I'll Get You, My Pretty

I am seeing green. Green tomatoes, that is. I wish that I could cast a spell and have them all ripen and be beautifully red...or maybe, I don't. That would mean that I would have to find yet another way to use the ripe ones...and I am running out of jars for canning...BUT...my complexion has never been more radiant from the steam of the pots of boiling water (don't you agree? bwahaha!).

So, instead of casting a Halloween spell, I will get a pretty Fried Green Tomato On My Plate. Fake Ginger made an incredibly beautiful Fried Green Tomato BLT. I love BLTs. Who doesn't? It.Is.Bacon. Need I say more? I whipped up this pretty little sandwich for lunch faster than lions, and tigers, and bears, Oh My! (OK, that doesn't make sense, but I love that line from the Wizard of Oz...sorry) There are no flying monkeys when I have a Fried Green Tomato BLT On My Plate.

Fried Green Tomato BLT

(adapted from Fake Ginger)

2 large green tomatoes, sliced
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
about 3/4 cup canola oil, for frying

Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat.
Whisk egg and milk together in a bowl. Set aside.
In another bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, Panko, salt, and pepper.
Once oil is heated (test by dropping a morsel of the flour in and see if it sizzles), dip tomato slices one by one in egg and then flour. 
Make sure tomato is fully coated in flour mixture and then place in hot oil. 
Fry 3 or 4 at a time, making sure not to crowd the tomatoes. 
Fry for about 3 minutes or until the crust is a golden brown; flip and cook other side until golden.
Drain on paper towels.

Assemble your favorite BLT using the Fried Green Tomato instead of sliced, ripe tomatoes. 
I love toasted whole wheat or multi-grain bread, but the original recipe used a Kaiser Roll.
I used regular (Hellman's ) mayo, but I think that a pesto-mayo would be divine on this sandwich.
Iceberg is the traditional lettuce of choice for a BLT, but I used Romaine because that is what I always have on hand.
How do you like your bacon? Mine must be thin and crispy. Hubs like his thick and chewy.

Fridge Friday: Episode 10

Hey! It is Fridge Friday! Did you think that I forgot about giving you little peeks into my fridge? Never. I may have neglected your inquisitiveness, but I didn't forget. I am back this Friday with a gem.

Check it out. That is my hotel room fridge. We have all the basics: water, wine, leftovers, and a Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treat. What could I possibly blog about from that fridge, you ask? Honestly, nothing. Or, at least nothing that I would want to eat when combined and heated in the little in-room microwave.

Instead, I am going to tell you that when we left home, Hubs had his mind made up that we were going to eat Mexican food. All day, I salivated at the thought of perfectly seasoned and grilled shrimp folded inside a warm corn tortilla with some creamy coleslaw to make the most awesome shrimp tacos. I wanted. I wanted badly. With beans and rice. Then, we got to the big city and Hubs decided he wanted pasta. So much for Mexican food. *shrug*

However, that doesn't mean that I couldn't still share a great Spanish Rice recipe with you. I have been making Denise's Spanish Rice for several years and pairing it with Spicy Black Beans whenever I serve a spicy Mexican/Tex-Mex themed meal. It is, in my opinion, excellent. Why wouldn't it be? It has bacon. Everything that includes bacon is good. Period.

So...it is Fridge Friday, and I have just a miserable hotel room fridge, and I didn't get Mexican food, but that doesn't mean that I wouldn't jump at the chance to have Denise's Spanish Rice On My Plate.

Denise's Spanish Rice

6 strips bacon

1 tablespoon butter

1 medium onion, chopped

1 small green pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup chicken broth

1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles (Rotel...mild or hot, your choice)

2 cans roasted green chiles

1 cup long grain white rice (I use Jasmine)

In a large skillet, fry bacon until crispy.
Set aside on paper towels to drain.
To bacon grease, add the butter and melt.
Add the onion and peppers, sauteing until the onions are translucent.
Add the garlic and cook until soft, being careful not to burn.
Add the tomatoes, green chiles, and chicken broth.
Simmer about 5-10 minutes to blend flavors.
Add the rice, cover and simmer approximately 20 minutes, until tender. (May need to add more liquid.)
Before serving, crumble bacon over the top of rice. (Serves 4)