Saturday Blog: Manly MENu

Greetings Saturday Readers.....I decided to start a new trend of my own.  My MENu Blog.  I love to cook, I bake bread and can make almost anything, from a microwave hot dog to fillet Mignon with Cheese breaded baked crust.  Open a Beer to a mix a perfect Blue Cheese Stuffed Olive Dirty Martini

My point is I CAN cook.....but fast fixins will also delight a refined palate from time to time.

There are times that I really want to put something festive together, but Saturdays......SATURDAYS are days to treat the kids to a college style, bachelor budget fare that will be both delicious and prepare them for school as single young adults. I'm talking Beer not wine food, soda pop style stuff that the kids love and the parents wonder why.

One of my favorites was the Corn Dog, Gary Style.......I am sure that this was invented by someone else (Probably the Vikings, right after they discovered America)  and under another name, but Beer and Hunger on a late study night will bring about some strange concoctions that results in a culinary surprise.  This was one of those.  

The recipe is very simple.....

Buy Two bags of your favorite Corn Bread Mix.  I prefer the Marie Callender's All Natural.  But I add a little skim milk with the water to a 50/50 ratio to thicken the mix.    

Then I buy two brands of dogs.  One is what ever the kids like for you.  We alternate favs here between Hebrew All Beef (Best food value at 97% fat free) Ballpark Franks, and of  course, the weekly coupon special. 

I also buy a package of the Johnsonville All beef Brats.....slightly more expensive, but I like the spice, and my son is at the age where he appreciates a spicy dog too. 

it doesn't matter, the point is find your favorite and try it out....as my mom used to say, open the freezer and that is the household menu.

I mix up all the cornbread mix, slice the dogs into 1/2" slices, and pour the mix into two 9" greased pans. while the oven heats.

I put all the dog slices in one pan, evenly spaced and pressed into the batter and repeat with the brats in the other.

This is where it gets easy, put it all in the oven and bake according to the mix cookie instructions. 

If you have ever made cornbread, then you know the routine from here, except I almost always add a cheese topping as soon as the bread is ready, 3 more minutes back in the oven to melt the cheese and BOOM.......Corn Dogs, Gary Style....  ( I should probably change that to Daddy Style now)

Folks, that is it, you can add Mustard or ketchup if you like it is actually surprisingly good......sit back, open a nice bottle of VINO, OK beer of choice, and enjoy!

Less the cost of the beer, you are under 6 bucks and half an hour.  The kids will call you a weirdo, so why not take it to another level and add funky food coloring to the mix........If your gonna be called names anyway, take it to the limit there Dr.. Seuss....  (Green Eggs and Ham Reference)

Next week......the MENu meal that I made to end a fight!