Well, it appears that the sweet and savory kick that I’ve been on lately is alive and well everyone.  As proven here.

Annnd, I’m sure some of you are happy, and some of you .. uh, not-so-much, but wherever you fall on that scale.. this little onion ring mash-up deserves at least a tiny little chance.  You won’t be sorry!

I’m talking about crispy, slightly spicy, cinnamony, onion rings that not only bring that classic fun and flavor to your table, but also offer a tasty twist on our favorite sweet snack.. CHURROS!  Yeahh, Churros!

Oh, I know how crazy this sounds to regular folks, and by “regular folks”, I basically mean anyone who isn’t me..lol!  But these flavors work.. like, they really-really work!  .. in your mouth, in your heart, in your soul.. on. your. table!

~What you’ll need:

1-2 large white onions

1 cup pancake mix

1 cup crushed cinnamon toast crunch cereal

1 egg

1 cup milk.. or water

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup cinnamon/sugar mix

1 dash of cayenne pepper..to taste

oil for frying..I used veg

caramel sauce/topping..for dipping

Directions:

In the food processor (or with muscles) ..crush up the cinnamon toast crunch into fine crumbs.  ..set aside..

In a bowl, combine the pancake mix, crushed cereal, egg, cinnamon, and milk until well blended..

The batter should be like a pancake batter consistency…

Slice the onions into approx. 1/8-1/2″ thickness…

In a med bowl, combine the cinnamon/sugar with a dash of cayenne pepper…

Coat each onion ring generously in the batter, and place into the hot (350 degree) oil.  Fry until they’re golden on all sides…

Generously coat the hot onion rings with the cinnamon/sugar mixture…

Serve therm up…

And don’t forget the caramel sauce for delectable dipping…

And if you can, use a plate to keep things.. um… clean.

These can get a bit messy… but you won’t care!  ~Enjoy!  🙂

The post ~Churro Onion Rings! first appeared on Oh Bite It.

Sometimes things are just better together.. this is most evident when it comes to food!  Especially when it comes to pleasing a picky crowd of starving snackers!  

This time, I thought it would be fun to magically morph 2 of the most popular crispy-fried foods known to mankind.. yep, fried pickles AND onion rings!  Why not?  It’s almost like that hole in the center of the onion ring was made for a sassy slice of pickle.  Top it all off with a crunchy coating of pretzels, and NOW the good times can begin!

And the outcome is pure deliciousness!  Make a huge batch, and see for yourself! 🙂

What you’ll need:

2 med/jg onions

pickle slices.. your fave variety

2 cups crushed pretzels

1.5 cups flour

1 cup panko bread crumbs

2 eggs

1 splash of milk or cream

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. paprika

oil for frying

Directions:

Crush up the pretzels, either in a food processor, or by hand, and set aside…

Add the panko into the pretzel crumbs, and mix to incorporate…

Set up 3 bowls:  1. eggs and splash of milk or cream  2. flour with some paprika 3. pretzel crumbs and panko

Slice up the onions into 1/8″ rings (you want them approx. the thickness of your pickle slices)

Now, place one pickle slice into the center of the onion ring, if necessary, cut the onion ring and wrap it around the pickle.. secure with a toothpick…

Freeze them for about 15 minutes or so, while your oil heats up to 350 degrees

Coat each onion ring in the flour…

..then into the egg,

..and then into the crumbs…

Fry them up until they’re evenly golden..  serve them up, and LOVE THEM!  ~Enjoy! 🙂

The post ~Pretzel Crusted FRIED PICKLE STUFFED ONION RINGS! first appeared on Oh Bite It.

Sometimes individual foods we’ve lived with for years ..and years, actually belong together, and we’ve lived our lives enjoying them separately without realizing that combined, they’d be a match made in snack-heaven!  

Like, how in the world have we never wrapped an onion ring in creamy, deliciously seasoned, mashed potatoes… fried them up.. AND then plunged them deep into a small vat of warm brown gravy ..until today?  .. How?  

Let me tell you.. better late than never, because these things are beyond.. BEEYOND amazing, and almost worth the time we’ve waited for them to come to life.  

Each onion ring is bursting with all things mashed potato..  I’m talking about crispy, golden-crusted mashed potatoes that hug those tender onion rings with love!  

~Dip them into that brown gravy and OMG~  it’s an out-of-body experience!

Delight everyone.. and make LOTS!

What you’ll need for approx. 24 onion rings:

2 med/lg. white onions

3 cups mashed potato flakes.. or already prepared mashed potatoes

1 cup dry bread crumbs

1 lg. egg

salt, pepper, and any other seasonings you like in your mashed potatoes

brown gravy for dipping

oil for frying

Directions:

in a medium bowl prepare the mashed potatoes.. adding in the egg and mixing well to combine…

you want it to form together when you smush it…

Now slice your onions into onion rings and dip each on into the bread crumbs, just so the potatoes have something to stick to.

