Fried Green Tomatoes aren't just a movie!

The fall has set in with a vengance around here. I awoke to below-freezing temps yesterday and some very dead tomato plants laden with green tomatoes. Out we went as a family to pick our weight worth of unripe tomatoes. I found this recipe for fried green tomatoes and tried it out. It's not terrible, but I would suggest you add your own favorite spices to the flour, because it's a bit bland.

Fried Green Tomatoes

3 medium firm green tomatoes

1/2 c flour

1/4 c milk

2 beaten eggs

2/3 cup fine bread crumbs

1/4 c olive oil for frying

salt and pepper

Cut tomatoes into 1/2 inch slices. Sprinkle very libereally with salt and pepper. Let toatoes stand for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, place flour, milk, eggs and bread crumbs in seperate shallow dishes.

Heat oil in skillet on medium. Dip tomatoes in mikl, then flour, then eggs, then breadcrumbs. In skillet, fry 4- minutes per side until brown. Season to taste. (I suggest seasoning flour to taste beforehand!)

Broccolli Chicken (kind-of).

Dinner again... It seems like we are always eating. As soon as a day has gone by that I've successfully made dinner I have to turn around and do it again! In a perfect world I could just bake pretty confections all day long and never have to really "cook".

So broccoli and fake chicken it is. I use Morning Start brand soy-based fake chicken fajita strips. It turns out a bit floppy, so if you aren't against it I would use real chicken. The fake is OK, though. I serve over rice. My husband only really likes white rice, though he'll eat brown.

Broccoli Beef:

1/2 large onion, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

2 heads broccoli, chopped

1 bag Morning Star fake-Chicken Fajita Strips (still frozen)

1T fresh ginger root, finely chopped

1/3 c soy sauce

3T brown sugar

1 T corn starch

1 1/4 c water

Brown onion in skillet with a little olive oil (med. high heat). Add red pepper and broccoli. Cook until crisp but slightly browned (5 more minutes). Add frozen fake meat and place a lid over the mixture. Reduce heat to medium and let steam until tender-crisp (10-12 minutes).

Mix together in a bowl or liquid measuring glass ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, corn starch and water. Add liquid mixture to pan and replace lid. Let steam together for 5 more minutes. Remove lid and mix well, letting any extra liquid burn off until sauce has the desired consistency. I like mine pretty wet and not very syrupy.

Serve over rice. Makes 4 servings.