12/101 -- Try Something New at the State Fair

Ahh the annual NC State Fair. The crowds, the people, rides of death and food. What's a state fair without the miles and miles of food stands? My goal this year was to try something new. Now, I was going for something a little more crazy, but due to looming rain clouds, a mission to get a 7 year-old on rides before the 18 month-old melted down, and trying to navigate though a maze of people, it just didn't go exactly as planned.

Every year I get a ginormous bag of kettle korn and a chocolate frozen banana. That is standard. I have had some typical fair food, such as giant turkey legs (yes, and I love them. Judge all you want.) Philly steak sandwiches, sweet potato fries, fried onion blossoms, cotton candy, funnel cakes, pizza, etc. This year I had a gyro for lunch. I was still looking for something new to try when low and behold, the Wisconsin Cheese stand stood in front of us as we parked at a picnic table to shovel the rest of lunch down before the rain came and the baby started screaming. (Again.) My mother, a fellow lover of cheese, immediately thought they were cheese curds, something she obsesses over. She went to check it out while I shoved a gyro in my face. She said it wasn't what she thought and we continued with lunch. A few minutes later a lady sat down at the picnic table next to us with the most delicious looking fried balls of goodness. My jaw hit the table and I thought out loud, "what are those, I want them?!".My mom got all excited and told me they were from the cheese stand and ran off to grab some.

HOLY. MOLY. Talk about a paper tray full of cheesy goodness. Apparently they had a few different kinds of cheese and she opted for our favorite, jalapeno jack. OMG. As Rachel Ray would put it, YUM-O.


So, it wasn't chocolate covered bacon or deep fried Oreos, but it was heaven. And not just your ordinary "fried cheese". It was FAR from that and completely delicious. Thanks Mom!