Good Morning! 🙂
Thanks for all the lovely ideas for preparing okra. It seems the majority of people would roast okra or make okra fries. I looked online and found a recipe to follow. You can find it *here*.
First I washed and dried my okra, then cut off the tops and cut the okra into 4 thin slices.
Okra is pretty cute, with the little white seeds inside. Then I mixed the spices and canola oil in a large bowl and then tossed in the okra. Once the oven was preheated, I laid the okra on a prepared baking sheet and sprinkled on a little more sea salt:
Ok, into the oven they go. The recipe claimed that okra burns really easily, and that 8-10 minutes is enough time. It wasn’t. My okra “fries” were slimy and limp. So I baked them for a few more minutes. Still slimy and limp. Finally they ended up baking for 20 minutes total, so I took them out, thinking they would “crisp” up eventually.
Nope. Still slimy and limp. Gross texture and gross taste. Where did I go wrong? The recipe’s picture looked so good: crispy and crunchy baked okra fries. I’ll try again. Maybe I’ll try roasting them whole next time?
Ok, now a fun topic. What is your dream vacation? J and I have decided to take a trip next Spring. We’ve never taken an actual vacation together. Sure, we’ve traveled before, but it was for work or to visit family/friends. I want to take a vacation where it is just us! Some ideas:
An all inclusive resort I loved all of Gina’s posts about her honeymoon trip. I would love to go to a place like this, with white sand and turquoise water, good food and good drinks. 🙂
A cruise – where? What cruise line? I have no idea about these things, have any of you taken a cruise? Any tips on what to look for?
Washington DC J has never been here and I’ve been here twice. I think he would love to see the memorials, monuments, museums and all of the history. This would be a fun trip, but maybe not as romantic as the others 🙂
Disney World Neither of us have been here before, and I’ve always wanted to! We would definitely need tips on where to stay, which parks are the best, etc.
(Although I’d love to go to Europe one day, I think we want to stay in the US or close by in the Caribbean – at least for this vacation)
We have plenty of time to plan and prepare, but I’m excited and want to get it all ready NOW. Any suggestions, tips, ideas are welcome. Bring them on!
Plans: Swim with the kiddos (2 nieces and my nephew!) Run a few miles Relax Make Pecan Pie Babies and maybe some other treats Read a little OB before bed –Questions:
Any idea where I went wrong with the okra? Should I just roast it whole?
What are your suggestions for our dream vacation?
August 10, 2010 at 7:02 am
Aw, that’s too bad about the okra, wish I could help you out! If you want to relax on your vacation I would suggest a cruise. Disney is tiring but so much fun, it’s the kind of vaca that needs another vaca to recover. haha Good luck!
August 10, 2010 at 7:27 pm
I’m not too bummed if I never enjoy okra 🙂
August 10, 2010 at 8:05 am
Cruises are fun and easy because everything is taken care of and it’s pretty relaxing!
I prefer vacations that are ‘off the beaten path’ … like our honeymoon… we went to Young Island and it was awesome and secluded!’
There are also some obscure islands off the coast of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina that I hear are awesome 🙂
Have fun planning!
August 10, 2010 at 7:28 pm
Good suggestions, thank you!
J and I stayed in a little cabin in northern MN for our honeymoon — it was perfect because we were completely secluded.
August 10, 2010 at 8:34 am
I am yet to cook with Okra so I can not help you there 😦 they do look good…sorry it didn’t turn out though. Trail and error I guess!
My dream vaca is Hawaii, although Michael will not go, he says its too long a plane ride…boooooo 😦
We usually go to Vegas every year, its a great time bc theres SO much to do, and they have everything..food, pools, shopping, gambling, night life,AMAZING shows, tourist stuff during the day…and if you wanted to you could take a day trip to The Grand Canyon! I would also LOVE to go to Napa…or one of the Islands..although, M is not much for beaches and relaxing, he can’t sit still!
August 10, 2010 at 7:29 pm
Oh Napa would be beautiful! And I would love to do all that wine tasting!
August 10, 2010 at 8:48 am
I’ve never tried cooking okra, so I’m afraid I’m no help at all!
As for vacations though – well, first of all, how exciting!! Second: I would vote for the Caribbean trip, D.C., or Disney World (I love that it’s in the running!). I personally had a not-so-hot experience on a cruise (I didn’t like feeling ‘stuck’ on a boat… I’m sure it’s better on *nicer* cruise lines though 😉 I was on Carnival.). I love D.C. and I think it could be romantic as well as providing lots of amazing things to do. And Disney World is just such fun and you have go there once in your lifetime!!
