Fancy Hot Dogs (Hot Dog Goulash)

Last weekend my husband cooked up some hot dogs, corn on the cob, and made some potato salad.  It was a quick and easy dinner.  But then we had three hot dogs leftover.  It's not something that can easily be taken to school or work (my husband likes a lot of condiments on his hot dogs!) for lunch.  Then I found this recipe and thought that I'd try it.  I could use up the hot dogs and the leftover corn on the cob!  This was suprisingly not bad!  The kids enjoyed it and ate all of their dinner.  Although this is not something that I'd think of making on an every day basis, it was quick and easy and a great way to use up some leftovers!

 Fancy Hot Dogs (Hot Dog Goulash)
recipe slightly adapted from Simply Recipes

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp butter
3 standard sized hot dogs, sliced into 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch thick slices
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
2/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup of water
kernels from 1 1/2 ears of cooked corn on the cob
1/2 pound cooked pasta

Preparation:
1.  Melt butter in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add the chopped onions and sliced hot dogs. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions and the hot dogs are nicely browned, 5-10 minutes.

2.  Add the sour cream and water, stir until creamy. Add corn and mix in.  Heat until steamy.  Mix in pasta. 

Family Rating: 1 thumb up.

Mini Corn Dog Muffins

A couple of weeks ago I had the rare occasion to go out with some former colleagues for dinner and too see a local play that one of the teachers was performing in.  My husband had the honor of taking the kids to the elementary school PTA sponsored Aloha Fun Fair.  They could have bought hotdogs and such at the fair.  However, I had 3 leftover uncooked hotdogs that I wanted to use up.  Plus, I felt better not having to pay a ridiculous amount for the same food that we had at home!  So before I left I quickly whipped these muffins up and served them with some french fries.  Same "bad" fair food but without the cost.  The kids enjoyed these a lot!  I ended up halving the recipe, (but I posted the original) since I only had 3 hotdogs.  And even with just the three we still ended up with quite a bit leftover.  Although these were originally posted as a Super Bowl snack I think they are the start of a great meal for kids.

Mini Corn Dog Muffins
recipe slightly adapted from Iowa Girl Eats

Ingredients:
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
8-10 all-beef hot dogs, cut into 1″ bites

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine butter and sugar in a bowl, and whisk to combine. Add eggs and whisk to incorporate. Add milk and whisk to incorporate.

2. In a separate bowl, combine baking soda, cornmeal, flour, and salt, and stir to combine. Whisk into wet ingredients in two batches.

3. Spray a mini muffin tin with non-stick spray, and spoon 1 Tablespoon of batter into each mini muffin cup. Place one hot dog bite into the middle of each cup.

4. Bake for 8-12 minutes (oven temperatures vary), or until cornbread is golden brown. Cool in mini muffin tin for 5 minutes before serving. Store leftovers in the refrigerator, and re-heat for 20-30 seconds before serving.

Family Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up.