Ya know, I love hot dogs. Any way, any time. After recently making some grilled Chicago dogs and Seattle Dogs, I decided I had to make grilled Boston hot dogs next. They’re super easy, and very, very tasty. These are not some wimpy, skimpy-on-the-toppings hot dogs. So don’t grab some wimpy el cheapo hot dog buns to serve them on. Grab those big deli ones. The strong ones. You’ll need them!
The Perfect Combination
You can’t beat the combination of hot dog relish, baked beans, chopped onions, mustard, and ketchup. There’s an explosion of flavor in every bite, but they’re still simple dogs. You could easily throw all of the ingredients into a small cooler and head to the local park and grill up a quick tasty lunch.
You can’t beat the combination of hot dog relish, baked beans, chopped onions, mustard, and ketchup. There’s an explosion of flavor in every bite, but they’re still simple dogs.
Spring has sprung here in Indiana, but it is still rather cool here this week. So, I took the opportunity and made a big batch of cream of celery soup. And am I every glad that I did, because we both found this soup to be absolutely outstanding. It’s very creamy with just the right celery flavor. This was my first time cooking using celery root. They are quite interesting to work with. Much like a potato, but with such a fantastic celery flavor and aroma.
Homemade Stock Makes For Better Soups
I used some of my homemade chicken stock for making this cream of celery soup. A couple times a year, when whole chickens go on sale, I make a huge batch or two of stock to keep on hand. The flavor is fantastic. So fantastic in fact that you could just sit down with a bowl of it for lunch!
I like to use my good ole trusty Dutch oven to make this soup and pretty much darned near anything like it on my stovetop. It’s nice and big and sturdy. That extra weight helps it maintain and distribute heat perfectly. As an added bonus, it’s actually pretty easy to clean up too!
Add the celery, onion, garlic, and celery salt and pepper to taste.
Add the bay leaf and cook the mixture until the celery and onion are tender, about 20 minutes, stirring often.
Add the potatoes celery root, and chicken stock.
Bring to a boil then reduce heat a simmer and continue simmering, partially covered, for 20 minutes.
Puree using an immersion blender. If you do not have an immersion blender you can use a regular blender, working in batches, but let the soup cool some first or it will explode in the blender.
Stir in the cream and keep over heat until warmed through.
Notes
If you’re using a blender make sure to start out on a slow speed! Hot liquids in a blender tend to expand (or explode) if you’re not careful.
I grew up eating Campbell’s SpaghettiOs™ with meatballs. I would rush home from school at lunch and get me a big hot bowl of SpaghettiOs™, along with some grated Parmesan cheese. The key to proper SpaghettiOs™ eating for me was to eat all the noodles first, saving the meatballs for last. There were just never enough meatballs. And they were too small. Well, this recipe for homemade SpaghettiOs solves that problem and then some. Now you can have as many meatballs as you want and make them as large as you want.
A Bowl Of Goodness
This dish is fantastic, actually. As it is, homemade SpaghettiOs make for a great meal for kids and adults alike. Or, add a bit of heat and make it a grownup version of the old classic.
I like to use my good ole trusty Dutch oven to make this dish and pretty much darned near anything like it on my stovetop. It’s nice and big and sturdy. That extra weight helps it maintain and distribute heat perfectly. As an added bonus, it’s actually pretty easy to clean up too!
In a large bowl, combine the beef, shallot, bread crumbs, oregano, ketchup, egg, two tablespoons of the cheese, and red pepper flake (if using).
Add a few pinches of salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a large skillet.
Working in batches, roll the beef into small 1/2″ or so round balls (I admit, mine were probably more like an 1″ around). You’ll make a lot of meatballs.
Add meatballs to the skillet but do not crowd them. Brown on one side, then flip and brown on the other side.
Remove to a paper towel-lined plate.
Slowly place all of the meatballs into a dutch oven or other large oven-safe dish.
Add the tomato sauce but do not stir.
Cover and place in the oven for 20-30 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta per package instructions and drain well.
Remove meatballs from oven and gently stir in the pasta.
Serve with more Parmesan cheese.
Notes
Make lots and lots of tiny meatballs to stay as close to the original as possible!
