Hello June! What's cooking today?

I love fried green tomatoes. Theonly ones I have had are those that I make. I just have not seen them out here on a menu. Perhaps a soul food restaurant somewhere.

YUM

We have a local place that makes really good fried green tomatoes, Ms. Kathie's Cotillion ~ ASAP (As Southern As Possible).

And just like Ninny & Evelyn in the movie of the same name, I do love me a good plate of fresh fried green tomatoes.

I slice mine fairly thin, soak in buttermilk & hot sauce and then dredge in plain corn flour. I fry them in some bacon fat mixed with Crisco in a cast iron skillet. Sometimes I change the corn flour for some self-rising wheat flour but I think the corn flour (not to be confused with corn meal) gives a better crunch. I always wait to salt them until after they are crisp because I think if salt is added to the buttermilk or flour it tends to draw the moisture out of the tomatoes and they get soggy.

My absolute favorite way to enjoy them is with a drizzle of a basalmic glaze and a sprinkling of finely chopped crisp bacon.....but a dip in a spicy aioli or just eaten as they are is still a wonderful treat!

Dane asked me to get another bunch of collard greens. I think he really enjoyed them.

I've got 3 ham hocks simmering in a pot on the stove with an onion, celery & carrot. After 2 hours I pulled what meat was available to reserve for the greens and I put the bones & fat back in the pot to continue to cook until they completely fall apart. Then I'll drain, strain & cool and put in a clean pan in the refrigerator overnight to be able to remove all the fat. Hopefully I'll have enough rendered flavorful pork stock to cook the collards and some black eyed peas to go along side. I did notice some frozen zipper peas and lady peas at the grocery store so maybe I'll not do the dried black eyed peas and give the 'fresh/frozen' ones a try.

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Tonight I'm planning to have a steak salad with the leftover marinated steak we had earlier. I've got the lettuce rinsed and wrapped in a towel in the refrigerator to crisp up and the eggs ready to cut into wedges.....carrots, radishes & cucumber ready to sprinkle on top.

It's been raining off and on all day, just like yesterday, so grilling is out.

I recently came across a recipe from Southern Living for Fried Green tomatoes which I will post here but I copied your method and will try it too. I have a tomato plant but it has not even started blooming yet.

• 1 egg, lightly beaten
  
• 4 tablespoons + 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided 
  
• 1/2 cup buttermilk 
  
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
  
• 1 teaspoon salt 
  
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  
• 3 green tomatoes, cut into 1/3-inch slices 
  
• Vegetable oil
  

Step 1
Mix together egg and buttermilk; set aside. Combine 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl or pan. Dredge tomato slices in remaining 1/4 cup flour; dip in egg mixture, and dredge in cornmeal mixture.
Step 2

Pour oil to a depth of 1/4 to 1/2 inch in a large cast-iron skillet; heat to 375°. Drop tomatoes, in batches, into hot oil, and cook 2 minutes on each side or until golden. Drain on paper towels or a rack. Sprinkle hot tomatoes with salt

Let's face it, there are a hundred ways to fry green tomatoes and they're ALL good!

My (late) sister-in-law use to fry RED tomato slices, as that's what she grew up eating in Maryland. She never understood the allure of a green tomato. So I think it's just like the debate between real mayonnaise and Miracle Whip ~ what your Mom used is familiar first and maybe you've stuck with that or changed camps as you grew into your own tastes.

I do know that ONE good sized green tomato is a full meal for me. Three sliced up and fried would be a side dish for at least 4 people (or two big eaters). LOL

Thanks, Cindy, for letting us hear from you. Sorry to hear you've been ill and though you hate tests, I'm sure the doctor is just looking out for you.

Glad to hear Geoffrey has come out of his shell in your new apartment -- I think his coloring is just beautiful and he looks so cute playing!

I hope Geoffrey's joy in his new home rubs off on you and that you begin to enjoy your new digs. You really were lucky to find out about the place when you did; though it was a hassle to pack up everything and move, it would have been even more of a pain in the neck in a few more years. Plus your worries about the rent increase at your last place are now gone, always a good thing. At least you know you're not facing another move in a year or two!

Have you seen the women you knew from your last apartment much, Cindy? Or maybe you've made some new friends since moving in. I know it takes some effort to try to be more outgoing than you're used to, but it pays off in the long run. And you might not be the only one who's having trouble getting used to a new place, so reaching out to others might really make someone else's day.

