Corn Dog Bites

It's summer and my kids are enjoying eating lunch with me every day. No more sack lunches for another month until school starts!

Corn dogs are not my lunch of choice but when I saw this recipe I just had to make them. I'm glad I did! Each bite is crispy and delicious. The dough has a surprising amount of sugar but I like it. Yes, this isn't the dish for dieters...but it's a fun summer dish when you want to splurge!

Corn Dog Bites 1 cup flour, divided

1/4 cup cornmeal

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1 cup milk

8 hot dogs , cut into thirds

vegetable or canola oil, for frying

Preheat about 3 inches of oil to 350 degrees over medium heat. Combine 2/3 cup of flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, garlic powder and onion powder in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the milk. In a pie plate or other shallow dish, add the remaining flour. Dredge each hot dog piece in the flour and then dip it into the cornmeal batter. Shake off any excess batter, but be sure that the hot dog is fully covered in batter. Drop into the hot oil and fry until lightly golden brown. Fry in batches, being careful not to over crowd the pan. Drain on a paper towel lined plate and keep warm in a 200 degree oven until all of the hot dogs are fried. Serve immediately with ketchup and mustard, if desired. *My Notes: These bites cook FAST! I had my daughter removing the bites from the oil as I dredged. By the time one was covered in batter the previous bite was already cooked! It was a regular assembly line with one in, one out. Who Dished it first? The Cooking Bride

Berry Dutch Baby Pancakes

I stumbled upon this breakfast idea this week and we've already eaten it twice for breakfast. The idea of eating Dutch pancakes for breakfast isn't anything new to me but this recipe has a few tweaks that I really like. First, cooking it in a dutch oven pan really gives a yummy crispy flavor to the bottom and outer edges. Second, I LOVE the addition of berries! Dutch pancakes have always been a little bland and I felt like I was eating a lot of empty calories with the bread and syrup but the berries add great flavor and therefore no syrup (sugar) necessary! I also love that the recipe does NOT include sugar.

The only kink I need to still work out is size. This dish may be a little small for my family. My kids and I have been eating without Dad for a week and this dish leaves us pleasantly satisfied so I may need to double the recipe and use my large and small cast iron pans when Daddy gets home. I think Dad could eat an entire pan all by himself and with only three eggs that at least won't make me a guilty wife.

Berry Dutch Baby Pancake

3 T butter
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
zest of half a lemon (optional)
3/4 c flour
1 cup frozen berries
powdered sugar, syrup, or topping of choice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place the butter in a 10-12 inch oven proof skillet (I like cast iron) or a 7 x11 inch baking dish. Place pan in the oven to melt the butter while the oven preheats.
2. In a blender combine the eggs, milk, salt, and vanilla. Blend until well blended.
3. Add the flour to the blender and blend until smooth.
4. Remove the skillet or pan from the oven. Make sure the butter is completely melted and pour the batter from the blender into the pan.
5. Sprinkle with the frozen berries and bake until puffed and browned for about 12 to 15 minutes.
6. Cut into 4 pieces and serve with sprinkled powdered sugar or syrup.

Who Dished it first? Real Mom Kitchen

Papaya with Passion Fruit

I love the deliciousness of eating homegrown fruit.

In Hawai'i I can't grow some of my favorite 'mainland' fruits like peaches or pears but I can grow tropical fruits such as lilikoi (passion fruit) and papaya.

If you've never eaten passion fruit, it's a small hard-skinned fruit that grows on a vine-like bush. You cut open the tough skin and scoop out the flesh, seeds and all. It's a tart fruit but still edible on it's own. 

Once my lilikoi are ripe I'll be sharing some great recipes like lilikoi syrup and butter. These are good, but my families favorite way of eating the fruit is by combining the tart flavor of lilikoi with the mellow sweet flavor of papaya. It's goodness in a bowl!

*Aloha!*