Friday night supper

First we started with a big salad.

Then we had a no meat meal of

Corn bread sticks 
and

copycat  Ranch Style Beans 

the links to these recipes go  through my Pinterest account and my notes are there too.  

Pinterest 5 in 5 - Day 5. Hot chocolate mix and Pumpkin Pie Sugar Scrub

I did 2 very simple Pinterest recipes today. I spent maybe 10 minutes in the kitchen and had both done and the counters wiped off and the ingredients put away.

Hot chocolate mix is in the big jar. It calls for
2 cups nonfat dry milk
 1 C sugar 
1/2 C unsweetened baking cocoa - mine was kind of lumpy so I sifted it first
 1/2 C dry non-dairy creamer
dash of salt 
 Combine all ingredients and stir well to mix. Store in a jar with a good lid. 
To serve, add 1/4 cup of mix to 8 ounces of hot water


And

Pumpkin Pie Sugar Scrub
I just made a half recipe for the first time to see if I like it
I used 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup white sugar, spices and just enough coconut oil to get the right consistency.  The original recipe calls for a lot of spice but I cut them back by about 2/3s.
I used 1 t cinnamon and about 1/2 t of ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.
I like the idea of a light scent, I don't really want people 10 feet away from me to wonder why they smell Pie.

I have not taken a shower with it but it did use just a dab after I washed my hands and it felt great. My hands still fell soft and that was hours ago. 

Homemade sugar scrubs will save me $$$. Every winter, I buy several jars from Bath and Body Works and theirs is priced at $20. I think the homemade is just as good and truly costs only a tiny fraction of the retail kind. 

Pinterest 5 in 5 challenge- day 4 -corn dogs from scratch

Corn dogs from scratch

There were 7 adults and 3 little eaters here for supper tonight.I have never made corn dogs from scratch but it sounded like a fun supper. So, after looking at a few recipes online, I settled on this one. 

They are not something I will cook often but they were really good. So good, I don't think any other batter recipe would be better. 

For sides, we had a big green salad and homemade cole slaw. 

My version of corn dogs from scratch

Batter

2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 t salt

1/4 t black pepper

8 t baking powder

2 cups milk

2 eggs- beaten a little

Stir together the dry ingredients. Then whisk in milk and eggs. Batter will be thick. 

Heat oil to about 360 degrees- I used almost a gallon of vegetable oil in our countertop fryer. I bought the fryer 2 years ago and I think this was the 3rd time we've used it. 

We used 17 Hebrew National kosher beef hot dogs. I cut them in thirds and dried them on paper towels.

For the sticks, I found a pack of 75 flat wood skewers in the craft department of Super Walmart. 

Put a stick in each dry hot dog, then roll in a little plain flour to help the batter stick. Then roll each hot dog in the batter until they are coated. 

Now, deep fry each dipped corn dog. I could do 5 at a time and they took about 3 minutes each.

Drain after cooking- I use paper towels. 

I do not suggest these are for a regular menu plan but for a special family meal or a party, they are yummy.