Ahhh hot dogs, whether you love them or hate them, they have seemingly become the staple for backyard bbq's and celebrations like Independence Day. I am like most people and prepare hot dogs via the grill and serve them on hot dog rolls or will cut them up and put them in mac n' cheese. Pretty boring by retro recipe standards. In the 50s, 60s and 70s, using frankfurters was an art form. They are used in ways beyond our wildest dreams.....and nightmares. So, I decided to amp up my hot dog game and try a retro hot dog recipe!
Let me introduce to Frankie Doodle Dandy. He's weird and cute and he was my "main weiner man" (Better off Dead reference) for the evening.
I tried to follow the recipe as best as I could from the advertisement. I started with jumbo size hot dogs, made little slits on the sides for the arms and a slit down the middle for the legs. Once the pot of water was at a boil, I gently placed the soon-to-be Frankie Doodle Dandy's and watched their arms and legs fan out like the recipe advises. *Tip: hot dogs don't need to be in the pot too long, I did have a hot dog slightly split.* Once I pulled the hot dogs out of the boiling water I placed them on a paper towel to dry.
Once cooled a little, I added the mustard faces and olive hats (?) on toothpicks. Why does he have a hat? I guess he's just a fancy hot dog man and the Fourth of July is a time to get fancy!
I tried to recreate the completed Frankie Doodle Dandy from the photo. I did take some liberties and switched out the English muffin for wheat bread thin's, I used pepper jack cheese instead of American cheese and laid my Frankie Doodle on a bed of spinach. Once wrapped up in tin foil, I placed it on the grill for a few minutes on each side to toast the bread and melt the cheese. I have to say at the end it didn't look pretty and it was a little odd to eat, but this recipe (though odd) was tasty!
I had a lot of fun making this retro recipe and sharing the process. Now the question is, would you try any of these below? (Eeeeek!)
I'll pass you some antacid pills. Hahaha!
Bon Appetit!
-Meagan Kyla
*Retro recipe photos from pinterest.com