Tonight the hubs decided he wanted fried shrimp for dinner. It has been ages since we've had anything deep fried, much less shrimp, and since he is about to leave again I thought we could cave to his deep-fried desires. Once upon a time, when the hubs and I were still dating, I worked at a restaurant where their chicken strips were the best in the world. Their secret was to use tempura mix and mix it with club soda. I have no idea if this truly is a "secret" in the cooking world, but since I didn't know any better I thought it was a clever idea. I've never used tempura, but decided tonight I'd try it. Tempura is so much easier to cook with than dredging your food in flour. The batter is thick and sticks much better than flour (which always tends to fall off, especially during cooking), and it looks so pretty and professionally done when fried. It tasted great, as any tempura fan would know, and I just was so happy with the process and the end result. If you haven't tried cooking with tempura at home, give it a try. Its very easy and yummy!