The Hungry Hoosier

Cows, and Pigs, and Elephants, Oh My!

The following is a transcript of the RadioMom 91.1 FM Hungry Hoosier radio program that originally aired on July 20, 2007

Well, it’s Fair time! Now fairs and I had a parting of ways for about a decade. In my teens I hit my hometown fair with buddies and our mission - cruise the midway, eat corn dogs, and try to meet girls. We usually were successful at two of the three. Once I left for college, I didn’t go to another fair until I moved to Indiana. The county Fair was different than what I remembered - still a Midway, and corn dogs, and boys looking for girls, but lots more. I got hooked on the fair and go back every year. When it comes to food, Well, I by-pass those corndogs and go straight for the good stuff - rib eye sandwiches from the beef produces, pork chop from the pork producers, a gooey grilled cheese from the dairy folks, and an ice-cold lemon shake-up from 4-H clubs. I just doesn’t get much better than that. Hope to see you there!

The following is more information about when and where you can find the best food at the fair.

• Ribeye Sandwiches and Hamburgers from the Beef Producers - Sunday: 11:00 a.m. - 8 p.m.
• Pork Chop Sandwiches and Pork Burgers from the Pork Producers - Mon. - Fri.: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m., 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. and Sat. 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. and Sunday 4:00 - 8:00 p.m.
• Elephant Ears from the Thorntown Kiwanis - Saturday 2:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Sunday thru Friday Noon - 9:00 p.m.
• Grilled Cheese from the Boone County Dairy Promoters - Saturday: 4:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m., Sunday: 4:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m., Monday - Thursday 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. and Friday: 4:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
• Lemon Shak-ups from the Township 4-H Clubs - Daily: 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Indy International Wine Competition

The following is a transcript of the RadioMom 91.1 FM Hungry Hoosier radio program that originally aired on July 13, 2007

Here’s a pop quiz. Where do you think the largest U.S. international wine competition is held? Napa Valley? Nope. Washington State? Wrong. Indiana? Right you are! Yep, since 1992 the Indiana Wine Grape Council and the Indiana State Fair have partnered to hold this competition. It’s a big deal. Last year 3,600 wines from around the world were judged by a panel of 80 experts. This year’s competition will be held on July 26, 27, and 28 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. The competition is open to the public. So if your interested in wines, this would be a great event to put on your calendar. Even if you aren’t into the vino, it might be fun to watch 80 judges sniff, swirl, sip, and spit their way though 3,600 bottles of wine.

You can find more about this event here.

Welliver's, Hagerstown

The following is a transcript of what was originally heard on RadioMom 91.1 FM on June 29, 2007

Some small town restaurants do just fine catering only to locals. A handful, however, build a word-of-mouth reputation and become destinations - places that attract diners from long distances. Welliver’s in Hagerstown is just such a restaurant. This east central Indiana landmark has been a Hoosier favorite since 1946 and their smorgasbord is one of the best I’ve ever seen.

The place has several enormous dining rooms with people eating in both small and large groups. All the conversation creates a comfortable bustle. When we visited we were with our young kids and contributed our fair share to the ambient noise we didn’t feel a bit out of place. Everything, from salads to desserts, is made from scratch and you’ll want to sample it all. If you decide to make the trip to Welliver’s, go when you’re hungry.

Pickett's Autumn Gold Sorghum

The following is a transcript of what was originally heard on RadioMom 91.1 FM on June 22, 2007

What do you do on a Saturday morning when your children wake up at 5:17 am? Well, at our house we make breakfast. Biscuits are among our favorites. I have old pictures of me helping my step dad make biscuits and this scene gets repeated at my house only now I’m the dad and I’ve got two helpers. To make it even more fun we sometimes use cookie cutters and end up with dinosaur or doggy bone-shaped biscuits.

Although the kids are happy with butter and jelly, I love ‎sorghum on my biscuits. My favorite is Pickett’s Autumn Gold Sorghum made in nearby Sheridan. It’s the perfect accompaniment to biscuit hot out of the oven. Pickett’s sweet and earthy Autumn Gold is a staple in my pantry.

Playing with Your Food

The following is a transcript of what was originally heard on RadioMom 91.1 FM on June 15, 2007

"Don't play with your food!" It’s a futile mandate at my house. If a cardboard box can be a castle, this multi-colored, multi-textured stuff we call food is going to make meal time, play time.

Sometimes you've just got to give in. The kitchen floor is going to need mopped eventually, so you might as well let them go at it. Some foods make for better play than others. A couple pounds of dry beans in a plastic container and you’ve got a perfect place for a preschooler to bury and then dig up small toys. We call these "Treasure Beans."

You can even make playdough out of peanut butter. Little ‎ones will have a blast molding stuff they can actually eat. So if you’ve got kids in your life you might as well give up and let them play with their food.

Here is the recipe for Peanut Butter Playdough

Peanut Butter Play Dough

• 12 ounces peanut butter (smooth)
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/2 - 1 cup nonfat dry milk

Mix together the peanut butter and honey and then stir in the dry milk until the mix is no longer sticky (more than 1 cup might be needed).

Dressing for Success

To download an MP3 of the the weekly 60-second Hungry Hoosier radio show click here. It was originally heard May 19. 2007 on RadioMom 91.1 FM.

Ice Cream for Breakfast

To download an MP3 of the the weekly 60-second Hungry Hoosier radio show click here. It was originally heard May 26. 2007 on RadioMom 91.1 FM. You can get the recipe for Coffee and Doughnut Ice Cream here.

The Last Fountain-Drink Suicide

To download an MP3 of the the weekly 60-second Hungry Hoosier radio show click here. It was originally heard May 11. 2007 on RadioMom 91.1 FM

Mom's Meatloaf

If your landing here as a result of hearing The Hungry Hoosier on RadioMom 91.1 FM, welcome. Take some time to look around, there's lots here. If you are looking for the recently featured recipe for Mom's Meatloaf, here it it. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does.

Mom’s Meatloaf

• 1 lb. ground beef,
• 1/2 lb. ground sausage
• 1 tsp. salt
• 6 tbs. finely chopped onion
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups crushed corn flakes
• 3 eggs well beaten

Place ingredients in a large bowl and mix well with hands. Shape into a rectangle shaped loaf (about 10” x 4” x 2” high) and place in a 9-13 oven-proof baking dish. Cover with one-half of sauce (see recipe below), and bake at 375 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

Sauce

• 2 cups catsup
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tbs. white vinegar
• 2 tbs. sugar
• 2 tbs. Worcestershire sauce

Add all ingredients to a medium sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Pour half of sauce on loaf prior to baking. Preserve the other half to serve with the meatloaf.

Note: I’ve tied this recipe using ground turkey, turkey sausage (usually available in the freezer section), and egg substitutes. It works well and reduces the fat and cholesterol.

If you give this recipe a try or if you want to share one of your family favorites, leave a comment or drop me an email.

Hungry Hoosier Radio

Beginning next week, the Hungry Hoosier can be heard on the radio at RadioMom, 91.1 FM ,Lebanon. This will be a weekly feature aired several times each Friday. Webstreaming of RadioMom is planned for the very near future.