Fried Okra Poppers

Ingredients:
-10+ Okra...pods? pieces? What are these things anyway...
-1 oz cream cheese**
-1/2c+ pepperjack cheese
-1 egg
-1 TB milk
-3 TB+ flour
-2 TB+ panko
-Garlic, salt, pepper

I have the plusses because if you use more okra you will need more other stuff.

In hindsight, I would have preferred these to be more spicy, so I would stuff them only with cheese and leave out the cream cheese.  I used reduced fat.  Or I would buy some cayenne and put a little in the breading mix.

 Sadly, I broke my egg and it was a double yolker.  These are my absolute favorite things to discover in the mornings, and it was wasted on frying.  Sigh. 

But this stuff is pretty tasty so I am ok with it.

I cut the end off the okra, I read online that you don't really have to but it just seemed rather necessary to me to remove it.  I cut a slit in the okra and stuffed my cream cheese/pepper jack cheese mix in it.  Like I said, I would either use less cream cheese next time or only pepperjack.

I whipped the egg and milk together with a fork and mixed up my dry batter in another bowl.  I dipped them (egg, dry, egg, dry again) and put them into some hot oil I had on the stove.  I only used a little oil because it is pricey and I think these are just fine shallow fried.

 Here they are frying away.  In another pan I was making spaghetti because I believe it is important to have a backup plan in mind when you are going to do something that is slightly odd.

Speaking of okra and odd, when I was a kid I used to dip fried okra in orange soda.  Or maybe it was Hi-C.  But I am pretty sure I remember carbonation, so I am thinking it was Orange Crush.  I am pretty sure I did it to gross out my sisters, but I must have liked it because it was not an isolated event...

I had sunkist in my vehicle in the garage today.  Don't think I did not consider it.

So it was a pretty weird meal eating these together but overall I thought they were good.  I would have liked them to be just a little spicier because I LOVE LOVE LOVE jalopeno poppers.  But a good start nonetheless.

I have very much been in the mood to start trying some new recipes again, so this was a perfect way to kick it off.

I am back from being home and did manage to do a small bit of straightening up in my apartment.  I also forced myself to wash dishes directly after dinner.  They say it takes 21 days to make something a habit and I am going to do it.  My whole postponing dishes until right before I go to bed or right before the next meal I cook is just getting to be too silly.  I wash things and then directly dirty them up again.  It is depressing! At least this way I will have some time between uses.


I am determined to develop better housekeeping skills.  I really need to do some serious organizational rehab here so that things have more of a place, but that is really just not on the radar for a while.  But throwing away scraps and junk is moving up on the priorities, keeping papers in a bin instead of wherever they land on my futon out of my backpack, and those darn dishes are all going to the front and center. 

I have managed to learn to make homemade bread, homemade ice cream, and a ton of other things, so the next frontiers in the domestic domain that I am after will have to be cleaning and sewing.  They say you really can't expect to be a one woman wonder and do it all yourself, but I say I can give it one heck of a try. 

Plus, let's face it, there is no harm done in some fresh made goods! I personally like the taste of fewer preservatives :).

I would love a homemade Christmas.  If Christmas was a cookie exchange I would be the happiest monkey in the banana tree.  I love cookies, I love homemade things, and I love family time.  I am hopeful that I can figure out some neato handmade gifts to give, although my brain has not been firing well at that just yet.  But I am more of a no sooner than December 1st type of Christmas shopper and crafter, so it is really nothing new.

No matter what happens tomorrow in the election I will love my country.  But I am BEGGING you to pray and VOTE.  As far as I am concerned, we need a new president.