Rest from the Savory: Snickerdoodles!

Throughout my pregnancy, the only real 'craving' I had was sugar.  Sugar is not something I had ever really loved.  Every now and then I would want a big bowl of ice cream or a piece of Costco cake, but I almost always chose savory and salty over sweet.  Well, my pregnancy with Connor changed that.  I could have cinnamon rolls and pancakes for breakfast, fudge and popsicles for lunch, cobblers, sour punch kids and chocolate truffles for dinner...and then turn around and have dessert after that!  Thankfully, the majority of my love for sugar left when Connor was born, but not completely.  So I've found a quick, easy and oh-so-yummy fix: Snickerdoodles.

I feel like the 'American' cookie leans toward being the plain chocolate chip cookie, but I am pretty picky about my chocolate chip cookie, and they are quite temperamental to make right every time...  So I'm out to change the go-to cookie!  Snickerdoodles are just as easy as chocolate chip cookies, just as fast to make, they are just as delicious, and heck, I think they are better looking than the boring ol' chocolate chip cookies!  Just picture it; the glistening bits of sugar next to the warm browns of cinnamon... yep, Snickerdoodles are the cookie for me!  So here's the recipe I use (tried and true, and they have always come out great!):  

Ingredients:

.5c margarine (not butter!)
.5c shortening
1c sugar
2 eggs
2.75c flour
2tsp cream of tartar
1tsp baking soda
.25tsp salt

Do it:
Cream together the butter, shortening and sugar.  Add the eggs one at a time until well mixed.  At this point, turn the mixer to high and let it go for about 30 seconds to a minute.  Add in the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.  Mix well.

Now, form the dough into balls (about the size of a quarter in diameter--definitely no larger than that).  It should make between 65-80 balls.  Roll the balls in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar (1c sugar, 2tsp cinnamon) and bake at 400degrees for 8-9 minutes.  Take them off the baking sheet to cool as soon as you can... and then try not to eat them all in one day!

Back from my Hiatus!

So it's been a long time.  I mean, a really long time... just over two years since my last blog post.  A lot has happened in that time.  I began teaching Middle School, got pregnant, got a puppy, bought a house, had a baby boy, quit my job and now I'm here.  And I'm so happy!!!  There are many reasons for my happiness, but one of the current perks of being a stay at home mom is that I get to sit here at my computer and write about food. :)  Life is good!

So for my return post... I wasn't sure what to do.  Do I go grand?  Something new and fresh?  An old classic?  Something featuring my son's favorite food (avocado)?  Meh.  I decided to kick those ideas and go with a recipe I've been dying to try since the LAST post!  And here we are: Fried Green Tomatoes.

Growing up, I never had fried green tomatoes.  Even with my somewhat-southern upbringing, it wasn't something my mom ever made.  Two summers ago (just before the last post), my husband and I went on our 'honeymoon' roadtrip and tried Fried Green Tomatoes for the first time.  They were everything I had hoped--tangy, bitter, salty, spicy and just delicious!  Sidenote: There will be a post on the restaurant we had them at coming soon, as we went there again a few weeks ago on vacation.  So, since that dinner, over two years ago, I have been itching to try them out for myself.  I have never seen green tomatoes in the stores here, and I don't frequent farmer's markets often enough to check there either, so I just kind of gave up.  This spring, I planted an herb garden, some sunflowers, Thai Chili Peppers and tomatoes.  Lo and behold, as my second tomato 'crop' was coming in a couple weeks ago, I realized I had green tomatoes in my backyard!  Fried Green Tomatoes it is!

The ingredients:

Green tomatoes

Flour

Eggs

Breadcrumbs (I like Panko)

Oil

The recipe:
-Cut your green tomatoes into 1/4in slices
-Season them with salt and pepper
-Prep your station: one pie pan of flour, one pie pan of eggs, one pie pan of panko breadcrumbs 
            *Mix about 1tbsp of your favorite cajun seasoning into about 1.5cups breadcrumbs

-Begin the frying process!  Dredge your tomatoes in flour, dip in the egg then coat with the breadcrumbs and stick them in the hot oil.
           *You can deep fry if you have a fryer, or pan fry if you do not own a fryer :)


Now sit back and enjoy your southern treat with a tall glass of iced tea.