Crybaby wrote:Thanks, Cindy, for letting us hear from you. Sorry to hear you've been ill and though you hate tests, I'm sure the doctor is just looking out for you.

Glad to hear Geoffrey has come out of his shell in your new apartment -- I think his coloring is just beautiful and he looks so cute playing!

I hope Geoffrey's joy in his new home rubs off on you and that you begin to enjoy your new digs. You really were lucky to find out about the place when you did; though it was a hassle to pack up everything and move, it would have been even more of a pain in the neck in a few more years. Plus your worries about the rent increase at your last place are now gone, always a good thing. At least you know you're not facing another move in a year or two!

Have you seen the women you knew from your last apartment much, Cindy? Or maybe you've made some new friends since moving in. I know it takes some effort to try to be more outgoing than you're used to, but it  pays off in the long run. And you might not be the only one who's having trouble getting used to a new place, so reaching out to others might really make someone else's day.

Thanks..
One test down, 2 more on Monday. No results yet. My PCP is out on Wednesdays.

I am feeling much more comfortable here. Being sick made me stay in, forcing me to get comfortable with the place.

The worst thing is the traffic and parking during beach season. Kind of a prisoner on weekends.. but I can go outside, stay inside and watch the kite surfers.. if the weather turns good, I can go on the balcony or in the courtyard.

Yes, I am meeting some people. The laundry room is great for that.

I have attended a few classes.

Yes, I am in touch with the people from my building. There are 3 of them. We visit each other.

I joined a rosary group. The head of it is so nice. I went over to her apartment last night. We just talked and laughed for a long time.. It was good..and I can always visit my friends/former neighbors.

I joined the bocce league! me? I have to see how it goes, with my shoulder. I tried practicing the other day, but the shoulder hurt.

I am also not athletic..

I ended up using my other arm.
We'll see how it goes.

The maintenance people are awesome, as are the people behind the desks.

Tomorrow is the buildings 41 anniversary. They are having a huge banquet, cocktail hour, with tons of politicians here. It is going to be a long night.

The good part is that I do not have far get home.

Geoffrey has been so crazy. He really does love it here. He actually ran out my door!! and is greeting me when I come in.

This month, he decided to always be near me. .. never on my lap, but always near me. Right now, he is on the old scatter rug from the last place. It is 'his' rug. It is right in front of me.

I was not feeling well today, so I spent all day, napping on the sofa.. Geoffrey was either next to my feet, or on the top of the sofa~~ or crying to play!! He wants to play non-stop.

It is too hot for him to cuddle during the night, so he sleeps on the floor(rug) at the foot of my bed.

He is just so cute!

Gee, Cyn, he looks kinda comfortable......and could he please have his initials embroidered on that couch cushion? It looks like it belongs to him.

Jimmy, your seafood feast looks delicious!  I'm so sorry Ms. Tina is having difficulty after her surgery.  Hopefully the therapy will help relieve some of the symptoms and she'll get back to her usual busy self.

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Since Dane asked for collard greens again I decided to do a Southern Meal this evening.  Yesterday I had simmered the ham hocks for about 6 hours to make stock.  After 2 hours I removed what little bit of meat is on the hocks and returned the fat & bones to the pot to continue cooking.  I strained it all and then cooled it down and put it in the refrigerator overnight.  Today I spooned off all of the fat and ended up with 7 - 16 oz. containers of really tasty, thick & gelatin-y 'ham' stock.  I'm using some for the collards, along with a bit of the shredded reserved meat.  Another container will be used to cook some southern peas - Butter Peas.  They're a 'fresh/frozen' variety of small oval pea/bean and the package says it tastes much like baby lima beans.  Well, lima beans are a favorite of ours so I'm giving them a try.  

I've got some of the pork steak to braise.  We'll see how we like it all together.  The only thing I'm not making is cornbread.  I thought I had some in the pantry (cornmeal) but turns out what I have is grits/polenta, not the same thing at all.  I do have a jar of store bought Chow Chow that I have to remember to get out to spoon on the cooked peas.  It's like a sweet/sour relish and really goes well with things like black eyed peas or pinto beans.

So, that's what's for supper at my house!

Well, I got points for a supper well done!

