Dog Days of Summer

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'Tis dogs' delight to bark and bite,
Thus does the adage run.
But I delight to bite the dog
When placed inside a bun.
Echoes from the Lunch Wagon

I have to admit, in the last few weeks I haven't been cooking very elaborate meals or very often for that matter because I'm kind of going through a food rut. Sometimes I get tired of food and eating. It's usually because I overload my system with such good food that I can't stand to put anything else rich, sweet, or even delcious in my body. Sometimes, I, along with my clothes, get stuck between seasons, and I'm almost certain this is the reason for this slump. It's too warm for soups and stews and too late in the season for summer vegetables. During these depressing times, food just doesn't give me that blissful, almost euphoric feeling I crave. Finally, I give in and temporarily hang up my apron and semi-retire my chef's knife.

When the slump is finally over, I come back to the world of food with a vengence. I want to go out to eat for lunch every day, cook dinner every night, and bake, and I never bake. Let's hope this happens sooner than later. I'm starting to get hungry.

Until then, I have to bore Adam with typical and simple, but comforting food. This time of year I have more after-work activities than usual, and I can't imagine spending hours in the kitchen, eating dinner at 11:30, and cleaning the kitchen until after midnight. Maybe on a Saturday night with lots of wine and hors d'oeuvers to curb the appetite, but definitely not on a Monday after a long day at work. So for this Monday, I decided to make the all American classic, hot dogs and french fries. Hot dogs have always been considered essential to baseball parks, football games, county fairs, and backyard cookouts, but they are also always a welcomed dinner option for a quiet, lazy weeknight. Whatever the toppings, one can never tire of a steaming hot dog nestled snugley in a warm, soft bun.

My dad is particularly fond of the famous Chicago dog since he grew up in the "land of the hot dog," and to him that's the only way to eat one. A Chicago dog is an all-beef dog that looks as if it got assaulted by a salad. In the South, the old favorite is slathered with a mound of chili and coleslaw. On every New York City street corner, there's a hot dog vendor pushing his own version of a kosher dog topped with mustard and sauerkraut. I've always like mine with just ketchup and relish, but please don't tell my dad because, according to to him and all Chicogoans, ketchup is never allowed on a true hot dog. Nowadays, carnivores, vegetarians, and fat and calorie counters can get into the hot dog spirit by choosing between varities such as pork, beef, turkey, and even tofu. That's the beauty of a hot dog, it teaches topping tolerance to it's fans from all walks of life. No matter how you eat a hot dog, you're never judged, that is unless, of course, you order it with ketchup.

My new favorite hot dog

1 light beef hot dog
1/4 small Vidalia onion
1 1/2 tbs. butter
sweet relish
mustard
ketchup
hot dog bun, warmed

Fill a sauce pan with about 1 inch of water and bring to boil. Add hot dog and boil for about 5 minutes. In the meantime, slice onion into half moons. Heat 1 tbs. of butter in a pan and saute on medium low for 10 minutes or until they are soft and have a caramel color. Drain water from sauce pan and add remaining 1/2 tbs. of butter and saute until hot dog develops a little color on its skin. Put hot dog in its bun and top with onions, relish, mustard and ketchup. Serve with oven fries.