Scott Hutcheson

State Fair: Corndogs & Daisy Dukes (and recipe for Corndog Casserole)

Originally published in quality newspapers on August 12, 2010

Back when I was a younger there were two primary reasons I went to the fair: corndogs and girls. In my earliest memories the former was atop of that list. The corndog had a lot going for it. Like popsicles and lollipops it was served on a stick. Anything on a stick was a hit in my book. Second it was fried and who can resist the crispy deliciousness of cooking anything in hot oil? Lastly, it was a food that could be dipped. I was ketchup AND mustard man, creating a swirling Jackson Pollock-like masterpiece with every bite.

Somewhere along the line girls became more important than corndogs and the fair was a great place to find gaggles of them. I came of age during the “Daisy Dukes” era of female summer attire which made those hot and steamy summer nights just a little more hot and steamy for this particular adolescent male.

It’s state fair season in my neck of the woods, as well as in many other states, and as a 45 year old man I’ve found that I’ve outgrown both corndogs and women who can pull off the Daisy Dukes. I usually end up hitting the state fair a couple of times and those deep-fried, cornbread-covered hotdogs on a stick are no temptation at all. I head, instead, to the area of the fairgrounds where the agricultural producers show off their products. Ribeye steak sandwiches from the beef producers and chops from the pork folks is where I choose to spend my cash.

It seems, however, that corndogs are not completely out of my life. My two sons have, apparently, inherited my early love of the corndog and it’s their fair food of choice. I’m pretty particular about what my kids eat but usually cave in for the once-a-year state fair corndog experience.   

This week I was thinking about post-fair life and wondering if I could create a healthier alternative to give them a corndog fix during the other 51 weeks of the year. I set out to make a corndog casserole that avoided the deep fryer. Although certainly not health food, I used lean turkey hotdogs and served it with fresh fruit and felt pretty good about feeding it my kids. They enjoyed it but were disappointed that no sticks were involved.

At ages nine and five I know I only have a few more summers before girls will surpass corndogs as the primary reason my boys want to go to the fair, in the meantime I’m going to enjoy this less complicated time when thoughts of corndogs rather than Daisy Dukes occupy their brains.   

Corndog Casserole

• 1 package (8) hotdogs, sliced is 1/3 inch slices
• 1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
• 1 (8-ounce) package Jiffy corn muffin mix
• 1 cup reduced fat sour cream
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. While oven is warming up, heat a nonstick sauté pan to high heat and brown the hotdog slices until they begin to brown then remove from heat. In a large bowl, stir together both cans of corn, Jiffy, sour cream, and melted butter, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Spray a 9 by 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray and then add the hotdogs then pour the corn mixture on top. Bang the pan gently on the counter top to help the corn mixture settle then smooth over with a spatula. Bake casserole for 60 minutes or until the top is nicely browned. Let stand for about ten minutes before serving. This recipe serves four to five and warms back up well.

Best Day Ever?

This morning, Henry (age six) asked me what my "best day ever" was. I told him I had three best days - the day I married his mother, the day he was born, and the day his brother was born. He then replied, "My best day ever was the first time I went to Chuck E. Cheese but when I'm older and have more days to choose from, that probably won't be my best day anymore."

BTW, I've decided Chuck E. Cheese is to preadolescence males what Hooters is to post-adolescent males - all the things we love most under one roof. I didn't say I actually GO to Hooters, I just said they have all the things we love - beer, hot wings, big-screen TVs, and...owls...we're quite fond of owls.

What about you? What's your best day ever?

Men in Movies

Last weekend I attended a "Men's Retreat" were we discussed the role of men, what it means to be a man today, etc. I've been thinking about this idea of manhood for quite some time. With two young sons, making men is pretty much my primary job for the next 15-20 years, but what does that mean? At the retreat were were asked to share with others our favorite movies with male characters we relate to or wish to emulate. As you might expect, there were lots of war movies and westerns mentioned. My list was quite a bit different then everyone else there. Here is what my list looked like:

• To Kill a Mockingbird (Atticus Finch played by Gregory Peck)
• A Man for All Seasons (Sir Thomas More played by Paul Scofield)
• Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (Jefferson Smith played by James Stewart)

Anyone out there care to join in the conversation - men or women? How would you answer the movie question?   

Christmas Confessions

Originally posted in the Lebanon Reporter on December 15, 2005

I’ve got a couple of Christmas confessions I need to get off my chest. The first is something I’ve been living with for over 20 years. Most of the year I can hide it pretty well but it starts to get difficult around Thanksgiving and continues through the first week of February. This year it has been even more difficult to keep my secret.

