We Salute You, National Hot Dog Day

July 23rd marked National Hot Dog Day.

Anyone that knows me, knows that I am a HUGE holiday person. HUUUUUUGE. And this new holiday I learned about is a winner. A huuuuge winner.

 

If you think about it, National Hot Dog Day is more than just a holiday. It celebrates America, one hot dog at a time. It is only fitting that this dog gets its day.

 

To honor this winning holiday, I hosted a National Hot Dog Day Celebration at my house. On Saturday, a dozen people attended (the wiener club + significant others, and a few honored guests) arrived at 6pm to ring in this special day.

Around the World Wieners/Hot Dog Buffet:

The Parisian: Sliced pears, melted brie, honey, balsamic, hot dog, all in a sweet bun. Amour!

Pizza Dog: Pepperoni, marinara sauce, fresh mozzarella, crushed red peppers, hot dog, wrapped up in a french roll. Mangia!

La Mexican: Jalapenos, crumbled bacon, siracha/mayo. Ay Ay Ay!

(no picture taken, oopsies).

We also had the "every day condiments" and some others thrown in for fun... so people such as my husband could make their own variation (con queso, pepperoni, jalapenos, bacon, 2 wieners, 1 sweet bun, messy face).

Yes, he had two hot dogs of the same "variation".

Here are some snapshots of the spread:

Sliced Pears, Sliced Brie, Crumbled Bacon, Sliced Jalapenos

Marina, Fresh Mozz, Pepperoni

A snapshot of the overall spread

We Salute You Hebrew Nationals & Sweet Chicken Apple Sausages

French Rolls & Sweet Buns

Greek Salad

"Secret" Pasta Salad

All that was left for "Round 2"

 Before Wiener Wednesdays, every time I'd order a hot dog I'd get the usual: a pound of ketchup, a splash of yellow mustard, sometimes a dash of relish to give it some green color. I never stepped outside of my hot dog boundary. And then... something happened. When WW was born, we had just wanted to try hot dogs from locations all over the Phoenix area. And then we started realizing: the more unique hot dogs we tried, the better tasting they usually were! So now, I go for the odd hot dogs; the ones with fruits, the ones with cheeses I can't pronounce, the ones with coconut shavings, the ones with "secret" ingredients, the ones that taste BEST. This is why I'm voting that The Parisian was absolutely the best hot dog served on Saturday night: it was out-of-this-world. I woke up craving the warm brie, the drizzle of honey, the snap of the crisp grilled hot dog mixing with the soft sweet bun.

A dozen of us sat around eating hot dogs from our bright yellow & red hot dog trays, drinking beer, and playing apples to apples. The grand finale was supposed to be this hot dog cake recipe I had found online, but one of the girls wanted to give it a try. Unfortunately, at 6:08 (8 minutes after the 6pm start time of saluting the hot dog), I got a text message with the following:

"umm hot dog cake fail. I'm realllly sorry but I have no dessert to bring" with this picture attached -->

My husband sometimes refers to me as "Patty Planner" because I'm anal about any sort of planning in my life, especially when it comes to events. But, knowing that everyone would stuff their face with the hot dog bar, I took a deep breath (namaste), stretched (this was mainly for my stomachs benefit seeing as I knew how many hot dogs I'd be consuming within the hour) and whipped up chocolate chip cookies.

Most guests left after a few hours, and the stragglers stayed behind until midnight. This is about 3 hours past my bedtime... so when I fell asleep, it was with a full belly and images of hot dogs dancing through my dreams. Until my nightmare, when a giant hot dog cake knocked on my door, to eat me.

Hope you had as amazing of a National Hot Dog Day as we all did!!

Hungry for hot dogs? Here is some amazing wiener trivia to memorize and keep up your sleeve:

• -Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, and Franklin Roosevelt have served hot dogs at official White House functions.
• -Sara Lee made a hot dog that measured 1,996 feet to celebrate the 1996 Olympics. It took over 2000 buns to hold the huuuuuge hot dog!
• -The first hot dog was rumored to have been created in Frankfurt, Germany. However, the citizens of Vienna (wien) have declared they created the first dog!
• -During baseball season, Americans consume over 26 million dogs.
• -When polled on "what should be done with condiments remaining on the fingers after eating a hot dog" the Hot Dog & Sausage Council ruled you should "lick them away" as proper etiquette.

Bringing Home the Bacon (or in this case, the hot dogs)

Its been a while since we last blogged, and I apologize. Contrary to popular belief, work has got the best of me lately, and I rarely find myself with time to blog. Its either a quick catch up on facebook, or blogging about hot dogs. And, unfortunately, facebook always wins out. As much as I love hot dogs, I also love creeping peoples latest photos & wall posts. But, I digress...

