Shag

So this sort of has to do with fashion, because hair and makeup are a HUGE part of that realm, but I was a model for a photoshoot yesterday.  It was for SHAG Salon in South Boston (http://shagboston.com/) where my best friend, Liz, is a stylist.  So I wore a beautiful Dolce Vita lace dress with some printed tights from Anthropologie and my triple fringe Minnetonka moccasins.  Another best friend, Maribeth, did my makeup, which was intense, as you can see. But then again, so was my hair...and outfit. But I feel like that's always "in" at some time or another-- edgy and loud. Here's a photo from the salon shoot:

and my purple-haired (people-eater) friend making fishtail braids

Pickles Comma Fried

Who doesn't like pickles? Get off my blog. Oh, you like pickles but only sweet ones? GROSS, leave, please.  Dill pickles are a wonderful creation and even better when fried...yes, fried. If this is weird to you, maybe you should get out more often and go to a fair or even Redbones once in a while.  I have been a long time consumer of said snack, and I started making them myself a couple months ago.  Wait, I forgot to mention that Claussen pickles are really one of the only brands of pickles that is actually worth your money.  "Always chilled, never heated"..I mean, really, that's their motto.  Of course that means that Claussens are a special breed, stocked in a refrigerated area of every supermarket they are sold in.  But, in this instance of fried-ness, the pickles are indeed heated.
Here's what I did:

start with your pickles- if the store you get them at has slices, do that, but if not, get wholes and slice them yourself.

luckily my mother is an amazing woman who owns a 1977 "Fry Daddy" (awesome, I know) and so that's what I used to heat the oil it, but you can use a deep pan or fryer of any sort.

picked some spices that would taste good for the batter; you can use your best judgement. If you don't have that, just use what I used.

I mixed the spices in with some flour- I used whole wheat, but APF works just as good if not better.  I also added some seasoned breadcrumbs into the mix for flavor.

This is a beaten egg with a splash of milk in it.

So, I took the sliced pickles (after drying them with a paper towel- you want them dry for frying!) and I dipped them from egg to flour mixture, twice.

dropped those babies into the hot oil, let them fry for a couple minutes, took 'em out..

and there you go, fried goodness in the form of a sliced pickle.

For a dipping sauce, which is a must-have, I used Marie's chipotle ranch. It was amazing to say the least, but honey mustard, ketchup, ranch, and other sauces are frequently used to compliment the fried pickles. These were also gone in minutes. Followed by "Double Dunker" (Turkey Hill) ice cream in a fudge dipped cone. Yup.

The Pilot

Since this is my first post, it's definitely going the be about the sushi I enjoyed at Sake in Mansfield, MA on  Monday.  Let's verify this with some food porn, shall we? Ahem:

(started with some shumai; steamed shrimp dumplings)

(ordered $35-worth of sushi)

(delicious)

(amazing)

(shrimp tempura sushi- my favorite)

I'm no sushi connoisseur, but I definitely crave it at LEAST once every couple weeks.  I tried this new (to me) spot in Mansfield and it was pretty great.  My friends and I ordered: california roll, shrimp tempura roll, avocado roll, sweet potato roll, and crazy roll (crispy, crab, etc), as well as an order of shumai.  For all my city-dwellers, there's no need to be discouraged; Boston is obviously full of great Japanese restaurants and sushi bars.  My go-to spot is on Boylston Street (walking distance from Hynes) and it's called Teriyaki House.  There's also a second location in South Boston by Andrew Station.  It's cheap AND delicious...does it get any better than that? Not Really....