Welcome back from the weekend readers! Hope you had a good weekend and are ready for the new week ahead. My weekend was food filled and I’ve got so many things to share in the coming week. Here’s a summary of what my weekend entailed…
Tattle Tasters: Cupcakes! – On Saturday, I provided members of What’s Cookin, Chicago with half a dozen cupcakes to enjoy. Check back all this week to see what they thought on the cupcakes I made and you’ll be able to get the recipes too.
Neighborhood Tour: Ravenswood Corridor – Saturday afternoon, I spent the day with members of What’s Cookin, Chicago and we explored the Ravenswood Corridor on the north side of the city. Click on the link to find out where we went… and I’ll be sharing the VIP tour details of Urban Accents in a few days. You definitely don’t want to miss it!
Eli’s Cheesecake Festival – Sunday afternoon, I attended the Eli’s Cheesecake Festival on the west side of the city. It was a beautiful fall day and I had the pleasure of doing a culinary demo at their cooking pavillion. Soon here on the blog, I’ll be sharing my experience at the festival and recipes for the dishes I created for the audience too.
Autumn Harvest Dinner – Our foodie friends in crime joined us for dinner Sunday night where I highlighted some fall flavors. I’ll be sharing the recipes for the dishes I prepared this week so stay tuned!
Now that the food filled weekend is over, you can expect quite a few posts this week with more details including recipes, pictures and details of my recent culinary adventures. Also, with the pumpkin shortage slowly fading away, more folks are able to get their hands on pumpkin. Check out all the pumpkin recipes in my right sidebar for some inspiration on using pumpkin!
So let’s get into the nitty gritty. This time of year, Football season is in full swing and everyone’s looking for snacks, appetizers and recipe ideas to serve and enjoy during game day… like fried food. Jalapeno poppers, onion rings, buffalo wings, etc – all these football season faves involve some frying. Let’s be honest, fried food may not be the best for your health but it’s pretty dang good. That crispy crunch, hot out of the fryer taste is hard to duplicate in the oven. Sometimes certain foods are just better fried. Of course, everything in moderation and besides, cleaning up after frying food isn’t exactly a fun nor easy task.
I’m not big on frying myself at home because of the mess, but one way around it is to have a deep fat fryer. Achieving perfectly golden fried food is easy with a deep fat fryer and you don’t have to use a lot of oil either. In fact, the Presto company (based just north of Chicago in Eau Claire, WI) makes a decent sized deep fat fryer that only uses 4 cups of oil, allow you to save money from buying more oil than you need. This week, one lucky reader will be receiving a Presto FryDaddy (model 05420) to use in time for those upcoming football games, holidays and all throughout the year!
- Makes four servings with just four cups of oil.
- Maintains perfect frying temperature automatically.
- Snap-on lid allows oil to be stored for use again and again.
- Handy lift-and-drain scoop is better than messy baskets.
- Easy to clean! Nonstick surface inside and out.
- Easy to store! Snap-on lid lets you store oil right in the fryer to use again and again.
– Giveaway is only for those who live in the United States – my apologies to my international readers!
– You must check back on my blog on Friday to see if you’ve won so you can claim your prize!
To enter the giveaway, leave a comment answering:
– What is your favorite fried food?
Deadline: Thursday, October 8, 2009 at 12 midnight CST.
ONE WINNER will be randomly chosen by Random. Org’s Interger Generator based on the number of your comment and will be announced on Friday, October 9, 2009. Good luck!
Living in the South, I was born to love fried food! I love just about anything dipped in grease but I have to say that my favorite is chicken!
I would love win that to make the chocolate caramel donut holes in the newest Everyday Food magazine! I can't name a favorite fried food… they are all too tasty!
Mmmmm…fried food! I love cheese sticks. What a great giveway.
Ummm I love fried foods!! With the football and holiday season in full swing we like serve fried foods at our parties. Cheese sticks have to be my favorite but donuts are close behind that.
Yum, I love tempura! My grandsons love donuts (which I have never actually made and think it's about time to try.
Thanks, Jeanne
Fried mozzarella!
What a great give away! It's the perfect time of year for fried food. I'd have to say my favorite is tempura, so light and delicious!
Fried pickles in Austin, Texas are a delicacy, so I absolutely love them. Back in college we would go to Katz's Deli and I would always order them.
Definitely a Dippin' Dog from the Weiner & Still Champion in Evanston, but since going gluten-free 7 years ago, fried foods are out of my life, as I can't risk wheat contamination with a restaurant fryer. I'd love to have a fryer for home use that I know would be safe!
