"Oh, what I wouldn't give for a plate of fried green tomatoes..."

If you have a garden, or if you're just an avid farmer's market shopper, you know that it's tomato season - the best time of the year! So to make use of those 1029831 tomatoes before they go bad, try frying them green.

Ingredients

• 2 small green tomatoes
• 1 cup corn meal
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp ground cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 egg
• Vegetable oil for frying

1. In a cast iron skillet begin heating 1/4 inch of oil at medium-high.

2. Slice tomatoes just under half an inch. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Combine corn meal, flour, cayenne, and salt in a tupperware container. Close the lid and shake until well mixed.
4. In a shallow bowl, beat the egg with a little water to create an egg wash.
5. Dip the tomato slices in the egg wash then place them in the flour mixture. Shake until well coated.
6. Fry the tomatoes on one side until golden brown, then flip.

7. Cool the tomatoes on napkins to soak up excess oil.

Lunch from the Garden - Tomato and Cucumber Sandwich with Fried Green Tomatoes

Sidenotes

• If you don't have a cast iron skillet, you can use any heavy pan with a high rim.
• To test the oil and make sure it's the right temperature, sprinkle a little flour in the pan. If it starts frying immediately, but doesn't burn, you're just right.
• Don't fry all the tomatoes at once. Crowding the pan will cause the oil temperature to lower. You'll end up with greasy, mushy tomatoes - not good!

My Return to the Blog World

I've been away so long, I don't even know what to write! I have some new recipes, but right now I just want to talk about New York.

It was wonderful. For the first time in my life, I was completely alone. The strange thing is that it wasn't a scary experience at all. Not the twenty times I got lost. Not when I got off at the wrong subway stop and ended up in Chinatown. Not when I was walking down the streets at night. Not when I audited a culinary class. Not when I ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner alone for five days. It was liberating.

So here are a few of my favorite photos from my trip. I hope you enjoy.

Rockefeller Center

Handmade, Solid Chocolate Wedding Cakes

Culinary Institute of America

French Culinary Institute

Delicious Sandwich in SoHo

Perfection.

Culinary School, Here I Come!

Well, for a few days at least. Two weeks from today, I'll be spending five days in New York City to visit...

The French Culinary Institute

and the Culinary Institute of America

FCI is in the city, in SoHo, and CIA is in Hyde Park. I'll be staying in the city and I'll just take the train to CIA. Words cannot express my excitement! :)

Blackberry Crumble

Blackberries are EVERYWHERE right now, and this is crumble is a perfect way to make use of them! I made this for the first time a week ago with friends. We used a recipe as a guideline, but made a couple changes. I made it again the next day (I'm serious, blackberries are everywhere!), made even more changes, and this is the final product. Enjoy.

Ingredients

• 4 cups ripe blackberries (hand-picked if you can!)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup dried oats
• 1 stick butter, chilled and cubed

1. Remove any stems and leaves from the blackberries. Rinse and pat dry.

2. Lightly combine blackberries, granulated sugar, balsamic vinegar, and 2 tbsp flour. Try not to crush any of the berries.

3. In a separate bowl combine 2 cups flour, brown sugar, dried oats, and chilled butter. Pinch the mixture between your fingers until the butter is thoroughly distributed and everything becomes crumbly.

4. Pour the blackberry mixture into a buttered 9x9 baking dish and top with the crumble.

5. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

6. Transfer to the top rack and broil for one minute, or until the top becomes crisp. Watch carefully so you don't burn it.

7. Serve with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Sidenotes

• Add more or less sugar, depending on how sweet your berries are. Mine were pretty sour, and I don't like things very sweet. So you might want to add a little more.
• I know the balsamic vinegar sounds weird... but just trust me! :)

Life Update

I've been MIA lately for various reasons, but I'm back! I know my blog is supposed to be about food, but I guess it's okay to have a life update every now and then, right?

• I took a completely spur-of-the-moment trip to Tampa (which is SO not me) and made some amazing new friends!
• Over the course of one week, I spent more time in the library than I ever have in my life.
• I became FSU's Mock Trial chair!
• I moved out of the apartment I've lived in for the past 2 years.
• I'm back in Pensacola for summer.
• I have a new job at a pediatrician's office.

I think the best part of the past month is that I got to know some people I probably never would have known had it not been for going to Tampa. I'm not a spontaneous person. I like goals and plans and lists and staying at home! But because I stepped out of my box, I really loved my last two weeks as a Junior.

So life is good, but also busy. Here are a few photos - some from my blackberry, so not great quality. Enjoy.

just for khush :)