August 10, 2010 at 7:30 pm
I was afraid of that “stuck” feeling on a cruise — but I thought there were some with “stops” and let you get off for a day or two? Not sure. I have lots of reserach to do!
August 10, 2010 at 9:35 am
Besides the all-inclusive, I’ve been to these places! I’m not a huge fan of cruises, though like previous commenter said, I’ve been on the affordable lines (Royal Caribbean). They are also difficult for us healthy eaters – as most of the food seems processed and obviously made to feed lots of mouths.
Disney is my choice! I stayed at the Wilderness Lodge and it seriously is so difficult to NOT be happy there. We did park hopping, so we were able to see all the parks and I really enjoyed Epcot and the park with the safari 🙂 So much fun!
My dream vacation is Bora Bora…still convincing the Fiance on that one for our Honeymoon.
August 10, 2010 at 7:31 pm
Good thought about the food choices on a cruise ship — I don’t want to end up eating iceberg lettuce salads the whole time.
August 10, 2010 at 9:57 am
The husband and I went on a cruise for our honeymoon and loved it. It was great! We were on a Carnival ship. Right now we’re looking to book at an all-inclusive place for his spring break next March. We’ve never done one but I have heard good things.
And Disney is always a fun choice!
August 10, 2010 at 7:32 pm
That is so nice! I sometimes wish J and I went on a trip like that for our honeymoon. I hope to go on a cruise some time, if not next year.
August 10, 2010 at 12:32 pm
Like you, every time I’ve had okra it’s been slimy…not sure what the deal is! I’m lucky enough to be going on my dream vacation in October…to Egypt! I’m so excited!
Personally, I’m still a kid at heart and I always have a blast when I go to a theme park, so Disney World/Universal Studios might be a ton of fun. If you are going for romantic, I would definitely stick with the tropical resort scenario!
August 10, 2010 at 7:34 pm
Have a great time in Egypt! What a neat place to visit!
August 10, 2010 at 1:01 pm
Can’t help with the okra – sorry!
Haven’t been on a cruise, but have visited various islands: Jamaica, St. Lucia, Barbados, Grand Cayman, Puerto Rico. My favourite was St. Lucia – we honeymooned there. But the beach on Grand Cayman is THE BEST – but not a lot of all inclusives there. Every island is different, so your choice will likely depend on what you want to do on vacation 🙂
I love Disney! We went last year and stayed at the Boardwalk Villas, which is pretty close to Epcot. I think I would have enjoyed something with a monorail stop better, but that’s because my favourite park is still Magic Kingdom 🙂 We chose the villas because we were travelling with my kids and parents, so it was more convenient. It was nice because there was a kitchen and we could easily have breakfast there. We have stayed away from the park before, too, and that was good, but we also had a car. If it’s going to be Disney the whole time, I’d stay within the park and consider a meal plan, too.
Have fun planning! You’ll have a great time 🙂
August 10, 2010 at 7:35 pm
I will look in St. Lucia — I really don’t know anything about the islands yet. Thanks for the recommendations!
August 10, 2010 at 1:39 pm
I haven’t had much luck roasting okra either. I usually add it to chili and stuff, but that’s about it.
So glad you can plan a fun vacation! That’s the best! My dream is to travel to Australia and New Zealand…or Fiji! I love lazy days and beach days.
If you’re looking for some excitement, Disney is the place. My boyfriend and I have been twice and loved it. I’ve also spent time in DC and enjoyed every second. It’s a fabulous city. I’d say to consider whether you want a relaxed vacation (cruise or resort) or active vacation (Disney/new city). Have fun planning!
August 10, 2010 at 7:56 pm
That is what I can’t figure out — if I’d rather do things and have fun, or just relax and rewind.
August 10, 2010 at 2:09 pm
I don’t do okra for that exact reason. It always turns out slimy for me and I hate it. Blech!
For the vacay – a cruise or Disney top my list. Or a visit to Chicago. I really want to go there.
August 10, 2010 at 7:57 pm
It is nice to hear that I’m not the only one who gets slimy okra! Yuck.
