.st0{fill:#FFFFFF;}

Fair Inspired Weekend Menu 

 Originally Written: September 3, 2010

By  Hanna Trafford

We all love those special treats offered at late summer and fall country fairs. These are delicious treats you can eat by hand  – that is when you are outdoors! Whether you are in your own backyard, your patio or sitting on the porch of your cottage, you will enjoyed these recipes!

Menu:

  • Fried Chicken with Cream Gravy
  • Red Cabbage Salad
  • Sweet and Sour Pickles
  • Spicy Grilled Corn on the Cob
  • Green Tomato and Apple Hand Pies


Fried Chicken:

Making fried chicken for entertaining can be a bit of a problem, since it is best when fried at the last minute. You can precooked your chicken and then quickly fry it – that means you will only need about 10 minutes to start serving it!

Ingredients:

  • 6 whole cloves
  • 4 stalks of parsley
  • 2 stalks of celery, chopped
  • 1 hot pepper, halved
  • 1 onion, quartered
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 1-1/2 tablespoon of cider or wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons of salt
  • 3-4 lbs. of chicken pieces
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup of whipping cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon of each black pepper and thyme, crumbled
  • 1/2 cup of flour
  • 1-1/2 cups of bread crumbs
  • 6 cups of vegetable oil

Directions:

  1. in large pot, bring 8 cups of water, cloves, parsley, celery, onion, carrot, hot pepper, vinegar and 1-1/2 teaspoon of salt to boil; add chicken pieces.
  2. Return to boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer until chicken is tender when pierced with a fork – 25-30 minutes.
  3. Using tongs, transfer chicken pieces to a plate and let cool.
  4. Boil cooking liquid until reduced by about one third. strain and skim fat, reserving 3 cups for gravy
  5. In a bowl, beat eggs, cream, pepper, thyme and remaining salt and whisk in flour until smooth.
  6. Place bread crumbs on a plate
  7. Pat chicken pieces dry, then dip in egg mixture and coat with crumbs.
  8. Refrigerate for up to 4 hours.
  9. In a large pan, heat up oil over medium-high heat
  10. Fry chicken pieces in batches turning once until browned – about 4 minutes.
  11. Drain on paper towels
  12. Serve with cream gravy is desired

Cream Gravy

Ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoon of bacon drippings or vegetable oil
  • 1/3 cup of flour
  • 3 cups of reserved stock
  • 1/3 cup of whipping or light cream
  • Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. In saucepan, heat drippings over medium heat, cook flour until golden brown – about 3 minutes
  2. Slowly whisk in stock and bring to boil, stirring constantly
  3. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring until thickened – about 10 minutes
  4. stir in milk or cream and return to boil
  5. Season with salt and pepper to taste

Red Cabbage Salad:

Red cabbage makes an excellent coleslaw – the colour and intense flavor makes this salad a very special dish. You can salt the red cabbage before making the salad – it is tougher than green cabbage.

Ingredients:

  • 1 small head of red cabbage, shredded
  • 1-1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • Half of red onion, sliced very thin
  • 2 large red apples, julienned
  • 1/2 teaspoon of caraway seeds
  • 1/3 cup of cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons of prepared mustard
  • 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon of sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
  • 6 slices of cooked bacon, chopped

Directions:

  1. In a large bowl, toss toss cabbage with salt and let stand, tossing occasionally until softened – about 2 hours.
  2. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible
  3. Toss with onion, apples and caraway seeds
  4. Whisk together vinegar, mustard, oil, sugar and generous 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
  5. Mix well and toss with bacon

Sweet and Sour Pickles

These refreshing pickles are easy to make and will be a hit with you family and friends

Ingredients:

  • 1-1/2 lb. of pickling cucumbers
  • 4 carrots
  • 4 inch piece of radish
  • 2 fresh or dried hot peppers
  • 8 cloves of garlic, smashed
  • 2 tablespoons of mustard seeds
  • 2 teaspoons of coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon of black peppercorns
  • 8 whole cloves
  • 1-1/2 cups of cider vinegar
  • 1-3/4 cups of granulated sugar
  • 8 teaspoons of salt

Directions:

