AKM designs and delights: June 2012

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Feeling a little bit corn-y today?

I pulled out some chicken to make kebabs for dinner.

My kids complained.

They haaaatttte chicken apparently.

A little fact that I did not find out until after the chicken had thawed out.

Thanks for the update boys!

They wanted hot dogs...

And I had the dogs but not the buns.

So I decided to do something a little off the wall last night...

And I made corn dogs!

That's right I made them.

Like ALL by MYSELF!

Go ahead, be amazed.

Who's your daddy now Mr. Coney Island Corn Dog Vendor man?

These little gems were a cinch to make....a bit grease-y, splatter-y kinda messy...

But SUPER simple!

And the best part...

My kids LOVED them!

So be a little "corn-y" and try something different for dinner.

You'll be glad you did!

Mini Corn Dog Bites

by Angi McCarthy

Keywords: appetizer Dinner Lunch American

Ingredients

1 cup flour, divided
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon season salt
1 cup milk
8 hot dogs, cut into thirds
Vegetable or canola oil, for frying

Instructions

1. Preheat about 3 inches of oil to 350 degrees over medium heat.

2. Combine 2/3 cup of flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, garlic powder and season salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the milk.

3. In a pie plate or other shallow dish, add the remaining flour.

4. Dredge each hot dog piece in the flour and then dip it into the cornmeal batter. Shake off any excess batter, but be sure that the hot dog is fully covered in batter.

5. Drop into the hot oil and fry for 3-4 minutes, turning halfway through, until golden brown and crispy.

6. Fry in batches, being careful not to over crowd the pan.

7. Drain on a paper towel lined plate and keep warm in a 200 degree oven until all of the hot dogs are fried.

8. Serve immediately with ketchup and mustard, if desired.

Have you ever tried making homemade corn dogs?

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Finding the "New" in the "Old"...

I love a good furniture re-do don’t you? Taking something that looks like it belongs on the curb for the garbage man to dispose of and turning it into a cherished piece for our home.

That’s kinda how this little Craigslist find was for me. I didn’t really want to buy anything that day. Honestly!

Actually, I was researching and trying to get an idea of how much to price some things that I was trying to get rid of when I spotted her. (that's my story and I'm sticking to it)

There she was…all brown and banged up with her little tear-drop handles all covered in rust. She was just crying for some love! I wish I had a photo to share of her before her makeover but somewhere between start to finish…the before photos were lost. UGH!

Suffice to say, she looked a bit like this…

But oh did she have potential! In all honesty, I have a thing for ~~old~~ vintage things in their original state. I could’ve just lived with her as is if not for the horrific smell!

I’m thinking she was used as a kitty litter box…or close to one??? It was bad people!

So I busted out the sander and went to town. There wasn't much left of the original finish so sanding went pretty quickly.

First I used a 120 grit sandpaper all over to take off all the paint splatter covering her and give her a smooth finish. My initial thought was to restore her back to her original beauty but the more I sanded, the more I realized that was not going to be possible.

The wood had some cracks in it that needed to be filled and some warping issues that needed, well some caulk! So I had to come up with a new plan of action.

In came a sample pot of Behr paint that I’d gotten in Antique Tin. I loved the color and just had to get a sample of it…but had no clue where I was going to use it.

Considering it’s a small piece, I figured this would be the perfect place to try it out!

I removed the drawers, tapped off the top, slapped on a face mask and filled up my paint sprayer with paint and off to paint’in I went!

After the first coat of paint dried, I sanded it lightly with 220 grit paper and then applied a second coat…sanded again with 220 grit then applied a light third coat for good measure.

In between coats of paint on the chest, I started staining the drawers. I used my all time favorite stain, Minwax in Special Walnut. LOVE IT! Can never go wrong with it.

Once the chest was done drying, I applied three coats of the same stain to the top, let that dry for 24 hours and then applied a coat of Annie Sloan Clear Wax to the entire piece…let it sit for 24 hours, applied a second coat of Wax…waited 24 hours and then buffed her to a shine!

I just love the way she turned out...don't you?