After our outstanding experience at JP's Doghouse, we knew we needed to bring home the bacon. Not in the monetary sense, but in the actual pigs-body-parts sense. We wanted to bring JP out to our place of business. Since we started Wiener Wednesday a couple months ago, our office has had the misfortune of listening to the handful of us go on & on about hot dogs each week. Case in point: "WIENER WEDNESDAY!!!!" Zach usually yells. "WIENER WEDNESDAY" the wiener club chants back. And we all horse-gallop into our caravan awaiting us in the parking lot. We cause a huge, obnoxious, and completely uncalled for scene before we speed away to our newest location. We usually make an even more ridiculous scene when we return from our lunch hour: car tires get rolled down the hallway, people push each other out of the way for the nearest restroom, and the aroma and remnants from lunch linger on our clothes as we begin to describe the "amazing lunch we had, but you didn't have" to everyone who sits at their desk, diligently working during their lunch hour. "WIENER WEDNESDAY RULES"

So, it was only out of the kindness of our hearts that we asked SheKnows to bring in JP, to feed all the hard working souls that have to deal with our insufferable behavior. So to review the timeline: Wednesday we ate at JP's. Thursday we asked the BMOC (big man on campus) to allow JP's to come out with his cart. On Friday, JP arrived. To the left, you will see the AMAZING view from my office window. That is the man, the myth, the legend... JP setting up shop in our parking lot.

We requested the summer special to be served, as well as the notorious chili cheese dog, and basic condiments. Slowly, all employees filtered out of the building and into the scorching 100 degrees, to get a small taste of what Wiener Wednesday was all about.

 This entry is going to be full of pictures.... please see below.

The line starts!

The line grows!

 

JP doing what he does best.



The Summer Special - a party in your mouth!



 2 wieners 1 bun trick.

Attempting to eat the 2 wieners 1 bun



Such a wiener woofer...

Some of the Wiener Club, loving life.

It was one of the best Fridays we've had in a long time. Everyone indulged/over indulged in JP's hot dogs, chips, cookies, and tasty treats. When lunch came to an end, we all came back inside to the AC and remainder of the work day, counting down the minutes until the weekend starts.

If we're lucky... we will have JP out here a few more times this year since it was such a big hit. We all know how difficult it is to come to a "what are we ordering for lunch today" decision.

(Hot) Dog Days of Summer

Zach wanted the title of this blog to be "Girthy Dogs and Moist Cakes" but he was vetoed. Immediately.

I got a tip from an old coworker at the end of last week;  she emailed me about a hot dog vendor that sets up his cart-shop on the corner of Bethany Home & 15th street, every Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday from 11am-1pm.  To some, the mention of the hot dog cart can be dismal and diarrhea-inducing, and to others just plain mundane - New Yorkers pass a hot dog cart about as often as a Scottsdalian (?) passes a Starbucks. However, it was her description of that day's daily special that intrigued us - "Today's special is the 'summer dog' - grilled peaches, goat cheese & balsamic onions. I know it sounds weird but delicious." No Mia, that did not sound weird at all. That sounded amazing. I clicked fwd and sent the information to the group in a calendar invite for this Wednesday, and all accepted within minutes.

 Within the time period of sending out that email and attending Wiener Wednesday - we had hired a new girl for our department.... who.... didn't....like....hot dogs. Not only did she come and kick me out of my old office - but the real blow came when she announced her hatred of the HOT DOG. Her excuse was that she was a cart girl at a golf course for many years, and the thought of hot dogs being served all day made her nauseous. It made the rest of our group hungry.

After talking her into a trial taste-testing with our group, she then had the audacity to ask if she could write an entry for the blog. Blasphemy! I stormed out of my old office and into my new one; my world was slowing spiraling out of control. It wasn't until I arrived today at JP's that my axis stopped tilting and all was right in the world. I even got to watch the new girl eat an entire Jumbo Dog, without ralfing. However I have to admit, I wouldn't have minded a little side curb action. At this point, she deserved it. (Just kidding Kylie, I love you girl).



At first, we drove right past 15th street and screamed in horror as the man and his hot dog cart faded in our rear view, along with our (hot) dog days of summer dreams. However, within a blink of an eye, Zach had spun the car in a 180 and we were back on track. Quickly parallel parking his car (apparently we needed to get as close to the cart as physically possible), we got out and stepped right on up to the cart. Fairly disappointed, we found out that the Summer Special was not on the menu. But, we were greeted with a smile and the smell of jumbo dogs on the grill, as well as a promise that the Summer Special will make its comeback next Wednesday for us. This quaint hot dog cart lived up to it's recommendation. The jumbo dogs were perfectly grilled, the bun was right on par, and the condiments were excellent.

The orders were placed as followed:

 Zach: A special - Jumbo Chili Dog w/onions & cheese

Sara, Alex & Kylie: A special - Jumbo Italian Dog (peppers, onions, mozz cheese)

Amy: Jumbo Dog with onions & mustard

Renee: Jumbo Dog with cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, mustard & mozz cheese

We completely enjoyed our JPs Doghouse experience - and are going to go back next week for the Summer Special!



A little boy enjoying a special treat -hot dog day with his dad!  And Kylie, showing us that she finished her entire hot dog! Good job kids! :)

And, just incase we weren't full enough yet - we made a pit stop on the way back from JP's.