I don’t cook with very many store-bought mixes any more, but that doesn’t mean I don’t miss mixes such as Zatarain’s jambalaya. Not only quick and easy to make, Zatarain’s was yummy! So I had to make this copycat recipe of Zatarain’s jambalaya mix, and I found it to be just like the original! Thick, and a bit spicy, with smoked sausage and shrimp, it’ll warm your belly!
Note: The recipe below makes 3 batches of 4 servings each.
You’ve Got Time
This mix will keep in your pantry for up to 6 months. Even a little longer, really. It’s great to keep on hand during those cold winter months. If you’re like us here, and sometimes can’t get out of the house for a few days because of snow, you might not have everything on hand to make it. That’s ok. The smoked sausage isn’t really required, though pre-cooked sausage can be bought well in advance and kept in the fridge.
You don’t have to use fresh bell pepper although that’d certainly be best. I don’t like to waste anything so any time I’m cutting up bell pepper I put any extra pieces into a container and put that in the freezer. It’s not good for a fresh application, like a salad, but it’s great for a dish where it’ll be cooked, like this one.
Shrimp can be frozen and kept in the freezer for quite some time so it’s usually pretty easy to keep on hand. You can leave it out if you have to. And in reality, you could make this dish without the meats at all.
Whenever I go out for a gourmet dog at DJ’s Hot Dog Company (sadly now closed), I always grab the Chicago Dog. I love the crunchy vegetables, celery salt, and of course, the neon pickle relish. Now, thanks to Russell van Kraayenburg’s new book, Haute Dogs, I am able to make an equally fantastic version of this classic hot dog (and many others) at home. If you’re into hot dogs like I am, you’ll enjoy the many recipes in the book.
It’s Like Having A Tasty Dog Salad
Make sure you make more than one of these Chicago dogs because you can’t just eat one. I always think ‘fresh’ when I have one of these dogs. There’s lots going on in every bite. Fresh things. I feel good about eating a hot dog. Kinda odd, but that’s how it is. They just make me happy!
I make a lot of sandwiches. I try to mix up the ingredients to keep them from getting “old”. From the bread to the meats, to the cheeses and condiments. I ran across this great approach for a hot grinder sandwich on the Pork Be Inspired site. I had to make it. It’s now my go-to way of preparing a sandwich. You can make it the “classic” way, on a loaf of French or Italian bread, but it also comes out great on ciabatta or any other good bread.
Customized For Your Tastes
This hot grinder sandwich is great with any meat or cheese. The key is the sautéed green bell pepper and the spiced oil. The crunch of the pepper really makes a difference.
This sandwich is great with any meat or cheese. The key is the sauteed green bell pepper and the spiced oil. The crunchy of the pepper really makes a difference.
This blackened chicken Alfredo is one of our favorite dishes. The contrast between the heat of the blackening seasoning and the creamy cheese sauce is fantastic. It takes almost no time at all to make. Use fresh pasta for the best tasting blackened chicken Alfredo.
Here Comes The Smoke!
Oh, and you’ll want to crack open a few windows when you make the blackened chicken on the stovetop. Blackening requires very high heat (cast iron skillets work best!) and generates a lot of smoke. It’s worth it but can set off the smoke detectors. Oh, and crank up the exhaust fan above your stove top, too. Every little bit helps.
This blackened chicken Alfredo is one of our favorite dishes. The contrast between the heat of the blackening seasoning and the creamy cheese sauce is fantastic. It takes almost no time at all to make. Use fresh pasta for the best tasting blackened chicken Alfredo.
12ouncespastafresh (not dried), fettuccine, angel hair or linguine
parsleychopped, for garnish
Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat.
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat.
Spread blackening seasoning out on a plate. Coat the chicken on both sides. Place chicken into the skillet and blacken on both sides. Remove skillet from stovetop and place in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165 F. Remove.
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, cream, white pepper. Bring to a simmer, stirring often.
Add the Parmesan cheese and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.
Add Mozzarella cheese and stir until smooth.
Cook the noodles for 3 minutes or until done and drain.
Cut chicken into strips and serve over pasta with sauce.
Garnish with parsley.
Notes
Use freshly grated Parmesan and shredded Mozzarella for best results.
