Minnesota State Fair!

Last weekend, we visited the Minnesota State Fair. We just moved to the state, so this was our first time. It was very exciting...and kind of stinky. :)

We saw the livestock shows (that was the stinky part) and cheered the FFA kids as they exhibited their animals. It was a lot of fun and the kids were very sweet.

But the real business of the fair is the food. So how did we do on that score?

First we saw the sweet potato tacos. This was a new one for me.

Then we saw "Hotdish on a Stick." Hotdish is a Minnesotan casserole made with tater tots and cream of mushroom. You can get a recipe here and this lady made a YouTube video explaining how to make it. I'm not sure how you put it on a stick, and, frankly, I didn't really want to know.

"On a stick" is pretty much the theme of the fair. Even the voter registration booth had a big sign announcing "Freedom on a Stick."

We also saw deep fried olives. Unfortunately, it was like 9 a.m. (the fair is huge and you have to get there at the crack of dawn if you want to find parking) and these didn't look very appetizing.

Then we found THIS. Yep, you're reading that right. It say's "deep fried alligator."

Big Gator or Stick Gator? That is the question.

We picked the gator nuggets. That seemed like a more authentic gator product than the sausage. Unfortunately, it didn't come on a stick.

It tasted like chicken. Not bad, but not as good as the hush puppies it came with. Those were amazing.

Lingonberry ice cream, anyone?

There was even a Haunted Mansion! It was pretty good. My kids were really spooked.

All in all, we had a great time. We're definitely going next year.