French fries or mozzarella sticks. Yum!
BTW Evanston is "just north" of Chicago, maybe even Kenosha is "just north" of Chicago. But Eau Claire, not so much. It's more "just east" of Minneapolis. 🙂
My favorite fried food would have to be chicken wings! mmm…so delicious and the perfect snack to eat while watching football!
Fried mac and cheese bites are my new favorite
WINGS AND FRIES!!!!!!!!!!!
I probably shouldn't mention things like Fried Candy Bars or fried Twinkies since I have not had them. I'll just go with beer battered fried fish instead.
I love fried green tomatoes hands down!! Love the tangy flavor of an unripened tomato dipped in fat, and fried to perfection. 🙂
Onion Rings!!!!
Crullers!
Probably mozzarella sticks. There's a place on my college campus that makes sandwiches with deep-fried everything you could possibly imagine. My favorite has mozzarella sticks, chicken tenders, french fries, and marinara sauce. It's so good, but I think I can only eat it once each semester without worrying about my arteries!
I love fried dough in all its forms- zeppoles, donuts, funnel cakes and so on!
oh.my.gah.
I love tempura anything! 😀
I heart funnel cakes (or fried dough, depending on your regional linguistic preference). Oh so tasty. Thanks for the chance to win!
I'd have to say cheese sticks, but french fries are a close second! 🙂
We have to pick just one of our favorite fried foods? LOL I think fried dough has to be my favorite.
Cheese Sticks! Mmm…
I am addicted to fried food and usually give up all fried food for lent, since it is so hard for me to go without! Most common is chicken fingers for me, but I also love fried crawfish poppers, and deep fried avocado is awesome!
What a great giveaway!
Hmm…My favorite food is fried chicken with biscuits!
I'm going to have to go with cheese sticks.
My favorite fried food is apple fritters, followed by a close 2nd of buffalo wings. So bad for us, but so good!
fried sweet potatoes! although fried mac and cheese bites sound very interesting!
I'm all about deep-fried Asian food. Egg rolls and pork katzu are my favorite!
Thanks for hosting this giveaway! 🙂
Fried chicken and any kind of fried dough!
Calamari!
I'm a cheese lover to the core, so I'm going to say that my favorite fried food is mozzarella sticks!
It has to be deep fried mars bars…. mmmm
Like my butt needs a deep fryer, but ohwell!!!
Fried dough! With lemon and powdered sugar. In quantity, please.
Shrimp!!!
Chicken wings and onion strings!
Onion rings !
My favorite fried food is probably French fries, though I do love fish and chips!
Onion rings… but I've been dying to create my own knockoff of Outback's Bloomin' Onion.
I love fried chicken even though I wouldn't make it just for myself (since my hubs doesn't like it), but I also like to make fried potatoes, lumpia, and I'd love to be able to make zeppolis. mmm, fried stuff!
Oooh. I went to the state fair a lot as a kid so it was always all about the fried food. While I've enjoyed the more creative inventions like deep fried candy bars a classic corn dog has to be my favorite.
French fries closely followed by fried calamari!
Oooohh fried food! So bad but so good. There is an Italian restaurant near me that serves fried artichoke hearts with marinara suace. That would have to be one of my favorite fried foods. And fried smelts, if you've ever heard of those. They are a New Year's eve tradition in my family.
I love ice cream! I eat way too much of it!
mmm… cheesesticks and french fries tie for first place.
Onion rings, fried dough, or fried chicken
Mozzarella sticks!!
I'm also a southerner. I love anything fried. It's hard to nail down just one favorite, but I guess it would be pork chops.
My favorite fried food is the donut. Why? Because cake is my favorite food, and a donut is basically fried cake. Put some frosting on that donut, and you've got yourself a winner.
My favorite fried food would have to be french fries. I don't eat them too often anymore because I'm trying to be healthier, but if I really want to treat myself to fried food that's what I'll get.
French Fries…. oh my, I could live off those. In fact I did when I was in Holland.
It's terrible, but I love friend Chinese food–orange chicken!
looks like your demo went great at the Eli's fest!
Favorite fried food: Shrimp!
Mozzarella sticks (with ranch of course!)
Sweet Potato Fries are my new favorite thing ever since having them at a tapas restaurant last summer with a honey dressing. I've tried making them in the oven and I just can't replicate them. I need a fryer!
