Corn Dog Muffins

This quick and kid-friendly recipe is just in time for back-to-school lunches.

Corn Dog Muffins work well for kids' school lunches.

As schools prepare to open next week in my area, I’m hoping for the best for everyone involved in education during these unprecedented days. A tip of my cap goes to all teachers, teaching assistants, support staff, children and parents.

With so many complications that have become part of everyday life, easy recipes for your kid’s lunch or after-school snack are crucial. Why not add these quick Corn Dog Muffins to your meal plan for next week?

I’d bet this is one of the top kid-friendly recipes out there. It’s simply hot dogs baked into sweet cornbread, but in addition to the simplicity of the recipe, the muffins pack up nicely in a lunchbox. These little doggies freeze well, too, but more about that later.

And grandparents, this recipe is for you, too. If the kids come to your house after school, you can have these ready for a snack. Shoot, I'm an adult and I enjoyed these muffins!

Corn dogs, those tasty treats often found at fairs and festivals, gained popularity in the 1940s thanks to places like Cozy Dog Drive-In that’s on Route 66 in Springfield, Illinois. This eatery claims to have come up with the modern corn dog; they are one among many who say the same. (Suddenly, I'm craving a Cozy Dog with side of onion rings right now!)

Regardless of the origins, salty hot dogs wrapped in sweet corn batter just works. Corn Dog Muffins produce the taste without the hassle of deep frying. Cooks on a budget also can appreciate this recipe.

To make Corn Dog Muffins, you’ll need:

• 2 boxes “JIFFY” corn muffin mix

• 2 eggs

• 2/3 cup milk

• 1 tablespoon melted butter

• 1 cup shredded cheese

• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard

• 1/2 cup plain yogurt

• 4 hot dogs

The butter, cheese and yogurt help to make the boxed mix—which can turn out crumbly corn bread—more moist. The mustard gives just enough tang to be interesting; if you want more of that flavor, increase the amount to 2 tablespoons.

Stand hot dog pieces up, lay them down or dice them when making your Corn Dog Muffins.

Some cooks choose to dice the hot dogs and add to batter, which is a viable option. The muffins can sometimes rise to cover the top of the hot dog, and while still tasty, a bit is lost in visual appeal. When I make these again, I'll lay the piece of hot dog horizontally in the batter so that I can get a little hot dog with each bite.

This recipe makes 16 muffins, so unless you’re feeding a large family, there will be leftovers. To make individual servings, wrap two muffins in plastic wrap, repeating as necessary. Place muffins in zip-top freezer bag. When packing lunches in the morning, remove each serving and place in your child’s lunchbox. By the time the bell rings, the muffins will have thawed and be ready to eat.

If you’re having leftover muffins at home, unwrap the servings, place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for about 12-15 minutes. To avoid muffin tops from over browning, wrap the muffins in aluminum foil and then place on the cookie sheet to bake.

This probably is one of the most economical lunches. I calculated the total cost of ingredients to be just over $8; each muffin comes to 35 cents! Moms, you’ll want to augment the muffins with maybe carrots, grapes or an apple, and a drink for your child. But even with these additions, I'll bet you can feed your little one for under $3.

Another idea for these portable treats would be packing up a box for those Friday night football games. When your family is cheering on your future star quarterback, muffins, baked chips and fruit would make a tasty light meal at the game. This fall, when it's "chili weather," Corn Dog Muffins would make a great side to a warming bowl of red or white chili.

Bake your Corn Dog Muffins for about 15 minutes or until the tops are a beautiful golden brown.

Give this easy and budget-friendly recipe a try! After all, some things are a classic because they're just so good and almost everyone loves them.

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Doritos® Taco Salad

Ground beef, beans and nacho cheese chips bring together a satisfying summer supper.

This hearty salad featuring lettuce, tomatoes, onions, black beans and Doritos is perfect for a summer supper.

Ours was a meat-and-potatoes household.Sometimes a few from my grandparents’ Austrian, German and Hungarian recipes were mixed in with traditional Midwestern fare. So, when Mom set a bowl of taco salad on our table for the first time, she was met with curious looks.

Frankly, it looked a bit of a mess; shredded iceberg lettuce, red beans, onions, tomatoes, and—gasp—Nacho Cheese Doritos—tossed together with Thousand Island dressing. I’m sure my wisely unexpressed thought was “you took my favorite snacking chip and broke them up into THIS SALAD that has BEANS?”

But like most new things, once tried, we often liked it. This was the case with Mom’s taco salad. (The recipe card is at the end of the story.)

And like the broken pieces of taco chips, I had to hunt through this salad to find any ties to the Latinx culture, but they are there. Just barely.

Let’s be clear: taco salad isn’t a Mexican dish; but a few staple ingredients found in this cuisine—corn and beans—are present. From what I could find about the history of taco salad in America, the salad we’re familiar with emerged out of Texas in the 1960s.

But an earlier version of a taco bowl dates to the mid-1950s. A menu item called “Tacup” was offered in 1955 at a Disneyland restaurant called Casa de Fritos. A bowl made of the popular corn chips was filled with ground beef, beans, sour cream and cheese.

There’s no denying the Mexican influences on our American palates; you can read more about this in a book by Gustavo Arellano, Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America.

