Anything and Everything On-A-Stick

In Minnesota, the state fair is something that I and most others start waiting for somewhere around March. The food cravings start as a soft whisper and by June and July it becomes this intense NEED for food on-a-stick. The wait is prolonged until the first of those 12 days through Labor Day. We eat our way through the fair, see animals (last year I went to the Miracle of Birth Center for the first time and was pretty much appalled. Cows and sheep panting in labor with crying kids [god, it was so loud in there] and people crowding around their pens... but I'm overly sensitive) and do a lot of people watching. Many ride the rides and play games while I cringe from the Carnies. We see shows and concerts and even watch a surgery on a cat or dog. A trip to the fair is not complete without a quick walk through the Empire Commons to see the butter sculptures of the Princess Kay of the Milky Way. Nearly 1.7 million people went through the gates of the MN State Fair in 2006 and 2007. That's a lot of Pronto Pups to be served.



Just a small list of some of the FOOD served at the fair:



Mac and cheese on-a-stick
Rueben on-a-stick
Walleye on-a-stick
Spaghetti & meatball on-a-stick
Alligator on-a-stick
Pork chop on-a-stick
Belgian waffle on-a-stick
Egg roll on-a-stick
Frozen espresso on-a-stick
Pizza on-a-stick
Hotdish on-a-stick
Fried fruit on-a-stick
Salmon on-a-stick
Frozen key lime pie on-a-stick
Fried pickles on-a-stick
Butterscotch cake on-a-stick

Deep fried candy bar on-a-stick
Coca-Cola cheesecake dipped in chocolate on-a-stick
Rocky road scones on-a-stick
S'mores on-a-stick
Sloppy joes on-a-stick



New this year is:
Big Fat Bacon - 1/3 pound of bacon, fried and caramelized with maple syrup (on-a-stick).
Pig Lickers - chocolate-covered bacon sprinkled with sea salt
Pickle Pop - pickle juice frozen in a push-up sleeve
Hand made tator tots - made with hashbrowns, chedar cheese, bacon, green onion and sour cream deep fried and served three on-a-stick

Chicken bites - blackened chicken breast meat served with horseradish sauce
Walking taco - taco meat, cheese salsa and sour cream served in a Dorito bag of tortilla chips
At O’Garas - Leprechaun legs - lightly-battered deep-fried green beans with dipping sauce
Caribbean jerk seasoned sausage (jerk on-a-stick)
Sticky bun burrito - tortilla filled with cinnamon bread pudding covered with caramel sauce



14 days to go...