Monday, September 3, 2018

Happy Labor Day!

by Jan Drexler

I first shared this post back in 2015 when all four of our children still lived at home. Now that three of them have flown the nest, our refrigerator space is under control...but we still love our hot dogs!

Enjoy your Labor Day!


Hot Dog Extravaganza!

Does your refrigerator have enough space for your family's needs?

Ours doesn't, and it is a constant source of frustration.

Go ahead. Blame my disorganization, or the size of our family, or that I go grocery shopping too often (or not often enough). Or like my husband, you can blame the refrigerator itself.

Me? I blame my family's love affair with condiments.

I thought about taking a picture of the condiments on the table during our recent Labor Day Weekend Hot Dog Extravaganza, but it was pretty embarrassing. You'll just have to imagine what it looked like to give us the end results pictured below.

We started out well enough.


My daughter is a no-frills kind of hot dog eater. Meat. Bun. 'Nuff said.


And then one of her brothers chose the ketchup (catsup?) route for one of his dogs.


Here is his other one. Chili, cheese and horseradish. Mmm...


My husband was traditional. He chose mustard, relish and onions for one dog, and chili for the other. Again, Mmmm....

But now we get to the real condiment hounds. My oldest and youngest sons LOVE things like this -


And this (notice the quart size jars!) -


And here is what they ended up with -


Using multiple condiments on hot dogs really isn't a problem, until you try to put the four different kinds of mustards, two kinds of ketchup, hot sauce, relish, chow chow, sauerkraut, two kinds of cheese, etc. back in the fridge.

I'd say we're probably out of control.

I think we've come up with a new reality show idea, though: Refrigerator Horders!



Wait, what? I didn't share a picture of my hot dog?

I eat mine with coleslaw and onions. The best hot dog ever!

What is your favorite way to dress your dogs?



Jan Drexler lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota with her husband and growing family. When she isn't writing, she loves hiking in the Hills or satisfying her cross stitch addiction.



You can find Jan on Facebook, Jan Drexler, author, or her website, Jan Drexler.com.

5 comments:

  1. Jan, I am impressed with your family's hotdogs. When I make them at home, it's just ketchup and mustard, maybe a few chopped onions. And while I rarely order them out, I do love a Sonic Chili-cheese dog. I have to say, though, a hotdog bar could be a great idea for a party. Have the dogs ready to go and offer all kinds of sides. You could even offer a prize for the most creative hotdog. That is, assuming the creator actually at that dog. ;)

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    1. That's a great idea!

      Now that Katie and Josh have joined the family, I don't think we're quite as exuberant as we once were. Something about this "adult" thing... :-)

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  2. I'm not alone, hooray! I'm so tempted to throw away multiple weird jars of stuff... just to fit more stuff, Jan! :)

    SO MANY CONDIMENTS.... There are 8 of us living here right now, and 5 are adults, and yeah... everybody likes different things.

    I like white hots. Porkers. They're a German hot dog, really popular in WNY. Zweigle's white hots are my favorites.... I don't want it burnt, I want it cooked golden and I want relish, mustard and ketchup on a really good roll. Wimpy rolls are for wimpy hot dogs. A good sausage deserves great bread.

    That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

    Happy Labor Day to all!

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    1. The white hots sound like the pork bratwurst I'm used to - white, savory, and wonderfully tasty!

      And I agree - we usually use whatever the store has for hot dogs, but when it comes to brats or any other REAL sausage, you need a good roll!

      Happy Labor Day!

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  3. I love hotdogs on the grill! And I love mine with mustard, ketchup and pickle relish. I also sometimes add onions. Then there are times where I want a chili-cheese dog with mustard and onion. YUM!

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