  1. Quarter cucumbers lengthwise
  2. Peel carrots and halve crosswise, then quarter legthwise
  3. Peel radish and cut lengthwise
  4. Pack two 4-cup jars with cucumbers, carrots and radish, add 1 hot pepper and 4 cloves of garlic to each jar
  5. In saucepan, toast mustard and coriander seeds, peppercorns and cloves over medium heat until fragrant and mustard seeds begin to pop – about 2-3 minutes
  6. Add vinegar and 1 cup of water
  7. Bring to boil; add sugar and salt, stirring until dissolved
  8. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes
  9. Pour enough into jars to cover vegetables
  10. let cool and refrigerate for at least 3 days before serving or leave in your fridge for up to 4 weeks

Spicy Grilled Corn on the Cob:

This a quick, easy and delicious recipe –  precooked corn grilled with tasty barbecue sauce will be a hit!

Ingredients:

  • Husked, steamed or boiled corn cobs
  • Vegetable Oil

Sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons of chili powder
  • 1-12/ tablespoon of vegetable oil
  • 3 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
  • 2 tablespoons of packed brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoon of dark soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoon of ketchup
  • 1-1/2 tablespoon of cider vinegar

Directions:

  1. Mix together chili powder and 3 tablespoons of water – make a paste. Let stand for 10 minutes
  2. In a small saucepan, heat chili paste, oil, garlic and cumin until fragrant – 2-3 minutes
  3. Stir in sugar, soy sauce, kwtchup, vinegar and 1/3 cup of water – bring to boil
  4. Reduce heat and simmer on low until very thick – about 10 minutes
  5. Let cool
  6. Lightly brush corn cobs with oil; grill over medium heat until lightly charred and heated through – then brush over with sauce
  7. Return to grill and cook, turning it for about 1 minute

Green Tomato and Apple Hand Pies

You would not believe just how well green tomatoes taste when combined with apples. If you think the apples are a bit tart, increase sugar when making the filling!

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups of flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/2 cup of cold, unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1/2 cup of cold lard or shortening, cubed
  • 1 egg
  • Ice water
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 tablespoons of coarse brown sugar

Filling:

  • 1/4 cup of butter
  • 3 cups of chopped green tomatoes
  • 1/4 teaspoon of salt
  • 6 apples
  • 3/4 cup of packed brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • Pinch of nutmeg

Directions:

  1. In food processor, pulse flour and salt.
  2. Pulse in butter and lard until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few larger pieces.
  3. Pulse in egg
  4. Add 1/2 cup of ice water, mixing until dough holds together when pressed, adding a little more water if necessary
  5. Press into a ball and then flatten into disc.
  6. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days

Filling:

  1. In a skillet, heat half of the butter over medium heat
  2. Fry tomatoes and slat until almost tender – 8-10 minutes
  3. Scrape into a large bowl
  4. Peel and core apples and cut them into about 3/4 inch chunks to make about 5 cups
  5. Add remaining butter and sugar to skillet, cook, stirring until sugar is dissolved
  6. Add apples, stir well and cook until almost tender – 6-8 minutes
  7. Mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water, stir into apple mixture and cook until thickened
  8. Transfer to bowl with tomatoes and mix well – let cool
  9. Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg
  10. Roll out pastry to scant 1/4 inch thick
  11. Cut out ten 7-inch rounds, rerolling scraps once.
  12. Divide filling almong rounds (you will need about 1/3 cup of filling for each pie)
  13. Fold over pastry to make half-moons, moisten edges with water and crimp well with a fork
  14. Mix egg yolk with a bit of water and brush over top of pies.
  15. Cut vents in each pie
  16. Bake on bottom rack at 375F  until golden – about 25 minutes

Hope these recipes will be helpful to you and you will have a wonderful weekend! Please send in your comments, suggestions and experiences – your input is always welcomed and very much appreciated


Hanna Trafford


Hanna is the mother of two grown sons Dan and Dusan Nedelko, and is also the Grandmother to Jax, Cohen and Mila. She is the lead editor of Mama Knows and is hoping to create an exchange of communications with other grandmothers, mothers and daughters - giving everyone the opportunity to learn and share about everything that is "Mama"

Your Signature

related posts:


All About New Year’s Resolutions and Why I Don’t Make Any


Auld Lang Syne Lyrics


Best New Year Quotes

{"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}

Get in touch

>