I believe I have two specific areas I really enjoy! Perhaps some may refer to them as "passions"! In either case, one thing I really enjoy is working with wood, creating useful and decorative items from simple pieces of wood. It would take me all day to list the things I've built just for our own home...and even then I'd likely forget a handful of items! The other item I really enjoy is trying to recreate a flavorful meal I've enjoyed somewhere else or trying to create a tasty meal or treat that I have simply heard about!  And NO! I am certainly NOT always successful!  And while there is a degree of disappointment when I fail to hit the target, there is a huge amount of satisfaction when I get a Bulls Eye, hit a grand slam or score a TD!

Plantains fall into the Bulls Eye category! Well, at least some of the time they do!  I can not recall ever eating them anywhere outside of my home and I believe I had simply heard about eating plantains and wanted to try them myself!  I researched a little about how to prepare them and thought, "I can do this!".  The recipe is pretty straightforward so why not just try to prepare them myself? So I did!

One of the challenges of preparing plantains at home is determining WHEN they are ready (ripe enough) to prepare!  Unfortunately, every time I have purchased plantains, they are at a different stage of ripening so I can't just "start the timer"!  It is a trial and error process, trying to determine WHEN to peel, slice and cook the plantain.  All research suggests that the entire plantain should appear like a banana that is "over-ripe"!  While bananas are NOT ideal when they appear to have bruises all over, with plantains, that is apparently the ideal time to cook them!

While my wife does not always share my enthusiasm for exploring new dishes, she does enjoy most of the items I am lucky enough to prepare successfully! The one exception (so far) is plantains! They just do not appeal to her! So, for a number of years I have bought, prepared and eaten them all by myself! Until, that is, my sister-in-law heard about me eating them regularly and remembered eating and enjoying them some years back! On one occasion, when she came to visit us, she actually asked if we could prepare some plantains during her visit so she could learn a little more about them, how to prepare them and how to actually cook them.  I happily agreed and I have to admit, I was pretty excited to have someone to be part of the preparation process AND to enjoy sharing them like the treat I have come to believe they are! I keep referring to her as my sister-in-law, but she is more like a sister to me! I just love her so much and always look forward to her visits!  She and my wife spend hours just talking, reminiscing, laughing and enjoying each other's company!  I really do enjoy having her visiting us and I always hate to see her leave!

So, if you have ever heard of plantains and wondered if they are something you might enjoy, they are a very easy food item to prepare!

They look very much like bananas and are in the produce section of most grocery stores.  They are very reasonably priced.  I usually purchase two if they are pretty large or three if they aren't too large since I am the only one that eats them (unless my sister (in-law) is visiting)! HAHA!

When they start looking like a banana that should be thrown out due to so many dark, bruised areas all over them, peel them and slice them into 1/2" thick slices! I have read that I should slice them at a slight angle, so I try to do that, but it is NOT required! Once peeled and sliced, all that is left is to simply fry them.  I fry them one of two ways.  I sometimes fry them in a pan on the stove top, but more often than not, I use a deep fat fryer to cook them because it is so much easier to clean up! If you fry them on the cooktop and your oil is not too deep, you will need to flip them.  Even in the deep fryer a few will have to be flipped every now and then due to them "floating"!  I generally use simple vegetable oil, nothing fancy is required! As you can see by the photos below, I prefer to cook mine a wee bit longer than some folks might!  Experience suggests, at least for my taste buds, that the darker they are, the better they are! The ideal end product, this is only my opinion, is just slightly sweet and has an almost crispy outside with a yellowish fully cooked, almost "gooey" inside!

If you decide to give plantains a try, let me know what you think about them! Did they surprise you with their sweet flavor?  Did you feel more like you were eating a treat than "eating healthy"? Let me know your thoughts!

Thanks for visiting my site, blog or whatever is the proper term for this little thing I have going on here!  I have no idea if I am accomplishing anything, but it serves to make me feel like I am sharing a little of my life with others who I have never met or interacted with!

I hope that if you find yourself at this site, that you will comment on any of the subjects I have discussed so far and maybe even suggest a subject/topic, ask a question about building something around your home or share a recipe!  Also, please feel free to ask any questions you may have and if I don't have the answer, I will do my best to steer you towards someone that does!