It's Labor Day weekend, which means one thing in my book: It's fair time. Lots of local, county, state, and regional fairs are held this weekend, and in honor of my annual visit to the Great New York State Fair, I'm writing all about how to make your own fair food at home. This way, if you're not in proximity to a fair this weekend, you can still enjoy the best part of any fair--the food. By the way, two items you might want to stock up on before you commence your culinary quest are wooden sticks and vegetable oil. Pretty much every one of these recipes calls for at least one, if not both. Ah, fair food, it's either fried or shoved on a stick, and often both. Yum!
Friday Dinner:
Sausage and pepper sandwiches. You'll need 2 hoagie or hot dog rolls, 2 sausage links (about 6-8 inches long), 1 green and 1 red pepper cut into strips, 1 medium onion halved and cut into strips, 1 clove minced garlic, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp basil, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp crushed red pepper, 1 tbsp butter, 1 tbsp vegetable oil. In a pan or on the grill, brown sausage links on medium/hight heat until they're no longer pink in the middle (you can cut one open to check). Remove sausage from pan or grill. In a pan on medium heat, add all the remaining ingredients, stirring occasionally, so that peppers and onions get wilted and soft. Put sausage links into rolls, then top with the peppers and onions. Sprinkle with Pecorino Romano cheese for taste.
Corn dogs. Because you have to trust that a website named HomeSickTexan would have a damn good recipe for corn dogs, here's theirs. Caramel apples: You'll need 3 apples of your choice (tart ones work well), 1/2 bag of unwrapped caramels, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1 tbsp water, 3 wooden sticks or popsicle sticks, some aluminum foil, and nonstick cooking spray. First, shove a stick through the core of each apple (having some pent up aggression helps here). Spray a sheet of aluminum foil with nonstick cooking spray. In a saucepan on low heat (so you don't burn the caramel), mix caramels, vanilla, and water until fully combined. Once melty-looking, dip each apple into the caramel, coating the bottoms and sides. Place coated apples onto sprayed aluminum foil, let cool and set. Make an appointment with your dentist, and enjoy!
Fruit smoothies. So, so easy. You'll need 1/4 cup of plain yogurt, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 1/2 cups of orange juice, and 1 cup of frozen strawberries or any frozen berry you'd like. Fresh bananas work well too. There are lots of mixed frozen fruits in the freezer section of groceries stores too. Place all ingredients in a blender and whiz until smooth.
Fried dough. It's the king of fair foods, and King Arthur Flour has a good recipe with an easy-to-make dough and no deep-frying necessary. Find it here. Roasted nuts. You'll need 2 cups of your favorite salted nuts, 1 tbsp of vegetable oil, and 2 tbsp sugar. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. In a bowl, mix all ingredients together until nuts are coated with oil and sugar. Spread across baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 10 minute.