August 10, 2010 at 3:06 pm
I’ve never tried okra fries before, but in my limited experience– okra is very slimy and limp! So I’m not sure what you could do to fix that! I assumed that’s why people always preferred the fried version. 😉
Hope you like the Pecan Pie babies! Now I want to make another batch so I’m not jealous!!
August 10, 2010 at 7:58 pm
I’m sure fried okra is great — no sliminess!
The pecan babies turned out great — I’m having one right now!
August 10, 2010 at 5:30 pm
GO TO DISNEY WORLD. Tyler and I are going to go there the first opportunity we have the time and $$. It is the funnest place I have ever been in my life. And it really is kinda romantic! There’s a fireworks/music show EVERY NIGHT over this beautiful man-made body of water and you can dance and stuff. It is seriously… Amazing. Can’t wait to go back.
And Epcot center is amazing. And the rides… OK, seriously, go there.
August 10, 2010 at 7:59 pm
I do want to go there sometime — I’m just not sure if I want to go next year.
August 10, 2010 at 6:30 pm
I am sad to say that what went wrong with your okra is that it is okra. It is slimy…ugh. Sorry, that is probably the only vegetable that I can’t remotely choke down. Now for vacation…I want to go back to France! I loved it so much! I would also like to go to Ireland and Greece. Can’t wait to see what you decide!
August 10, 2010 at 8:00 pm
Ok I officially feel like I didn’t fail okra — it is just a veggie that I probably will never like!
August 10, 2010 at 6:43 pm
Glad to see you went with the fries!! But sorry they failed
everytime I’ve seen them they were roasted whole, so yeah..that might be necessary but I’m not sure.
I’m not sure what my dream vacation would be. I love the city, beach, moutains, lake..everywhere pretty much. I think just as long as I’m with loved ones it’d be great. Oh, and a major plus if it was free 😛
August 10, 2010 at 8:00 pm
I would love a free vacation too!
August 10, 2010 at 7:59 pm
haha…i know what you mean. i’ve travelled a LOT with my husband, but never really gone on vacation, it’s always to see the family. (guess that’s what happens when you live so far away.)
my dream vacation would be London, Italy, or Greece. if i had to do it over again, i’d probably choose moving to Europe over Australia. love it here and all, but the culture isn’t that different from back home (and i really wanted a culture shock.) i’m not sure i have any suggestions for your trip (sorry!) i haven’t really toured the States or the Caribbean. oh – but i’d LOVE to see Napa Valley! that’s definitely on my wish list 🙂
August 10, 2010 at 8:01 pm
That is 2 votes for Napa Valley, which I didn’t consider until now. That sounds lovely and I will def have to look into that more!
August 10, 2010 at 8:18 pm
I’m not sure why your okra fries didn’t turn out. Mine were sodden last time, too, but I used frozen ones. Do you have a convection oven? If not, maybe turn up the heat a bit to 450, and turn/shake them frequently. Other than that, sorry it was a fail!
I don’t recommend a cruise. It sorta gets claustrophobic, even in the off-seasons, because you’re body-to-body the entire time where anything fun is. The food is fine, though — I went Royal Caribbean, which is sorta “low brow”, but they had all sorts of veggie fare and even had an Indian Vegetarian section, which was my favorite. 😀 And their stops are always to touristy places, where you’re bothered by hawkers the entire time.
I third Napa, really. 😀 I’ve never been, but it just sounds awesome.
August 10, 2010 at 9:15 pm
oh yum i LOVE the way you made the okra fries-i have got to get my hands on some okra-going to the FM tomorrow.
i would go to italy for sure 🙂
August 11, 2010 at 11:43 am
Regarding the okra .. if you’re really anxious to try again (and I wouldn’t blame you if you’re not!), you might try salting the cut okra and allowing it to rest for 30min++ before you roast it. It’s soggy/slimy because it has a ton of water in it and salting the okra will “sweat” a lot of that water out.
August 11, 2010 at 11:48 am
Thank you for the tip! That makes alot of sense!
August 13, 2010 at 4:14 am
Ah, dream vacations. I would most probably choose the all inclusive resort, it’s so easy and relaxing. Your days are spent by the pool, reading and enjoying the sun and then with LOTS of delicious food 😛
My dream vacation would be a longer trip to Asia or Caribbean!
September 15, 2010 at 6:55 am
[…] you could go anywhere in the US for a vacation, where would you go? I’ve asked you all this before, but I love hearing more and more ideas. Jason and I are planning a vacation for next Spring. We […]