Onion Rings

It feels a bit wrong to label this post as a "vegetable" dish. I don't really know what nutrients are in onions to begin with, but I'm pretty sure there were none in these by the time I ate them. Maybe I should have a category called "Breaded & Deep-Fried"...

It really isn't that often that I go the whole hog and deep fry something, but if you've ever been pregnant, you understand the power of food cravings... power that will even cause you to consume food that you KNOW will give you miserable heartburn. And with no husband home this evening to tell me how gross he thinks onions are (I can't understand him), tonight was the perfect time to cave in and try making my own onion rings for the first time. Behold one of the marvels of the world.

The only problem with this recipe is that it was so easy, I will be tempted to make it FAR too often (kind of like the dangerous chocolate cake in a mug). I can't even explain just how much I adore onion rings. I have already promised myself that when I am no longer pregnant, I will make the whole recipe just for myself. Ahh, bliss.

Ten points for me for remembering to take step-by-step pictures!

Old-Fashioned Onion Rings
From: allrecipes.com

You'll need:

1 large onion, cut into 1/4" slices (I only used half the onion... I felt I was pushing my luck with the heartburn as it was)
1 1/4 c flour
1 t baking powder
1 t salt
1 egg
1 c milk
3/4 c bread crumbs (I used Italian and it was AWESOME. I also skipped the seasoned salt.)
seasoned salt, to taste
oil for frying

Heat your oil in a deep fryer (does anyone really own one of those?) or in a deep saucepan. (I heated mine on medium-low - 3 out of 10, to be exact - and it was perfect. Don't burn your oil. Yuck.)

Separate the onion slices into rings and set aside. Get out a wire rack and put some foil or wax paper under it... trust me.

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Dip the onion slices in this mixture until they're coated and set aside.

Using a fork, whisk the egg and milk into the flour mixture. Dip the floured rings into the batter and place on the wire rack to set until the batter stops dripping. (This only takes a minute or two.)

Spread the bread crumbs in a shallow bowl or plate. Dip the battered rings in the crumbs and scoop the crumbs over them to coat.

Deep fry in oil for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.

Stop drooling. Seriously.

Drain on paper towels.

Season with seasoned salt if you want. Otherwise, grab the ketchup and get busy.