Onion Rings – Nana Helen Style

We learned the French Dip a couple days ago and now we are going to talk Onion Rings. Nana Helen found the recipe while watching the show Mad Hungry. You can find it HERE.

About Nana Helen:

My mom is a hillbilly. We live in Maryland but my Mom and Dad both grew up in the Hollers of West Virginia/Virginia. Both of their fathers were coal miners. Our normal fare is Pinto Beans, Corn Bread, Fried Chicken, Greens, etc. Mom has always been a housewife and mother, a darn good one at that. She started cooking when she 7 years old. She didn’t have the best home life and for years she cooked, cleaned, and did all the household duties. She married my dad February 14th, 1963 and had my brother 5 years later and me 6 years after that. For as long as I can remember my Mom has cooked from scratch. The dining room table was always the center of the house and my whole growing up years we had dinner every night. Of course has my brother and I got older, graduated, etc things changed. We were to busy to have family style meals. After a divorce I moved back in with my parents. Now my daughters are enjoying all the things I did growing up. My Mom was afraid of these posts because she knew the food wouldn’t  look perfect like you see on the shows, websites, and magazines. I told her that was the point. We are not all Martha Stewarts and we should all be proud of the food we make.

Onion Rings- Let’s Start:

There aren’t as many pics with this one as there were with the other but I think there are enough to get you going. Nana Helen was so excited with all her comments. She wanted me to thank you for being so kind and generous in your thoughts. She is so excited to bring you more recipes. As long as you guys are enjoying them she will keep doing it!

1. Peel, wash, and slice your onions. Nana Helen tried to slice hers a little thicker than usual. She said it helps the batter adhere better.

2. Place sliced onions in pan of cold water. Nana Helen actually put hers in the fridge for 20 minutes so they would be nice and chilled.

3. Measure your batter ingredients into a large bowl. Using a wire whisk, beat until smooth.

4. On a large plate place your onion rings one at a time until they cover the bottom of the plate. Take care to make only one layer. Place a paper towel over them and start placing again until you have them stacked. Let them drain and dry thoroughly.

5. Drop a few drops of your onion ring batter into hot oil. If it puffs up and starts to brown your batter is finished. Nana Helen says you can also use a thermometer but this works just the same and saves you money

6. Fry your onion rings a few at a time in batches. Make sure they are golden brown on both sides.

7. Drain your onion rings on a paper towel. You can use the stacking method you used to drain them.

8. Keep doing that until you have fried all your onion rings. This is what they will look like when you are done:

This is what it looks like on the plate: ( it tasted as good as it looks) and Nana Helen says save yourself some work. This meal is perfect for paper plates!

Here are a couple of funny pictures.

We got a big kick out of this because it looked like a chicken: ( sorry it is so blurry)

Cooking is all about family and when we are cooking my girls are always in the kitchen:

Nana Helen is hoping you will share some of your favorite recipes with her. Is there anything you would like for her to try and make? If so let us know!

Till We Dish Again,

Bobbie and Nana Helen