The Mummy
Post Indiana Jones, 1999’s The Mummy might be one of the best adventure films made. If you feel compelled at any time to watch the sequel tho (or the crap retry with Tom Cruise), think again. But this one is aces. Set in 1920’s Egypt, …
Tag: tomato
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3
Soooo My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 is not the best film. I understand the 27% critics’ consensus on Rotten Tomatoes. However, I also understand the 73% Audience Score. Because this is the type of movie you can enjoy while acknowledging its faults! Plus, it’s …
Big
Happy bday to Tom Hanks! Naturally I had to celebrate with some kid friendly party food and a screening of 1988’s Big– a very absurd, but well-deservedly loved 80’s fave directed by the great Penny Marshall.
If you haven’t seen it (she types scornfully), a quick overview: after making an ill-fated wish to be “big” on an apparently magical Zoltar machine, 13 yr old Josh Baskin wakes up the next morning to find a grown ass man staring at him in the mirror. Fleeing a mother who is convinced her young son has been kidnapped by sexual deviants (this movie is kinda dark when you think about it), Josh has to make his way through the big bad NYC as a kid trapped in an adult’s body– which, of course, leads to all sorts of professional and romantic (in kind of a creepy way) shenanigans with the true adults he encounters.
Big is a relatively early film in Tom Hank’s long and distinguished repertoire– but it is a favorite for a reason. In addition to Hanks’s hilarious performance (apparently he had the actor playing young Josh act out all his scenes so he could mimic his childlike behavior), you have the wise cracking bestie Billy as a foil (Jared Rushton), and John Heard playing a superb asshole antagonist as Paul. Elizabeth Perkins is also wonderful as a jaded convert and, despite the ick factor, the final scene between Josh and Susan is truly heartbreaking in the best way. I swear it’s mostly endearing and nostalgic. Remember the giant living room trampoline? One day, you guys… one day.
So, assuming you’re around my age, please come and relive this 80’s childhood classic with me– and eat until you feel like barfing up silly string all over your bestie. Because that’s real friendship.
The Movie
The Menu
As they say in Big: The space goes down, down baby, down, down the roller coaster, sweet, sweet baby, sweet, sweet, don't let me go. Shimmy, shimmy, cocoa pop! Shimmy, shimmy, roooock. Shimmy, shimmy, cocoa pop! Shimmy, shimmy, rooooock. I met a girlfriend - a triscuit! She said, a triscuit - a biscuit! Ice cream, soda pop, vanilla on the top. Ooh, Shanita, walking down the street, ten times a week. I read it. I said it. I stole my momma's credit. I'm cool. I'm hot. Sock me in the stomach three more times.,., Couldn't be simpler-- spoon vanilla ice cream into tall glasses (these happen to be for champers). Top with Pepsi cola (the product placement in this movie is RAMPANT, might as well be authentic), bourbon, whipped cream and a cherry. Serve chilled, and try not to get too hyper/disgusting. There's nothing like walking through a county fair with a warm toasty cone of kettle corn-- and this particular recipe pays homage to the cartoonish carnival machine that started it all for Josh Baskin. Be careful what you wish for... In a medium sized heavy bottom pot, heat vegetable oil and sugar over medium heat-- swirl, until sugar starts to dissolve. Add your kernels and stir to coat them in your sugar oil. Cover the pot-- the trapped heat inside is what will pop your corn! Shake the pot every 8-10 seconds to prevent the sugar from burning. Sprinkle with za'atar seasoning, adding more if you like a stronger flavor, and toss thoroughly to coat. Because maybe the most memorable scene in Big (or any Tom Hanks movie for that matter) is him "playing" Heart and Soul + Chopsticks on a giant floor piano at FAO Schwarz. Am I going to keep the one I used as a background prop in my Big movie menu post? Yes, probably. Suck it downstairs neighbors... Start by squishing your tofu between several sheets of paper towels to absorb excess water-- you want your tofu to be VERY dry, so let it sit, switching out paper towels as needed, for about 10 mins. Once dry, crumble with your fingers. In the meantime, lay your kimchi and your shrimp on paper towels of their own to dry a bit, patting softly. In a small food processor, pulse tofu, shrimp, kimchi, white