What could possibly be more “All American” than hot dogs? Well, maybe a good John Philips Sousa march but there’s not a whole lot else.
As I little kid I loved eating “Coney” dogs for free at my grandparents’ A&W restaurant in Mt. Clemens, Michigan. Maybe it was the dogs and maybe it was that sweet A&W root beer but it was good stuff. And then in baseball I played one year for “Herman’s HotDogs” and another year for “Swift’s Sizzlers” in the Palma Ceia Little League in Tampa.
My daughter used to request hot dogs but she always said that she wanted a “naked hot dog”. She loved giggling at the tiny bit of naughtiness (what the heck she was 6) when she placed her order at the Dairy Queen in Indianola, Iowa. A “naked hot dog” by the way is a dog in a bun and nothing else. When we would have hot dogs on the grill at home her dog could have grill marks but no other charring or else she wouldn’t eat it. I think she still prefers it that way and she’s now 28.
And my wife, Mrs. CB concocted her favorite—“Hot Dog Extravaganza”. What’s that you ask? It’s chili dogs and sauerkraut dogs; dogs with tomato, onions and relish; dogs fixed anyway you can imagine. Every couple of weeks or so I’ll ask her what she would like for dinner and she’ll raise her arms up waving her hands and sound out “Hot Dog Extraaaa-va-ganza!” Add that with a can of baked beans and some oven roasted vinegar potato wedges and you’ve got quite a meal.
Now, do I really need to do a recipe? Sure, why not. This is a food blog after all. So here goes:
Recipe: Hot Dog Extravaganza!
Summary: A quick, fun, “All-American” meal for the whole family.
Ingredients
- 1 package hot dogs
- 1 package hot dog buns
- 1 can “hot dog sauce”
- 1 can sauerkraut
- 1 tomato chopped
- 2/3 cup chopped onion
- 1 can baked beans
- Pickle relish—your choice dill, sweet or both
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- 2/3 cup Shredded cheese
Instructions
- Get all your ingredients out. Open the cans and put the contents in a bowl. Microwave the sauce and kraut for a couple minutes each.
- Put the chopped tomato and onions in small bowls. Put a spoon in or next to the relish. Put the beans in a bowl and microwave it for about 2 ½ minutes.
- Now, cook your dogs. Going to boil them? Put water in a pan, put the dogs in the water. Put the pan of water and dogs on the stove.
- When the water boils, turn it off and remove from the stove—the dogs are done—they’re parboiled.
- Going to grill them? Start up your grill.
- Put the dogs on the grill (lid open) and every minute or so roll the dogs a quarter turn. We like ’em pretty well “charred”.
- Do them as charred or not charred as you like.
- And sometimes, we grill some and parboil some.
Preparation time: 10 minute(s)
Cooking time: 10 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 4
My rating 5 stars: ★★★★★ 1 review(s)
Set up a “buffet” line for your “Hot Dog Extravaganza”. The kids will love it and they’ll get creative making their own. If there’s a bit of a mess, it’ll clean right up. If you don’t have kids, well then act like kids and have fun with this. It’s one of those silly meals that isn’t “bad” for you and will keep you young and having fun.
This is a great summer meal—indoors or outdoors. And it’s a quick, fun meal to throw together once school starts in the fall.
The Cheap Bastid Test: For us, this is a frugal meal. I buy hot dogs on special (pork, chicken & turkey) for $1. I’m not spending $5 on a package of “all beef” hot dogs. If I want $5 a pound beef, it better be steak! The “chili” is a $.50 can of Walmart “hot dog sauce”. The sauerkraut costs $.60 at the dollar store. The buns are $.88 at Fresh & Easy and the baked beans are $.89 at the grocery store. The tomato and onion cost about $.50 and I’ll consider the ketchup and mustard a “freebie”. Total cost: $4.40 for 8 hot dogs! Or $.55 each. A cheap, fun dinner.
That’s the Cheap Bastid Way: Eat Good. Eat Cheap. Be Grateful!
