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State Fair Food


spqr

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*grin* The Big E - Eastern States' Exposition in Springield, MA. It's not until September, though.

Let's see:

Those gigantic square donuts - size of a dinner plate.

Sausage and Peppers on a Hard Roll. Slather on the hot sauce.

After breakfast:

A couple bags of salt water taffy to tide you over whilst meandering over to the state buildings. Each New England state provides a building to showcase the state's features - and food. So - in to Maine for a stuffed baked potato. On to Rhode Island for clam cakes or chowder, then just a little maple-sugar candy in Vermont before dessert - apple cobbler in Connecticut.

Now for lunch we head to the Greek Orthodox trailer for a gyro sandwich as an appetizer, then walk it off as we head back to the Congregational Church for a chicken dinner. Over to Storrowton Village (little make-believe New England village with a green) to listen to a fife and drum corps while washing down lunch with a beer (or Black Russian). About that time I'm comatose so there's no reason to eat anything but candy :) OK - maybe some thin-sliced onion rings just to keep your strength up......

A bag of popcorn while watching the horse-show ring, then try to wheel me out to the car.....unless I get side-tracked by some fried dough.

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  • 1 month later...

A funnel cake love story

As the mid-day sun seared my neck, droplets of sweat fell from the shorthairs of my neck, making a sweaty stream between my shoulder blades emptying into the basin that is the elastic of my boxers. The heat hitting my face was even more intense as I watched the hypnotic waggle of saggy triceps suspending the batter-filled, pleasure basin. A thick, golden rope slithered its way into the sizzling, opaque abyss and shivered as it bobbed on the surface. A gritty wince came across her face as she flipped my beloved onto it’s back and perilously dangled a Parliament from her coffee stained tooth. After monsoon of powdered sugar hung in the air like a crappy, water-filled paper weight (you can find in any souvenir ship next to the incredibly large book of matches and the back-scratchers . One hot, crunchy, sweet bite whisked me off to days gone by. What day at the fair would be complete without a Funnel Cake (and a fried dough, an apple dumpling, sausage & peppers, etc) I can only hope my belt will return to it’s original position after some extra gym time. There’s always next year.

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Some fair food not on a stick:

Elephant ears

kettle corn

roast pork sammich

Personally, I think food is on a stick becuase it is novel and it is easy to eat while you walk around. Being a veteran of many fairs I know that seating is at a premium. I also think that people eat crazy fried foods at the fair becuase they wouldn't eat them outside of the fair. After all, it is BAD but doing crazy things is OK there, what else is a fair for?

My favorite is to get a corndog and a honey-maid and go watch the draft horse pull at the grand stand. Also, church groups often offer decent sammiches and a nice shady tent to sit in. Good for grandmas.

Speaking from experience, it is not a good idea to bring a funnel cake into Ye Old Mill. They get really pissed when you drop it in the water.

As a note: the food competitions at the fair are really cool. They often offer big prizes, too. While it isn't a oasis of good taste, it is a great example of cooking Americana.

Edited by Foam Pants (log)

9 out of 10 dentists recommend wild Alaska salmon.

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A honey-maid is a lemonade where instead of sugar they use honey, or at least partially honey. It mostly tastes like honey water with a dash of acid but nothing tastes better after a day of hot, muggy sunburn.

The stands for Honey-maids are at the Iowa State Fair but I don't remember seeing them at other fairs.

9 out of 10 dentists recommend wild Alaska salmon.

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I always chuckle and get a bit of "flash from the past" when I visit the NY State Fair in Syracuse. Having grown up there, I am amazed to still see certain things that stil appeal to some gfolks despite being a bit outdated. The famous "Bob Maxwell's Walk-Away Sundae" is a good example. It's really just a glorified Nutty-Buddy - a frozen vanilla ice cream cone with frozen chocolate syrup and chopped nuts on it but it's in one of those weird double top waffle cones that has a single cone shaped bottom - sort of like a two headed cone.