parts of the green onions, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil and salt. You want a relatively smooth paste. Transfer to a small mixing bowl and refrigerate until ready to use. Next, cut your dumpling/wonton wrappers into hearts with a cookie cutter or sharp knife, laying each heart on top of a damp paper towel to prevent them from drying out as you work. When you're ready, wet the edges of your dumpling skin hearts with water and drop a teaspoon of filling into the center. Place another dumpling skin heart on top of your filling and press the edges to completely seal, using more water on your fingers if needed. Repeat as necessary and refrigerate until ready to cook, making sure that the dumplings don't touch each other as they chill. About 10 mins before you eat, heat the pan with 1 tbsp of vegetable oil over medium heat. Add your dumplings in batches, again making sure they don't touch each other, and fry for about 2 mins until the bottoms are golden brown and slightly crisp. Add 1/3 cup of water to the pan, and cover immediately with a lid. Reduce the heat to medium low, and steam for roughly 4 more mins. Slide your finished dumplings onto a plate and keep warm next to the stove burner as you cook your next batch of dumplings. When you're ready to nosh, mix all of your sauce ingredients together until sugar is completely dissolved. Drizzle a tbsp or so over your dumplings, and include for further dipping. Sprinkle dumplings with green onion slices, and serve with chopsticks! You can also freeze your dumplings before cooking! Just steam for a bit longer when you're cooking them to ensure the innards are fully done. Apparently no cocktail party is complete without beluga caviar. But since that stuff is kinda gross, here's a kid friendly alternative-- a deconstructed cowboy caviar with tortilla "blinis", mexican crema/cotija instead of creme fraiche, black bean "fish eggs", and roasted tomato and bell pepper "lox"-- all marinated in a Mexican spiced vinaigrette. Accompany your caviar with some grilled Mexican baby corn, and you can be as Tom Hanks faux fancy as you want. Start with your "lox". Cut your tomato in half and rub both halves and your bell pepper with veggie oil, sprinkling with salt and pepper. Broil for roughly 5 mins until skin is blackened-- transfer to a bowl and cover tightly with the same foil you use to broil it on. Allow to rest for 5-10 so that the steam will loosen the skin further. Remove the skin and discard, leaving only the softened bell pepper and tomato flesh-- slice this thinly to mimic seasoned lox. Gather your remaining caviar ingredients, including your vinaigrette (veggie oil to honey in the ingredients list) and your faux "creme fraiche" (ie your crema mixed with 2 tbsp of cotija). Add 1 tsp of your vinaigrette to your tomato, and 1 tsp to bell pepper, allowing the seasonings to infuse your "lox". Pour the rest over your black beans and let sit to marinate. Cover until ready to assemble. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 400 and cut out your tortilla "blinis". Spread out on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and brush lightly with oil. Bake for 7 mins until golden brown. Set aside. Now time for baby corns! Dry briefly on paper towels and toss with your oil and seasonings. Heat a griddle pan on high, and sear your corn, about 2-3 mins per side. When ready to serve your caviar, spread your crema mix on your toasted blinis and top wiith "lox", followed by black bean "fish eggs" and sprigs of cilantro. Serve alongside baby corn with a healthy squeeze of lime juice and cotija-- which you can also dip into your crema for a nice street corn flavor. If you need instructions, see below. Just no double dipping, it's gross. Pull and shape your pizza dough into 10-12 equal balls. If you have extra, you can always try a nice game of catch? Cut your mozzarella string cheese into 1 1/2 inch chunks, and place into the center of each dough ball wrapping them tightly. Place onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Melt your butter and mix in your garlic powder, basil and salt. While you wait for your oven to preheat to 400, brush your dough balls with melted butter mixture. Bake for roughly 30 minutes until golden brown, brusing with more butter if needed. Serve hot, with some yummy pizza sauce, and make sure to brush your teeth after if you plan on seeing your girlfriend at the end of the night EWWWWWWWWWW.
