All-American Hot Dogs
Summer is here and why pay top dollar going out when you can make delicious hot dogs at home? Here is a guide to the different ways Americans make their frankfurters around the country. I had the Sonoran style hot dogs while I was in Tucson in February and absolutely loved them.
New York Style
Served with brown or German mustard and sauerkraut or onions cooked in tomato paste.
Chicago Style
Served on a poppy seed bun with mustard, pickle relish, sport peppers, onions, tomatoes, dill pickles and celery salt. Pepperoncini can be substituted for sport peppers.
Kansas City Style
Served on a sesame seed bun with brown or German mustard, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese.
Atlanta “Dragged Through The Garden” Style
Serve topped with coleslaw.
Detroit “Coney” Style
Served with chili, onions, mustard and cheddar cheese.
Seattle Style
Served with cream cheese and grilled onions.
Phoenix/Tucson “Sonoran” Style
Served as a bacon-wrapped hot dog with pinto beans, onions, tomatoes, mustard, mayo, jalapeno peppers and cheese.
Austin “Tex-Mex” Style
Served with queso, guacamole and crushed tortilla chips.
San Francisco “Wine Country” Style
Served with red wine caramelized onions and goat cheese.
Miami “Cuban” Style
Served with mustard, pickles and Swiss cheese.
Mother’s Day Brunch
Put mom in a good mood this Sunday and make Mother’s Day a special day with a memorable brunch. When my children were younger they often made me breakfast in bed for Mother’s Day. They made me promise to stay in bed propped up on pillows while they wobbled trays of pancakes, sausage, fresh juice and chopped fruit to my bed. These breakfasts made by little hands were so sweet. They were so proud of themselves that they would hop up on my bed all smiles asking if they each could have a sausage or piece of bacon. Before I knew it they would eat my entire “breakfast in bed.”
Eggs Benedict
Mother’s Day Scramble
Eggs Florentine With Waffles & Hollandaise
Pecan Pancakes
Lemon Curd French Toast
Melon Balls
Mixed Berries With Crème Fraiche
Raspberry Parfaits With Yogurt & Granola
Cherry Pecan Scones
Cherry Almond Quick Bread
Roasted Tomatoes
Hash Browns With Fresh Chives
Sweet Potato Hash Browns
Smoked Sausage
Smoked Bacon
Smoked Salmon
Freshly Brewed Coffee or Tea
Fresh Squeezed OJ
Fresh Squeezed Grapefruit Juice
Mother’s Day Mimosas
Citrus Spritzers
Bloody Marys
Mac & Cheese Please!
Forget that horrible box stuff and make your own delicious Mac & Cheese. Here is a different spin on the usual cheddar cheese macaroni & cheese dish. Using the brie, cream cheese and mascarpone makes it nice and creamy. I used macaroni pasta here, but you can use pasta shells or farfalle pasta.
INGREDNTS
2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
12 Ounces of Farfelle or Macaroni Pasta or Shells
7 Ounces Brie (Rind Removed) Cut Into Chunks
5 Ounces Cream Cheese Softened & Cubed
3 Large Eggs Lightly Beaten
1 Cup Mascarpone Cheese
1 Cup Grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese
3/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper
1/4 Teaspoon Finely Grated Nutmeg
Heat your oven to 375º F. Butter a 2 quart gratin dish. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook pasta to al dente and then drain well. DO NOT rinse the pasta. Transfer the hot pasta to a large bowl and toss immediately with Brie and cream cheese until melted and smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, mascarpone and Parmigiano. Stir the egg mixture into pasta. Season with the kosher salt, pepper and nutmeg. Place the pasta into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately. Serves 6
Butter Cookies
It’s time to start thinking about making Christmas cookies.
1 1/2 Cups Softened Butter
1 1/2 Cups Sugar
2 Eggs Lightly Beaten
3 Cups Unbleached Flour
1/3 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/4 Cup Sifted Powdered Sugar (Optional)
Cookie Press
Preheat your oven to 375° F. In a large size bowl cream the butter and sugar together. Add the beaten eggs. In a separate bowl mix the flour and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture. Blend well and then add the vanilla. Fill the cookie press with 1/4 of the cookie dough at a time. Press the cookies onto a parchment paper covered cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes while still on the cookie sheet. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Dust with the powdered sugar if you want to. Makes 48 cookies.
Students & Breakfast
Labor Day is over and it’s school time again. Many school aged children skip breakfast on a daily basis because of either financial reasons or because of the morning rush to get to school on time. Studies show that children, as well as college students, who eat breakfast have better math scores, less tardiness, less hyperactivity and better overall school attendance than those children who don’t eat breakfast. If you want your student to be more alert, focused and ready to tackle the day’s academic challenges then encourage them to eat breakfast daily and not just on test days. Eating a nutritious breakfast will help your child concentrate, behave and learn. Studies have shown that eating breakfast improves a student’s classroom performance, including better test scores and better grades. It is important for a student to be able to concentrate on his or her school work as well as learning positive habits that will carry over into adulthood. Eating breakfast can do more than just keep your child full!
