Friday Friday Friday and some Avocado Fries

Avocado fries...seriously???  No, I'm not off my rocker.  Let's explain 1) I love avocados 2) I love fries 3) I HATE HATE HATE deep frying things 4) in spite of #3 I truly loved these!
So just dig the deep fryer out of the garage (what you don't keep yours in the garage? hmm, okay maybe just me) and plug it in on the back porch  (you didn't seriously believe I was frying in the house!!!) And that fryer should be preheating the oil to 375 degrees so it's nice and hot and waiting on you.

A quick confession, I actually made these weeks ago but realizing that I hadn't posted like in forever on here I went digging through photos to find something to share with you.  I had full intentions of sharing these, I just sorta forgot.

Any who, you will need the following:

Avocado's...duh!!   hee hee just kidding 

2 firm ripe avocado's

Just pop them open and then slice into thick wedges

• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 1/4 cups panko

Mix the flour & the salt in a dish.  I used 1/4 tsp but it needed more salt so next time I will go with the 1/2 teaspoon.   

Put the beaten eggs in a second dish

Put the Panko bread crumbs in third and final dish

First the avocado's make a trip through the flour mixture

then a little bath in the eggs

and finally get finished off in the panko crumbs

just pile them all up on a plate until you are finished

Your hands will be meh-ess-eee!!!

Fry these in small batches about 60 seconds flipping once while cooking

Let them get all nice and golden brown

Remove to drain on a paper towel lined plate

you can keep the cooked ones warm in a 200 degree oven while you finish the others.

But do NOT stuff one right away in your mouth as they are really hot!!  Really really hot!!

Also, you can add extra salt when you pull them out of the fryer if you need to.  We needed to ... I didn't.

Lesson learned.

Now serve them up with your favorite dipper.  We used salsa and they were super duper yummo!!!

Now a day or two later if you have leftovers, you can actually pop these on a baking sheet in the oven and heat them back up and I have to say, they were still pretty darn tasty.   

So there you have... a perfectly healthy avocado fried.  Ain't life grand!!!

Friday Happy Dance Peeps!!

Peace, Love & Yummies!!!

Don't buy that jarred stuff

Hi dee ho!!!

It's hump day Wednesday and I'm just chillin' while two strange men crawl on my roof in the hundred+ temperatures.  Never fear...insurance adjusters from that last crazy hail storm we had.

In other more exciting news..... I picked up a birdcage at the auction awhile back and it just was screaming to be painted....so, I did.

I painted it a nice ivory cream color then distressed it 

and now mama birdie has a freshly painted home.

Looks much better!!

my mantle is all dressed and ready for 4th of July

see those glass stars? dollar store candy dishes that I spray painted.

Yep, stand still and I'll either spray paint you or decoupage you.

So, since I told you not to buy the jarred stuff you are probably wondering what that was all about.  Well, I'm talking spaghetti sauce people.  Don't buy that jarred stuff full of crap just make your own.  Better for you and it tastes darn good too.  Don't fret, it doesn't take long at all and you've probably got most of the stuff on hand anyways.

You need:

1 med onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, diced

3 Tbsp olive oil

2- 16 oz. cans tomato sauce

1- 16 oz can crushed tomatoes

3 Tbsp chopped parsley

1 1/2 tsp oregano

1 1/2 tsp basil

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

chop up those onions

put them in the pan with the olive oil and let them cook until they are nice and translucent

then dump in the garlic and stir it around

now if you want meat in your sauce, add it now

this is just extra lean ground beef about a pound of it

sometimes I used 1/2 ground beef and 1/2 Italian sausage

Get that meat all nice and browned and mixed together

now dump in everything else

stir it around and let it cook for at least 15 minutes

Truth be told....make this at least a day ahead and then put it in the refrigerator then pull it out and reheat for dinner.   It's just one of those things that gets better with time in the refrigerator.  You can also pack it up and freeze it now.  I'm getting ready to do that for the college kiddos to have when school starts in the fall.   Then they just have to unthaw and cook some noodles. 

This is the hubsters moms recipe and this is a picture straight out of the book we found cleaning up her house.  It's nice to have all the recipes but even nicer when they are actually in her handwriting.

It just makes it personal. 

and this is dinner.  Instead of noodles we had cheese ravioli.  Nice change of pace.

(ok...truth be told, this wasn't dinner.  I forgot to do photos so I had to make a plate early this morning...then I had to eat it for breakfast. Tough life I know??!!!)

this is my plastic ware cabinet.  I cleaned it and I took a picture because it probably won't look like this by Friday.  Plastic ware is funny that way but for now, everyone has a partner.

So today's story...don't buy that jarred stuff.  Isn't your family worth knowing what is in their food? Besides, this is so much tastier and it really doesn't take a ton of time.

On a completely unrelated note...I have a horrible headache and I'd give anything for a diet coke. 

darn you artificial sweeteners and my decision to cut you out of my life.

What about you....what is something that you love but you've decided to cut out of your life because it's a healthier decision?   C'mon let's all suffer together and share our misery!! 

Peace, Love & Yummies

p.s.  seriously...this post just was willy nilly all over the place. Kind of like living in my mind.

sorry about that.