Just like the State Fair

One week before my due date with Veronica I decided to take the kids to the Texas Livestock Show and Rodeo. It runs for 2 weeks every March and it's always a good time. Texas has a tradition of raising livestock. 4 legged animals that give back in some way... milk, beef, wool, or animals with 2 legs, also giving back, eggs mostly. They have competitions where farms or individuals (often young adults or children) can enter their animals in contests and win prize money, usually spent on another animal to raise and show off again the next year. So, for 2 weeks, all the winning animals and some of the 2nd and 3rd place as well, are kept in a big barn for everyone to see. There are also rides for the kids, exhibitions on milking a cow, petting zoo, these types of things. Exposing the city kids to a little farm livin' is never a bad thing... see below...

pig race. they race around to reach the oreo at the end. very cute.

Yes, yes, that's all very cute and we're making memories, etc., etc.

In REALITY, we all know why we really go to the State Fair and Rodeo...for the food...

Deep Fried anything

"Italian food" on a stick

  

There is an entire category of food that is "Fairground Food" (the first two photos) and a sub-culture within that which includes all kinds of foods on sticks. One hand for your beer. One hand for your food. No utensils needed, and if you're super careful, you won't even need a napkin.

Oh, how glorious was the day man invented food on sticks.

One such beloved food on a stick is called a 'corn dog'. This is a hot dog weiner, beef, pork, unidentifiable meat in tube form on a stick, dipped in a special cornmeal batter. It usually looks like this...

Picture taken from Sonic, the king of fast food corn dogs.

We would go to Sonic occasionally as kids. And I would always order one of two things. Hamburger - meat and bun only (no veggies or condiments - I know you Poles are just cringing at this ;)) OR a corn dog - plain.  Heaven.

Poland doesn't have Sonic or Texas State Fairs. So when the corn dog can't come to us... we create it ourselves...

This is what happens when you let your children take the pictures to "document corn dog making." Little goobers. I used Popsicle sticks ( I have tons now, thank you very much!) stuck into some short and fat parowki and followed this recipe for the batter.

They. were. amazing.  

I am only allowed to make these once a year says Martin, because they are the definition of heart attack inducing deliciousness. But goodness, it's worth it.