This week is a big week for food.  It’s Thanksgiving, and if you are anything like me it means that counting calories is off limits and you are going to enjoy all sorts of tasty food while enjoying time with family and football.  Thanksgiving foods are some of the best home cooked examples of food that is good for your soul that I can think of.  Delicious turkey, honey ham, casseroles, potatoes, pies, pies, and pies all have a special place on the table and in my heart.  Can you tell what my favorite Thanksgiving foods are?  Oh yeah, I love pie.

I could not be more excited about fall.  I’m not so sure why it is more exciting this year than previous years, but it is.  When I was growing up the fall meant back to school, pumpkins, and the state fair.  You see down in the south the fairs have to be held in the fall otherwise it would be way too hot for the people and the animals.

Kakiage is a fried mixture of sliced vegetables like sweet potato, green beans, carrots, and radish, and can also contain small shrimp or pieces of roast pork if desired.  The vegetables are made into very small groupings and dipped into tempura batter, then deep fried using chopsticks to hold them together in little packets while they cook.  During the time they are held together in the hot oil, the tempura batter glues them to one another, while providing a golden exterior crunchiness to the vegetables.