Allergy Free Food Main Course Other

Carnival Corndogs

August 12, 2011


Corndogs. The memory associated with these guys is tied to High School summers. I was kind of a carney. Yes, it’s true. When a new one would roll into town we were there opening night! Don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t a REAL carney. Just wanted a reasonable excuse to get dolled up in my cowgirl boots & authentic pearl snapped cowgirl shirt. You guys, I was, LEE-git (or at least I felt like I was)! Ha! If only I had a picture to show you!

My best friend and I would ride the rides until our stomachs & faces turned green from motion sickness. It was awesome. The smell that swirled the air was of popcorn, funnel cakes, & corndogs. Needless to say we never ate the food because we’d never be able to hold it down. It was safer to ride on empty stomachs.

Ha! Crazy that this is all coming back… There are even earlier memories associated with corndogs!

I was 9, sitting in the stands of the fairground arena. A horse show. My older sister had a Morgan bay (deep chestnut coat with black mane & legs). Banner was his name, being the iconic “Banner of His Breed.” He had sweet twinkly eyes, white star, & frizzy thick forelock (the bangs between the ears). He was definitely free spirited and Mother’s brand cookies were his favorite 7:00 bedtime treat. The whole family would go watch her trot around the arena hoping to bring home a blue ribbon. I can remember my younger brothers, Mark & Steve, always asking for corndogs to snack on while we watched. It was their “treat” for paling along for hours on end. They’ve liked the dog on a stick ever since.

Corndogs – carnivals & horseshows.

Now a summer treat I wanted to recreate. I must say, the sweet cornbread set these apart. Much better than any I’ve tried growing up. Having a high quality (all beef no nitrates) hot dog will have you thinking, “Where have YOU been all my life?” They are absolutely delish, friendlies.

  • Stephanie August 12, 2011 at 12:51 pm

    I haven’t had a corndog is so long but something about this basket of fried goodness leaves me craving exactly that! Have a wonderful weekend!

    • missy August 15, 2011 at 12:32 pm

      Holy WHOA…. Hope you try ’em! Would be a fun food to serve for a preseason football game with those darling friends of yours!

  • Melissa August 12, 2011 at 1:08 pm

    I’m going to definitely have to try this girl, it looks scrumptious! It brings back a lot of memories of going to the state fair as a child with my family. So fun!

    • missy August 15, 2011 at 12:31 pm

      What an awesome memory! Any pie eating contests involved? Let me know how they turn out for you! xo

  • Sara August 12, 2011 at 1:39 pm

    I have never made corndogs but these sound pretty easy and yummy!

    • missy August 15, 2011 at 12:30 pm

      It’s a must try while summer is still around a bit longer!

  • Leslie August 12, 2011 at 3:10 pm

    The best and worst memories of the carney are with you. 1.”We are NOT paying. Just trust me, if we wait her and flirt with the admissions guys we will get in for free.” 2. Creepy carney man pointing at us and saying “come over here. You can ride my ride all you want.” why did we ever fall for that?!? Which equaled to 15 loop loooooong minutes on a ride that went upside down, twisted and turned and was on a faster mode than it should have been. 3. Us crying and praying that the nightmare would end! 4. Us feeling very sick after our one and only ride at the carney. 5. Throwing up at the carney. 6. Pulling over along side the road to throw up. 7. Throwing up two more times at your parents house. 8. Never riding a carney ride again in my LIFE!

    • missy August 15, 2011 at 12:29 pm

      Bahaha! Oh my gosh this is even deeper insight that I’m so glad embarrassed you shared! Why did I even contemplate “flirting” at the carney? Serves me right what I was rewarded with! Blek!!! I miss us, Les!! xo

  • Gentri August 12, 2011 at 3:30 pm

    I’ve never been a corndog fan, but this just may change that! Love the stories so much!

    • missy August 15, 2011 at 12:26 pm

      You and me both. They’ve never really done it for me. That is, until I tried making them homemade. You’ll be a fan, love.

  • emily August 13, 2011 at 1:58 am

    where do you get all of these ideas from~?! do you cook every night? i cant even think about heating up a can of soup most nights! your blog is like reading a magazine and thinking ‘oh im going to do that’, but then never getting around to doing it. gah!

    • missy August 15, 2011 at 12:26 pm

      They start as memories most of the time. Or just something crazy that sounds fun to make & then I go for it. Granted we don’t eat the crazy recipes every night bc those are experiments. If I love the way they turn out, I post them! 🙂 Your compliments mean so much to me; and I appreciate your loyal support, Emily! Stay tuned… I’ll be doing another segment to the meal planning post I did awhile ago. It’ll explain in more detail how I go about selecting my week’s menu (what I’m cooking on which nights). I guess in answer to your question I cook every night but not BIG every night. Sunday, Tues, and Thurs are the big meals and the rest are easy fill in’s. xo

  • Kellie August 24, 2011 at 6:17 pm

    Wow! These look yummy! I loved corndogs when I was little, but now I do not eat beef or pork. I think I might try this with turkey hotdogs. Perfect summer meal 🙂 Thank you for sharing!!