Corn Dogs

If that doesn't establish my non-food-snobbery, nothing will. Corn dogs, people. I made homemade corn dogs. Well, I didn't make the dogs themselves, of course. But you know what I mean. And oh my, were they DEE-licious! Even if they were kind of misshapen.



And you see that little bit sticking off near the top? After I took the photo, I ate it! So there!

I love these little suckers anyway, but this variety have now captured my heart above any other kind of corn dog. They were so delightfully crispy on the outside and just a teeny bit soft (not soggy) on the inside.

Thanks to my friend Julie, who submitted this recipe to our ward cookbook a few years ago! I didn't have a fondue pot that would work for this purpose, so I just filled a deep saucepan with oil and turned the corn dogs halfway through cooking. Very easy! I also only made a third of the recipe, since only the hubs and I would be eating them (please don't ask me to explain how I thirded an egg. Thank you). :)

12 hot dogs
1/2 c. cornmeal
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 T. baking powder
1 c. milk
1 egg

Mix all ingredients except hot dogs. Cut the hot dogs into half pieces if desired, and dry on paper towels. Heat oil in fondue pot to 350. Dip hot dogs in batter until covered. Fry until golden brown.



They look kinda like twinkies, don't they?

I didn't add the sticks (which were actually kabob skewers, all I had on hand) until the end, since they wouldn't fit in the frying pan that way. And frankly, if you don't mind getting a little grease on your fingers, you really don't need them.

If you are a lover of fried things, please make these for dinner sometime. And serve them with tots, so I won't be the only extremely gourmet one around here. :)

Cheese Slicer

"A whole post dedicated to a cheese slicer?" you ask. Oh yes. Oh yes indeedy do. Firstly, for those who don't know, I recently moved and have not had a lot of time to photograph recipes and post them here. They will be coming soon. Our summer veggie meal is still (probably) in the works. Secondly, and most importantly, I think I'm in love with my cheese slicer. I'm afraid I may wax rhapsodic....and long-winded. :)

To fully appreciate my feelings, we have to go back several years to when I first moved out of my parents' home. They had a cheese slicer that worked wonderfully, but they wouldn't allow me to take it to college. Misers. :) Thus began my quest to find one of my own.

You'd think this would be a simple task. After all, cheese slicers abound in this world of ours. I tried several of the cheaper ones and kept being disappointed. They cut the cheese too thin, or they wouldn't stay in the cheese and sliced my fingers instead. It was incredibly frustrating. Why couldn't any of these stupid tools do what they were supposed to? It was so simple!

Finally, a couple of years ago, my mom took pity on me and bought me a more expensive fancy-shmancy adjustable-thickness cheese plane from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. I was thrilled! This thing had a dial, and a soft handle, plus it was relatively pricey, so it had to work, right? WRONG. I encountered all of the same problems that I had before, plus the dial that adjusts the thickness broke on its third use.

I had given up, and resolved to cut my cheese with a paring knife until the end of my days. And then, something beautiful happened. They opened up an Ikea store a mere half hour from my home. I went to investigate the new store and loved it, of course. As we were walking through the kitchen section, I happened to notice a cheese slicer. There was nothing to mark it as impressive, but, more out of habit than anything, I grabbed it and tossed it in my cart. The name on it was "Smaka," which was about what I felt like doing to my head at this point in my cheese slicer quest, so I thought it fitting. :)

When we got home, I pulled out the cheese and tried out my new slicer. And...and...I couldn't believe it, but it worked! It had to be a fluke. I tried again. Another perfect slice! I was finally triumphant! And the thing had only been five bucks! Impossible!

I'm sure this story doesn't rock your world quite as much as it did mine, but I am a cheese person, okay? I would pick a chunk of cheddar over a cupcake any time. My cheese slicer gets used every single dang day. And that is probably why I have love handles. :)



Click here if you could use a few more perfect slices of cheese in your life.

I love you, cheese slicer. Never ever leave me!