Now, like me, hot dogs have grown up and gotten fancy. There are apparently a whole bunch of topping options I never knew about as a picky kid. The newest cookbook in my collection, Haute Dogs, is helping me step outside my hot dog comfort zone.

So this week, I had a hot dog taste test where I made two kinds of hot dogs for my boyfriend and his friends. There was definitely a clear winner in this case (everyone who likes hot dogs)!

The first kind we made was The Chicago dog. This recipe includes a ton of veggies: sliced tomato, a dill pickle, sport peppers (I substituted pepperoncini), and tons of relish. In Chicago the relish is a truly horrifying neon hue, but even neon food coloring didn't make Kroger brand sweet relish look as bright as the photo in the book. You're supposed to top a Chicago dog with a squiggle of mustard, but keep that ketchup far away.

This one was weird and different, but I think we all loved it. This is topped with salsa golf (a mix of ketchup, mayo, splash of hot sauce, salt, & pepper), pineapple relish (crushed pineapple, red onion, chopped jalepeno, lime juice, and ginger), cheddar cheese, and potato chips. It normally weirds me out when I see people pile sandwiches with chips, but I have to say that the crunch made this hot dog extra special.


Gah, what a beautiful, delicious mess.

Oh and everyone seemed to enjoy the new hot dog recipes. And isn't experiencing new hot dogs what summer is all about? 




So if you're looking for a way to jazz up your recipes, I recommend getting the Haute Dogs cookbook! The french fry dog and the waffle dog recipes are calling my name!