Running a blog can be a lot of work. Sometimes I sit down to type and my brain just won’t do words, or a recipe I planned doesn’t work, leaving me scrambling to make something else at the last minute. But other times a recipe is pure fun at every step of the process, from early development to editing the final post. That’s the kind of recipe we’re making today. It was just such a joy to work on. It reminded me why I love what I do! 😀

When I first got the idea of to make a Very Hungry Caterpillar menu, I knew I wanted the entree to be a hot dog bar. I figured since the caterpillar eats sausage, hot dogs would be a good kid-friendly equivalent (my kids won’t touch sausage, though I did include chicken sausage for the grownups). Plus, if you’re making this for a birthday party, a buffet-style entree is the perfect crowd pleaser!

For my bar, I used 3 types of hot dogs (a plain beef dog, bacon-wrapped dog, and chicken apple sausage). In the ingredients list below, I included everything I used for the hot dogs pictured, plus some extras. Obviously, there are no rules for adding toppings to your hot dog, but I figured folks might like some inspiration to get them started. So I included instructions for six different kinds of hot dog:

• Chili Mac & Cheese
• BBQ Chicken and Pineapple
• Chip ‘N Dip
• Pizza
• BLT
• Apple Slaw and Stone Ground Mustard
  

What custom dogs will you create? Let me know in the comments!

 

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A Very Hungry Hot Dog Bar

“On Saturday night he ate through one piece of chocolate cake, one ice cream cone, one pickle, one slice of Swiss cheese, one slice of salami, one lollipop, one piece of cherry pie, one sausage, one cupcake, and one slice of watermelon. That night he had a stomach ache!”

— The Very Hungry Caterpillar

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

• THE HOT DOGS
  • Plain ol’ beef hot dog
  • Bacon-wrapped hot dog
    • Simply spiral wrap a plain dog in a piece of bacon and cook in a hot pan, turning every 30 seconds or so until the bacon is fully cooked on every side. If desired, you can secure the bacon with a toothpick on each end for easy handling, removing the toothpicks before serving.
  • Chicken apple dog
  • Other Options: Bratwurst, Italian sausage, cheese-filled dogs
• FOR THE BUNS
  • Poppy seed
  • Brioche
  • Other options: Hoagie buns, pretzel buns, gluten free
• FOR THE TOPPINGS
  • Fruit & Veg
    • Green onion
    • Diced jalapeños
    • Diced tomatoes
    • Shredded lettuce
    • Pineapple
    • Diced red onion
    • Other options: Banana peppers, kimchi, tater tots
  • Meat
    • Mini pepperonis
    • Chili
      • You can make it from scratch using this recipe or just use premade
    • Other options: If you don’t want to make bacon-wrapped hot dogs, you can include bacon bits as a topping
  • Cheese
    • Shredded mozzarella
    • Shredded cheddar
    • Mac & cheese
    • Queso fresco
  • Condiments
    • Pizza sauce
    • Ranch dressing
    • BBQ sauce
    • Ketchup
    • Mustard, yellow and stone ground
    • Mayo
    • Other options: Sriracha, sour cream, pickle relish
  • Others
    • Guacamole
      • I used the recipe from my latest cookbook!
    • Tortilla chips
    • Apple slaw
      • I used this recipe from Salt & Lavender
    • Celery salt
    • Taco seasoning
    • Potato chips

 

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. 1. PIZZA DOG
      
      • Brioche bun, plain dog, pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella, mini pepperonis
        
   2. CHILI MAC & CHEESE DOG
      • Poppy seed bun, bacon-wrapped dog, chili, mac & cheese
        
   3. CHIP ‘N DIP DOG
      • Brioche bun, plain dog, guacamole, tortilla chips, diced jalapeños

        

   4. BLT DOG
      • Poppy seed bun, bacon-wrapped dog, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, ranch dressing
        
   5. BBQ CHICKEN AND PINEAPPLE DOG
      • Brioche bun, chicken apple dog, pineapple, bbq sauce, red onion
        
   6. APPLE SLAW DOG
      • Poppy seed bun, chicken apple dog, apple slaw, stone ground mustard
        
   7. Tell me your great ideas for custom hot dogs in the comments below!
      

      

      

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Check out my buffet-style recipes!

Strega Nona’s Pasta Buffet