Dragged Through the Garden

After reading about our fun little picnic, I'm sure you're all anxious to stampede the grocery and squeeze in a little outdoor dining yourself. Let me introduce you to the ways of the aforementioned Chicago-Style Hot Dog.

1. BUN: IF you are fortunate to have poppy seed hot dog buns and IF they are not astronomically expensive and IF you have a bun steamer then that's what you would do. If not, get the whole wheat or white enriched jobbies and toast them briefly under the broiler (guess which one I do).

2. HOT DOG: find the best quality all-beef hot dog you can. I usually reach for Hebrew National or Nathan's. An authenticity expert will tell you the hot dog should be in a natural casing (i.e. pork intestine) and should "snap" when you bite into it. We don't have those kinds of hot dogs in Idaho. Cut an half-inch x into the end of each dog and fry in a pan until cooked through and deliciously browned. The x is for decoration and Mark invented it. (Authenticity requires steaming or boiling the dog. You decide.)

3. REQUIRED CONDIMENTS:

~Dill Pickle Spear

~Tomato Wedges

~Celery Salt (light sprinkling): you must NOT skip this. It is not a Chicago Dog without it. Buy it cheaply in bulk and place in a salt shaker for ease of use.

~Sweet Relish: the neon green kind if you can find it.

~Yellow Mustard: please note that ketchup is not listed here. That's intentional. It ruins the delicate balance of flavors.

~Diced Onion: in my stomach's humble opinion, optional.

~Pickled Sport Peppers: also optional in my mind, since the entire western half of the U.S. doesn't carry them. Mark occasionally substitutes little hot peppers, which have basically the same effect: adding a little heat. I'll pass, thanks.

Assemble as best you can, open wide, and enjoy!

The Lost Art of Illustration

I uncovered these gems of illustrative wit while searching for a sugar cookie recipe in my original Betty Crocker Picture Cook Book with the "distinctive" red cover.

Hummus

Mark is a great cook. In fact, back in the courting days he taught me how to make hummus. We love hummus any time, but especially in the summer with grilled Israeli chicken.

Here's my official hummus story:
The first time I met Mark's wonderful parents, I wanted to make a great dinner for them. Knowing how these things historically go, I anticipated, nay, expected something to go wrong. Well, Mark and his roommate Keith had this old blender that you had to "help" to mix things. So, I'm whipping up some hummus, jamming the utensil down there to keep the beans moving around, and Mark said, "Be careful not to blend the spatulta in." Well, that's exactly what happened. Keith, wanting to see Mark get married off, faithfully hunted through the whole bowl of hummus for white spatula bits, to avoid any awkward "mmmm, hhmm, crunchy?" moments. We found a huge piece right before it went out to the table.

Hummus

1 can garbanzo beans
¼ c Tahini (sesame paste and the best place to find it is next to the peanut butter)
3 T Water
2 T Lemon juice
1 T Olive oil
I Garlic clove
½ tsp Salt
½ tsp Cumin
½ tsp Cayenne
¼ tsp Black pepper
Parsley (for garnish)

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Leave things out or tweak amounts as the spirit moves. If you can’t find tahini, use more olive oil instead. I personally like lots of lemon juice and cayenne. Serve with pita brushed with olive oil and toasted under the broiler.

Grilled Israeli Chicken

5 Garlic cloves, chopped
2 T ground Cumin
1 ½ tsp ground Cinnamon
1 tsp Paprika
Juice of 1 Lemon
2 T Olive Oil
3 lb Chicken, cut into 8 portions (or I use 8 chicken thighs)
Salt and Pepper
Cilantro, for garnish

For a Yemenite flavor, use 1 ½ tsp turmeric and pinch of ground cardamom in place of the cinnamon.

In a bowl, combine the garlic, cumin, cinnamon, paprika, lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper. Add the chicken and turn to coat thoroughly. Rub the mixture on a little too. Leave to marinate for at least 1 hour to overnight. On a hot grill, sear the meat, then set the portions in a low-heat spot until cooked through. (The juices will run clear.) Serve with warm pita and hummus.