Oooh that's a tough one! During the State Fair I love to get fried mozzarella on a stick! But I also love fried mushrooms and zucchini too!
Deep fried breaded scallops of course. 🙂
YUM!
Susie in northern NY
The only thing I really fry at home is falafel – about once a month or so. I can't get enough of the stuff. It's my very favorite food!!
I love me some onion rings!!!
I love a good fried onion ring!
My boyfriend loves to make his family's buffalo wings! We always have to make them for any big gathering; superbowl, New Years and Halloween.
Mmmm, mozzarella sticks and chicken strips! I'm getting hungry just thinking about it! 🙂
Hands down…french fries. I have a fear of frying things on the stove, so a Fry Daddy would be the perfect solution. Keeping my fingers crossed!
Fish and Chips!
What don't I love fried? Donuts would be the favorite, though, if I have to choose. But fried pickles comes in a close second.
Cheese curds!
Yummy! I love fried foods, my favorite is probably donuts with mozz sticks next 🙂 I hope I win!
Wow, there are so many, it's really hard to choose – I'd have to say chicken or shrimp Yum.
I'm addicted to coconut shrimp!
I love crispy french fries, especially curly fries!
I *love* fried food. 😉 Thanks Joelen!
If I could only ever eat ONE fried item ever again, it would have to be fried chicken. But unfortunately, I do love more than just chicken– beignets, onion rings, tempura vegetables…
This sounds so bad, but my favorite food is a battered, fried Milky Way. A scoop of vanilla ice cream helps to mellow out the chocolate…yum!
considering I *have* to pick just one – seasoned waffle fries.
French fries!
Doughnuts! and onion rings for whenever my mom visits. She loves onion rings. Thanks for the giveaway!
I'm from SE Texas- down here everything is fried! fried fish, fried alligator, fried shrimp, fried taters- you name we fry it 🙂
I'd have to go with mozarella sticks or onion rings for sure.
breaded mushrooms are good!
I love tempura veggies!
Fried Shrimp—-yum!
French Fries!
Catfish! Yum. And hush puupies. Yeah. And chicken strips. Oh and staek fingers…I could go on and on.If I ate it all I would be obese though. Oh well I do love to eat.
Your blog makes me so hungry.
I love frying wings and then having different sauces to coat them in.
Mmm…hard to choose. I'd have to say donuts or fried pickles!
Pretty much anything! For the sake of picking I'd say chicken fingers.
I love jalepeno poppers or anything with melted cheese like mozzarella sticks.
My favorite fried food is apple cider doughnuts. We had them for the first time at a farm market a few years ago, and were hooked. I made them once, and they were amazing!
I have been craving french fries for weeks now!
fried oysters
My favorite fried food has to be chimichangas! I have to have one or two a month they're so good 🙂
Mmm – I'm partial to your basic homemade french fry! Add a little seasoning while it's hot and YUM!
Donuts and fried chicken. It seems I fail at frying, and I think I need to change my method.
deep fried cauliflower. mmmmmm.
I love doughnuts, even though I don't think of them as a fried food.
MMM….. fried mozzarella!!
The french fry is my favorite fried food. A little salt, a lot of vinegar – perfection!
Cheese!
mellisa.willis@sbcglobal.net
Doh, the second love of my life – Platanos!!!!! YUM!
I love fried chicken!
My favorite fried food is definitely onion rings! I LOVE them!
I love most anything that is fried – but if I had to chose just ONE…it would HAVE to be Fried Chicken!!! My close 2nd would have to be jalepeno poppers, though…can't get enough of those things! 🙂
Ahhh, the fry daddy. When you have to have fried food, nothing else will do right?
Hmmm… my favorite fried food? That's hard. I think I'd have to go with fried clams… that or chicken wings!
oh man, I don't know if I could pick just one favorite fried food. I *heart* homemade french fries, mozzarella sticks, onion rings and fried chicken… Mmmm and fried icecream!
My favorite fried food is cheese sticks. I always order them when we go out to eat.
I love onion rings, french fries, chicken wings, cheese sticks…. the list goes on and on.
So many choices! I'll go with fries.
My Gramma's italian fried pizza dough…yum!!
my fave fried food are chicken wings
Mozzarella sticks!!
-Lisa
(the_boda@hotmail.com)
Deep fried shrimp!! Yummy!
I LOVE fried shrimp, scallops, and I love me some fish and chips!!!
Definetly chicken wings. Especially for games!!
Fried pickles dipped in Ranch dressing. Mmmm.