More Gameday Recipes: Fried Pickles & Guacamole

If this trend hasn't hit your area, you are missing out! What must have been created from a kitchen mishap, is now a very tasty appetizer - Fried Pickles.

Fried Dill Pickles
Perfect served with ranch salad dressing

1 quart dill pickles
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons red pepper
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 dashes of Tabasco sauce
1 cup beer
Vegetable oil for deep-frying

Drain the pickles and cut into thin or thick slices. Dredge in 1 cup of the flour and set aside. Combine the remaining 3/4 cup flour, the cayenne pepper, red pepper, black pepper, garlic salt and salt in a bowl and mix well. Add the Tabasco sauce and beer and mix well. Preheat the oil to 375 degrees. Dip the dredged pickles into the batter to coat. Deep fry in the hot oil until the pickles begin to float to the surface and are golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen





from My Mama Made That - The Junior League of Hampton Roads

Now, what's a party without guacamole? Whip this up and watch it disappear!

Roasted Corn Guacamole

1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 large avocados, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
1/4 cup chopped cliantro
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
1 teaspoon minced jalepeno pepper
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 -1/2 teaspoons sea salt

Toss the corn kernels with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a bowl. Spread on a baking sheet and roast at 450 degrees for 7 to 8 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Cool to room temperature.

Combine the corn with the avocados, tomato, cilantro, onion, jalapeno pepper and garlice in a bowl and mix well. Stir in the lime juice, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, vinegar, cumin and sea salt. Chill, covered, for up to 6 hours. Serve with tortilla chips.

Serves 12







from Notably Nashville - The Junior League of Nashville, Inc.

A Can-Do Attitude, Demonstrated in Spades

I began discussions with the Junior League of Sarasota about developing a cookbook to support their community efforts in 2001. For approximately 5 years, the mood of the League leadership was that cookbook sales were risky and too much work with not enough reward. Then along came Stacey Corley.

Stacey and her family had moved to Sarasota from Franklin, TN and Stacey had been a member of the Junior League of Nashville. While she had not been the chair for the development of Notably Nashville, she had worked on the committee and had witnessed first-hand that a well developed community cookbook was fun to develop and very profitable. While the League had been hesitant to move forward for years, the subject had never quite died down as there was a core of individuals who supported the concept.

With Stacey’s leadership, and the support of League President, Dee Dee Rice, the project was brought to the general membership for a vote. Once passed by the League members, Stacey and her team went to work. Stacey was fortunate to have a co-chair, Tanya Foster, who had been cookbook marketing chair for the Junior League of Ft Myers before transferring to the Sarasota League. Tanya, too, was a big believer in community cookbooks and these two ladies teamed up to garner great support.

They raised over $85,000 in sponsorships, some were in-kind donations for services such as photography, food styling, etc. Simply Sarasota came together beautifully, and gained interest from the local media at the cookbook's launch party. The title sold 10,000 copies in just six months and is now about to go into it’s third printing. Current marketing chair, Kathleen Peterson had this to say about Simply Sarasota.

“Currently in its second printing, Simply Sarasota has raised over $120,000. Support from The Junior League of Sarasota and our many corporate sponsors and partners have been the major reasons for the on-going success of our cookbook. But, after just cracking the cover, it’s easy to see why it’s so wonderful. Variety in the recipes, relatively few ingredients, and ease of preparation please both experienced and beginning cooks and bakers. Not to mention, the beautiful color photography of Sarasota is like a vacation to Florida in a cookbook.

The monies raised from the sale of Simply Sarasota are used to fund the Junior League’s projects. Our central focus this year was the Child Protection Center, a safe place for children who have been abused. Our League worked closely with the Center to build a fenced-in playground for the children and to paint the entry hall with a colorful mural. Hopefully, these additions to their facility will provide children who have already experienced so much with an ability to play in a protected environment.

Since Simply Sarasota is moving into its fourth year, the League is looking to alter its marketing strategies to reach a wider audience. This year, we would like to experiment with social media, widen our corporate and wholesale partner base, and offer more tastings in more locations.

Seth Godin’s new book, Linchpin, theorizes that leadership is a choice we all have. I can assure you that if Seth had interviewed Stacey Corley he would classify her as a linchpin. Her efforts, along with the League members have made a huge contribution to the community of Sarasota through their efforts in the development and sale of Simply Sarasota.

What have you done lately to “lead by doing” rather than simply talking about something that needs to be done?