Not on the box, not even close.

Inspired by another bloggers weekly efforts to successfully recreate recipes found on boxes from the grocery store shelves....

I think everyone I know is familiar with my hot dog fever. Also, that I want to own a hot dog/gourmet beer establishment. I have tried out a lot of crazy hot dog ideas, some good, some awesome. Sadly, I have never been able to really get a good breakfast style hot dog down. I love 7-11, but that breakfast bite is a no go. I am tired of seeing people try to take the hot dog out of their breakfast dogs. I think I nailed it today.

It all started with a towed car. Friday night I ended up staying at a friends because my car was taken from me while I was enjoying myself in a bar. Before bed, she made me fried eggs. I have always been a scrambled sort of guy, but you cant shun good hospitality.

Of course as days passed I couldn't stop thinking of fried eggs. I had tried a hot dog with scrambled in the past and it was a big failure. Those sweet nuggets of failed germination just fell out of the bun and all over the place. That is just something this hot dog chef will not tolerate. This fried egg thing stays put together. And comforms to the shape of the bun and dog like a temper-pedic breakfast food.... hmmmm.

Ingredients.
-one hot dog
-one bun
-one egg
-two strips of bacon
-spreadable butter
-shredded cheese
-sriracha hot sauce
-mrs butterworths syrup
-pepper

i started off by tossing my two strips of bacon in the skillet and preheating the toaster oven. once the bacon was done i set it aside so it could crisp up, drained the grease and cracked my egg. while the first side cooked i buttered the inside and outside of the bun and set it in the toaster oven. while the egg cooked, i made sure to manage the shape. i wanted to keep it from being too round. more of an oval shape... for better bun/dog coverage. flip, sprinkle with cheese, pepper and some hot sauce. move to dead burner. take bun out of toaster oven. (here comes the cop out) i didnt feel like grilling the dog. i nuked it. i wrapped it in a paper towel and popped it in the microwave for 45 seconds. while it was cooking i slid the egg onto the toasted bun and put one piece of bacon per side. hot dog right in the middle and then a light coating of syrup in the place where one might typically put mustard.

usually, when i tell someone about one of my crazy hot dogs, they think its gross.i can imagine that right now you are saying the same thing. well, think dennys. all american grand slam. eggs, bacon, cheese, sausage and toast. only thing different with the hot dog is the pork sausage is now a pork dog (actually, i only use all beef) and i put a little syrup on it. but other than that, we have egg, bacon, cheese, and toast.

i found it to be amazing. this is one for the store, and certainly one for a plate in my near future. it took roughly 10 minutes total and all of the ingredients are things that i imagine are already in your kitchen. if you try it, let me know what you thought.

the 4th

I am outside. It is REALLY HOT. Im setup in a parking lot that has basically turned into a night club... during the day. It is pretty much a collection of people who have parents that are not proud of them. Well, maybe they are... but if they are, they have never seen them act like this. At one point I really thought that a few couples were gonna, well... you know, in front of the whole crowd. This music is wretched and it has been wretched twice. Two DJs and they both have played pretty much the same stuff. You know, whatever songs that make people wanna do it in public. Horrid. Did I mention its really hot?

I guess the important part is that there is a check waiting for me. Honestly, that has the be the most American thing I can do today. Work. So here's to you America... but you aren't getting your gift til April 15th.

perspective.

A few days ago July 1, 2010 only had one point of interest for me. Gears of War 2 experience points were going to be worth 8 times their normal amount. Then I got an email.

Richmond has been in the high 90's all week. It's been unbearably humid and after working outside in DC heat this past weekend, the last thing I wanted was to sit in a hard stadium seat and drip sweat for four hours. I mean, I don't even like baseball. I certainly don't like crowds and I hate bad beer out of plastic cups. Some emails just mean more than others.

I could not have constructed a such a wonderful night. From where I stand, no one could have. It was the most perfect weather of any Richmond night as far back as I can remember. Even the crappy hot dog was good. I kicked off my flip flops, propped my feet up on the empty seat in front of me and just enjoyed the game. Knowing me, it probably sounded like I was miserable and I am sure I complained about more than everything, but I was on a ladder that was on top of the tallest building in the highest part of cloud 9.

So much of life comes back to you when you're at a ball game. I remember going to games with my dad and the Ellermans as a kid. I remember my Dave Justice autographed ball that I lost in the back yard. I remember loving Dale Murphy more than any man on the planet. I remember John Oleruds rookie card in a pack of Upper Deck cards I got on my birthday. I remember messing up my birthday the year I threw a tantrum and decided to stay home... missing my name on the scoreboard screen. I remember being a kid. Maybe that's why people love baseball. The nostalgia. Even if it's not, that's a pretty good reason.

I didn't really have a revelation tonight. Just a really good time. Everything that ran through my mind is surely typical for anyone who spends most of their free time locked inside drinking beer and playing video games. It was out of nowhere and it was much needed. I see a lot and do a lot while I am out on the road. I guess I have conditioned myself to overlook all of the wonderful things I can do while I am here at home. I am not claiming that in 11 innings (we went over) I figured out the key to life, but I am pretty certain that at least for tonight, it was baseball. Baseball and perfect company.