north carolina state fair: raleigh, nc

I couldn't resist sharing all the fair food I saw and ate at the NC State fair last week with my friend Julie. I didn't go to the fair last year when the famous Krispy Kreme hamburger made its debut so that was the one thing I was on the search for this year. I wish I could happily say I devoured the Krispy Kreme bacon cheeseburger (bottom right pic), topped with bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and bacon but I'm relieved to say I didn't go for it. I don't think I would have been able to move much less drive back to Charlotte after eating that thing. The other Krispy Kreme burger (top left pic) offered was topped with peanut butter and jelly, a healthier alternative to the bacon cheeseburger!

No matter how many times I go to the fair, I am always amazed with the food creations and the thousands of people eating them. I mean fried Kool-Aid? How is that even possible? Besides the usual fried candy bars and turkey legs, I saw fried honey buns, red velvet cake funnel cakes and even fried Smucker's Uncrustables! Two years ago, I had my first fried Snickers bar and it was so good. There's something about melting (ok, frying) a candy bar and eating it while it's warm and gooey that makes it so much better than eating it from the wrapper.

So after doing a quick loop to check out our options we had to actually decide what we wanted to eat. We had heard the fried cheese was the best thing at the fair and decided to go for it. We ordered the fried Wisconsin cheddar cheese and... it was super disappointing. But I couldn't resist posting the picture of Julie below because I made her take this picture at least 10 times so I could get the full cheese effect. It was really cheesy but somehow only tasted like fried batter. The only reason I would ever try these again is if they were made with Velveeta or Cotswold cheese, mmmm. I wasn't in the mood for any more fried food after the first failed snack so I decided to grab a butter dipped ear of corn to keep me happy. You can never go wrong with fair corn because the amount of butter that's on it is only acceptable at the fair.

I always pass on fair rides but fair food makes pushing through the crowds so worth it and I love wandering around the produce and livestock sections to find the biggest and best. We even got a picture with the largest pumpkin, weighing in at 522 pounds (bottom left pic). Oh and I'm already trying to talk myself into trying the Krispy Kreme bacon cheeseburger next year. I think I would be more inclined to try it if the hamburger booth had a sign like Krispy Kreme that lit up the word 'HOT' for when the donuts are fresh from the doughnut line. Ok maybe I'm just making excuses. 

churros

It's hard to go wrong with fried dough and these churros are no exception. I went to Spain with my family years ago and while the spectacular views and friendly people are hazy memories, I can remember the hot, fresh churros served with thick hot chocolate perfectly. I could have eaten churros at breakfast, lunch and dinner they were that good. I decided to overcome my frying anxiety with these churros because I knew they would be a great addition to my 24x24 party menu.

My frying anxiety comes from when I was in college, I tried to fry my own french fries and I almost lit the entire townhouse on fire. It was my first time frying anything and I poured the oil in a large saucepan and turned the burner on the highest heat. Who knew you couldn't heat oil on the highest heat? I quickly learned when the oil caught on fire and I had to use our fire extinguisher to put it out. Yes, I had a fire extinguisher (thanks mom). I took the pot outside and set it in the grass to cool down, leaving a black burn spot in the yard for at least 6 months. So after holding onto that bad memory for far too long, I decided I needed a deep fryer that does all the work for me. These churros had the crispy cinnamon, sugar outside and sweet dough inside that I enjoyed so much in Spain.

One last note about these churros, pipe the dough onto a metal baking sheet before throwing them in the oil so they stay straight. If you pipe the dough directly into the oil they will curl up. And remember to heat the oil over medium-high heat if you fry these in a pan.

Churros
makes 24 6-inch churros

4 c. water
2/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. vegetable oil
4 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. sugar
3 tbsp cinnamon
6 quarts of vegetable oil

Heat oil to 375°F. 

In a pot over medium-high heat stir together water, 2/3 c. sugar, and 1/2 c. vegetable oil. Bring to a boil and then take the pot off the heat and stir in the flour. Stir together until the dough forms a ball. Place dough into a pastry bag (I used the giant star tip from Bake it Pretty) and pipe dough on a metal baking sheet before dropping them into the oil. Fry churros until golden, about 6-9 minutes. Drain on paper towels and stir together the 1 c. of sugar and the cinnamon and roll the churros in this cinnamon sugar mixture. Serve warm.