Then using your hands and authority lol, form the mashed potatoes all the way around the onion rings as best as you can.. if some onion peeks through it’s just fine…

Then into the bread crumbs for a golden coating…

Now they’re ready to fry…

 fry them just until golden on all sides,..

serve them up…

And don’t forget the best part.. the BROWN GRAVY dip! ~Enjoy!  🙂

The post ~Mashed Potato Onion Rings! first appeared on Oh Bite It.

Have you ever had one of those light bulb moments, where you wonder how you’ve made it ‘this’ far without ever trying something so seemingly obvious?  Well.. this is one of those moments!  How I’ve never thought to stuff a mini wheel of cheese inside onion rings, coat them in salty cracker crumbs.. and deep fry them to a golden crisp until now, is a mystery.. but better late than never.. right?!  RIGHT!

If ever there was a culinary union meant to collide.. THIS is it!  <3 

Not only do these bursting beauties taste amazing, with the toasty/salty cracker-crumb-coated, deep fried onions, and the uhhmmm..exploding mozzarella center, but just LOOK at these babies.. O M G!  LOOK!  

One deep dunk into some cool, creamy Ranch dressing, and whatever was left of your willpower is all but gone – like.. Buh-bye!  

Make these for game day.. or movie night.. or date night (only if you REALLY like your date lol).. and you will be an instant onion ring hero!

Make LOTS!

What you’ll need:

2-3 large white onions

Babybel Mini Mozzarella.. one per onion ring

1 sleeve of saltine crackers

1 cup flour

2 eggs

oil for frying

ranch for dipping

Directions:

In a food processor, or with a zipper bag and muscles.. crush up the crackers into a fine crumb…

Slice the onions approx. 1/4″ thick, and place one babybel mozzarella into the center, trying your best to match the onions with the cheese for a snug fit.. Take a moment and giggle to yourself about how the cheese looks like PacMan.  Place them onto a sheet pan.

..then place them into the freezer for at least 20 minutes or so…

Prepare 3 shallow bowls.. one with the flour, one with the beaten eggs, and one with the cracker crumbs.

Generously coat the FROZEN stuffed onion rings first with the flour…

Then into the egg…

And then into the crumbs.. coat them very well with the delicious crumbs..

Place them back onto the sheet pan, and back into the freezer for another 45 mins or so…

Heat the oil to 350 degrees, and fry them up one at a time, until evenly golden, and slightly drippy cheese peeking through…

Serve them super warm/hot…

With some ranch for dipping…

And sink down deep into cheesy onion ring BLISS!  ~Enjoy!  🙂

The post ~Mozzarella Onion Rings! first appeared on Oh Bite It.

It’s such a beautiful thing when two delicious worlds collide isn’t it?  There’s just something so unique about the union of two tasty treats coming together to give life to a brand new doubly delicious tasty treat.  🙂

This is one of those unions.  I’ve taken classic mac n cheese and magically merged them with crispy and crunchy onion rings.  Make sure you’re sitting down when you eat these babies, because they are life-changing.

Each glorious onion ring is beer battered for a light and crispy crunch on the outside, ..and then they’re warm, cheesy, and OH SO gooey on the inside, as that mac n cheese makes its way through your mouth and into your soul.

Pile them nice and high for a huge WOW factor~

~Whip these up for the next movie night, or game day, and you will be the snack MVP!

What you’ll need:

• 2-3 med/large onions, cut into 1⁄2-inch rounds
• 2 quarts peanut oil
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1⁄2 cup cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon baking powder (not shown)
• 1⁄4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄2 teaspoon paprika (not shown)
• 3/4 cup OR SO light-flavored beer (such as Modelo), ice-cold
• 

Preheat the oil to 375°F in a large wok or a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and paprika in a medium bowl and whisk together…

Slowly add the beer to the flour mixture, whisking constantly until the batter has texture of thick paint (you may not need all of the beer).

The batter should leave a trail if you drip it back into the bowl off the whisk. Do not over mix; a few small lumps are OK…

Dip one frozen and stuffed onion ring in the batter, making sure that all surfaces are coated, lift it out, letting the excess batter drip off, and add it to the hot oil by slowly and CAREFULLY lowering it in with your fingers until just one side is sticking out, then dropping it in…

Fry, flipping the rings halfway through cooking, until they are deep golden brown…

Serve them warm and gooey…

Don’t forget to share… ??!

