Thursday, July 2, 2015

Fried Green Tomatoes

I've been trying all week to get back in gear after our Nashville trip.
We had a great time at Adam's and thoroughly enjoyed all of the grands being together!
I have been slow getting caught up on my blog reading
and I haven't done much visiting this week...I guess you know how that goes :)
~
So...fried green tomatoes...do you like them or not?
My mom made these quite often when I was a kid.
I wanted nothing to do with them back then.


I really don't remember when I first tasted them.


But I do know that I was pretty much hooked by that first bite!
I'm sure it was because I really liked eating them that also sparked my interest in the movie.


Here is a synopsis of the movie from Wikipedia for those unfamiliar with it:
Fried Green Tomatoes is a 1991 comedy-drama film based on the novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg. Directed by Jon Avnet and written by Fannie Flagg and Carol Sobieski, it stars Kathy Bates, Jessica Tandy, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Mary-Louise Parker. It tells the story of a Depression-era friendship between two women, Ruth and Idgie, and a 1980s friendship between Evelyn, a middle-aged housewife, and Ninny, an elderly woman who knew Ruth and Idgie. The centerpiece and parallel story concerns the murder of Ruth's abusive husband and the accusations that follow.
 ~
My husband does not appreciate tomatoes much...be they green or red,
so when I make them, I make just enough for me...
...that is usually two or three, depending on their size.


I have tried making them a few different ways but here's how I make mine...
...that is, until I find another way I like better.
*cut tomatoes into 1/4-1/2" slices
*dab with paper towels to remove moisture
*prepare 3 pie pans (any shallow pan or bowl will do) with the following:
*3/4 cup flour
*1 egg beaten with 2 tbsp. milk
*1/2 cup flour mixed with 1/2 cup corn meal and seasonings of your choice
*heat oil in large frying pan
*coat tomatoes (a few at a time) in flour
*dredge in egg wash and then into flour/corn meal/seasoning mixture
*fry in hot oil until golden brown
*drain on paper towels


YUM! I like mine dipped in ranch dressing as you can see...


...and with a little watermelon on the side, even better!


I have seen so many other great ways to eat them lately...
...many times, on sandwiches and burgers or the like with maybe a spicy sauce...
...and with bacon too!
Everybody knows everything is better with bacon, right?
The possiblilities are endless!
~
And I came across this cute poem that I will end with...

Fried Green Tommy Toes
~Tamera Dobbins

It is my favorite food
fried up golden brown.
Salted to perfection
with pepper freshly ground.

Acidic, yes it is Sir,
but so what! It's crisply sour.
But it isn't always easy to get
them to the egg and flour.

For growers of the tomatoes,
hate us taking and eating green.
They want to wait for red ones,
and can get down right mean!

When one sneaks into the garden
to steal tomatoes not yet ripe.
You'd best be prepared to get many
in just one nightly raid to swipe.

For once they are aware your lurking
to make off with their fruit.
They are liable to catch you
and give you a muddy garden boot!

But the danger adds a spice to
my stolen green tomato plate.
They are my favorite food!
Top notch, delicious, and first rate.
~
I can't actually say that fried green tomatoes is my most favorite food like the poem says,
but they are certainly something that I look forward to every summer...
...and absolutely perfect on a July 4th weekend when the hubby is away at work.
I can eat whatever I want :)
 

15 comments:

  1. Hi Debby, What a cute post!!! A long time ago, my parents, John and I visited Juliette GA where the movie was filmed. We ate at the restaurant! It was great fun. I had never read this poem; cute as can be. Your photos are making me hungry. I do love fried green tomatoes and occasionally order them when we are out to dinner. Hope you have a wonderful weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Debby! I'm afraid I'm over in the corner with your husband. I don't eat tomatoes, but I do like ketchup and spaghetti sauce. Yeah, I don't get it either! I'll show this recipe to my husband though. He LOVES tomatoes, and loves to cook!
    Have a happy 4th of July my friend. I'm glad you had such a great time with your family. Nothing like grandchildren, that's what I say :)
    Blessings,
    Ceil

    ReplyDelete
  3. Not a fan of fried green tomatoes; love plump, juicy, still warm from the vine red ones. Love The movie, though! Glad that you had a wonderful vacation and visited with all the grands.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Never had them or heard of them until that movie ! :) My grandfather would gather the fall tomatoes before a frost and store them wrapped in newspaper to ripen. They never fried the green ones. Well once I had seen that movie years ago I tried them and now I usually make them once or twice in the fall...to me they are like tangy fried zucchini. Your photos are wonderful and have me craving both right now ! :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Never had them or heard of them until that movie ! :) My grandfather would gather the fall tomatoes before a frost and store them wrapped in newspaper to ripen. They never fried the green ones. Well once I had seen that movie years ago I tried them and now I usually make them once or twice in the fall...to me they are like tangy fried zucchini. Your photos are wonderful and have me craving both right now ! :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I have tried them and liked them. I do something similar with eggplant. Right now the gardener is bringing me ripe delicious tomatoes from the garden. I tend to make the green ones at the end of the season when cold weather slows down the ripening, I'm glad you had a good visit with your family! And have a restful quiet weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  7. They look delicious, I must try that recipe, sounds delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I do like fried green tomatoes, and I loved the movie. It's one of my favorites. Any movie that Jessica Tandy or Kathy Bates starred in was usually a good one. I'm glad you had a nice vacation. Enjoy your weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hello there dear Debby! So lovely to stop by your blog today... I am glad to hear you had a lovely trip away! :)
    And oh my! Fried green tomatoes sound absolutely delicious! I have never tasted them, but perhaps this summer I will try your recipe out:).
    And perhaps it is a good thing your husband doesn't like them - more for you! I love it when I am the only one who likes something...especially in my family:)
    Have a happy weekend, Debby! And a blessed Fourth...I just said to a friend of mine that I wished us South Africans celebrated such a festive occasion too - it sounds like wonderful fun!
    Hugs to you and much love!
    Kelly-Anne

    ReplyDelete
  10. I have never tried fried green tomatoes - but I'd sure like to! I love tomatoes, and these just look delicious! And since I really, really like fried zucchini, I think I'd like these. I'd say I'd try it, but I don't know that I've even ever seen a green tomato in our California markets.

    So, y'all, in my mind I'm going to pull up a rocker on your front porch, grab a sweet tea, and fill my tummy with some of those fried green tomatoes!

    Can't wait to hear about your trip to Nashville.

    GOD BLESS!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I liked the movie, but have never eaten green fried tomatoes.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh, I haven't had these in years. I will be adding them to my summer menus. I had two rows of tomatoes planted in my garden and then last week a friend who has a nursery gave me enough for another row. If our garden does well, we will be having tomatoes coming out our ears this year, LOL.
    Thanks so much for stopping by my blog to visit. I love reading comments and getting to know my blogging sisters better. Have a happy 4th:)
    Connie

    ReplyDelete
  13. I had them for the first time a couple years ago when I was in Alabama. I think anything fried and dipped in Ranch sauce is good! haha.
    Have a happy Fourth Debby!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Dare I say I have never tried a fried green tomato?! What kind of a southern girl am I anyway? Oh well, Marylanders are seen as Southern by the North and Northern by the South, so maybe it's no surprise. So should I remedy that? Should I eat a fried green tomato?

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for stopping by today! Your sweet comments are such an encouragement to me.