Tuesday, May 4, 2010

ON FOOD ~ The Molly Special...


This weekend I had a terrific conversation with my 3 year old neighbor about hot dogs.  Hot dogs truly are the go-to food for children under the age of 5, aren't they?  Since my little buddy loved hot dogs so much, I thought I would share with him my favorite hot dog dish - Mac & Cheese with grilled hot dogs chopped up and mixed into it.  My friend was not quite the connoisseur that I thought he was though, since he scrunched his nose up at me.  Seems he doesn't enjoy the Mac & Cheese - according to his Dad, that's just not how he rolls.

Well.  His loss, I say.  This particular dish (can I refer to it as an actual dish?) is a frequent request by me of Andy on Sunday evenings looking to wind down the weekend with some yummy comfort food.  Andy always likes this suggestion because it is quick & easy - in addition to tasty.

So when Andy headed out of town for business one weeknight recently, leaving me without any prepared food in the house or even a box of cereal to munch on, I wondered which pizza place I'd be calling for dinner.  A peek in the fridge revealed the bare bones of beer, ketchup and salad dressing.  But then I found some hot dogs in the deli drawer.  So I got to thinking.  Sure enough, in the pantry was a box of Mac & Cheese.  Andy always said this was quick and easy.  How hard could it actually be?

Now, just so you understand, when I was in high school my little brother had to show me how to boil water.  I am still teased about this.  So rather than get defensive, or learn how to cook, I just embraced my inabilities with glee and found myself a husband who could and would make a good meal on demand.

Faced with no husband to feed me I decided it was now or never.  If I succeeded I would eat happily that evening and no one would need to know that I could do it for myself in the future.   If I failed, I could just order a pizza and no one would need to know how pathetic I am.  Our cats - my only witnesses - as far as I know, do not have the ability to tattle.

I will have you know that a watched pot does in fact boil.  Because I watched that sucker the entire time to make sure it didn't boil over and extinguish the flame.  I even got daring and decided to grill the dogs at the same time on the stove top griddle.  I multi-tasked!  Without setting off the smoke detector!

I poured in that powdered cheese while my tummy grumbled and tossed in the chopped up dogs like a sous chef extraordinaire.  And before I dug in, I took a photo - because I was too proud of myself not to document my endeavor.  Which was delicious.  But not as good as Andy's.  If I admitted that, he'd never have to make it for me again.

8 comments:

Susan said...

LOL! Your culinary skills are masterful, Molly! I almost had mac & cheese last night while hubby was out being wined and dined, but then decided to use some of that huge container of baby spring greens moldering in the crisper and make a salad instead. I shoulda had both!

Sandy Nawrot said...

My stomach just grumbled looking at that picture. Hey, once in awhile it is OK to have comfort foods like this. Yesterday I had a corndog! It just sounded good. Next step for you...le coq au vin!

LJ said...

We just had Mac & Cheese & Weenies for dinner last week. A nice change from the usual froth. But not something I like to do on a regular basis. I'm still a Mac & Cheese puritan - and like it plain and simple.

Anonymous said...

Yum. I love the Mac n' Cheese with the powdered 'cheese' but Jason won't eat it unless it's the gooey stuff. And I'm not allowed to have hot dogs while pregnant! I had one in San Francisco before I knew it was off limits and had I know it would be my last one for awhile I might have savored it a little longer. Just like the last glass of wine I has before I knew :( You can bet I'm going to try this next November :)

Patty Reiser said...

Desert Greetings Molly!
This is a favorite dish in our household as well. Though during the winter I will bake it in the oven with extra cheese.

Janet said...

I had the blue box for dinner last night...and for lunch today I had the rest LOL! No hotdogs tho...altho I did put ketchup on the reheated lunch!

Beth F said...

LOL!!! I'm so jealous of your skills.

caite said...

I admit it...I LOVE the boxed mac and cheese, the cheaper the brand the better. Ok, it is not anything like real mac and cheese, which I also love but still, I love it.
but not with hot dogs. no, with bob evans sausages...love it.