Home Cookin'

Last night we had our friend Nancy over for dinner (her husband Alex was out of town).  Kolby had been gone all week, so I was thrilled to finally be cooking for people who appreciate food that isn't breaded and shaped into nuggets and/or smothered in cheese and dipped in ketchup.

I saw this recipe for grilled halibut and bread kabobs in my Sunset magazine, and let me just brag a bit and say they turned out FANTASTIC, and were every bit as beautiful as the ones in the magazine.  Kolby grilled them to perfection.  The halibut was perfectly flaky without being dry.  The bread was chewy and crunchy and delicious.  I used prosciutto instead of pancetta, but I doubt it made any difference.  We had it with heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and a caesar salad and it was the perfect summer meal.  I'll be making it again this week for sure.

But I'd hate to give you the wrong impression.

So let me just share a little dish I made for dinner this week while Kolby was away.  It was 5:00.  We were all hungry.  I had low motivation.  But I had the following ingredients on hand.  

Right now, if you had the same mama I had, you know exactly where this is headed.   The Hot Dog Hall of Shame, that's where it's headed.   But guess what?  I'll do it again.  Because the kids freaking loved it! 

And you know, the only improvement this meal really needed was some cheap full-fat hot dogs.  I won't needlessly waste good Hebrew Nationals on it again.   I think some plain ol' greezy Ball Parks would have been tasty and really would have suited the tone of the meal a little better.  But I was in a pinch.

What do we call this meal?  I have no idea.  I think we always called it "hot dogs, mashed potatoes, and cheese casserole" when my mom made it.  (And let me just say, we LOVED this meal growing up).  But I'm gonna call it Hot Dog Pie, and I'll always say it in my best Southern accent.