Ice Cream Soda Pop Vanilla (and Bourbon) on the Top!
Yield:
2 Cocktails
Ingredients
Instructions
Zoltar/Za'atar Kettle Corn
Yield:
4 Cups
Cook Time:
5 minutes
Total Time:
5 minutes
Ingredients
Instructions
When the popping has slowed to once every 2 to 3 seconds, uncover the pot and remove from the heat. Ideally you'll have a slightly sticky and sweet batch of lovely kettle corn.
Heart and Seoul Dumplings
Yield:
12 dumplings
Cook Time:
45 minutes
Total Time:
45 minutes
Ingredients
Dumplings
Sauce
Instructions
Notes
Kid Friendly Caviar w/Grilled Baby Corn
Yield:
12 "blinis"
Cook Time:
30 minutes
Total Time:
30 minutes
Ingredients
Deconstructed Cowboy Caviar
Grilled Mexican Baby Corn
Instructions
Big Birthday Pizza Dough Bombs
Yield:
10-12 balls
Cook Time:
3 hours
Total Time:
3 hours
Ingredients
Instructions
Epilogue
If any of you are foolish enough to be all, “I don’t get it” when I praise Tom Hanks, watch him reenact his Big rap below. The man is a gd American treasure.
For more menus, check out my movie directory here!
Indiana Jones And The Temple of Doom
Ok, so Temple of Doom isn’t the best of the Indiana Jones films, but it’s certainly not the worst. This assumes you even consider Crystal Skull to be part of the franchise, however; I myself am still pretending it was never made. Technically a PREQUEL …
Ratatouille
“If you are what you eat, then I only want to eat the good stuff.” Out of the mouths of rats… Ratatouille is, to this day, one of the best foodie films ever made. Even Anthony Bourdain thought so! Once you get past the very …
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
To all my fellow frump girls out there, I give you My Big Fat Greek Wedding– still the highest grossing romantic comedy of all time! A huge thank you to Rita Wilson, who saw the play and told her husband Tom Hanks they should EP a film adaptation… this movie is still a damn joy to watch.
For those who haven’t benefited from the witty writing and genuinely poignant acting of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, this is a romantic comedy starring Nia Vardalos (who wrote the play) as a young Greek woman, Toula, who lives and works in Chicago with her VERY Greek family. Depressed, unmarried, and ever the outsider, Toula struggles with the concept that nice Greek girls are supposed to do three things in life: marry Greek boys, make Greek babies, and feed everyone… until the day they die. Much to the chagrin of her endearingly sexist father, she takes the first steps toward independence and inevitably meets a “pretty strong vegetarian teacher”, Ian Miller (John Corbett)– in Greek, a XENO, with big .. long … HAIRS on .. top .. of his .. HEAD! What follows is a hilarious union of a (I’ll say it again) VERY Greek family with a very vanilla (I want to say Presbyterian?) one. And, of course, the realization on all sides that in the end, people of all backgrounds have so much more in common than we might think. D’awwwwwwwww.
Also According to Nia Vardalos, paying for catering during production was a snap because when local Greek restaurants learned about it, they sent over masses of free food wherever filming was taking place. Double d’aaaaaaaaw.
So here is a Greek feast featuring several foods from My Big Fat Greek Wedding– a meal full of warmth and wisdom, and of course a steaming hot side dish of guilt. Specifically for the vegetarians.
Note, no cocktail on this one– because all you really needs is ouzo. Lots, and lots, and lots of ouzo. OPA!
