FAIR AT HOME ~ Recipes!

For my own use in the drippy, grey, cold of January...and for any others who want a Taste of The Fair At Home...here are the recipes worth keeping.  The ones I didn't cross out with a big X with disappointment.  I mean, that pickle dog was good but just too much pickle.


DEEP FRIED BATTER

1 cup plus about 2 heaping spoonfuls of pancake mix (Bisquik)
about 2 teaspoons less than 2/3 cup whole milk
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Combine in a bowl, mix until smooth.

Yep, you're right.  Those are some imprecise measurements.  We experimented a bit because the batter using the original recipe was too thin, even with refrigerating it.  We still think the batter could be a little thicker, so when we are stuck at Woodhaven in a snow storm, we might spend some time perfecting this.

And note...the spoons for the pancake mix are the ones from your silverware drawer...as opposed to the actual measuring spoon used to subtract some whole milk.  Ugh.  Baking.



TIPS FOR DEEP FRYING STUFF

• Freeze your treats for at least an hour beforehand so they don't instantly melt and disintegrate when they hit the hot oil. 

• The temperature of the cooking oil varies by recipe.  Without a recipe, we used 350 degrees.

• Tongs and a wire basket on a stick are handy tools for plopping and retrieving and turning. 

• Have powdered sugar and chocolate syrup available for accessorizing

• Double Stuff Oreos, York Peppermint Patties, and Starbursts were my favorites.

Mmmm....Deep Fried Yorks

INDIAN FRY BREAD
(full recipe for Navajo Tacos found here -- Thank you, Erika!)

2 cups all-purpose flour
2.5 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the warm water and mix using a fork until a dough forms.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, then transfer to a clean bowl and cover tightly in plastic wrap.  Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.

Divide the dough into 8 equal sections by pinching off golf-ball sized balls of dough, then pat and roll out the dough balls into roughly 6-inch discs on a lightly floured surface.  Keep them covered with plastic wrap while you prepare to fry them.

Heat 3 cups of oil in a large skillet or frying pan over medium heat for about 5 minutes until the oil temperature reaches between 350 and 360 degrees F.  [Or use your adorable mini deep fryer which every properly stocked kitchen should have.] Working in batches, fry each disc in the hot oil until the dough is golden brown on one side, then carefully flip with tongs and fry on the other side. Set on a paper towel to drain oil and stick in a warm oven to stay hot while the other fry bread is cooked.

The Fry Bread was really good just on its own, but feel
free to decorate it with taco meat, cheese, PB&J, hummus...
Lots of possibilities!

ELEPHANT EARS
(nabbed off the internet -- click here for original recipe)

1⁄2 cup milk
3⁄4 cup water
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 cup sugar
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons yeast

Add all ingredients to the bowl of a bread maker and set on the dough cycle. Or, mix vigorously in a large mixing bowl and let rise until double in bulk. [Ugh, that sounds like a lot of work.]

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Punch down and knead.

Roll out to about 1/8 inch thick.

Grab some dough and stretch it into the shape of an elephants ear.  [Or just round.  Round works.]

Cover and let rest for about 10 minutes.

Using a large fry pan, fill with about three inches of cooking oil. Heat until the temperature of the oil is 360 degrees. [Or, use the mini deep fryer you just bought.] If the fat is too cool, the dough will absorb the oil and if the fat is too hot, the dough will brown before it is cooked in the middle.

Lower the dough gently into the cooking oil, two or three pieces at a time. When brown on one side, turn and brown on the other side. Lift from the cooking oil with a fork or tongs and drain on paper towels.

Brush the fried dough with melted butter and sprinkle with powdered or cinnamon sugar. [Or better yet, a mixture of granulated sugar and cinnamon, with proportionately more cinnamon.  Also, go light on the butter...and use an unsalted butter if possible.  Use just enough butter so that the cinnamon sugar sticks.]

This is what happens when you put your leftover
Elephant Ear Dough in the fridge.  We named it Leon
(any "Airplane" fans in the audience?).  Leon got a
little bit bigger and then got crusty and collapsed
over the course of the Fair At Home. 
Sounds about right. 

MINI DEEP FRYER

I LOVE this little fryer!  It was perfect for two hungry adults.  The only reason I would consider getting a bigger one would be to allow for more fry bread or elephant ears to be made at the same time.

We were concerned that there might be some large hot oil pops (or modest explosions) so we did all of our frying outside.  We had absolutely no issues with the hot oil being scary, so we will comfortably fry inside next time.  The only mess was the dribbles of batter from transporting from the batter bowl to the fryer.

I bought this online from Target in May 2020 for $30.  Apparently Target doesn't sell it anymore?  A friend found it at Allbrands.com for a bit more.  Also on Amazon.  Really happy with it so far!