Deep Fried Pickle Time.

Oh boy. This recipe has been a long time coming in this household. Its been talked about, joked about, and argued about. Who knew such a oddball recipe could generate so much ruckus?

Last Christmas my Dad bought me a deep fryer. Too me, that was truly the best present a girl could get. Really. I've waited years to own my own deep fryer. I don't know why I didn't just buy one for myself. I think I knew deep down that a deep fryer had to come from my Dad, it just did. Growing up, my Dad was the sole commander of our Deep Fryer. My mom wouldn't touch the thing, she hated everything about it. So my Dad, never one to worry about calories, or gross smells, or smoke, or danger....took the job. At least a few times a month, we would get homemade french fries. Those fries...those fries were amazing.

Anyways. At Christmas, my Dad got me a Presto Cool Daddy (ironic name, eh?) deep fryer. . I immediately went about making his french fries (yes, they tasted almost exactly like his!) and mushrooms and beignets and all that jazz. But what me and N were really TRULY craving were DEEP FRIED PICKLES. This Southern specialty is not very popular here Up North, they are almost a delicacy. So, when we do find them in a restaurant...we act like starving children that haven't seen food in weeks. We devour them.

For some reason, it took me over 3 months to actually get around to making them. N would, without fail, bring this up at least once a week until the day (last Monday) I made these. I had a great batter recipe (which will follow), some good Vlasic Dill Spears, and my trusty Hidden Valley Ranch packet to make 'homemade' ranch dressing. It took me all of 15 minutes to prepare them, and 5 to fry them. These things were BLISS. Pure bliss. The tang of the pickle, with the light crispy-ness of the batter...and can't forget about how GOOD they taste when liberally (VERY liberally) dipped in ranch...oh...my....goodness....Why we don't live down in South Carolina where these things are as common as sweet tea, I don't know. But we should.

Deep Fried Pickle recipe:

For Pickles:

Jar of Pickle Spears (or Chips, whichever you prefer!)

For Batter:
1 c. Flour

1 t. Baking Powder

1 t. Salt

2 eggs

1/2 c. Milk

1 t. Veg. Oil

Mix all batter ingredients together. Coat Vlasic Dill Spears or Chips (which have been thoroughly dried with paper towels) liberally with batter. Deep fry in batches for 4-5 minutes @ 375 degrees. Drain on paper towels, serve with ranch dressing.

Caramelized Banana Loaf Cake

Was leafing thru an old issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray (I buy this magazine every single month, without fail, and without fail, never get around to actually making her recipes....its not that they don't look absolutely delicious or anything, they do. They're perfectly acceptable recipes. But sometimes I just don't want to go out and buy 23 ingredients, you know? I like my ingredient lists to be short and sweet).

Anyways. Back to my story. Was leafing thru an issue and found a recipe for Caramelized Banana Loaf Cake. And something inside me stirred. I had to make this. The list of ingredients was short enough, the description sounded outstanding, and really, any recipe that calls for "caramelizing" HAS to be good. So, I went ahead and made it. I was a little worried that making the sauce would be tricky, but it turned out pretty easy and gave me this ridiculous urge to carmelize every fruit I could find in the kitchen, just because I was so damn proud of myself for mastering the art of caramelization. I didn't though.

I followed the recipe to a tee, and served to the always eager to test any and all foods "N" and myself. We both agreed that this was outstanding. Really, I don't think I could ever make plain Banana Bread again. I mean this thing had whole pieces of banana soaking up a to-good-to-be-true caramel sauce as its 'topping'. This is a souped up, superstar version of Banana Bread. We ate the whole thing in one day. I'm not lying. I am ashamed at our utter lack of regard for how many calories this recipe MUST contain. But it was THAT good.

Getting Started

Hello all!

I decided to start a Food blog because of my slight obsession with cooking. Okay, make that HUGE obsession. As in, I spend about 14 waking hours a day either cooking, thinking about cooking, grocery shopping, thinking about grocery shopping, imagining super successful dinner parties I could throw, and the list goes on and on.... My boyfriend and friends find this pretty amusing and endlessly teasing me about it has become THE new favorite activity when we get together on weekend nights.

I watched my Mom cook homemade meals for my dad, brother and I all throughout my childhood and I became a permanent fixture in her kitchen - I absolutely fell in LOVE with every aspect of the cooking process, and even enjoyed the mundane tasks, such as putting the groceries away (Oh, the thrill I would get, stacking all the soup cans in a perfect 'diamond shape' in the cupboard!). I was an odd child, what do you want me to say?

When I got my first apartment at 21, I dove right into cooking. I had a few successes....and quite a few more messes.... but still I continued on. I am in my mid-20's now, and am just trying to hone my skills and become the best I can be.

I can truly say that cooking is my number one passion, and has provided a wonderful outlet for me whenever things have gotten a little hard. Through breakups and lost jobs, 3 different colleges/career changes, and bank accounts frequently under $10.00...cooking has allowed me to get thru it all, sane.

Although I am still a beginner, and have a VERY small starter kitchen that a professional chef would balk at, it doesn't deter me in the slightest. I am going to continue doing what I love, as the sense of fulfillment that cooking gives me is phenomenal. =)