Qu'est-ce que c'est?

Another Hump Day where Jared and I don't go to class. Jared is sick, something close to a kidney infection, mom thinks.And since mom is like, the kidney problem guru since she had kidney failure, dialysis, and now a kidney transplant, I'm inclined to believe her. I'm making him drink green tea (which will help clean out toxins without the kidney working overtime) First and foremost, though, there's a very very large glass of cranberry juice he is delighted about (which I think he is crazy for because unless it is with some other delicious juice, cranberry juice does not taste good to me) Mostly, though, I'm pretty excited about spending the day at home with him, and writing with him.

Mom made potato pancakes this morning, and after one bite I had to immediately go share with Jared, who was still in bed. They are amazing and delicious and all sorts of other things. combined with the leftover corn dogs we made last night, lunch was delicious today.

Here's the recipe for the corn dog batter. We kept the spices out last night (Mom isn't a big fan of them) but they taste excellent either way.
NOTE: this recipe will make enough batter for approximately 16 hot dogs, and have some left over (I just added corn meal to thicken it, and dropped it by the spoonful into the oil to make cornbread balls).

Delicious Corn Dogs
1 1/2 c cornmeal
1 1/2 c flour
2 T brown sugar
1 T chili powder
1 t cayenne (less if you don't like yours spicy)
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 1/4 milk
3 eggs
1 T canola oil

Combine the dry ingredients (in this case, sugar is a dry ingredient) and then add the wet. Mix together. Coat the hot dogs in a light dusting of flour, and then dip into the batter. Fry in hot oil until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel and then serve.

Oh look, more potato pancakes. Yum.

This is the salad that I made for Jared the first time I cooked for him when we first started dating. It is delicious, and always reminds me of spring. I have included the variation that I made recently after the original.

Spring Is In The Air Salad

Romaine Lettuce
Pine Nuts
Apple (Pink Lady is best)
Farmers Cheese, cubed
Balsamic Vinaigrette (recipe at the bottom)

Wash your lettuce, and pat leaves dry. Tear them into bite sized pieces, set aside.

Toast the pine nuts until you just start to smell them, when they just start to darken. They will continue cooking after you pull them from the heat.

Slice an apple into wedges, and then into smaller pieces. Toss with the vinaigrette and serve.

The variation is as follows:

Romaine Lettuce
Walnuts
Pink Lady Apple
Sharp White Cheddar
Balsamic Vinaigrette

And now, onto the balsamic vinaigrette:

1/4 c balsamic vinegar
4 t dark brown sugar
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 t salt
1 t freshly ground black pepper
3/4 c olive oil

Toss all ingredients except the oil in the food processor. Pulse until sugar and salt have dissolved. Turn the processor on, and slowly drizzle in the oil (I repeat, SLOWLY, so it emulsifies as opposed to separates) until it is well blended. Serve over salad.