RED RIPE FRIED TOMATO RECIPE

Tuesday and Wednesday of this week the temperatures here were in the 70's and low 80's. Record breaking for the date. Today we're in the midst of an intense winter snowstorm with temps in the 20's. Now is that extreme, or what? Anyway, you may ask what that has to do with a recipe for fried tomatoes Well...during those brief summer like temps spring fever caught me in its grip. We busied ourselves in the backyard cutting back the tall sea grasses and clearing debris from flower, herb and veggie patches. My thoughts flew to planning for the new season. After all it felt like summer was here. Part of that planning was deciding how many tomato plants to put in this year. Since there are only the two of us I wondered if we really need the six stalks we generally grow. Somehow that led me to thinking of all the uses tomatoes provide for us during the summer month. That brought one of my favorite summer dishes to mind. Fried tomatoes. Now I know a lot of folks, esp. in the south, love their "green" fried tomatoes. However, here in Pennsylvania Dutch country where I grew up many of us prefer our tomatoes red ripe to fry. So I got to thinking that perhaps this might be a good time to post my recipe for this delightful dish. It is such a simple dish to prepare, yet so flavorful and delicious.

FRIED TOMATOES - RED RIPE

Fresh ripe tomatoes (about three med., cut into slices a little thicker then you would for a sandwich)
1 cup of Flour
Cooking oil (just enough to cover entire bottom of skillet)
One half teaspoon salt
Dash of black pepper

Add salt and pepper to flour and mix. Generously coat tomato slices on both sides with the flour mixture. Place tomato slices in hot oil and fry until golden brown on both sides. Do not crowd. Turn each slice only once.

*Keep oil hot but USE CAUTION NOT TO ALLOW OIL TO OVERHEAT.

This will serve about two people.
We enjoy eating our fried tomatoes with a slice of bread and/or with potatoes cooked in salted water as a side dish.



Enjoy this delectable dish.

DRIED FLOWER ARRANEGMENT - Blue Ribbon Winner - Photo - How I Crafted it.

In a recent blog I touched upon how rewarding growing flowers intentionally for use in dried arrangements can be. Not only will they add a unique touch to your indoor decor throughout the winter, they can be entered at local fairs or other community events for added fun. The photo included here is of one that I entered at the York Interstate Fair here in Pennsylvania. When we went there and and found this big blue ribbon attached to my entry you can imagine the joy it brought. A summer of labor had paid off in ways I hadn't even imagined when I'd begun my new project that spring. The arrangement shown here is composed of white baby's breath, blue status and strawflowers in shades of red, orange and golden yellow. All summer long I'd been gathering these flowers, tying them with cord string into very small bunches and hanging them upside down on a line in our shed in the backyard. The shed has good air flow and works perfectly for fast drying. When thoroughly dry the strawflowers were attached to wires I'd gotten at the craft store. I kept them standing upright loosely in small jars, dividing them according to color. Likewise, the status. Soft green foam, also available from the craft store, was fitted tightly inside of the milk glass vase. First, lots of baby's breath was inserted into the foam all along the rim. Then the strawflowers, fitted tightly together, filled the entire center. Finally, just the right amount of blue status was added in here and there. From time to time stop, stand back and simply observe your creation. This will tell you what you need to do next to bring it all together in a beautiful way. The base may be covered with any variety of dry moss, or very small pebbles, also available at a craft store. Natural green moss is my favorite.

After creating more dried arrangements then I could use for gifts and to display in our own home, I had enough left to donate to a local auction being held to help single mothers and their children. A letter from the organization expressed gratitude for what they called a generous donation and stated that it had helped much. That was my greatest reward of all.

See another photo of one of my dried flower arrangements, that one using grasses, in my archives.