National Corndog Day March 20, 2010

Have you had a corn dog today?

End of the Swimming Season

ahhh, when the ducks and geese are back, I know the swimming is over for me; the water is just too cold! This morning, I got a parade of geese swimming towards the shores of Presqu'Ile beach. It's such a grey morning with rain dizzling; it just too bad because it's the Applefest today on Main St. Brighton. People put so much efforts into putting up these events and for every one of these event this summer in Brighton, we've had rain. Nonetheless, I'm on my way there in a few minutes to show my support, check out the wares, the crafts and of course the treats! Unfortunately, there is my Midway rides this year, so that means also no corn dog stand...... I'll have to find another fair somewhere sometime soon to fill my constant craving!

Albuquerque’s Dog House

When I walked by this joint in Albuquerque, NM, I was sure to hit the jack pot in my quest for the best corn dog ever. With a name like that, they must have perfected every which way to serve a dog, one would think….

Of course, with high expectations, one can only be disappointed…… their corn dog was a mini-version, bland and greasy, just not the Mexican-inspired jalapeno-real corn bits I would have like to bite into……oh well the search continues…In the meantime, i’m grateful for the grocery-store POGO corn dog. Their all beef version is actually quite tasty!

And if anyone is in Indiana, I’d love to have a review on Hinsdale Farms all beef corn dog.

Corn Dog Trials

Quite an experiment in corn dog making today!
I added some chili powder to the batter to give it some zing! But I could barely taste it! Maybe my taste buds are not so sensitive anymore??
I then added some chopped jalapenos, as per a recipe sent by Jamie. It still didn't do it! I expected a hot and spicy corn dog and it ended up tasting just like a regular one.
Then I mixed some grated cheeses with the batter, aiming for a cheesy corn dog. Again I could not taste the cheese! What's with that???
However, the wieners were very good: I took the regular, all beef ones and they tasted just perfect.
But there's so just many corn dogs I can eat at one time! I'll have to make more trials on another day.
I also have to get a thermometer for oil to make sure the oil temperature is just perfect. It was probably not hot enough for the first one and the batter ended up absorbing the oil too much. Too greasy. And my last one was overcooked on the outside but raw on the inside = oil too hot.
Maybe I'll put a proper thermometer on my Christmas list. Hint Hint! Mom??

Simple Breakfast ~ but so good!!

To make great food, not only to you need good ingredients to start, you also need great cookware! A few years ago, I whined enough to my Mom that just to shut me up, she parted with her 35 y.o. Le Creuset enameled cast iron skillet. You see, this skillet is synonymous with great stuff from my childhood; my Mom makes the best scrambled egg and the best grilled cheese shandwiches possible. Now with THE skillet, I can do the same. Almost! Since I can't really upstage my mom in the sandwish department, I have to make variations: I made this grilled cheese sandwich with a mix of greated cheeses: cheddar extra mild and old, swiss and a bit of parmesan. And I added bacon, cooked on the BBQ grill of course!
Merci Maman!
I also remember my Mom made corn dogs (commonly called Pogo in Quebec!) sometimes for lunch when I was in grade school. This must where I took my love for the things! I have all the ingredients ready to try a few homemade ones for lunch today! Stay Tuned for an update!

The Elusive Corn Dog

I LOVE corn dogs! Really love them and only friends who've visited a fair with me would know that. I might be somewhat ashamed of my love for them but every summer, I buy a box of 20 of the Pogo ones and warm them on the BBQ for solo lunches on week-ends. They're ok but there's nothing like a freshly make one! This week-end, the fair midway is in town for Applefest and I stopped by last night to survey the "corn dog" situation. I was thrilled to see a vendor with advertisement for homemade ones for $3.50!! Grabbed the investement from my mallet, lined up only to be told "no corn dogs tonight, just this week-end". ??? And as an explanation, I got the "they're home made you know, hand dipped so, they take a long timne" ???? Who are they trying to fool??? It's only a wiener, a stick and cornmeal pancake batter. So I raised an eyebrow to the dubious explanation and walked away devastated!
So I was back on the site tonight again only too happy to part with my money. Well can you beleive that the owner is the only one who know the secret batter recipe and she was away for an hour! But I was assured they are the best and are worth the wait. I'll have to report back if I can finally put my mouth on one of those gems over the week-end!
In the meantine, I direct you to this intersting article on corn dogs with a delectable-looking recipe for Lemongrass Shrimp Corn Dog: http://archive.seacoastonline.com/news/10112006/entertainment-f-o11-corndogs.html