From Our Recipe Box to Yours...

Since I've been attending the Butler County Fair all week, I thought I'd put some fun fair food type recipes up so even if there isn't a fair nearby, we can enjoy the fun food!:) Here are some from www.allrecipes.com

A Plus Fair Corn Dogs

Rated: Submitted By: ROBY Photo By: Joanna Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 4 Minutes Ready In: 19 Minutes Servings: 20

"Make your own corn dogs just like at the fair with this rich buttermilk corn batter."

INGREDIENTS:

1 quart oil for deep frying 1 cup all-purpose flour 2/3 cup yellow cornmeal 1/4 cup white sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons bacon drippings 1 egg, beaten 1 1/4 cups buttermilk 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 2 pounds hot dogs wooden sticks

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Heat oil in a deep fryer to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C).
2.	In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in melted bacon drippings. Make a well in the center, and pour in the egg, buttermilk, and baking soda. Mix until everything is smooth and well blended.
3.	Pat the hot dogs dry with paper towels so that the batter will stick. Insert wooden sticks into the ends. Dip the hot dogs in the batter one at a time, shaking off the excess. Deep fry a few at a time in the hot oil until they are as brown as you like them. Drain on paper towels or serve on paper plates. Kettle Corn Rated: Submitted By: SUE202 Photo By: Jessica Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cook Time: 15 Minutes Ready In: 20 Minutes Servings: 5 "White sugar makes the Kettle Corn taste like popcorn balls. Use brown sugar and it will taste like caramel corn." INGREDIENTS: 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1/4 cup white sugar 1/2 cup unpopped popcorn kernels DIRECTIONS: 1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, stir in the sugar and popcorn. Cover, and shake the pot constantly to keep the sugar from burning. Once the popping has slowed to once every 2 to 3 seconds, remove the pot from the heat and continue to shake for a few minutes until the popping has stopped. Pour into a large bowl, and allow to cool, stirring occasionally to break up large clumps. Funnel Cakes I Rated: Submitted By: Sassy Squirrel Photo By: phatmomma4 Servings: 12 "A puffed fried cake. It can be sprinkled with confectioners' sugar or cinnamon sugar." INGREDIENTS: 2 eggs 1 1/2 cups milk 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 2 cups vegetable oil 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar DIRECTIONS: 1. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. 2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the eggs and the milk. Add flour mixture to the egg mixture, and beat with a mixer until smooth. The consistancy should be thin enough to run through a small kitchen funnel. Test it, and if it is too thick beat in a little more milk; if too thin, beat in a bit more flour. 3. In an eight inch skillet, heat the oil to 360 degrees F (182 degrees C). 4. Put your finger over the bottom opening of the funnel, and fill the funnel with a generous 1/2 cup of the batter. Hold the funnel close to the surface of the oil, and release the batter into the oil while making a circular motion. Fry until golden brown. Use tongs and wide spatula to turn the cake over carefully. Fry the second side one minute. Drain on paper towels, and sprinkle with sifted confectioners' sugar.

Book Trailer Monday....

     This came in the box today....If I weren't close to finishing another long awaited conclusion, I'd crack this one open tonight!!! Can't wait....

Book Trailer Monday

Robin Roberts of Good Morning America has a new book entitled Everybody's Got Something: A Memoir.
Check it out and see what you think...

From Our Recipe Box to Yours...

I read this interesting tidbit in Kiwi Magazine that came in the mail:

The benefits of blue
July is National Blueberry Month, and while you've likely already heard the many ways the flavorful fruit can give your body a boost, here's what some of the latest research is showing:
The pigments that give blueberries their color have been linked to decreased risk in heart attacks in young and middle-aged women, according to a study published in the American Heart Association's medical journal, Circulation.
A study published in the Annals of Neurology found that of 16,000 women surveyed, those who ate the most berries had a slower mental decline - cognitive aging was delayed by up to 2 1/2 years!
According to a study from the University of Maine, when rats were fed a diet primarily of wild blueberries, their digestive tracts showed an increase in probiotics - the beneficial bacteria that help the body maintain digestive and immune system health.

So, in honor of National Blueberry month, I thought I'd include my favorite blueberry muffin recipe! (I even planted a blueberry plant this year...)



Oregon Blueberry Muffins

3 C. flour
1 C. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 C. shortening
2 eggs
1 C. milk
1 C. blueberries (fresh or frozen), thawed

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into mixing bowl. Cut in with pastry blender the shortening (Crisco), eggs and milk all at once, just until blended. Add blueberries; stir in lightly. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until lightly browned in muffin tins with paper liners. Makes 24 muffins.
The best way to eat these is with sugar sprinkled on top before baking!!! Yum!

Taken from the cookbook Flavors From the Heartland