Fried Zucchini Blossoms

A few years ago, I made these Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms.  I wanted to make Zucchini Blossoms again, but this time, not stuffed.  I didn't have anything to stuff them with and I wanted to see what they were like just plain. I've had them at local food fests, but covered in sugar as a dessert.  I didn't want that, either; I wanted savory. Here in Italy, one can buy trays of just zucchini blossoms this time of year. I love them! I also love the baby zucchinis with the flower attached, to use in pasta.

I found a few recipes online and combined parts of them.  I mostly used an Epicurious recipe, and added a few beaten egg whites folded in for lightness.  I used sparkling water, and that combined with the whipped egg whites made the batter so incredibly light and fluffy; these were SO good, and fun to make too.  After we ate these we dipped other random things in the batter and fried and ate them all (basil leaves, pickles, Oreos.... strawberries.....)

Eat these right away... they start to get all weird and soggy if they sit too long.

Fried Zucchini Blossoms
adapted from Epicurious

Sunflower or Vegetable oil (for frying)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
12 ounce sparkling water, club soda or beer

2-3 egg whites, stiffly beaten (optional, but I recommend)
Zucchini blossoms, rinsed (stamens removed; about 2 dozen)
Sea salt

1.  In a large pot, heat about 2" oil (I used a small saucepan to reduce the amount of oil used... I also don't' know if I used 2 inches) over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer reads 350°. Combine flour and salt in a medium bowl, then whisk in water or beer until almost smooth (some small lumps are welcome—don't overwhisk or you'll deflate the batter). Fold in the egg whites.

2.  One by one, dredge the blossoms in batter, shaking off the excess; gently lay them in the oil, without crowding the pan. Cook, flipping once with a slotted spoon, until golden brown, 2-3 minutes total. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with sea salt and devour while hot.

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Ronda, Spain

On our trip to Spain, we took a day trip to Ronda with our rented car.  It was a beautiful drive through some national parks/forests, and we saw lots of olive and cork groves, plus even a chameleon crossing the road!!  I was so excited.  I used to see chameleons in the pine forests in Spain by my house.

Ronda is beautiful and historic.  We walked the tiny streets, got churros gordos con chocolate, visited the bullring, saw the bridge/gorge from above and below, strolled the gardens, and experienced a flamenco show, with tapas.  It was a great day.  The horse and carriage above was parked by the gardens near the bullring.  I recommend the Flamenco show.  It was at El Quinque.  I think it was 12 Euros a person and included a drink.  We ordered tapas on top of that.  No pics of food yet- I'm saving all the Spanish food pics for a seperate post.

We stopped for this view of Arcos on the way home.  We had planned on visiting it too, but were way too tired. Below, gorgeous wildflowers we saw on the drive home.  Spain the in the Spring is just gorgeous.

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Château de Cheverny

This castle was another favorite from our Loire Valley trip.  I loved the charming grounds of this one.  They were peaceful and serene.  The staff working here were so friendly.  We actually didn't plan on spending much time here- we were seeing many castles in one day.  But after entering, we stayed here a few hours.  We really enjoyed the on-site cafe, L'Orangerie.  We enjoyed a delicious lunch here between wandering the grounds and touring the inside of the chateau.  I noticed (later) on Tripadvisor, L'Orangerie has really bad reviews from 2017 about rude staff.  Well, we didn't have any problems; our waiter was very attentive.  He did seem nervous because of the language difference, but he was very good and kind to us.  And, they offered us tap water!!

Pics above and below- I finally got a Croque Monsieur Sandwich!  I've wanted one ever since high school French class.  Even though I've been to France a few times, I've never been able to find one (except a Croque McDo, on one late evening after walking around Paris all day.  But that doesn't count).

At L'Orangerie, my son ordered chicken nuggets from the kid's menu, and I loved that they came artfully arranged on a plate surrounded by salad, and he also got fruit and a cookie with it.  (No good pics of that, though.)

 We finished with French hot chocolate.

Cheverny is still occupied today, and they have a large kennel on the property with a ton of hunting dogs.  This was the only part I didn't like about Cheverny.  There's a ton of dogs all kept together in a too-small space, and they fight, and they smell bad, and I just feel bad for them.  A lot have tumors or open sores on them.  There was a sign in French that said they were healthy and well taken care of, but still.  The pic below is just a small number of dogs that are actually there.

Pic below is a stained-glass pic of the dogs and people, getting ready for a hunt.

The inside had rooms decorated with a special Lego display.  I don't think it's there all the time, but it was cool for the kids.  There were all sorts of large animals and other stuff built all with Legos. 

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Pics from Grand Teton 2017

We loved seeing Grand Teton National Park again last summer.  We saw so much beautiful scenery.  We also took a hike to Leigh Lake, which was serene and gorgeous.  We dipped our feet in the lake when we got there and relaxed.  We didn't really see any wildlife except birds and pronghorns.  Oh, we did see a herb of buffalo in the distance. 

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Scenes from Yellowstone

I just posted pics of the thermal features of Yellowstone, and here are the rest of the pics I want to share.  Mostly scenery and landscapes.  We had a great visit to Yellowstone in July 2017.  Hopefully we'll be able to get back again someday!

 In the pic above, you can see bear claw marks on the tree closest to the forefront.  

The sign at the trail head of a hike we went on.  Pretty scary.  These signs were everywhere.

This is near the Southern entrance; on our way to Grand Teton.

 Interior of Old Faithful lodge; above.  Old Faithful lodge from outside, on the left, pic below.

Old Entrance to the park at Gardiner, MT (North Entrance)- they don't use this as an entrance anymore.  

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The Grand Canyon- North Rim

I was going through old pictures from FOUR years ago and I realized I never posted pics of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon when we went on our Southwest trip.  We didn't go to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon; we loved the North Rim.  It's a lot less crowded, has awesome views, and nice cool weather even in the middle of the summer.  We went on some hikes and ate at the buffet in the dining room for lunch.  (It was good! I usually don't think National Park food is good at all.) Before eating, we sat out on the patio, overlooking the canyon, and were the only ones out there. The North Rim is great.  Here's the National Park's website to find out more info if you plan on going. Tons of pics below. Of course, these pics don't do justice to the grandeur you can see in person here.  It's amazing.

These are the outline of some ancient Native American dwellings- you are free to walk around and explore this area.

Highest point in the North Rim.

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