Summer Garden Dogs

Today is “Dog Days of Summer” Friday and I’ve got fresh zesty Garden Dogs to help use up your summer bounty. This hot dog recipe is smeared with cream cheese and topped with crisp cool garden veggies and herbs. These just might be the best hot dogs I’ve made so far this season.

We’re midway through July, how’s your garden looking?

To be honest, mine is pretty shabby right now. My perennials have taken over like weeds and my garden vegetables are just barely starting to show signs of maturity. We’ve been traveling so much I haven’t spend nearly the time in my yard this year as I usually do.

I can understand why my plants are mad at me.

However, I still hope to get a decent crop of produce by the end of August. (Fingers crossed.)

Some of my favorite summer veggies are radishes and cucumbers. I love how crisp and vibrant they are straight out of the garden. So this week’s “Dog Days” hot dog recipe is a platform for celebrating summer veggies.

This recipe is so simple… and yummy.

I sliced a few fresh radishes, cucumbers, and a bit of red onion to make a little salad to top the hot dogs. Then I added some fresh dill and made an easy vinaigrette with olive oil and perky Musselman’s Apple Cider Vinegar. The apple cider vinegar makes the bright summery flavors of the veggies really stand out.

Then I smeared the buns with cream cheese, placed the hot dogs in the buns, and baked them!

Of course, you could grill your hot dogs, but I found baking them is an easy way the heat the hot dog, melt the cream cheese, and toast the bun all at the same time.

Dishes from Villeroy & Boch.

This hot dog recipe is completely irresistible. Melty cream cheese and fresh sliced veggies galore, all on the dog!

Speaking of sliced veggies, I want to show you my knives…

I got a new set of knives around the holidays and was completely awestruck by how beautiful they were.New West KnifeWorks Knives are handmade in the USA from the very best “super steel” available. The handles are hand-crafted in beautiful colors, so that they are not just kitchen tools, they are kitchen eye candy as well.

Admittedly, when I first got New West Knives I wondered how these pretty knives would compare to the efficient black-handled knives I’d been using. I am glad to tell you, after working with them for several months, they are sharp, well balanced, and easy to hold. My pretty knives are now my favorite knives to use, so I thought I’d share them with you.

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Garden Hot Dog Recipe

YIELD: 8 hot dogs

PREP TIME: 15 minutes

COOK TIME: 8 minutes

Ingredients:

• 8 hot dogs or polish sausages
• 8 hot dog buns
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup thinly sliced radishes
• 1 cup thinly sliced cucumbers
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1 Tb. fresh chopped dill
• 1 Tb. Musselman's Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 Tb. olive oil
• 1 Tb. honey
• Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Pour the Musselman's Apple Cider Vinegar, olive oil and  honey in a medium bowl. Whisk well, then thinly slice the radishes, cucumbers, and onion and place them in the bowl. Top with fresh dill and toss to coat. Salt and Pepper to taste and set aside.
2. Spread one ounce of cream cheese on each hot dog bun. Place the hot dogs in the buns and set them on a baking sheet. Bake the hot dogs for 5-8 minutes until the hot dog in warmed through and the cream cheese in melted. Top each hot dog with the veggie salad and serve warm.

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