The Movie
The Menu
A lentil based moussaka safe for all the Millers out there-- and SO much better than Wonder Bread sandwiches. Those delicate pretty bitches in middle school don't even know. PS, special shout out to MyGreekDish.com-- really good food blog from which I stole bits and pieces! Place a rack in the middle of an oven preheated to 425. Whisk half of the garlic, 1/4 cup oil, and half of the oregano in a small bowl. Brush both sides of eggplant and potato rounds with herb oil; season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a sil pat lined cookie sheet (it’s okay to if they overlap a bit) and bake until tender and slightly browned, about 15 mins. Set aside and reduce oven temperature to 375. Next gather your vegetarian moussaka filling-- and let me tell you, I never knew lentils could be this badass. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped red onion and cook for 5-6 minutes until caramelized. Add 1 1/2 cloves minced garlic and mushrooms and cook until mushrooms are softened. Next, add the cinnamon and tomato paste-- stir until vegetables are coated. Finally, prep your beschamel topping. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low-medium heat. Add the flour, and whisk until a paste forms and the smell of flour dissipates. Add milk and continue to whisk in order to prevent your sauce from getting lumpy. Gradually, the consistency should thicken into a cream. Remove from the stove and very quickly whisk in the egg yolk, salt, pepper, and most of the grated cheese (reserve some to sprinkle on top). Season with salt to taste. Now, time to assemble-- in four greased 8oz ramikens, layer 2 slices of eggplant, 1 slice of potato, 1/4 cup of lentil mix. Then add another 2 slices of eggplant and top with beschamel, sprinkling the aforementioned reserve cheese on top. Bake for aabout 35 minutes until beschamel begins to turn a lovely golden brown. Moose kaka never tasted so good. Sexy as a "pottery class". Begin with your spanakopita filling! Note, you can use fresh spinach, but frozen is such a wonderful cheat. You just need to drain a minute on a paper towel as pictured below. In a medium pan, saute the onions with a dash both of olive oil and salt over medium low heat-- you want to caramelize them, not burn them. Add the garlic and cook for a couple more minutes, watching carefully so THAT doesn't burn. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. In a medium bowl, mix the feta cheese, egg, nutmeg, spring onion, and a bit more salt and pepper. Add the chopped parsley and onion mixture and stir until fully incorporated. Preheat the oven to 375 (unless it's already there for your moussaka!) and start shaping your spanakopita triangles. Spread one sheet of the phyllo dough on a cutting board and brush/spray on a light coat of olive oil. Spread one more sheet on top and brush/spray again. Cut the phyllo sheets in 3 strips lengthwise. At the end of each strip, add one heaping tablespoon of the filling. Fold one corner to form a triangle and continue folding the triangle over itself, until the entire piece of phyllo is used. Continue with the rest phyllo sheets and filling. Place the spanakopita triangles onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and brush/spray them with olive oil once more. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden and crispy. Everything else is veggie what do you want from me IAN? I don't have a roasting spit nor do I have the intestinal real estate to accomodate an entire roast lamb. So here is my compromise-- a boneless leg of lamb that can be trimmed to whatever size you need. This was good for 4-6 people. The night before you're ready to break bread with the fam, marinade your meat. If the lamb itself has come pre-tied (common), untie it and unroll it. Whisk together your marinade-- oil, lemon juice and zest, garlic, onion powder, and oregano. Spread inside of lamb leg with half of the marinade: Then, roll the lamb back up and re-tie, which will ensure an even roast-- if you need a how-to on trussing, this video is super helpful (disregard the goofy opening credit sequence). When you're done, you should have a lovely little package 'o' meat that you can cover with the rest of your marinade. Refrigerate, uncovered, overnight. About 3.5 hours before eating, take your lamb out of the fridge and allow to come to room temp for about an hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 275-- if this seems low to you, that's because it IS! We're gonna reverse sear this bad boy for a perfectly pink interior. When the roast hits room temp, insert an in-oven thermometer into the middle of the roast and place onto the middle rack. Roast for