Fried Pickles

Not sure if I can call this one a total success, but I tried something new and Grill Guy (my live in food tester) seems to have loved the fried pickles so that's a good start at least!

This recipe idea came from a Food Network show I recently saw about fried pickles but they didn't tell you much about how to make them. Using my knowledge of how to make fried chicken though, I applied the same basic principles.  What you'll need:

1. A large fresh deli pickle
2. Seasoned bread crumbs
3. 1-2 eggs 
4. Vegetable oil
5. Blue cheese or ranch for dipping sauce (I think it adds) 

Once you have all your ingredients out, cover the bottom of a large non stick pan (high sides are preferable) with vegetable oil. You don't need too much though so don't be heavy handed. Turn on medium heat to warm the oil. Cut the pickle into 1/4" slices, but not too thin. Stir 1-2 eggs into a low sided bowl (depending on how many pickle slices you get) and pour out breadcrumbs into a separate low sided bowl to place next to the bowl of eggs.

Making sure you have clean hands, dredge the pickle slices in the eggs first then place in the bread crumbs to make sure you coats both sides. Try not to touch the pickle too much in this second step or else the breadcrumbs will stick to your fingers instead of the pickle. Once the breading is evenly applied, place gently into the pan of hot oil. DO NOT DROP IT IN. This will only result in hot oil splattering in your direction or onto your counter. Adjust heat until the oil starts to bubble around the pickles the same way it would with bacon.

Fry for about 5 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove from oil onto a plate with a couple of paper towels to soak up the excess oil and voila! You have yourself some fried pickles.

Next time I would use a sweet pickle instead of a dill pickle to get more of a sweet and tangy flavor, but other than that this recipe seemed to work out pretty well. I paired this "appetizer food" with a garden salad to make it into a dinner. Enjoy!

Artichoke Risotto

Artichoke Risotto will definitely be making it into the regular food rotation. This was so easy to make, tasted delicious, and was very filling without being too heavy. All you need is risotto and a medium jar of artichoke hearts.

Admittedly I did cheat a little bit on this one because I used the "just add water and oil" risotto but the taste difference is minimal and it saves SO much time when you are trying to cook after a busy workday.

This particular box of risotto took 20 minutes of cooking time between boiling the water and oil and letting the risotto sit to cook/fluff up so I started that first. While that is sitting, melt a little bit of butter in a flat grilling pan over medium heat. Using a fork, grab shake the excess juice off the artichoke hearts and place on the pan with a flat side down. Since you don't actually need to cook the artichoke hearts this is mostly just to brown them, warm them up, and add a little bit of flavor. In addition to the butter I added some sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Once they are browned, let them sit on low heat until the risotto is ready. Plate the risotto in a low bowl, place the warm artichokes on top and enjoy!