Fried Dough

If you're Italian, you certainly grew up eating fried dough, and if you are not Italian, you have probably eaten fried dough at an Italian feast or carnival.  Pasta Fritta, Pizza Fritte or Zeppoli, it's all good.  It is the best inexpensive treat I make for my family and it doesn't take long to make.  I was lucky enough to have my son bring home a ton of fresh dough, from the bakery he gets bread from, for the restaurant where he works.  I had so much of it (6 one pound bags), that I froze a lot of it to use later for pizza or whatever else I can come up with.  I kept one bag out and made fried dough the other night.  You can also buy fresh dough at most grocery stores, it can be found in the dairy case.  This is how I make it and you will love it.  

I use canola oil to fry the dough, put about 2 cups in the bottom of a deep frying pan.  

Heat the oil on high heat, until a small ball of dough dropped in the oil, floats to the top.  Reduce heat to medium/medium- high.  Layer a few paper towels on a plate to drain the dough when you take it out of the oil.    

 While the oil is heating, grab a paper lunch bag and pour 1 1/2 cups of sugar into the bag.  This is to coat your dough when done frying.

 You can also use cinnamon & sugar.  I make 1/2 the fried dough regular sugar and 1/2 cinnamon sugar.  Cut pieces of dough into the sizes of your choice.  I like them on the smaller size, 2 or 3 bites each.

Stretch the pieces out before dropping into the oil.  Brown on one side, then using tongs, flip them over and brown on the other side.  

Remove from oil with tongs, to the paper towels and drain.  Toss a few in the bag of sugar.

 Shake to coat them and place on a platter.

I'm in heaven with these delicious little pillows of sweetness.  Dig in, they are great!

Homemade Almond Butter

My son the pescetarian asked me to make him almond butter.  I don't know how to make almond butter or peanut butter for that matter.  Call me crazy, but I like JIF, it's my family fav, that's what I buy. I told him I would give it a shot and try and make it.  So I got to work, I had a huge bag of almonds in the pantry, got those out, and the food processor.  This is my version of homemade almond butter.

I started with 4 cups of plain whole almonds.  Spread on a baking sheet and roast in a 350 degree oven for 10 -12  minutes, doing this releases the oils.  Let them cool, then pulse them in the food processor until they are chopped up.  Then on high until finely ground and resemble corn meal.

 Continue to grind on high and it will start to form at crust at the bottom of the bowl.  Stop the food processor, remove the lid, take out the blade, scrap the mixture into a bowl.  Replace the blade and pour the mixture back into the food processor.  Put the lid back on....

turn on high speed and drizzle about 2 - 4 tablespoons of canola oil into the top (depending how thick you want it, I started with 2 tablespoons but then used 4, so start slow)

it will become almond butter very quickly.  Scoop out into a reusable container and refrigerate.  I had to look up how to store this.  Once the nuts are ground and the oil is added, it should be refrigerated so it does not become rancid.  Any time nuts are ground they are open to oxidizing quickly, creating rancidity.  

Store covered tightly or in a mason jar in the refrigerator.