I'm Thinking Carnies!

Well Kids! The South Carolina State Fair starts Wednesday, October 8th and runs through October 19th. What is your favorite part of the fair? I would have to agree with the masses and say that it is the FOOD. I usually like to attend on the Pay One Price days and discover my inner-teeny bopper. I excitedly enter the main gate and I am taken back by the bright lights, noisy sounds, faint smell of cows, and always wonder, "Where do these people come from!" People watching is another fav fair activity of mine. Both the vendors AND the patrons. You can always find an interesting mix of people blowing their hard earned cash on giant stuffed animal lions, trying to get a tiny ring around a bottle, or re-living their "glory days" while pitching ball after ball. What should we do first? EAT, then play, then ride. Then EAT, then play, then ride. Over and over. It is like a sick twisted version of Eat, Pray, Love. My mind is dizzy with fair food choices: giant corn dogs, Fisk fries, fried candy bars, Greek gyros, candy apples, funnel cakes, Polish sausage, and those silly giant Turkey Legs! Let's hope it all stays in as we ride those ever-sturdy rides. Hey...where did the Dopple Looping go??? Well, I have always liked the Haunted House. Seriously.

When I was a kid, my dad LOVED to attend various county fairs. You see, this was up in Connecticut. There are country people everywhere. My dad would pack my mom and I into his '76 Corvette Stingray (Chevy Orange..mind you), with myself sitting shot gun on the hump in the middle. The highlight of the excursion was the tractor pull. I love tractor pulls. There I would be, perched on the fence, with my fresh, squeezed lemonade in hand, purple feathery clip in my hair, sparkly iron-on t-shirt (properly adorned with a unicorn, ET, or other 80s icon), enjoying every moment. One thing that I never understood. Who would ever buy those clocks made from petrified poop? Must have been a different era? I can recall entering the side-show tents to get a glimpse of Lobster Boy, the Bearded Lady, and the giant frogs to name a few. What were my parent's thinking? Well, I was a happy camper as long as I left with a brightly dyed rabbit's foot to hang from my key chain. Gross. However, it was those experiences that instilled a fondness for carnies and make me giddy for October to arrive in South Carolina.

I hope that these traditional fair food recipes help wet your palate for the plethora of choices that will be at your finger tips in just a few short hours! Mmmmmmmmmmm.

I think I am going to hold out on the rabbit's foot this year.

Recipes courtesy of Paula Deen:

Chili Dogs:

Ingredients

For the Texas-Style Chili:
3 pounds ground chuck
1 pound hot bulk sausage
3 onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chili powder
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, chopped
3 (16-ounce) cans kidney beans

4 hot dogs
4 hot dog buns
1 cup grated Cheddar

Directions

Using a Dutch oven, combine the ground chuck, sausage, onions, and garlic. Cook over medium heat until the meat is browned, stirring the meat to break it up as it cooks. Drain the pan drippings. Stir in the chili powder, flour, sugar, oregano, salt, and stir well. Cover pot and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes and beans, and simmer for another 20 to 30 minutes.

Preheat a grill. Butterfly, or gently slice hot dogs lengthwise, making sure not to cut all the way through. Grill butterflied hot dogs until done, approximately 5 minutes. Place the buns on the grill to warm them. Place hot dogs in the bun. Put the hot dog on the plate with split side facing up. Ladle chili over and top with cheese.

Chocolate Dipped Apples:

Ingredients
4 Roma or Granny Smith apples
16 ounces semisweet chocolate, milk or dark
8 ounces white chocolate

Directions

Various dessert topping choices
Special equipment: 12 (3-inch) bamboo skewers or wooden pop sticks
Arrange toppings in medium sized bowls.

Wash and thoroughly dry the apples. Insert bamboo or wooden sticks into apple cores. Melt each kind of chocolate in separate bowls over double boilers. 1 at a time, gently dip the apples into the chocolate and roll around, making sure to thoroughly cover. Place on waxed paper. Using a spoon or wooden stick, carefully drizzle the white chocolate over the dark or milk. Use the thin side of the popsicle stick to make swirls and decorative patterns. Dip the apples into topping bowls or sprinkle toppings over the apples. Place decorated apples on waxed paper and refrigerate for 15 minutes to harden. Yield: 4 apples

Funnel Cakes:

Ingredients
2 cups milk
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) melted butter
Powdered sugar, for topping

Directions

Combine milk, egg, vanilla in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, and sugar and gradually add to wet ingredients. Beat with a mixer until a smooth batter forms. Fold in melted butter. Pour batter into a funnel or squeeze bottle while using your index finger to stop the flow of the batter. Bring the funnel over the hot oil and release your finger to start a stream of batter while moving the funnel in a circular motion to create spiral-like shapes. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown and slightly puffed. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Yield: 6-8 cakes

County Fair Turkey Legs:

Ingredients
2 liters lemon-lime soda
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons hot sauce
2 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 Vidalia onion, chopped

Directions

1 tablespoon House Seasoning, recipe follows
3 tablespoons honey
4 turkey legs

Preheat grill. Combine all ingredients, except the House Seasoning and honey, in a large stock pot and bring to a low boil. Add turkey legs and boil for 30 minutes or until the turkey legs register 165 degrees F. Put turkey legs on the grill, season with House Seasoning and brush with honey. Grill over medium heat for about 15 minutes, rotating occasionally as needed. The turkey legs should be crispy and golden brown when done. Yield: 4 legs

House Seasoning:
1 cup table salt
1/4 cup pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder
Mix the ingredients together and store in an air-tight container for up to 6 months. Use as a seasoning on meat and when cooking vegetables.
Yield: 1 1/2 cups

Tasty Tailgating

Lisa Hockenberry
Jolie
September 2008
RSVP: Tasty Tailgating

It is a rite of passage when your tailgating plans transform from collegiate fraternity gatherings to all out gourmet spreads. When the Friday night before the game is spent preparing rather than partying, and first-time dishes turn into traditions. Whether your team wins or loses, the joining of good food and good friends is just as much a part of the day as the final score.

