Recipe Wednesday! PUPPIES + FRITTERS!

Here are recipes for the kind you eat, not the kind that chews your shoes and whines! One savory, one sweet, and hot apple fritters. MMMMMM...The first cool nights in fall make me want to fry up delicious snacks. They bring back autumn memories of homemade, spicy, cinnamon-sugar dusted DONUTS; bouncy, chilly, scratchy HAYRIDES; and fresh-pressed, cold, UNpasteurized CIDER. FALL is my FAVORITE SEASON!

SOUTHERN HUSH PUPPIES (Yield: 30 medium hush puppies) >>>Ingredients: * 2 cups all-purpose flour * 2 cups yellow cornmeal * 1 Tb baking powder * ½ tsp baking soda * 1 tsp salt * ½ cup sugar * 3 eggs beaten * 1 ½ cups buttermilk * ½ tsp garlic powder * (optional - 1 Tb minced onion) >>>Directions: Mix the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, eggs, buttermilk, and garlic powder together to make a thick batter. Drop the batter into hot oil by tablespoons. Fry to a golden brown for about 3 to 4 minutes. Drain. **************************************** SWEET CORN HUSH PUPPIES >>>Ingredients: * 1 cup cornmeal * 1 cup flour * 3 tablespoons sugar * 1 (16 ounce) can creamed corn * 1 onion, diced * 1 egg * 1/2 cup buttermilk * 1 teaspoon vegetable oil * vegetable oil (for frying) >>>Directions: Mix all ingredients until blended. Drop by teaspoonfuls into hot oil. Fry until cooked. ***************************************** APPLE FRITTER RINGS >>>Ingredients: * 3 apples, cored, peeled and sliced into rings * 1 cup flour * 2 tablespoons sugar * 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder * 1/4 teaspoon salt * 2/3 cup milk * 2 eggs * 1 tablespoon butter, melted * (vegetable oil, for frying) >>>Directions: In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a second bowl, add milk, one egg yolk and butter. In a third bowl, add 2 egg whites and beat until peaks are stiff. Whisk contents of bowl #1 into bowl #2 until smooth. Gently fold in the egg whites. Pour oil into a medium, pot until it is 2 inches deep. Heat oil until it reaches 350°F. Dip apple rings into batter, then fry for approximately 3 minutes or until golden brown. Turn once. Serve while warm. ******************************************* "Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree." ~Martin Luther

WAYS WITH TATER SALAD!

With yummy new potatoes on market stands, it's time to fill the fridge with salad! Here are three of our family-favorite potato salads...

TANGY WARM GERMAN POTATO SALAD >>>INGREDIENTS: *4 pounds potatoes (about 12 ) *10 slices bacon *2 medium onions, chopped *2/3 cups vinegar *2/3 cups sugar *2/3 cups water *2 teaspoons celery seed *Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste >>>DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 300°. Boil potatoes in their skins. Fry bacon until crisp and remove from pan. Cook onion in bacon drippings until translucent. Peel potatoes and cut into bite-sized pieces. Crumble bacon over potatoes. Heat bacon drippings, onion, vinegar, sugar, water and celery seed until boiling. Pour over hot potatoes. Make sure liquid and potatoes are very hot when mixed together. Mix well. Add salt & pepper to taste. Place potato mixture in a pan and bake, uncovered for 30 minutes. ************************************* SWEET POTATO SALAD >>>INGREDIENTS: *16 medium sweet potatoes (about 3 ½ pounds) *2 cups white wine vinegar *1 cup vegetable oil *4 tablespoons honey *3 garlic cloves, minced *1 teaspoon salt *½ teaspoon ground pepper *2 teaspoon grated orange peel *1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped *2 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced *2 medium green peppers, julienned *4 medium firm apples, chopped >>>DIRECTIONS: In a large saucepan, cook sweet potatoes in boiling salted water just until tender, about 20 minutes. Cool completely. While potatoes are cooking, in a small bowl, combine vinegar, vegetable oil, honey, garlic, salt, pepper, orange peel, and thyme and set aside. Peel potatoes and cut in half lengthwise and then into 1/4-inch slices. In a large bowl, combine the sweet potatoes, onion, green peppers, and apples. Add dressing and gently toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. ******************************************* TIP: My son's FAVORITE - A SUPER-QUICK way to make a delicious sweet and tangy potato salad: Mix together equal parts "Cattleman's Carolina Tangy Gold BBQ sauce" and mayonnaise, dress over peeled, cooked, cooled diced potatoes.