accidental favorites

my parents came over for dinner and it was like having an in-home babysitter!! my kids were still here, i still got to watch them play, but i got to bake and cook and actually get stuff done!

i've wanted to try this recipe for awhile now. i got it out of a rachael ray "everyday" magazine (courtesy of my mother, thanks mom!). my husband loves apple pie and the apple fritters looked like a little bite of pie (and a portion of the mess!). well, hubby didn't like them exactly as they came out, my first batch had powdered sugar on them. i guess he doesn't like powdered sugar. something about some movie ("children upstairs" or something like that), i guess the old lady gave them cookies with powder on them and they died. i don't know, i don't watch scary movies. it explains a lot though. he has always shuddered at my powdered donuts or french toast covered in white. oh well, more for me!

anyways, he wanted cinnamon sugar on his which got me thinking of elephant ears and funnel cakes. so once i ran out of apples, i filled a small ziplock sandwhich bag with the rest of the batter and squirted it into the pot of oil. cover that bad boy with powdered sugar (non for you, hun!) and viola!! just like the fair! i've been looking for a good funnel cake recipe for, i don't know, EVER?!

recipe:
Vegetable oil (for frying)
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup apple juice (or cider)
1 large egg, plus 2 large egg whites
3 apples (i used 6 & had extra batter) peeled, cored & sliced into rings
powdered sugar & cinnamon sugar for dusting

1: fill large pot with enough oil to reach depth of 2" and set to medium. in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. add 1/4 cup juice and the whole egg. stir to form a smooth paste. stir in the remaining juice and let stand until thickened (about 5 minutes). in a bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff then fold into the batter.
2: working in batches, dip apple rings in the batter and fry until golden, about 3 minutes. turn to brown both sides. transfer to paper towels to drain and dust with desired sugar. serve warm.

if you like the fair, and have a hankering for funnel cake, skip the apples and put the batter into a decorating (for cakes) bag or snip the end off a ziplock and fill with batter. ENJOY!!