just about two hours (possibly slightly less) until the inside hits a temp of 125°F for medium-rare, or 130°F to 135°F for medium. Remember, the temp will continue to rise about 5 degrees as it rests, so don't overdo it or you'll be all like: Once you hit your preferred temp, remove it from the oven and alllow it to rest for at least 45 minutes. You can now use your oven for whatever you want (ahem moussaka, spanakopita, CAKES)-- the lamb can technically sit for even longer, covered, until you're ready for the sear part of the reverse sear! While the roast rests and your oven is being used for... whatever, make a simple greek salad. Toss tomatoes, sliced onion, cucumber, olives, and fresh oregano. Whisk 1 tbsp olive oil and 1/2 tbsp of lemon juice together and pour over-- so easy! Refrigerate. Now for your whipped feta sauce: in a mini food processor, combine remaining 1 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tbsp lemon juice, feta and yogurt. Puree until smooth and refrigerate until ready to serve. About 30 minutes before eating, increase the oven temp to 500. When it's nice and hot inside there, put your roast back into the oven, uncovered, for 15 minutes. This will create the nice crispy crust you want on a roast, without cooking the interior any further. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for a final 5-10 minutes. Carve with a sharp knife and serve-- forks optional, pita encouraged, sauce and salad mandatory. Sure, you may remember that the Millers bring over a gorgeous BUNDT to the Portokalos party, but you may not remember that the root of the word Miller is a Greek word. Miller come from the Greek word "milo," which is mean "apple," so there you go. And the name Portokalos, is come from the Greek word "portokali," which mean "orange." So, okay? Here tonight, we have, ah, apple and orange bu-bunn-bundTTT. We all different, but in the end, we all fruit! It's the simplest recipe ever-- start by mixing the oil, egg, sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl. In a second bowl, whisk together the flour, soda, salt and cinnamon. And get your apples and oranges ready! Add the dry ingredients to your whisked wet ingredients and stir until fully mixed. Add the grated apple and orange zest and stir a couple more times. Now-- you can either bake this in a small bundt pan OR you can be cool like me and use super tacky silicon mold shapes that Nikki Portokalos would 100% appreciate (link to the product below). Pour until just filled (leave a little space for the bundts to rise). Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool, inverted, for another 30 or so minutes. While you're waiting, whisk together your powdered sugar, milk and orange juice. Remove the cakes from the molds and drizzle with your icing-- sprinkle chopped pistachios (or you can dunk your cakes into a pile of them), for a blaklava-esque flair.
Vegetarian Moussaka (Not Moose-Kaka)
Yield:
4 Individual Casseroles
Cook Time:
2 hours 2 seconds
Total Time:
2 hours 2 seconds
Ingredients
Instructions
Toss in the chopped tomatoes and red wine, together with 1/2 tbsp oregano, the dried bay leaf, and the sugar. Bring to the boil and reduce the heat to medium low-- cook, uncovered, for for 20-25 mins until sauce is thickened a bit. Stir in your lentils last.
Spanakopita
Yield:
10-12
Ingredients
Instructions
What do you mean he don't eat no meat?!?! that's ok that's ok. I make lamb.
Yield:
Never Enough
Ingredients
Instructions
It's an Apples and Oranges Bundt!
Cook Time:
40 minutes
Total Time:
40 minutes
Ingredients
Instructions
Recommended Products
Epilogue
Just remember, if you cut/burn yourself cooking:
For more menus, check out my movie directory here!
The Red Balloon
For a period of time in the 60’s and 70’s, Albert Lamorisse’s short film Le Ballon Rouge (The Red Balloon) was one of the most acclaimed and beloved children’s movies in the world. I myself was not exposed to this charming fantasy short until college, …
The Breakfast Club
The Breakfast Club– a perfect back-to-school time movie and perhaps the most famous in the John Hughes coming of age oeuvre. Sure, a case could be made for Ferris Bueller, and I do love me some Uncle Buck, but The Breakfast Club is the movie in …
Fried Green Tomatoes
I’d always promised myself that, should ever I start a “dinner and a movie” blog, Fried Green Tomatoes would be the first post. That clearly didn’t happen, and for a variety of reasons, but I think the biggest one is that I love this movie too much. I could NOT get the menu to be perfect enough. And I still haven’t. But I will say (one year after the launch of Two Crumbs Up), my recipe for fried green tomatoes is pretty close.