Have you figured it out yet? Sometimes it is better to just get it out quickly like pulling off a Band Aid… I don’t like sports. I used to like sports. I played sports - soccer, basketball - from sixth grade through high school. I even lettered in both of those sports. When I got to college, sports disappeared completely from my life.

You have no idea what a handicap this is for a guy. My sports trivia ends at 1983. You want to talk about Bobby Murcer, Walter Payton, or Dr. J.? I’m right there with you. Ask me who the Colts play this coming Sunday and I’m lost.

I’m the father of two young boys so I know that sports will likely be a part of my life again very soon. I’m fine with that and I’m ready to step up to the task with enthusiasm. In the mean time, however, I will have to keep faking it.

Last Sunday was a close call. I came so close to blowing my cover I decided to come clean in this column and stop living the lie. On Sunday a friend of mine invited me and several other guys over to watch the Colts. I really like all these men and enjoy spending time with them, so I accepted.

My host explained that he would have some snacks and drinks and that I was welcome to bring something as well. OK, now I found myself in familiar territory - a party, snacks. This I could do. I decided that a crock pot full of meatballs would be a good football party snack. Men and meat!

As it turned out the meatballs were a good choice. They rounded out the snack menu that included the other basic football food groups - cocktail wieners, chicken wings, and nachos. My second confession is related to the aforementioned meatballs. I am being forced into making this confession because I was asked for my “recipe.”

I would like to be able to tell you that I hand selected the choices cuts of beef and pork, had them ground by the butcher to my exact specifications, seasoned the meat with dried herbs harvested this fall from my garden. I would like for you to believe that the sweet-and-sour sauce was made from ingredients I procured from an Asian market on the Northwest side of Indianapolis. These are the things I would like to tell you but these things would be lies.

When I consulted my pre-party weekend schedule, I realized that I had very little time to pull together any party food. I improvised with a bag of frozen meatballs and a sweet-and-sour sauce made with very un-exotic ingredients that can be found in just about any refrigerator.   

I’m guessing that many of you are just as busy as I am and there may be a time over the next couple of weeks when you need to pull together something quick. If a crock pot of meatballs is appropriate for the occasion, here is the recipe.

Not-from-Scratch Sweet-and-Sour Meatballs

• 2-lbs bag of frozen meatballs
• 32 ounces of ketchup
• 2 cups grape jelly
• 1/4 cup distilled vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce (i.e., Frank’s or Tabasco)

Place all ingredients into a crock pot. Turn the crock pot to low heat. Heat for four hours, stirring occasionally. If you need this faster, heat up on the stove in a large pan or a Dutch oven and then transfer to a warm crock pot for easy transport.

Watching Football with the Guys

Today I spent the afternoon watching football with a bunch of guys. That may not seem like newsworthy or blogworthy event unless you know me. You see, I am a member of a very small minority - straight guys who don't like sports. I never, ever watch sports and often find myself with a small-talk handicap when around other men. Several of my friends were getting together to watch the Indianapolis Colts and I was invited so I decided to come. I got more excited at the challenge of coming up with the most appropriate snack than I did about the game. I ended up taking a crockpot of meatballs with a sweet and sour sauce. The sauce is an old college party stand-by of ketchup and grape jelly with a few extras thrown in to make it interesting. Other snacks in attendance included cocktail wieners, chips with chili cheese dip, and chicken wings. There was not a vegetable in sight. As you might have guessed, the beverage of choice was beer.      

What's In Your Pockets?

Here is an story from CNN about what President Bush keeps in his pockets. Apparently he only keeps a handkerchief because he doesn't need anything else. He is always surrounded by others who tend to pocket-item-related needs. I hate having pockets full of stuff but since I don't have a 24/7 staff, I'm forced to. Here is what you will usually find on my person - wallet stuffed with receipts, credit cards, three different business cards and occasionally cash; loose change; keys including a half dozen key fobs for everything from the grocery store to the library; lip stuff; my Blackberry; and sometimes sunglasses, digital camera, iPod, and pen. When I was younger I could pull off a man purse/murse/European Carryall. I don't try that anymore. What about the rest of you men?

The Perfect Travel Jacket

I first began obsessing over the Orvis Zambezi Twill Jacket when I spotted it in the Skymall catalog several years ago while flying somewhere. When you travel it seems like you never have enough pockets - boarding pass, passport, cell phone, ipod, paperback novel, pen, glasses, etc. This jacket looked to me like the perfect travel jacket. The current catalog price is $159 plus shipping. I know that is not extravagantly expensive but I just couldn't ever bring myself to make the purchase. The other day I found one on ebay. I bid on it and got it for $40. It arrived last weekend. It was all I expected and more.