The ideal day begins with a car loaded up with icy coolers, a tent for shade, and plenty of chairs. A buffet table is the staple base for a hearty spread. Colorful table cloths in your team’s colors are covered with an assortment of dishes. Grandma’s silver platters make the perfect serving tray for Bojangles crispy fried chicken and buttery biscuits. Colorful ceramic dishes add a spirited addition when painted with your alma mater’s colors. A well stocked bar is also key to a first-rate time. “A good tailgate will always have the stereo pumping beach music the entire time,” recommends Wofford Alum Donnie Santos. And any respectable Gamecock tailgate will have the endless playing of “2001”.

Keep it simple. Don’t spend hours preparing food for your tailgate. A wide variety of festive food is available from our local restaurants to help make your tailgate stand out from the crowd. Sandy’s Famous Hot Dogs in Columbia is selling their 5lbs bags of hot dogs, buns, pints of chili and slaw, and gallons of tea. The items are available individually or in a $25 Tailgate Special. That’s one dog-gone good deal! Cromer’s has been guaranteeing their popcorn and peanuts, “Worst in Town” since 1935. One whiff of the fresh popped corn and you bet will be leaving with the really big bag! Congaree Grill in Five Points will be packaging their homemade pimento cheese and chicken salad, which perfect to pair with Rising High sweet black bread, and don’t forget to try their delicious Southern Style Salsa. Y’all have a drink on their new deck bar as they project the away football games on the outside wall. Doc’s Barbeque prepares classic Southern dishes for dine-in, take-out, or delivery.

“At Clemson, we very rarely have a night game. So we are really big on breakfast! We now have an adult variation on college’s Kegs and Eggs,” explains Clemson alum, Carter Willis. She adds, “A great hint to keeping your dish warm is to have a hot cooler. You heat bricks wrapped in aluminum foil in the oven and place then into your cooler. Wrap your casserole dish in heavy newspaper. It will stay warm for hours!”

Your tailgate will always be a success if you keep the food heavy, the drinks flowing, and the music playing. And remember these wise words of USC alum, Christy Frisby, “Just make sure that you have enough people to help take down your tent at the end of the game!” Sounds like a story there. One I personally know too well. Gamecock Country sells the bases for tents individually, just in case yours gets bent or broken. Lastly, and most importantly, have fun but please don’t drink and drive. And Go-o-o-o-o-o Cocks! (What can I say, my blood runs garnet!)

RULE THE ROOST ‘RONI DIP
Courtesy of Christie Abernethy Causey

This former Gamecock cheerleader serves up this yummy appetizer for her former USC football player hubby…

For the pizza dip: First, smooth 2 packages of cream cheese into a small Pyrex dish.Then smooth a generous portion of pizza sauce on top of that. Next sprinkle grated cheddar cheese all over the pizza sauce and then top it off with pepperonis, as many as you want. Lastly, throw into the oven at 350 for 20 minutes and then you have a wonderful tailgate dish, we use tortilla chip scoops with it!

WOFFORD TERRIER TOUCHDOWN TEA, serves one
Courtesy of Tommy Price, Congaree Grill

1 oz Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka
½ oz Grand Marnier
Dash of sour mix
Dash of sprite
Garnished with a lemon

“SC STATE” SMASHED DOGS
Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen, www.foodnetwork.com

Texas Style Chili: 3 pounds ground chuck 1 pound hot bulk sausage 3 onions, chopped 4 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 cup chili powder 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon salt 2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, chopped 3 (16-ounce) cans kidney beans 4 hot dogs 4 hot dog buns 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Using a Dutch oven, combine the ground chuck, sausage, onions, and garlic. Cook over medium heat until the meat is browned, stirring the meat to break it up as it cooks. Drain the pan drippings. Stir in the chili powder, flour, sugar, oregano, salt, and stir well. Cover pot and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes and beans, and simmer for another 20 minutes. Preheat a grill. Grill hot dogs until done, approximately 5 minutes. Place the buns on the grill to warm them. Place hot dogs in the bun. Put the hotdog on the plate with split side facing to the side. Smash the hotdog until flat with your hand and ladle chili on top. Top with cheddar cheese.

BAKED TIGER TOAST
Recipe courtesy of Carter Willis McElveen

1 cup Maple Syrup
1 loaf French bread
3 Eggs
3 Egg Whites
1 ½ c. skim milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with Pam. Pour syrup into dish. Slice French bread into 2” slices. Place bread over the syrup. In a bowl, combine eggs, egg whites, milk, vanilla, and one teaspoon cinnamon. Beat until well mixed. Pour over bread. Sprinkle remaining cinnamon over dish. Bake 40-45 minutes until golden brown. Serve with syrup. Pair with cinnamon rolls, blueberry muffins and skewers of fresh fruit. Enjoy with an “orange” mimosa!