Deep fried Twinkies were hot one year but seem to have been supplanted by deep fried Oreo's and deep fried Snickers bars. The NY State fair has an "Ethnic Village" also and although it's small and a bit pricey, the food is real and the booths are run by local folks who operate a Jamaican, a soul food and a Thai restaurant.

I love the maple syrup snow cones - just plain old crushed ice in a snow cone cup with loads of maple syrup on it. the NY State Maple Producers have them as well as real maple flavored cotton candy. You have to know where to find them as they are in a building and not out with the other food vendors. Likewise with a few of the Dairy Building folks who sell outstanding extra sharp very long aged Cheddar cheese.

Now..... why is it that sausage sandwiches with peppers and onions taste better at a fair than they do anywhere else? I've given up even trying them anywhere else - it's just never the same.

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  • 4 weeks later...

We have returned from our annual pilgrimage to the Great Minnesota State Fair. Us and about 90-100,000 other people. It was a grand day. Paul and I have gone to the State Fair every year together since 1977.

My consumption:

Six 24-ounce cups of beer.

4 corn dogs (we are a house divided; Paul prefers Pronto Pups, I go for the Corn Dogs. The latter have more corn meal in the batter) slathered with mustard.

One grilled chicken taco

1 order of fried cheese curds

1/2 big bucket of french fries

1 dozen mini donuts

1 bowl (huge) of honey ice cream with sunflower seeds

1 sno cone (blue flavor; raspberry?)

2 ribs

1/2 a brat with mustard and kraut

2 ears corn (pretty good, but not of the quality I'm used to) slathered with butter

1 tamale (disappointing)

1 Reuben sandwich (surprisingly good!)

1 malt

1 bottle coca-cola (classic, not diet)

About a gallon of water (good thing they have lots of biffies)

I could not find any bacon at the fair, other than that which had won awards and was uncooked behind glass.

(this is starting to sound like a NeroW blog; I will wear elastic-waist shorts tomorrow)

I did not sample a deep-fried candy bar, deep fried twinkie, or the key lime pie on a stick.

The fair opened yesterday, so the bathrooms were still clean and the grease fresh.

If one is interested in food offering at the Minnesota State Fair, click on the link on this page MN State Fair Food Finder

Activities:

We saw the state's largest boar (just under 1 ton). Piggie Momma with her brood of 9 piglets. Award-winning quilts and other assorted crafts, bacon, sausage, jelly, pies, cakes, etc. Sat on a jet ski big enough to hold our family of 5. Kids climbed on tractors, in and out of vans, on boats. I did not ride any rides. I do not do rides, especially when I have consumed as much as I did, but the kids went on plenty of them. We saw all sorts of people hawking all sorts of wares, some of which one wonders how one ever did without. I renewed my subscription to the Northern Gardener (published by the MN Hort. Society), and because I did so at the State Fair, received a complimentary watering wand. Viewed some really cool crop art. Saw "vegetable displays" (vegetables arranged as works of art). Saw a 1/4 ton pumpkin. Watched cows being milked. Saw lots of 4-H rabbits, chickens, turkeys, etc. Saw the Budweiser Clydesdales.

We also watched the butter sculptor. Every year, there is a "Princess Kay of the Milky Way" attended by 9 runners-up. They have 10 90-lb. blocks of butter and a woman spends all 10 days of the fair in a cooler (with windows; it revolves) and each day she sculpts a bust of the Princess and her runners-up. Most of these young ladies are from small towns, and following the state fair, most get their butter busts to the local butcher, who stores them until the following summer, at which time, they are taken out for the town's corn feed. Watching the sculpting was a big hit with the kids.

It was, as I said before, a grand day (albeit artery-clogging). Great weather. The kids behaved; none of them got "lost." Peter was another food champion, clocking in at 7 corn dogs (his age) and 4 dozen mini-donuts, among other things.

The kids and I all fell asleep in the car on the way home. I think I need another nap.

Susan Fahning aka "snowangel"
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  • 2 weeks later...

Minnesota State Fair-goers ate more than 1,000,000 Corn Dogs and more than 60,000 deep-fried candy bars on sticks during the 10-day extravaganza. I'm not sure if the Corn Dog count includes Pronto Pups.