Cupcakes anyone?

JPS - 9.0 / 10

The newest member of our group... the WIENER WHEEL!!!

Meet Walter the Wiener Wheel!!

Dear to our hearts, this little fellow was left in the middle of the road to fight for his life. Thankfully as we left Luke's, our day took a turn for the awesome, because we found him stranded and decided he would become part of our group. I lept out of the car, and if anyone from up above was watching, they were able to witness a 2011 version of Frogger, live in action. Weaving in and out of semi's, women on bicycles, hot air balloons, and heavy jet stream.... I was able to rescue Walter from the road and toss him in to the car. Remnants of oil, crap, garbage, and dirt stained my jeans and the back of Amys car... but it was well worth it. We gained a wheel. A wiener wheel.

Oh Walter, you're so funny! 

The Wiener Wheel will be passed down to a member of the group each week - there is no set standards, requirements, or specifications. Sometimes it's the best order, sometimes its the dedication, sometimes its the gossip they bring to the lunch table. It's up in the air for now...as well as also sitting in Renee & I's office. Come on by and wish Walter the Wiener Wheel a warm welcome!

Luke's of Chicago

Truth be told, this last WW doesn't stand out among the crowd. We were one chode man short (Renee, again) and everything was a tad on the greasy side. Grease doesn't necessary = bad, in most cases.... grease = good. But, I should have known we were in for a wild ride when Zach's hot dog came out first, and as he walked to the counter to grab some napkins, his hot dog had dripped grease down his plate, onto his chair, and then down to the floor. It kind of reminded me of that song "On top of Spaghetti... all covered with cheese... I lost my poor meatball, til somebody sneezed"... except we are talking about the meat, not the potatoes (wieners, not balls.) But it was covered with cheese, and the grease drippings for SURE rolled down onto the floor. Nobody had to sneeze though, this all occurred on its own doing.

Amy ordered a bratwurst, only to take a bite and remember... she doesn't even like bratwursts. Minus one for her.


Alex & Sara ordered the Maxwell Sweet Polish - it came with grilled onions & sweet peppers, with spicy mustard. Alex seemed to enjoy hers... I thought mine was so so and ate more of the crinkle fries than I did anything else on my plate. 

Ashley ordered the Chicago Dog in its pretty little sesame bun (always a good decision).


Zach ordered an Italian Sausage on a toasted buttered french baguette, with melted cheese (again, he always wins for the best looking hot dog).

I'm wrapping this one up short & sweet - because I don't have too much to say about it. In all honesty... and this goes against my hot dog policy, but if I were to ever visit this establishment again, I would order the meatball sub on a toasted roll with melted provolone with fresh parmesan. Yes, I would order the balls over the wiener. Whatever. :)

Luke's: 5.5 / 10

Hotdog at the Happiest Place on Earth

As we've already established... hot dogs are one of the small luxuries in life. On top of our minor obsession with these wonderful wieners (and Costco, again... already established), I am obsessed with The Happiest Place on Earth. There is no better feeling than running around 107 acres of the Magic Kingdom, full of Disney Princesses, Characters, Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, It's a Small World... and so much more. Stepping inside of this enchanting park is like transporting to a mesmerizing world of fantasy - something, no matter how old you get, can never change or be taken away from you. It's magnetic, imaginary, and downright blows my mind each time I go. Since 1971 this place has left its footprint in hearts around the world.

A couple weeks ago I got the chance to visit Disneyworld & the Magic Kingdom with my beautiful family. We entered the park the second the mystical gates opened, and hit the ground running.

Within a few short hours, we had hopped on and off (sometimes multiple times) our favorites rides, before the crowds took over. By noon, we were famished. Our feet had taken us on a magical 7 mile journey, and we needed to feed our poor bodies with something other than happiness and laughs. My parents & my husband (now you all will understand why I married this man) immediately took off towards the hot dog grille. Not to be outdone, I jumped ahead of the line and felt my stomach flip-flop. Could it be true? I was ordering a hot dog, at the happiest place on earth. Cinderella's fairy godmother must have been looking over me that day, not poor Cinderelly. What a dream! We placed our order, hit up the condiment station, and found a table to drool over our delicacies.

Low and behold, my hot dog was ice cold. "Nooooooooooooooooooo" I screamed as I fell to the floor of the Magic Kingdom. (I could have majored in drama if I had so chosen). Sirens went off in my head and I slightly blacked out, as my Disney Wiener Dreams vanished before my tear filled eyes. But, with the wave of a wand, Cinderella's Fairy Godmother was back, with a vengeance. I knew there was a reason I placed an order for two lunches for myself. I quickly grabbed the corn dog bites, and smiled. All was right in the world... these were the most amazing things I'd ever eaten. Crunchy on the outside, (warm) and delicious on the inside. Corn dog bites sprouted Minnie Mouse ears to grow on my head, and I bounced off like Tiger to watch the 3pm parade.  

Disneys Dogs: 7.75 / 10