Everything about this early 90’s movie, adapted from Fannie Flagg’s best selling novel, still resonates. The comedic moments and the sob-inducing ones, the soundtrack, the social commentary, and good GOLLY the stellar performances. Viewers meet our first protagonist, dowdy Evelyn Couch (Kathy Bates), as she munches pathetically on a candy bar, having unknowingly lost herself and her husband (both literally and figuratively) on the way to visit his aunt in a nursing home. When they finally arrive at their destination, Evelyn encounters another elderly woman who will have an indelible impact on her life. Mrs. Ninny Threadgoode (played by Jessica Tandy) is chalk full of history and a talent for storytelling, and over the next year shares with Evelyn tall tales about her sister-in-law, Idgie Threadgoode (Mary Stuart Masterson) and Ruth Jamison (Mary Louise Parker), who lived one hell of a Depression-era life together in the little town of Whistle Stop, Alabama.
This is a film that begins and ends with memories– from the opening shots of that bastard Frank Bennett’s truck and a phantom train that gave to and took much from the Threadgoode household, all the way through to Evelyn’s discovery of a jar of honey on a grave. And underneath those memories are so many important takeaways. Fried Green Tomatoes dealt heavily with issues of racial inequality and persecution in the first part of the century, as did the book on which the film is based. It also offers up a not-so-subtle critique of the way we neglect the elderly population of this country, who have so many incredible stories to tell. But for me the message that always lingers longest is that of female empowerment and friendship. Evelyn Couch, once a person too afraid to look at her own vagina, is able to find herself through the stories of women who were ALWAYS there for one another, through hell or high water– Idgie, Ruth, Ninny, Sipsey (Cicely Tyson), and Momma Threadgoode (Lois Smith). These women knew what it was to live through hard and cruel times, and they managed it by relying on each other’s courage, kindness, and good humor. And while some might criticize the film for only lightly hinting at the romantic relationship between Idgie and Ruth (the book was much bolder), I think the movie still captures novelist Fannie Flagg’s original thesis: that the secret to life is friends. Best friends.
I’M CRYING JUST TYPING ABOUT IT. But also because I’m lucky enough to have women like that in my own life, not to mention the type of mother who claps gleefully while watching Evelyn Couch ram her car six times into another in a justified fury. After all, she’s older and she has more insurance.
On to the food, a quintessential part of the Fried Green Tomatoes narrative! Food is what brings the characters in the film together, whether during prep, eating, or while waxing nostalgic about family favorite recipes. There’s the title dish (ironically not even a traditional southern recipe until Fannie Flagg made it so, but never you mind), barbecue, bacon, coffee, fried chicken, biscuits, oysters, cornbread, candy bars, low cholesterol sushi– honestly so much to choose from. But I had to narrow it down to the below (for now). I’d like to think it’s the kind of meal that Idgie, Ruth, Evelyn, Ninny and Sipsey would enjoy together over at the Whistle Stop Cafe, spinning yarns and listening to the trains go by. <happy tears>
THE MOVIE
THE MENU
A smash cocktail that commemorates the following: refreshing bbq beverages, prohibition era booze (not to mention the memory of poor Smoky Lonesome), and last but not least, the moment Idgie smashes a handful of blackberries in Ruth's face. It's a drink that'll definitely get you and your friends drunk and may or may not have you begging the local sheriff, "arrest us!" In a cocktail shaker, combine booze, sugar, lemon and blackberries. Feel free to engage in a little preliminary berry smashing with your hands-- and if you have a friend's face handy, it might be a great help in the smashing process (see below for demonstration). Once muddled, add ice to the shaker and shake until chilled. Strain into a mason jar filled with ice (some blackberry beads will come through, that's ok!) and garnish with a fresh sprig of mint. And here it is, THE recipe for Fried Green Tomatoes. A perfect culinary metaphor for one of the film's central themes: that with a little love, determination, and originality even the most unwanted of outsider foods (hard as a rock and not even a vegetable!) can become something singularly delicious. I did refer specifically to