Susan Fahning aka "snowangel"
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Minnesota State Fair-goers ate more than 1,000,000 Corn Dogs and more than 60,000 deep-fried candy bars on sticks during the 10-day extravaganza.  I'm not sure if the Corn Dog count includes Pronto Pups.

The candy bars on a stick was the new thing last year. It's unbelievably disgusting, and to add insult to injury they roll the final product in powdered sugar before serving it.

Bruce

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The candy bars on a stick was the new thing last year.  It's unbelievably disgusting, and to add insult to injury they roll the final product in powdered sugar before serving it.

Awww...you say that as if it's a bad thing. :blink:

 

“Peter: Oh my god, Brian, there's a message in my Alphabits. It says, 'Oooooo.'

Brian: Peter, those are Cheerios.”

– From Fox TV’s “Family Guy”

 

Tim Oliver

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The candy bars on a stick was the new thing last year.  It's unbelievably disgusting, and to add insult to injury they roll the final product in powdered sugar before serving it.

Awww...you say that as if it's a bad thing. :blink:

The worst part was the hoards of people lined up to buy it.

Bruce

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  • 11 months later...

The brochure about the MN State Fair which accompanied yesterday's newspaper reports two new "treats" on a stick: a Cob Dog (battered and deep fried ear of corn) and a deep fried Reuben sandwich.

We plan to attend on August 30, opening day. The rides are cheaper, the grease fresh and the bathrooms clean. I can't wait to gorge on corn dogs, cheese curds, mini-donuts and a plethora of other artery-clogging food. I will probably decline the two new on-a-stick offerings.

Susan Fahning aka "snowangel"
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I always chuckle and get a bit of "flash from the past" when I visit the NY State Fair in Syracuse. Having grown up there, I am amazed to still see certain things that stil appeal to some gfolks despite being a bit outdated. The famous "Bob Maxwell's Walk-Away Sundae" is a good example. It's really just a glorified Nutty-Buddy - a frozen vanilla ice cream cone with frozen chocolate syrup and chopped nuts on it but it's in one of those weird double top waffle cones that has a single cone shaped bottom - sort of like a two headed cone.

Deep fried Twinkies were hot one year but seem to have been supplanted by deep fried Oreo's and deep fried Snickers bars. The NY State fair has an "Ethnic Village" also and although it's small and a bit pricey, the food is real and the booths are run by local folks who operate a Jamaican, a soul food and a Thai restaurant.

I love the maple syrup snow cones - just plain old crushed ice in a snow cone cup with loads of maple syrup on it. the NY State Maple Producers have them as well as real maple flavored cotton candy. You have to know where to find them as they are in a building and not out with the other food vendors. Likewise with a few of the Dairy Building folks who sell outstanding extra sharp very long aged Cheddar cheese.

Now..... why is it that sausage sandwiches with peppers and onions taste better at a fair than they do anywhere else? I've given up even trying them anywhere else - it's just never the same.

don't forget the salt potatoes Phaelon they taste way better at the fair than they ever did when i made them. sadly i can't get salt potatoes down here. :(

i loved the cheeses at the Dairy Building, but i totally missed the maple snow cones and deep fried oreo/twinkies/snickers schtick.

i remember the walk away sundaes, and fried dough vendors, and the frozn chocolate covered bananas on a stick. those were fun.

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I will probably decline the two new on-a-stick offerings.

Awww...take one (or two) for the team! :laugh:

The Del Mar Fair (actually called the San Diego County Fair) went through mid-June to July 5th this year.

It's great to go with a large group of people so you can get a taste of everything but you're not eating it all, since it's shared.

Consumed this year:

Australian Battered potatoes (sliced potatoes, battered then deep fried, topped with Ranch dressing or cheese sauce...we also steal malt vinegar from the fish and chips booth :rolleyes: )

Sticky Bun with cream cheese frosting and chopped walnuts

Falafel Burger with a side of deep fried garlic-battered artichoke hearts on a skewer

Ice cream on a stick, dipped in chocolate then rolled in crushed Oreos :wub:

Indian Fry Bread topped with butter & garlic

Colossal Burger - Two beef patties on a bun, plus the usual tomato, lettuce and onion, along with sliced cheddar, strips of bacon and finally slices of pastrami on top of it all. A heart attack on a bun! :blink:

Deep pit BBQ beef on a roll

Spicy beef jerky from one of the booths in the vendors' hall

Kettle Corn

And if you bought the large sized "Fair" drink cup you could get refills at half price at any food booth at the fair. Such a deal!

