Hot Dog on a Stick

One hot summer day in 1946 Dave Barham was inspired to dip a hot dog into his mother's cornbread batter, then deep fry it to a golden brown. The first Hot Dog on a Stick was born, and Dave soon found a quaint Santa Monica, California location near the beach to offer his new creation along with a tall glass of ice-cold lemonade and mustard on the side.

The chain uses only turkey dogs for this treat, so we'll do the same. Just be sure you find the shorter dogs, not "bun-length." This time size does matter. For the stick, simply snag some of the disposable wood chopsticks from a local Chinese or Japanese food restaurant next time you're there.

2 cups flour
3/4 cup corn meal
1/2 cup sugar
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 3/4 cups fat-free milk
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
10 turkey hot dogs
8-10 cups of vegetable oil
5 pairs of chopsticks

1. Preheat oil in a deep pan or fryer to 375 degrees.

2. Combine the flour, corn meal, sugar, salt and baking soda in a large bowl.

3. Combine the milk and egg yolks to the dry ingredients and mix with an electric mixer on high speed until batter is smooth.

4. Dry off the hot dogs with a paper towel. Jab the thin end of a single chopstick about halfway into the end of each hot dog.

5. When the oil is hot, tip the bowl of batter so that you can completely coat each hot dog. Roll the hot dog in the batter until it is entirely covered with batter.

6. Hold the hot dog up by the stick and let some of the batter drip off. Quickly submerge the hot dog in the oil and spin it slowly so that the coating cooks evenly. After about 20 seconds you can use a lid to the deep fryer or pan to put weight on the stick, keeping the hot dog fully immersed in the oil. You can cook a couple dogs at a time this way. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until coating is dark brown. Turn them once or twice as they cook. Drain on paper towels while cooling, and repeat with remaining hot dogs.

Makes 10 hot dogs.

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Muscle Beach Lemonade

Entrepreneur Dave Barham opened the first Hot Dog on a Stick location in Santa Monica, California near famed Muscle Beach. That was in 1946, and today the chain has blossomed into a total of more than 100 outlets in shopping malls across America. You've probably seen the bright red, white, blue and yellow go-go outfits and those trippy fez-style bucket hats on the girls behind the counter.

In giant clear plastic vats at the front of each store floats ice, fresh lemon rinds and what is probably the world's most thirst-quenching substance - Muscle Beach Lemonade. It's a simple concoction really. Only four ingredients. And with this JMR formula, you'll have your own version of the lemonade in the comfort of your own home at a fraction of the price.

1 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice (about 6 lemons)
7 cups water
1 cup granulated sugar
pinch of citric acid power

1. Combine the lemon juice with the water, sugar and citric acid in an 2-quart pitcher. Stir or shake vigorously until all the sugar is dissolved.

2. Slice two of the remaining lemon rind halves into fourths for a total of eight pieces, then add the rinds to the pitcher. Add ice to the top of the pitcher and chill.

3. Serve the lemonade over ice in 12-ounce glass and add a lemon rind slice to each glass.

Makes 2 quarts, or 8 servings.

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