Mini Corn Dogs

I love recipes that are simple & delicious. I saw a blog recently for corn bites on The Farm Girl Recipes blog (http://thefarmgirlrecipes.blogspot.com/2012/09/corn-dog-bites.html?m=1) and its something I do occasionally but with a few different twists.

This is also a great recipe you can do with your kids since the can help with making them. Recipes like this are great because YOU control how healthy they are. Most store brand corndogs have a lot of preservitives and fillers. I don't know about you, but I like knowing what's in my food.

Many of the foods that we eat and serve our families are full of stuff like this. This is one of the reasons our kids are growing as fast as they are and are seeing a rise in cases of disorders. With going to school, I learned the importance of freshness, and how easy it really is. This is why I started this blog. I want show people how easy it is to have quick, easy & delicious meals, made from scratch or with very few processed items. This recipe is one of my processed recipes, but overall healthier then the store bought.

Mini Corn Dogs

Ingredients
12 Turkey Hotdogs (you can use any kind of hotdog)
1/2 cup flour 1 box Jiffy Corn Bread Mix (made as directed)
Milk (as needed)
1/4 cup sugar
36 toothpicks

Directions
1. Heat 3in of oil in a pan over medium, or preheat deep fryer to 350 degrees
2. Cut the hotdogs into thirds
3. In a bowl make corn bread mix, mix with 1/4 cup sugar, add milk to batter until it is almost pancake thin 4. Put 1/2 cup flour in seperate bowl
5. Stick each hotdog with a toothpick
6. Holding the toothpick, dredge hotdog in flour (shake off excess), then coat with batter (make sure hotdog is covered), place immediately into hot oil.
7. If cooking in pan cook about 1-2 min on each side until golden brown, in deep fryer I used my basket to weigh them down since they float up, fry until golden about 2-3 min.
8. Once removed, dry on a paper towel lined plate, remove tooth picks, or keep in (just be careful of toothpick) and eat like mini corndogs
9. To keep warm, place in 200 degree (warm) oven, until all are done.

I served ours with a Hickory Sweet Chili BBQ Sauce. It was equal parts of Hickory Honey BBQ sauce and Sweet Chili Sauce.

Cooking on a budget

Like most people today, money is tight, so cooking for a family of 3 on a budget is always a challenge. For me the challenge is making sure there is enough meat. So how do I make it work?

Simple, I buy meat when its BOGO (Buy one get one), or meat that has been marked down. Most people steer clear of meat that has been marked down, but you shouldn't. As long as you know what to look for you will be fine. The meat is not bad, it's marked down because it is close to the "sell by date" and stores would rather mark it down than throw it away. This is a great way to save money. I would recommend however cooking it the night u bought it or putting it in the freezer.

Using your judgement when looking at the meat is the next important step. You want to make sure the color is still bright and not dull or browning. With chicken if there is a lot of liquid in the package, its going bad. The more liquid, the further you run. Lol Another great deal I love is BOGO. The stores always "raise" the price per pack, but if you divide that, you can usually get each pack for about 6 bucks. My favorite BOGO is chicken. I always stock up on legs, thighs, and boneless skinless breasts.

Stocking your pantry at this time is also a great idea. I've noticed that sales seem to run every 2 to 3 months. For example this week noodles are BOGO, so instead of 1 box for $1.59, I'm getting 2 (each only cost $.80). If I buy 3 boxes (total of 6), it will last me the same amount of time before the next sale. Some of my other favorite BOGO's are potatoe sides, rice sides, & muffin mixes. As with any deal, sometimes its not always a deal. Do the math & see if it is really a deal. It's also a great time to use coupons if you have them, that way you get it even cheaper!