Sweet sweet mercy
I’m a gardener. Actually, I only attempt to garden and even that I manage to muck up. My green thumb simply has not developed yet, though my mint and basil are flourishing as well as my salsa peppers. See, look at those babies!
Despite my gardening shortcomings, a few tomatoes have managed to struggle through my neglect. I save a few from the birds every week
Have you ever eaten a tomato straight off the vine? Oh goodness, it is one of nature’s divinities. There are few things in the world more enjoyable than biting into a tomato still warm from ripening in the sun. You can practically taste the sunshine in the juices
I never really liked tomatoes all that much growing up. Unless they were made into some sort of salsa or spaghetti sauce. Hey, I admit I was a picky kid. As I got older, sure I’d order them on my sandwiches but usually picked them off before I got to the third bite. But fresh tomatoes from the yard are rapidly changing my mind about this lovely little fruit. I’m sure it could change your mind, too, if you’re not already on the wagon. And they make a lovely snack sprinkled with salt and pepper. Slrrrp (that’s the sound of my mouth watering)
But of course, one thing that always comes to mind with fresh tomatoes is green fried tomatoes. I blame the movie
The fried tomatoes I made today are very simple. I’m sure they would be better with some cornmeal mixed in with the flour, but you do what you can in a pinch
Ingredients:
1 green tomato (though, honestly, mine was on the yellow side)
1/2 cup flour
1 egg
Splash of milk
Pepper to taste
Salt to taste
Oil for frying
Heat oil in a skillet on medium heat, about 1/2 inch. Slice your tomato. I was only cooking for myself, but you can up all the ingredients for a crowd
Gather your other ingredients together. In one bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and pepper. Add cornmeal if you have some in your pantry. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk and egg
Dip your tomato slices in the egg and then dredge them through the flour. You know the drill by now! Fry for about 3 minutes on each side until nice and golden
Annnnnnnnd EAT! I think they have enough flavor to be eaten plain, but feel free to serve with some ranch if you have a need to do some dipping. Or even some ketchup if you’re feeling sacrilegious
Note to self: remember to keep out of cat’s reach. He has vegetarian tendencies after all… But at least he saved me from a stinging insect. Good Toby!
Cooking in stilettos
Boy, is my love life bursting! Today I added yet another person to my list of amantes. Her name? Candice Kumai. I accidentally discovered her while reading an article on running (I may not look like an athlete or health nut, but by George, I try!). It’s a funny story, actually. I’m pretty sure a few years ago I encountered a cookbook she coauthored, Cook Yourself Thin. At the time, I didn’t give her much thought. I think we can all agree that happens from time to time in a love story. Before, I wasn’t ready to commit to the relationship. I was young and hesitant and still growing into my cooking apron. But now I have matured and was pleasantly pleased to learn that Candice has authored another cookbook called Pretty Delicious that I plan to hunt down on my next trip to Barnes & Noble. She also has her own site, which I have already added to my foodies page. What can I say? It’s been a pretty productive day!
I can’t wait to make these! I am such a big dumpling fan, and I lump pot-stickers into that category as well. I’ve been comparing several gyoza recipes over the past week and I think hers might just be the first one I try. Suddenly, I’m excited to go grocery shopping tonight! Does anyone else hate grocery shopping? I love cooking. I have no qualms about going to kitchen gadget stores. I absolutely adore farmers markets. But I hate trudging to the grocery store. I’m pretty sure this is due to the fact that I usually end up wandering aimlessly through the aisles, putting this and that in my cart on a whim. Sometimes I carry a list in with me, but even then I seem to be one of those unorganized shoppers. My summer goal is to start meal planning ahead of time. Hopefully, this will cut my shopping time in half while simultaneously increasing my love for the grocery store.
While we are on the topic of love interests, there’s someone I want you to meet…
This is Toby. Doesn’t he look so evil! Well, sometimes he is, but mostly he’s a very affectionate kitty. I”m sure we can find a more friendly portrait
Ah, here we go! Isn’t he a handsome little man? We took him to the vet yesterday for a bit of a checkup and he was the perfect gentleman
But eventually he just wanted to explore. We had to entice him to stay on the table with some treats. This is Toby considering his options
As you can see, Toby is no stranger to blogging. He started at a very young age. He was quite excited to share today’s feature…but not as excited as he’s going to be about a package that came in for him today! What could it be…
Whoa! It’s a kitty toilet training kit! Note: This was NOT my idea, and yet I have become utterly intrigued by this concept. I’ll keep you posted on whether or not Toby agrees to partake in this experiment. Cheers!
P.S. I’ve decided to add a crafts page to my blog, but haven’t figured out how to put posts in it yet. Thanks for your patience as I learn about this wonderful world of blogging!
Tijuana
armadillas 