The local Kern County Fair will start at the end of September so there will be more consumption to report at that time.

 

“Peter: Oh my god, Brian, there's a message in my Alphabits. It says, 'Oooooo.'

Brian: Peter, those are Cheerios.”

– From Fox TV’s “Family Guy”

 

Tim Oliver

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  • 2 weeks later...

We have been to the Great Minnesota State Fair.

I tried one of the two new deep-fried-on-a-stick treats. The reuben. It looked like a very dark corn dog (I really should have taken pictures). The dog inside tasted like hints of corned beef, kraut and swiss. The “crust” a hint of rye. The two disappointments of this dish (stick?) were the fact that the tastes were only hints. The State Fair is not Trio and the fact that the sauce was a packet of squeezie ultra cheep, thin runny “1,000 Island” dressing that kept dripping off. Your average corn dog with mustard is a napkin-less dish. This was a boatload of napkins, with no punch.

I seriously thought about a CobDog (batter-dipped ear of sweet corn, deep fried) and polled three people who were eating them about this new “treat.” Nothing special, not worth the stomach space, in their humble opions. Then, near the stand, I espied may folks tossing half eaten cobs into the trash. I declined, opting to reserve said stomach space for more noteworthy and toothsome deep fried treats.

So, in addition to the reuben on a stick (one other person took a bite) ate:

5 corn dogs

2 orders of fried cheese curds (they give you more per serving in the Food Building, but the ones by the horse barn are better)

1 malt

1 taco (from Tejas, so better than the run of the mill; their salsa is very interesting and smoky)

1 order of garlic fries

1 large bucket of regular fries shared with Paul and Heidi

2 orders of mini-donuts (shared with Heidi)

4 large beers (Paul bought them; don’t know what kind; not shared with Heidi)

1 gyro from Flafal King

1 flafal sandwich from Flafal King

1 order fried onion rings

Oh, and another order of something else fried

3 Nalgene bottles of water

Peter got lost, but remembered where we were going, so went to an info booth and got directions and found us.

Peter tossed his 6 corn dogs and several orders of fries and cheese curds after an especially “hurly” ride (I don’t do rides)

I met Kerry.

I ran into another EG’er.

We saw a sow that weighed in at 1,200 plus pounds. We saw a sow with a number of younglings suckling that made me go “geez, I’m glad I never gave birth to multiple babies. What a lot of bacon!

We saw cows being milked. Sheep being shorn. Wool being carded and spun. Prize winning quilts, sweaters and an unbelievable display of glove embellishements. Farm machinery. Jet skis. Snow mobiles. Car, trucks, and boats. A number of people hawking all sorts of kitchen gadgets. Blown glass dust-collectors. Things to save your life. Religion. An unbelievable array of people. Short, tall, fat, thin, tattooed to within an inch of their life. Teens. Disabled. Babies. Young love. Old love. Geriatrics. Bikers. The rest of us.

Paul and I have been going to the fair together every year since 1978. These days, we go opening day. Admission is reduced, rides are cheap, the grease is fresh, and the bathrooms clean. It is almost romantic for us. We remember what it was like before we had grey and wrinkles.

But, we remain a house divided. I am a corn dog woman, he a Pronto Pup man. The difference is that the former is slightly sweeter, and has far more corn meal and the corn dog people are far more generous with the mustard than the latter.

Memories. Many of them under the stars, the lights of the Midway or the fireworks at the Great Minnesota Get Together.

We will remember this one as the one at which Peter got lost and barfed. Such is life in one's 40's.

Edited by snowangel (log)
Susan Fahning aka "snowangel"
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I really should have mentioned the butter heads. We were on the way to see the butter heads when Peter got lost.