Or NOT!  ~Enjoy! 🙂

The post ~Mac n Cheese Stuffed Onion Rings! first appeared on Oh Bite It.

Sometimes you just need to change things up, switch things around.. reinvent a classic, you know.. just to keep things interesting.  And this is one of those times.

After recently indulging in enjoying a very large small portion of onion rings, it got me thinking (well, maybe it was the margarita(s) that got me thinking, but I digress) “hmm.. I wonder why onions get all the deep fried ‘ring glory’?”  I mean, onions are good, but are they the only thing that can ever be made into “rings” good??  .. Nooo, I think not.

What if someone (me) .. wanted a sweet, dessert-style ‘ring’, a hot, crispy, sweet & succulent, sugar-filled, not savory RING?!  …and here we are!  🙂

I ditched those onions and traded them in for ummm.. doughnuts, yesss..doughnuts!  Why doughnuts you ask?  ..well, first of all, they’re round, and so half my “ring” work is already done for me, and second of all ..they’re amazing!

I couldn’t stop imagining what a crispy-coated, deep fried doughnut ring would taste like, so I just HAD to do it.. and it was one of the best things I’ve ever done did..lol.

I’m talking about, a deep fried, golden, light and crispy coated, warm, gooey, doughnut that literally melts in your mouth.  They are To. Die. FOR!

~Whip up a batch and just watch those favorite faces of yours light up.  These are the star of the dessert show and you are the VIP!

Make LOTS!  **SIDE NOTE~ YES, glazing them after they’re done would be Ahhh~maaazing!!

What you’ll need for one dozen doughnut rings (increase amounts accordingly for more):

6 doughnuts

oil for frying.. I use either canola or veg oil

The Batter:

1 HEAPING cup of all purpose flour

1 cup (or so) of milk

1 egg

2 tbsp. veg oil

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix up the batter by combining the flour, egg, milk, (and a dash of cinnamon and/or sugar if you’d like).. mix until it’s smooth and has a pancake-like batter consistency…

Slice the doughnuts in half…

Then cut out the center “ring”…

***Now place them in a single layer on a sheet pan and put them into the freezer.  These will need to be SUPER cold in order to hold up to the frying process.

While the doughnut rings are getting their chill on in the freezer.. heat up the oil to 350-360 degrees.

Take on ring at a time and batter that baby up…

Let the excess batter run off, and fry them up on at a time just until they’re golden.. making sure to gently flip them over for even frying…

Let them cool just a bit… Or if you can’t wait, go a head and risk the burns and eat one now.. it’s up to YOU! 🙂

Dust them with some powdered sugar… (and/or dip them into some uhh..carmael?!)

And get your NOT – ONION, ALL – DOUGHNUT ring on!  ~Enjoy! 🙂

The post ~Doughnut Rings! first appeared on Oh Bite It.

Well, let me start simply by saying thank you, yes, thank YOU for making it this far, and not running for the hills after reading the title of this recipe alone!  I have no defense, I simply got magically mystified by all the Unicorn madness and needed to release my colorful take on this annoying popular trend.    And here we are!

At least I stayed away from the sugary unicorn treats (for now), and put all of that rainbow magic into something savory..like umm..onions. LOL!

Now, wait.. hang on, these are technically regular onion rings, they don’t taste like StrawberryMangoGrapeVanilla AT ALL.  In fact, if you close your eyes when you’re eating these, you’d never know that they’re unicornized.. at least not until you smile and reveal your unicorn lips.. but let’s not worry about that now.

Now, our only concern is magically mortifying your closest friends and family with these babies, and trust me.. if you’re not careful, there will be a unicorn intervention in your very near future..but let’s not worry about that now.

~If necessary, you can always go ahead and blame me.  🙂

For now, just take in the mesmerizing madness that is.. Unicorn Onion Rings!

What you’ll need for a huge pile of magical madness:

2 large white onions

Assorted neon (squeeze tube) gel food coloring.. this is what you will need!  The liquid food coloring isn’t bright enough and will also water down your batter.

fun and colorful sprinkles to make it even more annoying.

oil for frying..I used veg oil.

Oh and Ranch dressing..for dipping.  🙂

The Batter:

2 cups flour

4 egg whites

1 cup (or so) milk

a dash of salt

Directions:

First, slice your onions into 1/4″ slices…

Soak them in cold water for 30 minutes…

Now, separate the onions into rings, and pat dry…

In a large bowl, combine the flour, milk, and egg whites.. mix until well combined…

Next, you’ll need to separate the batter into individual containers to add each color… you can use as many or as little colors as you’d like.. this is your unicorn.

After each colorful batter is mixed up….

