grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

The best MAC AND CHEESE in all the land. Period.

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the best mac and cheese!

We had friends over to eat Tuesday night. John grilled burgers, and I baked the best Mac and Cheese in all the land which hopefully cancelled out the very average pot of beans I served with it. This is my go-to mac and cheese recipe. There’s no need to make any other. You could add lobster like the fancy restaurants do and have a dish people would pay $17 a serving for in Dallas (i.e. Capital Grille). I truly believe that.
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Book Club Ideas

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Last week I attended yet another fabulous book club and walked away with a few fun book club ideas you can implement in your own club. Seriously, one of the most enjoyable and unexpected things about being a published author is attending book clubs and talking about your own book. This particular book club was hosted by Jo Ann Wardein. (I think everyone in Fayetteville knows Jo Ann! She was one of the first people to welcome me when I moved from Dallas.)

She completely outdid herself.

Book club ideas - how to turn yours into a real event!

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Fried Green Tomato Recipe. Yes!

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The BEST Fried Green Tomato Recipe

The fried green tomato recipe did not originate in the South. Crazy, huh? We all know necessity is the mother of invention, and if you think about it, this makes sense. Down south while we leisurely enjoyed juicy red tomato sandwiches with no thought of winter, our northern friends were in an all out panic trying to use unripe tomatoes before the first freeze.

They outdid themselves.

But let’s be real. Southerners embraced the fried green tomato. And now we claim it as our own.

Fried Green Tomatoes

Since I was planning to be out of town when my tomatoes ripened, I fried a couple of green ones. After reading several recipes on the Food Network and Allrecipes, I  came up with this version. The best I’ve ever eaten! You’re gonna want to try this today.

how to make fried green tomatoes - the best you'll ever eat.

Fried Green Tomatoes.

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • Oil
  • 2 medium sized green tomatoes cut into 1/4-inch slices
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoons buttermilk
  • 3/4 cups Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
  • Pinch cayenne pepper
  • Parmesan Reggianno
  • Chopped Green Onions

Instructions
 

  • Pour oil in skillet and warm to medium heat. (About a half inch of oil.)
  • Lightly salt and pepper both sides of tomatoes.
  • Mix flour and garlic powder in a shallow dish.
  • In another shallow dish, beat eggs with buttermilk.
  • In a third dish, combine bread crumbs with cayenne.
  • Dredge tomatoes through the flour, then the eggs, and then the bread crumbs.
  • When oil is hot, add a few pieces at a time. Don't crowd them. Cook about 2-3 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with Parmesan and chopped green onions (optional).
  • Serve with your favorite dipping sauce, but they don't really need anything else...

The best fried green tomato recipe. Ever.

Oh yes.

Happy eating!

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

Musical Pairing: (not really)

Food. Farm. Garden. Life.

THANKS FOR READING!