Hot Dog Bar

From top in clockwise direction: yellow mustard and dill pickle rounds, extra spicy pepper salad, spicy brown mustard and pickle rounds, baked beans and extra bacon, tricolor pepper relish, cheddar cheese and raw onions, balsamic-marinated tomatoes, pickled cauliflower.

What better summer Sunday dinner can you have after a long day at the pool than hot dogs fresh off the grill in toasted buns with an assortment of toppings?! NONE. Brad and I actually made these for our 4th of July cookout, but they're ideal for any summer evening. It's important to buy high quality dogs with more natural ingredients and less filler. The taste difference is completely evident. We usually like to pick up ours from specialty meat marts like our friends at Carfagna's & Thurn's (who we go to for pretty much all meat).

Simply place dogs on the grill and turn occasionally as grill marks begin to form. Remove when they start expanding. If your like yours a little burnt then do your thing and leave them on longer. Toast buns once your hot dogs are done. Prepare your toppings ahead of time.

Pickled Cauliflower: 2 cups, ½ inch cauliflower florets cut from 1 medium head, ½ cup apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon olive oil, 1 small diced onion, 2 tablespoon sugar, 2 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds, 1 teaspoon dry mustard, 1 teaspoon celery seeds.

Bring cauliflower to a boil in a large pot of salted water for about 2 minutes. Drain. In a large saucepan sauté onion in olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add rest of ingredients and stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add cauliflower, stir and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Allow to cool and chill in fridge.

Tricolor Pepper Relish: 1 red bell pepper, 1 orange bell pepper, 1 yellow bell pepper (all seeded and chopped), ¾ cup white vinegar, ½ cup sugar, 1 ½ teaspoon yellow mustard seeds, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon celery seeds.

Place chopped peppers in a bowl. Pour 4 cups of boiling water over peppers and let sit for 5 minutes. Drain. Add all other ingredients to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Add peppers. Simmer for 13-15 minutes. Allow to cool. Chill in fridge.

Balsamic-Marinated Tomatoes: 2 chopped tomatoes, salt, pepper, 1 ½ tbsp. balsamic vinegar, ¼ cup chopped fresh basil

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Let stand for at least one hour.

Extra Spicy Pepper Salad: assorted chopped peppers (jalapeno, serrano, red bell pepper), 1 ½ cups white vinegar, 3 garlic cloves, 2 tbsp. peppercorns, 2 tbsp. salt, 2 tbsp. sugar, 2 tbsp. coriander seeds.

Bring all ingredients aside from peppers to boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour over peppers in a bowl. Let cool in fridge.

**Other tasty toppings: shredded cheese, sliced pickle rounds, raw onions, bacon, yellow mustard, spicy brown mustard, baked beans (recipe to come!).**

Hot Dog Bar