Hot Dog!

In honor of the American holiday weekend, I am paying homage to the hot dog today. I eat maybe 4 or 5 hot dogs a year, all of them on summer cookouts.

According to a 2003 issue of the New Haven Advocate, my home state (Connecticut) is only second to New Jersey for the best hot dog state in the country. How cool is that?

I grew up on the Grote and Weigel (a Connecticut hot dog producer) hot dog, a beef and pork mix with a natural casing. Mostly I just like saying "Grote and Weigel" which became "Grunt and Wiggle" in our family. Hot dogs remind me of childhood summers. After spending a whole day at the beach, my body covered in sand like a breaded cutlet, nothing hit the hungry pit in my little girl stomach like a hot dog (or two) washed down with the orange soda we only were allowed to have a few times a year.

There is nothing quite like a Grunt and Wiggle cooked on the grill, charred slightly, smeared with yellow mustard (no trendy mustards, only bright yellow will do) and served up a smooshy white bread roll. Sprinkle some chopped up raw onions on top and serve this summertime treat with some baked beans and a cold beer or soda of your choice. Awesome.

I know hot dogs aren't the world's healthiest food. They do make tofu hot dogs that are pretty good, though I've never been able to pull the wool over my daughter's eyes with a tofu pup. I'm all about moderation. So a couple of times a year, a real hot dog cooked outdoors, reminds me of carefree days of summer growing up on the Connecticut shore.

I can almost smell the ocean breeze carrying a hint of Coppertone suntan oil, while my dinner sizzles over hot coals...

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