We are slowly re-entering life.  After the week of family togetherness for calling hours, the funeral, eating out every meal and being in hotels we had a case of the plague go through our house.  It started on the way home with my son waking in the middle of the night with a stomach bug.  It continued until all four of us were down within 48 hours.  Thankfully I was the last to go.  But at one point my poor son, 10 years-old, was the only one of us not throwing up.  I was thanking God for houses with more than one bathroom and that he was able to get us all water.

But, now that the stomach bug is gone everyone is really hungry.  They all still want comfort foods so I am trying to do what I can to make them all happy.

I don’t like to use cans of “stuff” – cream soups, chili, sloppy joe mix, when I can whip up a fresh batch very easily.  I normally avoid making chili because I was always afraid it would take too long or not be flavorful.  I remember my mother cooking all day just to make one batch of hot, spicy chili with too many beans.

Then I saw Tyler Florence’s Chili Cheese Dogs Recipe on Foodnetwork.com.  I had to try this recipe.  My children have been asking for a simple hot dog meal and this fit the bill for me.

Verdict:

It was as simple as frying the ground beef and adding the spices.  It tasted fresh and not heavy on the spiciness of some chili dishes.  Both kids loved it and I thought it was good for being so simple to make!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 2 cups ketchup
• 2 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 8 all beef hot dogs, about 1/2 pound
• 8 hot dog rolls
• 1 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar

Directions:

Chili:

1. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When the oil gets warm, add the onion and cook, stirring, until they are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the ground beef, breaking it up with the back of a spoon, and cook until nicely browned, about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the ketchup, chili powder, and mustard; simmer for 15 minutes until thick; season with salt and pepper.

1. While the chili is cooking parboil the hot dogs first before grilling: bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the hot dogs for about 5 minutes. Then cook your hot dogs in a large pan or grill them.
2.  Brush the insides of the rolls with the remaining olive oil and place them face down on the grill or place them on the rack of your oven at 350 degrees until toasty.
3. To serve, top each hot dog with the chili and some Cheddar cheese.