The Butter Peas did have a resemblance to lima beans, but more like a black eyed pea in texture. Since they are a frozen bagged product I followed the directions, kind of. It suggested boiling for 3 minutes and then simmering for 45 minutes. I covered the frozen peas with water and brought it to a boil for 3 minutes and thought they could use a good rinse. So, after boiling for 3 minutes I strained the water off to rinse any impurities (leaf matter, etc.) and then cooked them for the 45 minutes in my homemade ham stock. I added a chopped onion, a chopped hot banana pepper and just a pinch of red pepper flakes. I have to say, I was right on with the seasoning. It had flavor but wasn't spicy to taste. As I see different frozen peas/beans at the store I'll have to give different varieties a try.

I can always tell when a second helping of what I make is taken that it's something I can make again sometime. Of course, in this case, there will be leftovers for one or two more meals. I'm thinking I'll take a 16 oz. container of the leftover Butter Peas next door because Tommy & Joann will enjoy them for sure. The collards will be eaten by us (I like to add them to scrambled eggs for breakfast...).

And I've still got 4 containers of 'ham stock' to stash in the freezer for next time. Even though I used all the meat from the ham hocks I can always use some chopped ham to season whatever I make with it.

Poor Tina! That is a rare disorder. Sometimes it happens after surgery. I hope they can control the pain.

Yeah! Beth. Hoping the early therapy does some good.

Thanks Debbie. Tina says, "If it's rare, you can well believe Tina is gonna get It !"
Come to think of it, the shingles virus could have something to do with it?
Trauma could set off the nerve ends to flare up.

Trauma can set lots of things up. Poor Ms. Tina.

I know this is a cooking place........................ BUT, How about those Raptors last night???? I know, the world thinks Basketball= USA............................... however, remember, Basketball was invented by a Canadian! Sooooo proud of our team.

When I spoke with Andrea this morning (yes, I talk to her almost EVERY day!) I told her I was going to have shrimp for supper but didn't know how I was going to cook it. She suggested the Alabama style White BBQ Sauce as she's made it a number of times and they really like it. She said it was good on grilled shrimp, chicken and even beef kabobs.

I asked her to email me her recipe and she said she just goes on allrecipes.com and picks one, the most recent time the one credited to their Chef John. So, here's a link to the recipe I'll be using tonight:

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/244944/alabama-style-white-barbecue-sauce/?internalSource=hub%20recipe&referringContentType=Search

Note: I made a half recipe as I'm only grilling a dozen shrimps for the two of us. I used half for marinating the shrimp and I'll have some to serve as a dipping sauce and also to use for another meal, maybe grilled chicken ~ not sure yet but I'm sure it'll get used.

I'm going to make some sautéed zucchini & onions and I've got some cabbage & shredded carrot prepped for adding my bottled Marzetti Slaw Dressing. I think I'll make a small dish of white rice, just because it sounds good to me (I like it with butter and s&p ~ he likes it with soy sauce).

I love white bbq sauce but one needs a cast iron stomach to eat it.

I wonder what it would taste like if I made it without the horseradish and cayenne?

I asked Dane how he liked the shrimps...…

He said, "I'll make up my mind after I've eaten another 3 or 5....." So, I think he liked it.

There really wasn't any pronounced flavor even though the shrimp were cooked with a complete covering of the BBQ sauce. The flavor came from using it as a dipping sauce. I don't see why you couldn't eliminate the horseradish & cayenne, Bugs. I always assume a recipe is just a starting point. It's like when I read a recipe with cilantro (ugh!) ~ I always sub parsley or just leave it out. Same with most cheese(s)…..don't like it, don't use it. So if the lemon doesn't bother you, then you're golden!

The rice was especially good tonight.....I made basmati and rinsed it then cooked it in the microwave with a pat of butter and a bit of salt. It was really fragrant and very tasty. I think I like it better than the jasmine, although the kind like Uncle Ben's par-cooked is still my 'go-to' for most meals. It's just so easy and always comes out with a good texture.

I made that sauce once with chicken. I don't remember it being spicy.  I probably used a recipe that didn't use any or as much spice, but something has to be really over the top before the heat bothers me
.

Yum, Jimmy! And isn't Liam growing by leaps and bounds!

bethk wrote:Yum, Jimmy! And isn't Liam growing by leaps and bounds!

Thanks Beth! ..... Actually, you should see how he attends to his baby sister.
He helps change her diaper, and gets the sani wipes for gram or his mom.
It is amazing.

Here is a latest pic. Looks like he's modeling for babies are us.

Check out the hands in the pockets...hahahahahaha