Viva le Hot Dog!

Cookbook Love loves hot dogs!

And so does Cutco. And so does their illustrator, Frank Marcello. Just look at this fine fellow fencing, confident in his meat selection:

Why he's parried and thrust her burger nearly down to the handle!

Consider his form. And his jaunty shirt. Wish I could find curtains in that fabric.

But on to the recipe:

Check out the loooong arm of this Pisan!

I like that Frank Marcello put the leaning tower in the picture, as a play on "pizza". But he must not have read the recipe because it includes no bun, and his illustration includes no bacon.

Which is a major violation: BACON MUST BE RESPECTED.

Or maybe he was on to something. After all, putting the canino in a bun after grilling would make it more pizza-like.

I guess Frank knows franks.

I'm not done with Bacon! Curried Macaroni, at your service

Might as well cook it while you can afford it!

In case you're tired of the same old BLTs, rashers and eggs, and angels on horseback, here's a recipe just for you.

Curried Macaroni

Cook 1 package (8 ounces) elbow macaroni or macaroni shells according to package directions. Prepare 2 cups Medium White Sauce. Add 1 tablespoon minced onion and 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder. Add macaroni; heat thoroughly. Garnish with bacon.

Broiled Fish with Bacon-Grease-Slathered Bananas

Continuing with the bacon thing, here's a recipe sure to please seafood lovers, bacon lovers, and lovers of all things sunny and fruity. It comes from a 1958 Cookindex recipe card, published by Tested Recipe Institute, Inc.

Shad Tropicana

Select a shad weighing about 4 pounds. Have the fish dealer split and bone it. Wash fish thoroughly and pat dry with paper towels. Place the split, boned shad on a well-greased broiler pan. Brush the fish with melted butter or margarine and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil fish, 3 to 5 inches from the heat, without turning, 8 to 10minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Halve 3 slices of bacon. Fry bacon strips in a skillet until crisp. Drain bacon well on paper towel; keep warm. Peel and slice 2 medium-size bananas; dip slices in bacon fat. About 2 minutes before removing shad from broiler, arrange banana slices in a row on top of fish. Finish broiling fish. Remove fish carefully with a broad spatula or pancake turner to a hot platter. Garnish with bacon, lemon wedges and parsley. Makes 4 servings.

For the Love of Bacon

In honor of what we may soon pay a fortune to indulge in, I offer the following.

Not creepy at all. Nope.

Cocky bacon. I'd still eat it.

Where's the rainbow?

Better question: how stoned are they?

How is this news?

For... war.

Now we're just lying to ourselves.

Bacon-wrapped... extra long french fries?

What could possibly go wrong?

All Hail, the Shortage of Bacon

As if the election hubub weren't enough, the panic mill is screeching about a potential bacon shortage. Or at the very least, skyrocketing prices.

My advice: buy now, thaw later. And while doing both, please sing this song.

Two Super Bowl Menus. One Lesson Learned.

I was told that since I am now a resident of New England, I am required to be a fan of the Sox, the Pats, and the Celtics.

(Celts?)

Given that the Patriots are playing in the Super Bowl this weekend, I figured I should develop a menu which proves my allegiance. Thought it should have an appropriate color scheme and use signature New England ingredients like cranberries, maple syrup, clams, and blueberries.

Here's what I came up with.

Snacky

Ranch Style Oyster Crackers

Patriotic Chips and North Shore Clam Dip

Red, White and Blue Nachos

Meaty

Spicy Cranberry Meatballs

Cranberry Glazed Bacon Jalapeno Bites

Mini Ballpark Dogs

Desserty

Blueberry, Blackberry, and Strawberry Skewers with MapleNilla Sauce

Nantucket Cranberry Pie

Believe it or not, I even considered forcing in some baked beans and brown bread, in the form of a finger sandwich.

And then I realized: No. Just No.

Issues of this great an import need to be left to the experts.

So this is what I'll be serving on Sunday:

• Buffalo Chicken Wings
• Helluva Good French Onion Dip with wavy potato chips
• Some sort of frozen bread pocket appetizer thingy that's supposed to taste like potato skins
• Red, White, and Blue Nachos (These are apparently standard enough to stay on the list.)
• Mini hot dogs in grape jelly and barbecue sauce
• Veggies and dip (as a nod to actual nutrition)

I think even Tebow would approve of the change. Hopefully he prayed for me.