Snack attack time! School is out, it’s Summer time and the kids are hungry but don’t fret parents, Chili-Cheese Dogs to the rescue.   Of course you can always heat up a corn dog but a chili dog with cheese in a blanket is way better!  What I love about this recipe is that the kiddos can help you make them.  By doubling the recipe, you can be sure that you are making enough for everyone or even for a picnic!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3/4 pound of ground beef
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons onion salt and ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 (13.8oz) tube refrigerator pizza dough
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 8 hot dog wieners

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400′

1. Heat the oil in small pot over medium high heat.  Add the meat and brown.  Season meat with chili powder, garlic, onion and salt & pepper.  Add the tomato paste and stir; then addd 1/4 cup water to help loosen the tomato paste.  Simmer for 5 minutes and turn off heat.
2. Roll out the pizza dough into a big rectangle.  Cut the dough in half lengthwise with a small knife.  Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces across so that you end up with 8 small rectangular pieces of dough.  Across the center of each rectangle, place a couple of spoonfuls of chili sauce and sprinkle a small handful of cheese on top.  Set the dog on the dough and wrap and roll the pizza dough around teh dog as you would for pigs in a blanket, sealing in the chili and cheese.  The nubs of each end of the dog should be peeking out.  Arrange on a baking sheet and bake for 18 minutes or until brown.

LITTLE HELPERS

The little helpers can measure ingredients, shred the cheese, and roll the dogs in blankets.

The Witches Brooms were so cute that I just had to make and share these Mummy dogs with you today.  Check out these cute pigs in a blanket, Halloween style!!  Tell me those are not cute, I dare you!  And you could use mustard or ketchup as the eyes.  With all the Halloween sweets I’ve been posting, I thought these would make for a great appetizer/snack!  You’ve seen similar recipes around but I’d love to see your final creation of the mummy dogs!

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations refrigerated flaky dough sheet
• 2 ½ slices American cheese, quartered (2.5 oz)
• 10 large hot dogs
• Cooking spray
• Mustard or ketchup, if desired

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 375°F.  If using crescent rolls: Unroll dough; separate at perforations, creating 4 rectangles. Press perforations to seal. If using dough sheet: Unroll dough; cut into 4 rectangles.  With knife or kitchen scissors, cut each rectangle lengthwise into 10 pieces, making a total of 40 pieces of dough. Slice cheese slices into quarters (1/2 slice cheese, cut in half).  Wrap 4 pieces of dough around each hot dog and 1/4 slice of cheese to look like “bandages,” stretching dough slightly to completely cover hot dog. About 1/2 inch from one end of each hot dog, separate “bandages” so hot dog shows through for “face.” On ungreased large cookie sheet, place wrapped hot dogs (cheese side down); spray dough lightly with cooking spray. Cut slits for eyes. Or draw features with mustard or ketchup once cooked.  Bake 15 to 19 minutes or until dough is light golden brown and hot dogs are hot.

I just came back from an Oscar Mayer event Wisconsin and while the discussion was sandwiches and “brown bagging it” (more on that later), it was Oscar Mayer’s Wienermobile that captured my heart.  You’ve seen it on TV and it’s been around for years and years so being able to step inside a piece of history was kinda cool. Of course after that, I couldn’t stop singing the song! And just in case you can almost remember the words, check out this video of the commercial made back in 1965.

And did you hear that whistle at the end?? Maybe you even remember them! They still give those whistles away from the Wienermobile! I got two, one for me and one for me son.

The original 1936 Wienermobile was scrapped for metal back in the World War II days but there is a very old 1953ish model that’s in the Henry Ford Museum. The one I had the privilege to see is a 2004 model and driven by two girls who go cross country and participate in various functions.

It was so much fun being a part of that history and now I can say, I really am an Oscar Mayer Wiener!

It’s great to see the Wienermobile has their own Hotdogger Blog and you can even follow the Wienermobile on twitter!

Do you have any Oscar Mayer memories to share?? I would love to hear them!