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.