Every year, there are 12 young women who are the Princesses vying for the title of Princess Kay of The Milky Way, who is crowned at the state fair.

There is a woman who takes 90 pound blocks of butter, and for each day of the fair, spends her time in a rotating cooler, with the Princess sitting opposite her, and sculpts. The cooler is round is shape and is glass on the sides that the spectactators can see. The already sculpted butter heads are on display in the cooler, as well as the unsculpted blocks of butter (with photo of princess pinned to it).

Quite something.

The princesses get to keep their butter heads. Those from small towns usually store it at the local meat market until the next early summer, when it is used for a town corn feed.

Susan Fahning aka "snowangel"
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my god woman... did you find peter???? assuming you did. sorry - just read the rest of your message. 6 CORN DOGS - tell peter he is my new hero, even if he did lose them

and why, oh,why did you trust people thowing food away?

Nothing is better than frying in lard.

Nothing.  Do not quote me on this.

 

Linda Ellerbee

Take Big Bites

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Oh Susan I loved your report.

No one has mentioned the pork chop on a stick and it is , I honestly swear, the favorite fair food of all my Jewish friends - the rules don't apply at State Fair time.

The fresh french fries with malt vinegar washed down with the fresh lemonade are worth the price of admission and are the only things I long for.

For 2 years I supplied the sweet potato pies for the potato booth - mashed, baked, etc but not the same people as the french fries. I pressed everyone into sweet potato pie production and by the end of the fair no amount of money would get them to work. It was produce all day and deliver at midnight. Nobody in this house eats a sweet potato voluntarily anymore. :biggrin:

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Thanks, Betts.

I know many who rave about the pork chop on a stick. I love pork, but probably pork chops less than other cuts. And, I go to the fair for food I won’t do at home. Like that cheap hot dog bathed in batter and deep fried for me. (I don’t deep fry very often). There is something about the food at the fair. We do think the lemonade is best at the stand near the entrance to the horse barn; they also sell great fried cheese curds and have shorter lines than the fried cheese curd stands on the main drag and at the food building.

I have never been a sweet potato person, so it’s a good thing I was not a child of yours!

One memory that Paul and shared tonight as we stood outside on the deck on a night lit with an almost full moon, bathed in wisps of clouds. This must be the first or second year we attended the fair together (my folks used to live within walking distance of the fair). Sated with food on a stick, late a night, we hit the one ride I will do – the double Ferris wheel. There were only a couple of other cars on the wheel occupied and they stacked us all on the same area of one wheel. When the post-Grandstand show started, they stopped the wheel, with us at the top. To the back, we could see an almost full moon -- with those same wispy clouds, and to the front, a full display of fireworks. We were young – maybe 20. We are old (middle aged?) now, with three kids, and have done it all. Like I said on my cabin thread, young love did turn into old love. There’s just something about that Great Minnesota Get Together.

And, those corn dogs…

Susan Fahning aka "snowangel"
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Paul and I have been going to the fair together every year since 1978. These days, we go opening day. Admission is reduced, rides are cheap, the grease is fresh, and the bathrooms clean. It is almost romantic for us. We remember what it was like before we had grey and wrinkles.

Brilliantly written, but those lines in particular just blew me away.

"...the grease is fresh..." Priceless. Thank you. :smile:

Thank God for tea! What would the world do without tea? How did it exist? I am glad I was not born before tea!

- Sydney Smith, English clergyman & essayist, 1771-1845

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The PNE (Pacific National Exhibition) is not known for food, yet it’s the food that keeps me coming back. It’s like The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It’s a truly awful film, but anytime I hear “The Time Warp” I get a little nostalgic. So last Sunday the rain decided to stop, and J (wife) & I hopped the bus to the Fair. Within seconds of entering the front gate, the smells of hamburger grease, cotton candy and curry wafted about us like the “happy music” as you enter Disneyland ... sickening, yet somehow enjoyable.

