Dog Days of Summer

In terms of classy dinners, this Rachael Ray recipe is up there with the cheeseburger and fries casserole I made a few weeks ago. Still, this dinner was a lot of fun and very delicious! So what if it's meant for kids? Both Joe and I really enjoyed it. I used turkey kielbasa instead of hot dogs and maybe a little more dough and chili per dog than called for, but I only made us one dog each so I wanted them to be filling. I would definitely make these again, and they were a fun summer evening meal.

Chili Cheese Dogs in Beach Blankets

1 tablespoon vegetable oil or extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
3/4 pound ground beef or turkey
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
2 teaspoons dehydrated onion
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup water
1 tube pizza dough, from the dairy aisle at the grocery store
8 beef, turkey, pork or tofu dogs
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Pre-heat oven to 400°F.
In a small pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the meat to the pot and brown it up, 6-7 minutes. Season the meat up with chili powder, granulated garlic, dehydrated onion and a little salt and pepper. Add the tomato paste to the pot and stir it around a minute, then add the water to help loosen the tomato paste up and get it everywhere. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for five minutes, then turn the heat off. Roll the pizza dough out into a big rectangle. Cut the dough in half lengthwise with a small knife. Cut the dough into four equal pieces across so that you end up with eight small, rectangular pieces of dough. Across the center of each rectangle, place a couple of spoonfuls of chili sauce and a small handful of cheese sprinkled on top. Set the dog on the dough and wrap and roll the pizza dough around the dog like a blanket, sealing in the chili and cheese too! The nubs of each end of the dog should be peeking out. Bake in the oven 18 minutes, until golden.