To make Doritos® Taco Salad, you’ll need:

• 1 pound ground beef

• 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans or black beans

• 1 head of lettuce (iceberg or romaine)

• taco seasoning

• 4 Roma tomatoes

• 1 red onion

• 1 bag Doritos

• shredded cheese

• Thousand Island dressing

• Hot sauce

I’ve also seen recipes that use Catalina dressing, proof this is a wonderfully versatile recipe. Don’t like beans? Swap out a can of whole kernel corn. Not into avocado? Leave it out and maybe add a few dollops of sour cream. Red onions too strong for you? Use green onions instead.

The one thing you can’t substitute is bag of Doritos because this salad is just not the same with other chips or crushed taco shells. Interesting food trivia: the Frito-Lay company released its triangle-shaped toasted corn chip, Doritos, in 1966. That same company, you remember, introduced Tacup, the forerunner to taco salads.

You also must have taco seasoning for the beef and beans. My favorite is Penzeys taco seasoning. It’s superior in flavor to the packets bought in the grocery stores. I also shake it on eggs in the morning. (This isn’t a sponsored mention; I just like the product.) You likely have a store in your area, but you also can order online.

Doritos Taco Salad was one of Mom’s best summer suppers; it’s perfect for warm days, and with the proteins, this salad definitely fills you up. It's one of the many recipes featured in my Three Women in the Kitchen cookbook. Remember that all proceeds will benefit the Circle of Concern food pantry, and the books make great gifts.

To make the Doritos Taco Salad meal feel special, serve the light fruit drink, agua fresca, alongside the salad. These drinks are popular throughout Mexico and easy to make. If you have any watermelon in the fridge, you’re on your way to this thirst-quenching drink.

I guess it’s true what they say: everything old is new again.

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Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

Home cook and writer Amy Lynch said chocolate and cinnamon make this throwback dessert hard to resist.

She chuckles about it now, but Indiana cook Amy Lynch said her first attempt at chocolate chip cookies didn’t turn out well.

“I interpreted the 2¼ cup flour measurement as two quarter-cup scoops of flour. We ultimately had to throw that cookie sheet away. Live and learn,” she said.

Amy, who said she’s loved cooking and baking since she was a young girl, points to a long list of successes and failures. Those of us who can relate, raise your hand. And like many of us, Amy learned to cook by watching her mother, Janet Mallett. Janet passed away in 2002.

“I had a solid example to follow. My mom was a great home cook and organized a ton of church banquets,” she said. “My mom was very much a traditional Hoosier home cook. Growing up, most of our family dinners consisted of a usually fried meat with mashed potatoes or rice, buttered white bread slices, and maybe some corn or an iceberg lettuce salad.”

The Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake recipe was something Amy’s mother often made for the family. (You'll find the recipe card at the bottom of the page.)

“My mom snagged this recipe for Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake from a 1970s Cincinnati talk show and it’s been a family classic ever since,” she said.

Another favorite family recipe comes from Amy’s younger brother, Jeff.

“My younger brother learned to make a chicken rice pilaf in his junior high home economics class, back when such curriculum was still being taught in schools. He came home and prepared it for our family, and it’s still a recipe I use fairly often decades later. It’s so easy to make, and it’s probably the most comforting dish I know how to make,” she said.

Amy said comfort food is “the kind of food you want to eat while curled up under a blanket on a cold, rainy day when you’re not feeling 100 percent.” Creamy pasta. Rich stews. Crusty bread. Tender muffins.

And Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake.

Amy has a strong memory of this coffee cake from her junior high years.

“I made it for a seventh grade cooking class demonstration, and popular girls who wouldn't even sniff at a geek like me under normal circumstances were suddenly cozying up and angling for the first piece as the irresistible aroma of chocolate and cinnamon wafted around the room,” she said.

Amy with her mom, Janet Mallett, in a family photo.

These days, Amy is a busy single mom who lives in Indianapolis with her 13-year-old son, Michael. She works as a freelance writer who specializes in Midwestern food and travel. Recent trips have been to Detroit, Michigan; Fort Wayne, Indiana; plus Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire. Those interested can keep up with Amy's travels via her Instagram page.

When asked what challenges she faces as a home cook, Amy said getting dinner to the table quickly and working with her son’s “rather limited culinary palate.”

“I had visions of raising my son to appreciate all sorts of gourmet delicacies and wowing my food-savvy friends,” said Amy, who confessed that she was a picky eater as a child. “He’s 13 now, and I’m thrilled that his tastes seem to be evolving and expanding in new directions. And he’s always been willing to at least taste new things, even if he decides he doesn’t like them.”

Her work requires that she keep tabs on the Indianapolis restaurant scene; she has a handful of preferred go-to restaurants. But Amy said she cooks dinner most evenings.

“I guess I’m European at heart. I like to cook small meals daily based on what’s fresh and what sounds good to me at the time. I don’t make many large-batch recipes unless I’m having guests over or planning on leftovers, she said.

She offered a couple of tips to novice cooks.

“Add dried spices at the beginning of a recipe and fresh herbs at the end, otherwise they’ll lose their flavor. Read the entire recipe before you get started, and clean up as you go,” she said.

To make Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake, you’ll need:

• 1⅓ cups sugar

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 6 ounces chocolate chips

• 1 stick of softened butter

• 2 eggs

• 1 cup sour cream

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 2 cups flour

• 1½ teaspoons baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• pinch of salt

Amy said Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake is good for breakfast, as a dessert or as a snack.

“My 85-year-old dad still whips one of these up on occasion. I think it tastes best warm from the oven with an icy cold glass of milk,” she said.

I can almost smell the chocolate and cinnamon coming from the kitchen now.

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