Fannie Flagg's cookbook (#2 recipe), but I also tweaked it ever so slightly. Because it's me. Start by prepping your tomatoes-- slice each into 1/3 inch rounds. You want them thick enough not to maintain a bit of bite and NOT cave in on themselves after a minute or two at room temperature. Place tomato slices on paper towels and sprinkle with a bit of salt-- this will both season the tomatoes AND cause some excess moisture to bleed out. After about 10 mins, pat dry. In the meantime!: set up your breading station next to cookie sheet fitted with a rack. Mix flour, cornmeal, 1 tsp salt, garlic powder, and pepper on a plate. Then, mix egg, buttermilk, 1/2 tsp salt, and hot sauce in a small bowl. Dunk your tomato slices first in your liquid, then dredge thickly with breading-- feel free to press a bit to create as thick a layer of carbs as possible. Place breaded tomatoes on the rack and allow to rest while you preheat your fry sitch. Add a 1/4 inch worth's of oil to a cast iron skillet and heat on high until the oil pops when you add a drop of water. Fry your tomatoes in batches of 3 to 4 at a time-- a little less than a minute per side-- until you get a real good scald on them and they turn a lovely golden brown. Wait a bit between batches to allow the oil to come back up to temperature. Place fried tomatoes back on the rack, and if need be, place in a 300 degree preheated oven to keep warm (but not for more than 5-10 minutes or they'll turn to mush). 'Course, mine never make it to the oven because I've eaten them all immediately... Note #1: You don't really need a sauce for these, but if you really wanted one, try a nice ranch or (better yet) the green goddess from the crudite recipe in this post. Note #2: if you can't find green tomatoes, try subbing out tomatillos and half and half instead of buttermilk. I've done it-- it's good. Sadly I don't own a smoker or a grill, and so inevitably this won't be quite as good as a Big George hog boil. But for now, just think of it as some of the best damn oven roasted barbecue in the state of California. And I specified pork for a reason folks. If you haven't watched the movie, you'll find out why... "secret's in the sauce". Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. If your rack ‘o’ ribs requires removal of the membrane (which is usually the case), carefully start at one end and pull away until it comes off in one strip. Brush the ribs with oil and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. If you have it, you can also rub a few drops of liquid smoke into the meat—it’s a great cheat if you don’t have a grill or smoker. Wrap your ribs with aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet. Roast nice and slow for a total of about 3-3.5 hours. You’ll want to brush the ribs with sauce a couple of times in the last hour. Speaking of, now it’s time to make the BBQ sauce! This recipe is another riff on a Fannie Flagg recipe—I tend to like a little kick, so I’ve added a few spices. In a saucepan, combine all of the ingredients except the ketchup. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Take off the heat, remove the lemon wedge, and whisk in the ketchup. If need be, you can add more spices to taste. After the ribs have roasted about 2 hours, gently unwrap them and brush both sides with sauce. Rewrap the ribs and return to the oven to continue roasting for 30 minutes, after which you’ll brush the ribs once more. At a little over 3 hrs of baking time, check to see if the ribs are tender by inserting a fork into the middle rib and twisting slightly. The meat should pull away from the bone relatively easily. Set your oven to a low broil and, leaving the ribs unwrapped and meat side up, let the skin crisp a bit for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the broiler and let sit, lightly wrapped to keep warm, for at least 10 minutes before cutting. Ribs can be served room temperature, with reserved sauce on the side. True southern-style cornbread is NOT sweet-- but that's why a big ole dollop of Bee Charmer honey butter works so well. And, if you have leftover bread, feel free to crumble it into a cup of buttermilk and eat it with a spoon. It's a thing. Preheat to 450 degrees. Mix the first five dry ingredients in one bowl, and the egg and buttermilk in another. Heat the bacon grease in two 6.5 inch cast iron skillets, 1 tbsp per skillet. Mix dry and wet ingredients together and whisk until smooth. Pour cornbread batter equally into each pre-heated skillet: ...and immediately put into oven—bake for 15-17 minutes until golden brown on top