First stop was Hotdog Jonny's. Jonny’s selection is excellent, everything from your standard Coney’s and Koshers, to Bison (Peace River), Duck and even Salmon (Wild BC Spring of course.) The condiment selection is impressive, but I was a little disappointed the corn relish was absent. We topped our Bison-dog with a little kraut, grainy mustard and some jalapeños.

i12105.jpg

A little dry, but extremely tasty. J reminded me the low-fat dog was for my benefit, as we had lots of eating left to do.

Next up, Jimmy’s Lunch. Four generations of “Jimmy’s” have been flipping burgers at the PNE since 1929. Today Jimmy’s is known for one thing ... the HUGE pile of fried onions at every grill.

i12106.jpg

We had a cheeseburger piled with those greasy little rings of onion-y goodness ... instant cheesy greasy mush in every bite. Perfection!

i12107.jpg

On the way to the “Urban Metal Madness Motorsport Show” I was side-tracked by that stalwart of all fair foods – The Corn Dog! I have really enjoyed the other posts about the different types of corn dogs at your state fairs. Fact is, we have two. Mass-produced (Pogos) and hand-made. I had the latter.

i12108.jpg

We’ve been at the fair for one hour. J is getting worried I may be eating too much.

After our fix of “Metal-Madness” (no demolition derby this year :sad: ) I spy this sign:

i12109.jpg

Which leads to this:

i12110.jpg

Not bad. Kinda gamey, and the grill crew could learn a thing or two from Jimmy about cooking onions. :raz:

Another tradition at the PNE is “Buckeye Root Beer.” I have no idea how “Buckeye” made it to Vancouver, let alone how it relates to root beer, but their kiosks have these cool barrels:

i12111.jpg

Their root beer isn’t even all that great, but a nice break before Superdogs!

So about now, I’m getting a little peckish :blink: . One of our great traditions is a little booth down near Playland (rides) called “Curry-in-a-Hurry.” I always order a plate of something or other and two plates of veggie pekoras ... one for dinner and one for the line-up. Tonight, butter chicken, rice and salad(??) with a tamarind dressing.

i12112.jpg

Lucky for us, this stuff is now available at Costco so we don’t have to wait for the PNE. Still, there’s something special about enjoying some really tasty Indian food out behind their shack with people of all ages and racial backgrounds. Our own little UN.

A little something to wash it down

i12113.jpg

I don’t know if the state fairs are like this, but the beer gardens at the PNE seem to be the gathering place for the leather-clad biker crowd. I have no trouble with that, but does nobody else drink beer? J & I felt a little conspicuous, especially when I started shooting pictures of our beers!

Fisher Scones made its return to the PNE this year. As a kid, I remember my mom making us stand in ridiculously long line-ups for a scone stuffed with whipped butter and raspberry jam. I remember the people working like mad to keep up with the demand.

i12114.jpg

There were no line-ups this year, and the scones weren’t as good as I remembered them. A little doughy, but that could be because they are pre-stuffed and then sit in bags until somebody buys them.

And finally, what’s a fair without:

i12115.jpg

Two bags of 18 – one plain, one with cinnamon and sugar.

And so was my visit to the PNE for 2004. I’ll probably skip it next year, but then I said that last year too.

Arne

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Just had a chicken dinner at the Bucks County Fair in PA. 1/2 chicken, 12" ear of sweet corn, fresh tomatoes, potatoes mashed with parsley, cranberry sauce, with 2 gallon pitchers of sweet tea on the tables and dixies cups for desert.

The chicken was amazing and I had to bring 1/2 home, but even better were the fresh corn and tomatoes!

The walking food included fried oreos, bbq pork, funnel cakes and kettle corn.

No scrapple. No deep fried curds.

They eat, they drink, and in communion sweet

Quaff immortality and joy.

--John Milton

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  • 10 months later...

in the August Food & Wine there is a good article by Matt and Ted Lee on Jeremy Jackson and his entries in the Iowa State Fair. one of the recipes that engendered instant cravings was Curyly Corn Dogs...

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/invoke....curly-corn-dogs

Nothing is better than frying in lard.

Nothing.  Do not quote me on this.

 

Linda Ellerbee

Take Big Bites

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