Mmmmm...Hebrew National Hot Dogs
Did you know that July 23 is National Hot Dog Day? It is appropriate that National Hot Dog Day is smack dab in the middle of summer!
Hot Dogs for me are as American as apple pie.
Here’s my history with the hot dog:
- As a little kid in England I had never heard of a hot dog. We only ate sausages or sausage rolls. Think = pigs-in-a-blanket.
- As a newly arrived English kid in America, my family spent many a summer day at Cheesequake Park in central NJ swimming, avoiding the sun, and BBQing. Can this be the real name of the park or the name I gave the park as a kid?
- For summer BBQs my mother would pack the “easiest lunch ever” — hot dogs, buns, bag of chips, watermelon, and juice.
- As an American kid on vacation to England to visit my English relatives I slathered English mustard on my Cornish pasty the way I did with my hot dog. Here’s a tip: English mustard is very hot. I never did this again. Ka-chow!
- As a college student in Franklin & Marshall in PA, I was a nightowl through and through. Up late studying, up early for classes, and sometimes up all night, especially during finals week. The dining services crew came through with a midnight feast of hot dogs, chips, and brownies. The hot dog gave me the motivation to study some more.
- And finally there is this…
- Make a list of all you need BEFORE you go to the grocery store that way you won’t make unnecessary purchases.
- Never go shopping when hungry.
- Buy cheeses from dairy case NOT deli or cheese table. Often a supermarket will markup the cheeses in the deli or cheese table.
- Serve iced tea for adults as it is cheaper than soda. For children make Kool Aid with less sugar than required on the label.
On Monday I participated in a conference call with Phil Lempert, Supermarket Guru. He is a very informative, fast talking food guru. He packed so much in to a short conference call!
Phil Lempert’s Budget Friendly BBQ Tips:
His best advice — set up a fixin’ bar for hot dogs. Ketchup, mustard, cheese, chili, onions, sauerkraut. Anything else you would add?
