What summer is all about...

This is a copy of a post I placed on my other blog, Sugar Creek Beads. Since some of my readers don't read that blog and this recipe is so good I thought I would put the post on here for your treat. Try this cause I know you'll love them.

This afternoon I called my Mom and let her know I was coming over to her place at the shore; she of course was thrilled and said "we'll have a picnic by the pool and you can fry up a few of the Vidalia onions I picked up this morning." Well, I didn't have to think twice about that because I am crazy about big fried onion rings and when they are made from Vidalias they are wonderful. Don't know Vidalias? Well, they are an amazingly sweet onion that are grown only in the summer and only in Vidalia, GA. They claim the sweetness in the onions come from the soil in that town and so if it wasn't grown in their soil you can't refer to any other sweet onion as a Vidalia. My recipe for the yummy onion rings are so good I thought I would share it with you.

Jeanne's Big Vidalia Fried Rings

Vegetable or canola oil for frying
2 large sweet Vidalia onions
2 cans Cold evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Remove the skins from the onions and slice them into fairly thick slices, I do 1/2 to 1 inch. Separate the rings by pushing them apart with your fingers. You will use even the small circles from the middle.
In a low sided dish, like a pie plate, pour in your cold evaporated milk. Cold is important it sticks better.
In another low sided dish dump in the flour and stir in the salt, pepper and cayenne pepper.
Dip the onion rings first into the milk and then the flour mixture. To add to the crunch you do it again, into the milk and then again into the flour. That doubles the coating and makes a great crunch when fried.
Drop the coated rings into the hot 350 degree oil in a deep fryer or a sauce pan you have half filled with the oil. Use only half the pan so it doesn't bubble over and cause a fire.
Only put 5 or 6 rings in the pan at a time so as not to lower the temperature of the oil. When the temperature gets low it causes the rings or anything you cook this way to get greasy.
Flip them around in the oil until they are golden brown, remove from the pan and drain on paper towels. Give them a sprinkle with salt while still warm.
Serve in your favorite serving basket or dish lined with a napkin or more paper towels.
Add the dipping sauce you whipped up to the table and watch them go really fast. So good and yummy!

I make a dipping sauce with 1 cup mayo and 1/4 cup ketchup, a shake or two of Worcestershire, squirt of a half of a lemon and a couple shakes of a good hot sauce. Spice it up like your taste buds like it. Mm mm good or sweating hot is up to you.

Try these at your next party or just because, you'll love the wonderful taste of summertime, crunchy, Vidalia.