Who doesn’t love a bologna sandwich? Well, this takes the old classic to a whole new level. You’ll find it hard to believe that you’re eating bologna. You’ll think that you’re at a fru-fru fancy dining place. Crispy, fried sandwich meat with spicy BBQ sauce served on a bun with creamy tangy slaw. You need fried BBQ bologna sandwiches right now! And actually, I do too!
These Are Not Boring Sandwiches
These fried BBQ bologna sandwiches are so good that we made them twice this week already. Although I grew up eating my share of bologna sandwiches (on white bread with mayo and maybe a squirt or two of yellow mustard), I never had fried bologna until I moved to the mid-west. Dang, all those years missing out on such awesomeness! I probably wouldn’t put slaw on my sandwiches as a kid, though. In fact, I wouldn’t have anything to do with slaw in my younger years. Now, it’s a totally different story. I love slaw. I can’t get enough of it as a side, on sandwiches, or wherever!
If I’m reaching for a bottled BBQ sauce, I often go for Sweet Baby Ray’s.
This copycat Panda Express SweetFire chicken dish is the best take on the classic sweet-n-sour chicken I’ve ever had. The flavors are just spot on, from the sweetness of the pineapple to the kick from red pepper flakes, to the crunch of onions and crispy chicken. The sauce is amazing, too. I’d make this again. And again.
Worth A Mess
I confess that I made a big ole mess in the kitchen when I made this copycat Panda Express SweetFire chicken. Apparently, I was cornstarch-dredging challenged that night, because I had cornstarch all over the place. It was well worth it, though. This dish is definitely worth any kind of mess you might make, too.
It might seem like there’s a lot of ingredients in this recipe. There are a few, for sure. But it’s actually pretty easy to make. The end result is the best reward you could ask for.
This copycat Panda Express SweetFire chicken dish is the best take on the classic sweet-n-sour chicken I’ve ever had. The flavors are just spot on, from the sweetness of the pineapple to the kick from red pepper flakes, to the crunch of onions and crispy chicken.
Place chicken pieces in a large resealable baggie or container and add the flour along with salt and pepper to taste. Seal and shake to coat.
Place beaten eggs in a shallow bowl.
Place 1 cup of the cornstarch into another shallow bowl.
Heat oil in a large skillet or wok.
Working in batches, remove chicken pieces from the baggie and shake off the excess flour.
Dip into egg and coat, shaking off excess.
Next, dip into cornstarch and coat, shaking off the excess.
Fry until golden and crispy on all sides. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate. Finish cooking remaining chicken.
Combine the 4 tablespoons of water and remaining 3 tablespoons of cornstarch in a cup or glass.
In a small pan, combine the red pepper flakes, garlic, sugar, and vinegar. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat. Whisk in the cornstarch mixture and keep warm.
Add a little more oil to the skillet or wok and add the bell pepper and onion and cook for 3 minutes.
Add the pineapple and cook another minute.
Add the sauce mixture in and stir.
Add the cooked chicken and gently stir to coat and combine.
Serve over rice or noodles, if desired, and garnished with green onions.
Notes
You can substitute chicken tenderloins for the breasts.
I so love the flavors of a muffuletta sandwich. Great meats, great cheese, and Italian olive salad. Warmed just slightly until the bread is soft and the cheese is ooey-gooey. I could eat muffulettas all day long. Which brings me to my gripe. Why doesn’t every single sandwich shop sell muffulettas? I mean, seriously, it’s the best sandwich there is. Oh sure, you can get your roasted turkey with avocado, and maybe a ham on rye, but really… Just jump to the chase and enjoy the best sandwich ever devised. The muffuletta.
Well Worth The Time
I used my homemade Italian olive salad in this muffuletta sandwich. It takes a day to make the salad, but it is very much worth the time. If you don’t want to make your own olive salad, pick up a big jar of olive salad at your grocery store or order some online. Olive salad isn’t cheap, but that’s for a reason. It’s packed with lots of great stuff!
I so love the flavors of a muffuletta sandwich. Great meats, great cheese, and Italian olive salad. Warmed just slightly until the bread is soft and the cheese is ooey-gooey. I could eat muffulettas all day long.
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword Cajun, olives, sandwich
Prep Time 5 minutesminutes
Cook Time 20 minutesminutes
Total Time 25 minutesminutes
Servings 4
Calories 1716kcal
Author Mike
Ingredients
1loaf Italian breadcut in half horizontally (can substitute French bread)