Pour them into a large bowl, making sure that the colors remain as separate as possible, keeping them from running together as best you can…

Coat one of the onion rings in the batter, gently! .. as not to disturb the colors so that your fried result is bright and colorful..

Drop the onion rings immediately into the hot (350 degree) oil and flip them over right away.  They fry up super quickly, if they’re in the oil for too long the colors will go away..so watch them carefully!  It only takes seconds!

Let them cool for a few…

Now, let’s Unicornize the Ranch Dressing shall we?

Simply add swirls of color to the Ranch and lightly stir it around until it’s either the prettiest thing you’ve ever seen..or the most disturbing..lol!

Set it aside…

The time has come to let the magic take over…

It’s time to serve them up and act like you’re not insane for making these…

Don’t forget the Unicorn Ranch, you know, ..just in case there was a chance you still don’t look crazy enough…

At this point, just own it…

And proudly dig in!  ~Enjoy the magic!

The post ~Unicorn Onion rings! first appeared on Oh Bite It.

What’s my latest food “combo-kick” you ask?  ..Well, it’s a simple one, one where I find all kinds of crunchy, snacky treats, pulverize them into dust, and then coat just about anything I can find with it,,,Oh..AND then, I deep fry it!  🙂

This time the object of my treat-dusted-fry-affection was the good old boring typical onion ring!

It doesn’t take much to improve a typical onion ring in my opinion, I mean..they’re literally like a blank snack slate just waiting to be jazzed up.  And jazz them up I did!

WOW~  talk about a flavor explosion in your mouth.

These onion rings should be on every menu in existence because they are THAT good!  The flavor of the pork rinds is what totally takes these radical rings over the top.  I used a mixture of both the spicy and original variety..to separate satisfy the weak, and the brave! 🙂

They’re crispy, they’re crunchy and not that I need to tell you..but, they’re SO unique!

~You’ll be the appetizer hero in your ‘house’..which will soon be referred to as “Game Central”..LOL!  Whip these babies up in no time and be the MVP of snacks!

~Make LOTS!

What you’ll need:

1-2 large white onions

1 cup flour

2 eggs

2 cups crushed spicy pork rinds

2 cups crushed original pork rinds

oil for frying..I used Canola

Directions:

In a food processor..or with your muscles, crush up the original flavor FIRST…This way there is NO transfer of spice onto the original flavor!  Put the crumbs into a bowl, and set aside…

THEN, crush up the spicy… also into a bowl and set aside..

NOW, slice up the onions into approx. 1″ thick slices…

Into a shallow bowl, add the flour and evenly coat each onion ring…

Then coat the onion ring in the egg…

AND..then into the crumbs (again, start with the original first so the oil doesn’t get spicy)

And the spicy crumbs next…

Fry up the original first, until they’re golden…

Then fry up those spicy rings.

Serve them nice and fresh…

To all of your beloved friends and family!!  ~Enjoy! 🙂

The post ~Pork Rind {Chicharrón} Onion Rings! first appeared on Oh Bite It.

Get ready to stir things up this season, this isn’t your grandma’s green bean casserole…NOPE!  This is an over the top, wow-factored, party starter, that’s what this is…haha!  No one will know what hit them, no one will know what to say, no one will ever forget you!

Each onion ring stack is bursting at the seams with traditional green bean casserole, so just relax, this isn’t that crazy..haha!  These are only shocking in their presentation, all of  grandma’s green bean casserole elements are safely stuffed on the inside..lol!  🙂

This just provides some whimsy, some fun, some good old fashioned portion control..right?!  RIGHT!

Besides, the kids at the table will be silenced by delight and amazement, and that means more adult relaxation for you!  🙂

~Make a big batch of these succulent and savory stacks and ‘wow’ everyone this year, even Grandma..at least until all the cocktails kick in!  😉

What you’ll need:

Onion Rings…about 3 per stack!  I used Sonic’s lazy girl’s drive-thru version…lol   BUT~  you can buy them frozen or make them from scratch too!

For the casserole:

1-15 oz. can of French Style Green Beans..drained

1-15 oz. can of Cream of Mushroom Soup

1/4 cup Milk

1 Egg

1 cup French’s French Fried Onions..reserving some for topping.

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large bowl combine the beans, soup, egg, milk, french’s fried onion rings, salt and pepper until incorporated…

On a lined sheet pan, stack up the onion rings by layering 3 of them in like sizes…

Now, carefully fill them up with the green bean mixture, and top them with some reserved french fried onion rings..

Bake them at 350 degrees for approx. 20 minutes, or just until the tops are golden and bubbly…

Serve them up nice and hot!

And DIG IN!  ~Enjoy! 🙂

The post ~Green Bean Casserole Stuffed Onion Rings! first appeared on Oh Bite It.