Apple Fritters!

What you need:

2 cups All-purpose Flour

3/4 cup sugar (scant)

2-1/4 teaspoons Baking Powder

1-1/4 teaspoon Salt

2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon

2 whole Large Eggs

3/4 cups Whole Milk

2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

2 Tablespoons Melted Butter

2 whole Granny Smith Apples, Peeled And Diced

Powdered Sugar (optional, for dusting)

Vegetable Oil (for frying)

What to do:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
2. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with a fork, then add milk, melted butter, and vanilla.
3. Gently fold dry and wet ingredients together until just combined (do not overmix.) Fold in apples. Add enough apples to make a very chunky batter.  You want a good amount of apple in the mix!
4. Heat a couple of inches of canola oil over medium-high heat. When it gets hot, drop a little drop of batter into the oil. If it sizzles immediately and rises to the top, the oil is ready; if it burns quickly, turn down the heat.
5. Drop teaspoons of batter into the hot oil, four to six at a time. Sometimes they'll flip over by themselves; sometimes you have to flip them. Just watch them and make sure they don't get too brown, but cook them long enough to make sure the batter's cooked through, about 2 to 2 1/2 minutes total.
6. Remove and drain on a paper towel. Dust very generously with powdered sugar.
7. Enjoy!

I've come to the conclusion that anything I cook from The Pioneer Woman's website will be delicious!  I came across these the other night, and decided to make them.  Oh man...they were SO GOOD!  The cake part of the fritter isn't too sweet, which I like, and the little bites of apple that you get add a sweet but tart flavor.  What I'm trying to say is, you NEED to make these, and soon! You won't regret it!

Addicting Fried Dill Pickles!

What you need:

• Flour 
• 1/2 cup Panko
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon dill weed
• 1/2 teaspoon each: cayenne, paprika, garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (you may want to omit salt if your pickles are really salty)
• a dash of pepper
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon dill pickle juice
• 8 dill pickle spears
• vegetable oil (for frying)
• ranch dressing (for dipping)

What to do:

1. In a shallow bowl, whisk egg, milk, and dill pickle juice together.  Set aside.
2. In another shallow bowl, combine Panko, bread crumbs, dill weed, cayenne, paprika, garlic powder, pepper and salt (if your adding salt). 
3. On a plate, put approximately 1/3 cup of flour.  
4. At this point, I tend to make an assembly line with the plate and two bowls.  Put the plate w/ the flour first, then the egg batter, and then the Panko mixture.
5. Coat the pickles in flour.  
6. One at a time, put the pickle into the egg batter, coating all the sides, and then place the pickle in the Panko mixture, coating all the sides.  
7. Repeat for all the pickles.  
8. Heat vegetable oil in small, shallow pan.
9. When appropriate temperature is met, add pickles.
10. Fry each pickle for approximately 2 minutes, (one minute on each side), until golden brown. (you can fry pickles in batches of 3-4).
11. When done frying, place pickles on a plate with a paper towel, and allow the paper towel to absorb the oil.
12. Serve with ranch dressing, and enjoy! :)

I LOVE making and eating these fried pickles!  After about 3 years of experimenting with different recipes, this is what I've come up with.  I hope you enjoy them as much as my family and I do!