Getting In The Spirit And Crockpot Trotters!

I have some catching up to do! Well, Thanksgiving was a success despite me being under the weather. I penned down alot of my recipes ahead of time and Papa Smurf was able to help hold it down in the kitchen. The latest vlog will be from our 2nd annual visit to Symphony in Lights at Wiregrass Mall (back in November). As of 3 weeks ago our tree was up and the Christmas shopping for the kiddos was done! What!? For us it just never happens this early but we really wanted to get things out of the way and have them already set up while we had the chance. Baby Jay and I are both healthy and he growing like a champ. God is GOOD! I don't want to force him on you but he's GOOD! Because this time last year it was a totally different story.

I feel like people aren't transparent enough during this time of year and people really go through some things. This time last year, like I said, it was a totally different story for us. Papa Smurf was working at two different jobs, one was a restaurant. Though everyone had done their part on site to get things over to central payroll in time, his check as well as the rest of the staff at his level on location had their checks withheld until after the holiday. So, we had our tree but weren't able to get our kids gifts. Things were pretty tight therefore we also did not have the gas money to make the 1 hour and 15 minute trip to see my sister in law (Papa Smurf's sister) who was in Orlando with her girls during that time.

We had a 'REAL Christmas' as Papa Smurf coined it. You know the ones you see on your favorite old 90s sitcoms or other childhood movies. The ones where everything goes wrong, or doesn't go according to plan, or there are no presents/ commercial Christmas. Anyways, Christmas Eve night we went to church for the special performance and service being held. They really put on a show so that was a gift in and of itself. We left out feeling refreshed and in good spirits. Christmas Day we woke up and watched the Macy's parade and all of the Disney specials. Then we watched Hallmark and Family Channel Christmas movies all day while letting the kids pig out on cookies and popcorn. The kids were content. We didn't let on to them that anything was wrong (they were 3 & 5) or had not gone according to plan at the time. They had a good time. We went out the next day and got gifts and 'staged' commercial Christmas the following morning and they never questioned a thing. 

I have both heard and read (through blogs and forums) that the first two years of a relocation can be the hardest but to hang in there for both. It's like getting over a hump of sorts but too many tap out early only to regret it. This year has gone alot better, better jobs, better schedules, and opportunities. So, for anyone in the same boat, hang in there! And to any parents going through a Christmas not going according to plan, you are not alone! It happens to all of us. Just remember what Christmas is really all about ;-)

I leave you all with a recipe for a delicacy rooted in soul food tradition that my family and I only prepare for New Year's Eve or Thanksgiving. It's very hard to find recipes for these/ this online and I have only found like maybe a good 2-3 online. This time I prepared them in the crockpot. So I present to you....

Crockpot Trotters

6-8 split pigs' feet (I like to use split but you can use whole)
4 stalks of celery (trimmed and cut down like appetizer sticks)
1 large yellow onion halved
1-2 tspns of crushed red pepper
1-2 tblspns of Kosher salt

Fill one large crockpot with all of the ingredients. Fill with enough water to cover the pigs feet. Set your crockpot to high and cook for at least 4 hours. You will know that the pigs' feet are done as they become very tender and fall off the bones. If your pigs feet are tough and allow them additional time to cook.

Serve hot with your favorite sides (like potato salad and collard greens) and your favorite hot sauce.

"She Wants Her Some Fried Green Tamaters..."

One thing I can say as a foodie, that I love about Florida so far, is the abundance of farm fresh produce at cheap prices! After church on Sunday we finally stopped by a produce stand that we always drive past on Old Pasco. We ended up getting two big huge bunches of collards, a bag of yellow squash, and a bag of sweet potatoes all for only $5! I saw that they were also selling green tomatoes! Which are hard to come by sometimes in the regular grocery chains. And no sooner than I asked Papa Smurf could we please get some, the farmer says matter of in a joking but knowing tone, “She wants her some fried green tomaters!”. I most certainly wanted them and for that exact reason lol. I really like fried green tomatoes. Papa Smurf on the other hand does not. They are an acquired taste though, so I was not surprised. My mother, though a New England states native, her cuisine and cooking style included not only New England style seafood, and Italian; but also there were a lot of southern staples, delicacies, and comfort foods that she would prepare for us. She was influenced by my Nana Fran’s Kansas City BBQ and spicy flavors, though she is a bit milder with her heat and can’t hang with Nana’s spice lol. 

It was from my mother that I had the first experience of tasting fresh fried green tomatoes. She would use a lighter dusting for hers, but I decided that I would double dip between the egg wash, flour, and yellow cornmeal when I prepared mine. I’ll divulge another cooking secret for this recipe, I soak the tomatoes in salted and peppered water before frying ;-) 

Fried Green Tomatoes Recipe

Ingredients: 

Fresh green tomatoes (I used only 4) 

1-2 Cups of Cornmeal

1-2 Cups of Flour

2 Eggs 

Hot Sauce (just use your favorite)

Kosher Salt

Ground Black Pepper

1 Tblspn Cajun Seasoning Blend (preferably salt free)

Large non stick frying pan

1 Qt Canola Oil 

Method: 

Rinse and cut the green tomatoes into quarter inch thick round discs. Or you can cut them to the thickness of your choosing though it’s better not to cut them too thick. Soak the tomato discs in a large bowl of water. Before adding the water, salt the tomatoes with 1 tblspn of kosher salt and 2 teaspoons of ground black pepper. Soak the tomatoes for at least 15 minutes. During this time, I usually prep my frying oil, cornmeal and flour. I soak the tomatoes because of the texture of green tomatoes, I find that it is better to allow them to soak for a bit in order to season them. Prep your flour by only adding pinches of salt and pepper sparingly. Add your unsalted Cajun seasoning blend to the cornmeal. Beat two eggs in a bowl. I chose to leave the egg wash unseasoned. I used a regular frying pan in place of my deep fryer to fry the tomatoes. I like the texture of the fried green tomatoes better when using a frying pan instead of my deep fryer. There is something about using an old fashioned skillet to prepare them lol. Though, a deep fryer can be used if preferred. 

Make sure your frying pan has at least 1 ½ inches (depth) of oil in and around it. As a seasoned cook, I usually know that the oil is ready when a sprinkle of cornmeal makes the oil sizzle. However, a technical rule of thumb is to allow the oil to reach a temperature of 350 degrees (esp for those using a deep fryer). 

First, dip the tomato in the egg wash, then dredge in the flour, and then into the cornmeal. Shake off the excess, but make sure that the tomato is nicely coated. Fry in batches of 4 if you are using a frying pan, larger batches can be done if using a deep fryer. You want to fry the tomatoes until they are a light golden brown. Flip the tomatoes after they have cooked about 2-3 minutes on each side to achieve this perfectly fried coating. Remove and set aside on a paper towel or unused clean brown paper bags to soak up the excess oil and keep them crisp. Once the batches are all done, serve hot with a dash of hot sauce or your favorite dipping sauce. Enjoy!