The true test came today when I gave it an inaugural wearing on a flight to Washington, D.C. The jacket did not disappoint. I feel so professorial walking through the airport with my elbows clad in leather patches. 

Fat Dad, Fit Dad

I have been a fat guy most of my life. I'm not one of those sloppy fat guys. I'm actually pretty solid, but I've got way too much weight on my 5'6" frame. I know all the right things to do and I've done them three different times in the last 20 years. Each time loosing 50 pounds or more, only to gain it back and then some. Things have happened over the last few weeks that have caused me to focus on this aspect of my life. I'm not going on a diet. I have decided to make some permanent lifestyle changes.

Lisa's dad died way too young. My pastor (and friend) survived a heart attack last week and he is only 50. Now, neither of these guys was fat and I don't think their heart attacks were due to their lifestyle, but this still got my attention. I could be hit by a semi truck next week. There is not much I can do, beyond wearing a seat belt, to mitigate that risk. Being overweight, however, is a risk factor over which I can exercise some control.

If being fit, rather than fat, can increase my chances for staying on this earth a few more years, I'm all for it. I got a late start on fatherhood and even if I push the outside edges of the typical lifespan and make it to 80, I'll be dead by the time Oliver is the age I am now. If my sons wait as long as I did to have kids, I will never see my grandchildren. My goal is to stick around as long as possible.

If you know me personally, or if you a regulat reader this blog, you will understand that I love food. I'm even attempting to have a secondary career as a food writer. This, I'm sure, creates some unique challenges. I'm not giving up anything. I'm still planning to eat good food. I'm still planning to indulge occasionally but indulgences must be the exception rather than the rule. I'm working on a set of criteria that will guide this new lifestyle. I fill you in later.    

I'm sharing this on my blog in an attempt to establish some accountability. If you know me, please feel free to ask me, from time to time, how its going. If you notice a drop in weight, let me know. That is a tremendous encouragement. On the other had, if you see me in line at McDonald's and I'm ordering a Quarter Pounder Value Meal, ask me what's going on. To those of you who don't know me personally, feel free to drop me a line if you've got some advice.

I know there are other dads out there with similar issues. If you want to join me in the "Fat Dad, Fit Dad" lifestyle makeover, let me know. I would love the company.

Shaving Cream of The Gods

In 1998, while Lisa and I walked the streets of Covent Garden in London, we were both stopped in our tracks by the aroma of something different than the normal city smells. We followed our noses to a store called Lush. The sign said they sell fresh handmade cosmetics. Needless to say I was not all that excited about checking it out. Lisa dragged me in and I found my way to the men's section. Little did I know this was a day that would change my life. I decided to pick up a bottle of Ambrosia shaving cream. When I shaved the next morning I could not believe how great this stuff was. Since then, I've been a Lush Ambrosia devotee ever since. The first few years was a challenge because I had to mail order from the UK. Lush now has expanded to the US and also has a terrific Web store. Check the website to see if there is a store close to you.

Lush is an environmentally responsible company that does not do animal testing. Their products are made of natural ingredients and even have expiration dates on them. Guys if you are seeking the perfect shave, Lush's Ambrosia might be just the ticket.

If I Had A Hammer

People who buy 100 year old homes should be either wealthy, handy, or both. I am neither. We bought a 1908 home four years ago. We've done extensive renovations. Lisa's dad has been a big help. His travel schedule allows him to be with us several times a year for several days at a time. He has some experience and his mechanical mind enables him to figure stuff out he has never done before. I don't have that gift. Here is a summary of what we've done to the place:

• Completely remodeled kitchen
• Completely remodeled bathroom (removed 7 layers of flooring!)
• Refinished hardwood floors throughout
• Removal of drop ceilings and restoration of original 12 foot ceilings
• Installation of custom-milled trim (to match original trim) in parts of the house
• Installation of central air
• Replacement of heater, water softener
• Installation of new windows throughout
• Painting of interior and exterior

I think that is all the major stuff. Tomorrow I have a contractor coming to finish the last part of our renovation - the laundry room. The original drywall was damaged so I hung new drywall, applied the first coat of drywall mud, and ran out of steam. That was three years ago! I kept telling myself I would get back to it but I haven't. So, I'm turning it over to professionals. It should take them a week. It might take me another three years.

Now that the renovations are nearly complete we're looking into finishing out the attic. We could add 800 square feet of living space up there. With our growing family we could use the extra room.