and the bread passes the toothpick test (ie, stick a toothpick in the center and no raw bread gunk remains attached when you pull it out). While cornbread is baking, whip softened butter and honey with a fork until light and fluffy and fully combined. Serve alongside hot cornbread. If using 9 inch cast iron skillet, double the recipe and add another 5 minutes to the baking time. I know Ninny doesn't really go in for none of that "raw stuff"-- but with the fried things, and the butter, and the pork, I really did need something nutritious and crunchy. And I think Evelyn in her Towanda state would agree, especially since I paired all this healthy with a creamy (and appropriatetly, a little spicy) green goddess dip. PS if you need, feel free to crumble in some hormones and stress tablets number 4 for good measure. Can't hurt. Combine the first eight ingrendients in a blender and puree until smooth. Add several dashes of hot sauce for some extra HEAT and a smidge of salt to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve with all your fave crudite veggies. If you need to, you can always make ahead-- just wrap very tightly in all the cellophane. I was named after both of my grandmothers-- amazing women each. My mother's mother Ruth was an incredible baker, and I can't imagine a movie better suited for this, one of her more famous recipes (at least among my family). Though TECHNICALLY Grandma Ruth's was a Milky Way Cake, I couldn't resist using my own favorite Baby Ruth candy bars. The name alone... Note: If you can't eat it all, don't worry, the cake freezes exceptionally well. But for those of you who doubt your ability to finish off several squares in one go, I encourage you to repeat after Ruth: Don't you ever say never to me. Who knew you could use candy bars in a cake base? That's right, my gramma did. Melt your candy bars and 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan over medium low heat, stirring constantly. In the meantime, combine 1 cup sugar and shortening and beat until creamy. Add eggs, and continue beating until light and fluffy. Combine flour and salt in one bowl, and buttermilk and baking soda in another. Add dry ingredients to creamed mix alternately with wet ingredients. Beat well after each addition. Stir in vanilla and candy bar mix until fully incorporated. Pour better into a greased and floured 9x9 square cake pan, and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes until done (toothpick test!). While your cake is baking, move on to your chocolate marshmallow frosting. Melt remaining butter, sugar, evaporated milk, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a soft boil. Add chocolate and marshmallow cream and stir until fully incorporated. Yum. yum. yum yum yum you guys. And I don't even like sweets. Cool your frosting until thickened, and pour over your cake-- it will spread like ganache. Top with roasted peanuts and refrigerate for an hour before cutting into squares. Did I tell you my Grandma Ruth was a baking badass? My god.
Blackberry Moonshine Smash
Yield:
2 Drinks
Cook Time:
15 minutes
Total Time:
15 minutes
Ingredients
Instructions
Fried Green Tomatoes
Yield:
2-3 Servings
Prep Time:
15 minutes
Cook Time:
15 minutes
Total Time:
30 minutes
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
BBQ (PORK) Ribs
Yield:
2-3 servings
Prep Time:
30 minutes
Cook Time:
3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time:
4 hours
Ingredients
Instructions
Southern Cornbread & Bee Charmer Butter
Yield:
4 Servings
Prep Time:
5 minutes
Cook Time:
15 minutes
Total Time:
20 minutes
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Recommended Products
Crudite for Towanda
Yield:
Lots plus leftovers
Cook Time:
15 minutes
Total Time:
15 minutes
Ingredients
Instructions
Grandma Ruth's Candy Bar Cake
Yield:
Way too much for one person. Except in emergencies.
Prep Time:
10 minutes
Cook Time:
35 minutes
Additional Time:
1 hour
Total Time:
1 hour 45 minutes
Ingredients
Instructions
Epilogue
As mentioned, I did adapt some of the recipes and techniques from the back pages of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe as well as Fannie Flagg’s later Cookbook. But I also read through a fair amount of other cookbooks for inspiration and tips on technique: specifically several in this list posted by Smitten Kitchen, which celebrates African American cooking in the South and beyond. Jubilee and Taste of Country Cooking are two particular favorites of mine– I highly recommend.
Now get cookin! And always remember, TOWANDA.
For more menus, check out my movie directory here!
