recipe - fried pickles

use 20 - 30 pickle spears. i used my homemade habanero dill pickles. take the pickles out of the jar so the extra juice can drip away.

make an egg wash in a mixing bowl with 1 large egg and 2/3 cups whole milk.

then make a 50/50 mixture of panko and bread crumbs on a large plate.

take a pickle, dip it in the egg wash, then in the breading until coated (you may need to repeat). place the breaded pickles on a baking sheet with wax paper. once all the pickles have been coated with batter, place the baking sheet into the fridge for 30 minutes. this will help the batter stick to the pickles when frying.

heat up your frying oil of choice (i used canola). once oil is to temp, ease 4 - 8 pickles into the oil at a time, depending on the size of the pot you are frying them in. they take about 3 minutes to fry up. once the pickle is golden brown, place on a drying rack.

give the finished pickles 10+ minutes to cool, then serve with whatever crazy dipping sauce you can think of.

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recipe - banana bread

- 1 stick butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup mashed ripe bananas
- 1 ¼ cup sifted cake flour
- 1 teaspoon soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup chopped pecans

Cream butter and sugar until light. Add eggs, one at a time. Stir in bananas. Sift together flour, soda, salt. Add to mixture. Stir in nuts. Mix until blended. Pour into greased 9 x 4 x 2 pan. Bake in moderate oven 350 F about 50 minutes. (20 to 25 minutes for large muffins).

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pizza del massacro

homemade dough topped w/ my red sauce & meatballs (beef 80/20), peppered bacon, spicy sausage, farmers cheese, mozzarella, yellow pepper, roasted red pepper, black olives & parmesan reggiano

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recipe - dill pickles

- pickling cucumbers (20 to 30)
- whole heads of fresh dill
- whole garlic cloves (large)
- whole small hot peppers
- 4 cups water
- 2 cups white or cider vinegar
- 1 cup canning salt
(ingredient recipe via cooks.com)

start by boiling water in a large pot to sterilize jars. let jars sit in the water for at least a minute before carefully removing.

in the meantime, quarter the cucumbers longways.

mix the water, vinegar, and salt in a pot. bring to a boil.

shove the cucumbers, dill, peppers, and garlic into the jars. cram 'em in good. pour the hot mixture (aka the brine) into the stuffed jars. make sure everything is completely covered by the brine. close the jars. make sure they are sealed air-tight.

place in fridge. wait a few weeks.

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buffalo bistro burger

buffalo burger stuffed w/ fresh mozzarella, topped w/ bbq-mustard on a kaiser roll & served w/ sweet potato chips

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the italian tower

homemade meatballs w/ roasted tomatoes, mozzarella, & basil

an appetizer prepared for my girlfriend's college graduation party. congratulations jess!

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steak - v1

steak marinated w/ 1/4 cup of: olive oil, balsamic vinegar, worcestershire, soy sauce, & spicy mustard. asparagus w/ olive oil, lemon juice & sea salt

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