - Sliced thin or thick or a mix

Red Onion Sliced Thin (One Onion

Mix of Apple Side Vinegar and Water (Even Amounts)

Canning Salt (2 tablespoons)

1 3/4 cup of sugar.

1 tsp. Tumeric

1 tsp. Cloves Crushed or 2 -3 whole cloves

2-3 Garlic Cloves Thinly Sliced

1 tsp of Celery Seeds

1 tsp of Mustard Seeds (Optional)

Place the Cucumbers and Onions in your container in Layers. Ensure even distribution.

Add the brine first, and then the salt and sugar. Shake or Stir. Then add the rest of the ingredients and stir one more time. Refrigerate and serve in a few hours.

Refrigerator Pickles Dill

Refrigerator pickles are easy to make and there are so many varieties to choose from. My kids and I make small batches and experiment with recipes. (As with everything we cook) Here is a simple recipe to get you started. Dill are the easiest to make in my opinion.

Ingredients

Thinly sliced cucumbers or pickling cukes or any way you like your pickles

Pickling/Canning salt - (1-2 tablespoons)

Apple Cider Vinegar/Water mix (Half and Half)

2-3 cloves of Garlic

Fresh Dill Sprigs

Slice or cut your cucumbers to your liking. (You can try to salt them and refrigerate for a couple of hours to get them crisper. Be sure to rinsed before adding to the brine)

In your container, place the dill at the bottom and add the cucumbers on top. Now add the canning salt and water vinegar mixture to ensure the salt is diluted. Add a few cloves of garlic and seal. No canning necessary. You will eat them before they expire. Amazingly simple and tasty.