This week we are conquering this little snack I’ve been wanting to make for a long time.
Just a little snack.
A little Franko Snack!
AuthorRetroRuth
Franko Snack - Party Plans For Food And Games, 1956
Tested Recipe!
[cooked-sharing]
Prepare corn muffin mix according to directions on the package. Spread in a 15.5 by 10.5 by 1-inch jelly roll pan rubbed with shortening. Arrange hot dog slices over prepared corn muffin mix. Top with peanuts, oregano or garlic salt. For variety, you may use all three, topping one-third of the pan with each one. Sprinkle cheese all over. Back in a hot oven (400 degrees) for 15 to 20 minutes, or until cheese has browned. Cut into bars 1 by 3 inches and serve hot.
Yield: 50 pieces, 1 inch by 3 inches
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare corn muffin mix according to directions on the package. Spread in a 15.5 by 10.5 by 1-inch jelly roll pan rubbed with shortening. Arrange hot dog slices over prepared corn muffin mix. Top with peanuts, oregano or garlic salt. For variety, you may use all three, topping one-third of the pan with each one. Sprinkle cheese all over. Back in a hot oven (400 degrees) for 15 to 20 minutes, or until cheese has browned. Cut into bars 1 by 3 inches and serve hot.
Yield: 50 pieces, 1 inch by 3 inches
Notes
This recipe is from a book titled Party Plans For Food And Games, which was published by Swift in 1956. Swift is known for processed meats and cheeses. And, as you can tell by the title of this book, it is a book that has lots of party recipes in it that contain processed meats and cheeses. Now, I’m not sure why this recipe caught my eye specifically, as there are a few winners in this book, but for some reason, the idea of making a big pan of corn dog bread appealed to me. I enjoy seeing the corn dog idea in different forms. Ahem.
Plus, I thought the kids would really get a kick out of this one.
Which would mean that they might actually eat it? Honestly, Alex is no problem, but…TJ. TJ!!! He is so picky right now.
But he does like cornbread and hot dogs. He hasn’t been a big fan of corn dogs themselves, but I hoped having them flat might help.
And I just might have wanted to cut hot dogs into polka dots again. Ahem.
And no, Velveeta cheese does not shred. DOES. NOT. I should have stuck it in the freezer! You would think after years of this I would remember that.
Here is ready to bake up. The “shredded” Velveeta is on, and it has garlic salt, oregano, and peanuts on each third. For testing purposes.
And, just for the sake of science, I tried to get the cheese to brown.
The cheese never browned.
Then Tom came into the room and looked upon what I had made.
“This has American cheese on it.”
“Velveeta, actually.”
“Gross.”
“You can’t say that until you taste it.”
“This is going to be gross!”
“Actually, this isn’t too bad. It just tastes like a corn dog. With American cheese on it.”
The Verdict: Cheesy Corn Dog Squares
From The Tasting Notes –
I thought this was a fun one. Is it gross? No. Is it hilarious looking? Yes. Yes, it is. I think it really ended up looking exactly like 1950’s party food. This would be a great one for a birthday party or a picnic. In the end, it just tasted like corn dogs, except the wiener pennies were a little chewy from being browned. (Take notes, Velveeta!) The garlic salt section was a little too savory for me. The oregano section wasn’t great. I was actually surprised at how much I liked the peanut section. If I were to make this again, I would just sprinkle on the peanuts over the whole thing. I might even leave off the cheese. Maybe I would have a better chance of Tom eating more of it, so I wouldn’t have to try and eat a whole pan of corn dog bread by myself.
Also, it should be noted that both the kids did not like this at all. I’m not sure if it was the shape or the extra stuff sprinkled on top, but they were not in the mood for these. TJ actually spit his bite out a notable distance in retaliation.
Surprisingly, slicing things “pennywise” hasn’t stood the test of time…
I think it would be good with maybe shredded Cheddar, leave off the garlic & oregano – not sure about the peanuts – that seems odd to add but I might give it a try like you did (putting it on one side to see).
I liked the oregano best!!!
You would!!! 🙂
Seriously, do you remember why you liked it? Because I remembered not liking it.
I think I liked how it counteracted the sweetness. Also I really like oregano. I looked back at my notes and this one was “Franko snack – was just fine. I liked the oregano topping the best.”
Goodness gracious! Americanized toad-in-the-hole! Personally, I would make it, but with cheddar, cut the hot dogs a little thicker, and put them under the corn bread.
I can always count you for notes!!!
I am a Baby Boomer. My mother worked most of her life. In the early 60’s she would make a dish very similar to this for a quick family meal after a long day at work. One package of Jiffy cornbread mix, a package of whole hot dogs arranged evenly with grated cheddar cheese over the top. She would serve it with butter beans and sliced tomatoes. This was our family’s version of pigs in a blanket.
An easier, and perhaps more child-friendly variation, is to chop up the hotdogs and add them to the cornbread batter, then put in muffin cups and bake. We sometimes add a bag of frozen corn. My daughter loves these.
A school friend used to bring something very close to this for lunch on occasion. I seem to recall her mom put mustard on it as well as the hot dogs, cheese, and peanuts. I could never get my mom to make “cool” food like this. 😉 (And yes, I’m the weirdo that can recall a lot of lunchtime meals from elementary school, oddly.)
I really could see this for kids, maybe a party. Maybe cut the frankfurters thicker, more than penny size. Bury them in the batter. Use more of them maybe? Serve it with mustard. Yeah! I think that sould be good!
We have shredded Velveeta in 2-cup packages at our local grocery store. Maybe that would work better?
Did the kids eat this? I am always looking for ideas that they might like.
This is a great idea! I also really like corn kernels in corn bread. And muffins are always fun!