Thanksgiving After Party: Fry it UP!

Happy Thanksgiving! I really enjoy this holiday. It's all about giving and thanks. I love both! Plus, the food and my family are always great company! I have the best husband and children a lady could ask for.

We tend to do things a little different in our part of the woods. My husband and I lived in a very touristy part of the world for a long time. Most of the people get holidays off to go home and spend with their families, shop, etc. Where we lived, this was the exact opposite. Everyone worked. It was ski season. No one left, and no one was really encouraged to come out, because it was usually bad weather, and it was also Black Out days for ski passes. Joy! Plus, a lot of our friends, were in the same boat as us. Family lived a LONG way away. So, my first year out here, I was introduced to the, and pardon the name, "Ski Bum Thanksgiving." A large group of us, who were all alone, got together and had our own "Family Thanksgiving." In the early years, there was a substantial amount of alcohol involved. It was fun. No one likes to be alone during the holidays, and we pretty much took it upon ourselves to make it what we all needed it to be.

Over the years, it evolved to actually include food. The people tended to change with the years, but these past few years, we've actually gotten a pretty stable group. 

We also discovered Frying Turkeys! This is definitely something you do outside of the house, but they taste pretty good. I was skeptical, but I've become a fan over the years.

One of the problems, I guess you could say, is that you spend a lot of money on the oil to fry the turkey in. Then after you're done frying the turkey (about an hour), you're done with it.

About 5 years ago, after our usual Turkey Frying feast, we started talking about the oil and the left overs. We had A LOT, of both. I used to work in a restaurant, when I was in high school. As I starred at the half eaten veggie platter, I remembered that we used to fry up pickles, and french fries. I'd also recently discovered a love of tempura asparagus. (SUSHI IS MY FAVORITE! and pretty much anything they serve at the restaurant, as long as it's not shellfish...that makes me itchy.)

Almost done frying! See all the goodies!

All our veggies ready to go! Onion rings, cream cheese stuffed mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, and asaragus!

Fresh from the turkey frier! They don't last long!

I put two and two together and threw the idea out there of having a fry fest! Who doesn't like things fried?? Well, almost everyone. A few people were skeptical at first, but we went home and mixed up some batter and dipped everything in there and fried it all up! It lasted about 5 minutes, and all the left overs were gone. It was pretty simple. I had also, remembered that we used to make Fried Ice Cream Balls! Since everyone seemed confused by the idea of what Fried Ice Cream was, I made some. HUGE HIT!

How do you make Fried Ice Cream?

It's pretty simple. Take Ice Cream. (Any flavor you like.) Get it soft enough that you can roll them into a ball, and roll them in a cornflake, cinnamon and sugar mixture to coat the balls. Freeze.

Make balls.

Roll Balls in Mixture.

Re-freeze Balls.

Remove once frozen and dip in beaten eggs, and then re-roll in the cornflake mixture to coat. Freeze again until use. 

Dip in egg, re-roll in mixture, freeze.

Pull these out, right before you fry them. Dip them in the hot oil (350 degrees) for about 30-45 seconds. If it starts to melt, it's too long! Pull out, put on a plate, top with ice cream toppings and ENJOY!!

Mine covered in hot fudge and sprinkles.

One covered in strawberry syrup and nuts.

One covered in strawberry syrup and sprinkles! Yum!

This has been our tradition ever since. We fry the turkey, and then saving the grease, we have a big "Left Over Fry Party!" the next few days! 

Confused as to what to do for stuffing? Let me help you! Roll it into little balls and fry them! Fried Stuffing Balls are awesome! 

This really is just a continuation on the whole day of Thanksgiving. We keep getting together and celebrate and have a great time eating. Plus, we never have to throw anything away, and  the party gets better and better each year, as we initiate our children into it!

Hope you have some really great ideas for some more Thanksgiving Traditions to start or pass along with your family and friends. Every year, everyone looks forward to this. Hope you guys do too!

Looking for some more recipes? Check out Caramel Apple Cider, Easy White Chicken Pizza, and Sloppy Cheeseburgers!

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Oh give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name, Make known His deeds among the peoples.
1 Chronicles 16:8


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