An AfFAIR of the Heart Attack

Deep Fried.  Bacon Wrapped.  Everything.  "Yes, Please"  Once a year it comes here.  To the great state of Oklahoma.  If you live here, you already know what I am talking about.  If not, you are missing out.  Ten days of people watching, craft shows, animal shows, rides, games, and miles of FOOD!  My family has been going every year since I was a kid.  My sister and I showed Morgan Horses and every year the State Fair had a show that was a qualifier for the National competition.  In between our classes, we would walk to our favorite food vendors to eat.  As we have grown through the years we go back and eat those same favorites.  The last few years, the fair has added some crazy new foods.  Such as deep fried butter, chocolate covered bacon, and deep fried coca cola.  This year we decided to branch out and try some of those new foods so we could compare them to our stand by favorites.

 
For the Experiment:

The Usual Suspects:

The Indian Taco:  A puffy indian fry bread topped with taco meat, beans, lettuce, onion, tomato, and cheese.  Big enough for two (and a toddler) to share.

Wisconsin Fried Cheese:  Mozzarella, Cheddar, or Jalapeno Cheddar dipped in a light fluffy batter and fried to perfection.  Served with ranch and marinara.  The ultimate cheese stick.

Giant Corn on the Cob:  Imagine the biggest corn on the cob of your life.  Grill it over a big open fire than dip it in the melted butter.  It is a buttery, smoky, delicious way to enjoy a veggie in a sea of bacon and cheese.

Root Beer Jug:  A pint sized milk jug filled with icy cold root beer.  Perfect to wash down all the awesome food.

The New Guys:

Chocolate Covered Bacon:  Definitely worth a try.  A little to rich for us.  We liked the idea of sweet and salty, but the ratio was off.  Needed more bacon, with a thinner coating of chocolate.

Fried Cheese Curds:  We tried the jalapeno.  Compared to the Wisconsin cheese it had a much thicker batter.  Not quite as gooey and cheesy.  We enjoyed them, but we still prefer the Wisconsin cheese.

Brisket Chimichanga Topped with Queso:
Out of all of the new foods we tried this was our favorite.  They had a 2 for 1 special, so it was a great bargain.  It was a tortilla filled with BBQ brisket and cheddar, deep fried and topped with queso.  Very good combination.

We had a great time searching out and trying new things. The next weekend, we did sneak back to get all of our old faithfuls.  We realized sometimes your old favorites are the way to go.

For my recipe I was a little fried out!  So I made a oven baked version of fried pickles.  I got the crispiness of being fried without all the fat.  So through out the year I can have my Fair favorites in a healthier way.  Enjoy!

Baked "Fried" Pickles
Serves 6

1      Each      24 oz Jar Whole Kosher Dill Pickles, sliced into desired thickness
2      Cups      Buttermilk
1      Cup       All Purpose Flour
2      Cups     Panko Japanese Style Bread Crumbs
1      Tsp       Salt
1/2   Tsp       Pepper
1      Tbsp     Cajun Seasoning
1/4    Cup      Olive Oil

Take 2 large zip-loc bags.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Take a baking sheet and line it with foil.  Evenly pour the olive oil on the pan.  In one of the zip-loc bags pour in the buttermilk.  Put the sliced pickles in with the buttermilk.  Shake it up and let it sit in the fridge for about 20 minutes.  In the second bag pour in the remaining ingredients.  Take the pickles and drain the excess buttermilk.  Toss the pickles in the bag and shake until well coated.  Pop your prepared pan in the oven for 5 minutes to heat oil.  When you take it out evenly place the pickles carefully in the hot oil.  Then put the pickles in the oven for 10 minutes.  Take them out turn them over and place back on for 10 minutes or until golden and crisp.  Serve hot with ranch.  Love as Always, "Big K"