Fletcher's Corn Dog, I'll see you in...

Three Days.

Yesterday's post highlighted all things deep fried. Today's post salutes the Grandaddy of em all, the Fletcher's Corn Dog. Useless Factoid: It was invented at the State Fair of Texas in 1942 by the Fletcher's brothers. And even though the State Fair is only open a couple weeks of the year, the Fletcher's stand sells over 500,000 per year.

Nothing quite like it. I've eaten one at 9 in the morning and had one after a crushing defeat. Even if your defense gives up 60+ points, Fletchers is there to comfort you.

Big Tex, I'll see you in...

Four Days.

Sure, both fan bases are in a tailspin but that's not going to stop anyone this weekend in Dallas. In preparation for the Texas - OU weekend, I've tried to figure out what I'm going to eat while I'm at the State Fair.

Fortunately, the website for the State Fair has a handy "Food Locator" that's extremely helpful.

I typed in "fried" as my keyword, hoping something (anything) would come up. The results? A veritable aorta bursting with options:

Bacon Cheddar Fries
BW's Original Fried Banana Pudding
Cajun Fried Okra
Cajun Fried Sausage Ball
Cheese Fries
Chicken & Waffle Fries
Chicken Fried Steak
Chicken Fried Steak Sandwich
Chili Cheese Fries
Country Fried Peach Cobbler on a Stick
Crispy Fried Apple Pie Wrap
Curly Fries
Deep Fried Cosmopolitan
Fernie's Fried Frito Burrito
Fernie's Fried Nacho Ravioli
Fernie's Fried Potato Stack-ums
Fried & Grilled Chicken Wings
Fried Alligator
Fried Apple Wedges
Fried Apples and Ice Cream
Fried Avocados
Fried Banana Pudding
Fried Banana Split
Fried Banana Supreme
Fried Boudin Balls
Fried Bread Pudding
Fried Cajun Turkey Wings
Fried Catfish
Fried Cheese
Fried Cheese Cake
Fried Cheese Curds
Fried Cheesecake
Fried Chicken
Fried Chicken Basket
Fried Chicken on a Stick
Fried Chicken Sandwich
Fried Chicken Strips
Fried Chicken Tenders
Fried Coke
Fried Cookie Dough
Fried Corn
Fried Corn Cheese
Fried Corn Mix
Fried Green Tomatoes
Fried Guacamole Bites
Fried Hot Wings
Fried Ice Cream
Fried Jalapeno
Fried Jalapeno Chips
Fried Jalapeno Slices
Fried Jalapeno Strips
Fried Latte
Fried Macaroni & Cheese
Fried Marshmallows
Fried Mashed Potatoes Supreme
Fried Mashpotato
Fried Meatballs
Fried Nutter Butter
Fried Okra
Fried Olives
Fried Onion
Fried Onion Blossom
Fried Onion Swirls
Fried Onions on a Stick
Fried Oreo
Fried Oreos
Fried Peanut Butter, Jelly and Banana Sandwich
Fried Peppermint
Fried Pickles
Fried Pizza Sticks
Fried Pork Chop Basket
Fried Pork Chop on a Stick
Fried Pralines
Fried Queso Bites
Fried Ribs
Fried Shrimp
Fried Snickers
Fried Squash
Fried Strawberry Shortcake
Fried Sweet Potato
Fried Tamales
Fried Tomatoes
Fried Turkey Legs
Fried Twinkie
Fries
Garlic Fries
Garbage Fries
Heavenly Fried Bananas
Mama's Fried Sweet Potato Pie
Sky High Fried Strawberries
Texas Chicken Fried Steak
Viva Las Vegas Fried Ice Cream

One of last year's tasty offerings. However, these turkey legs have not been fried, so why bother.

Kickball

Our kickball season is coming to an end. Here are some pictures from the last few weeks.

Whatchoo gonna do with all them chiles...

all them chiles inside your freezer?

I'm a gonna make, make, make you brunch,
so much brunch that you can't eat lunch.

Breakfast Lasagna

- roasted chiles, deskinned and deseeded
- chopped onion and garlic, sauted with...
- chorizo (or veggie chorizo alternative)
- corn tortillas
- grated jack and cheddar
- eggs, beaten
- cream

1. Brown your chorizo with onion and garlic. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Grate cheese.
3. Put down a layer of chiles

4. Next goes a layer of cut up corn tortillas, cheese and chorizo.

5. Add another layer or two of all that stuff.
6. Beat up eggs. Leave one alone so he can go back and tell his friends what happened here.

7. Add some cream to the eggs.
8. Pour your egg mixture into the pyrex.

9. Bake 45 minutes, to an hour.
10. Eat. Or don't. But you probably should since you did all that work.

Reader Mail

We get bazillions of e-mails each day, and while it's a chore going through them, we do read through each and every one. A lot of you ask questions. "Christy McO", in Boston, asks

so what do you do with all those hatch chiles?

The short, smart alecky answer is "Eat them."

The longer answer is, you can put them in or on just about anything: eggs, enchiladas, queso, mashed potatoes, pastas, grits, cornbread, fajitas, burgers... You can stuff them with cheese, sausage, corn, potatoes... They're the sweet onion of the pepper family.

I'll be sure to put pictures up from whatever we make next with them.

One thing I will add is the difference between Austin and LA when it comes to green chiles. In Austin, it seems like a fad. People go to Central Market to buy three individual chiles and make a pesto out of them. In East LA, where most of the SoCal shipments come in, families buy three sacks (thats over 100 lbs) for the year. It's not just a passing thing, but a way of life.

Hatch Chile Time

It's that time of year, albeit a few weeks later than usual for me. I ordered my 38 pound sack of Hatch green chiles through El Rey farms out here and this past Saturday was my pick up day. Here are some pictures from the pick up at La Puente High School.


I was greeted by a couple hundred chile lovers.

Dare I say there are a bazillion chiles in this picture?

Roasters waiting to be filled.

"That's hot."

The sack called shotgun on the way to the car. I just shrugged and said "rules are rules," and pointed Erinn to the back seat.

Coyotes in da hood

Coyotes? In Los Angeles? There are several of these signs around our neighborhood. I pity the coyote that goes mano-e-mano with Callie. She'll tear that guy apart. We'll be eating coyote for weeks.

First Day of School!

Today was the first day of school. My class seems wonderful (all 34 of them!) I look forward to this year with them. Can you find Callie in the second picture?

Santa Claus comes tomorrow!!!

Glory be to the heavens, it's time for college football.

The sights, sounds, smells... it all begins tomorrow. Technically, it began last night, but not for Texas.

And what's a blog post without a picture? (answer: a boring blog post)

From the last game I attended, Texas-OU in 2006. By my count, I'll be eating a Fletcher's corn dog in 36 days...