Bring on the dog days of summer

Everyday Kitchen -

Based on a recent string of warm, sunny weekdays, I remain ever so hopeful for a long, fine summer, and what better way to summon the dog days than with a batch of appropriate recipes?

Heck, I'd settle for an occasional hot Saturday on my back deck, made all the hotter by any one of these.

Chili Dogs

I loathe boiled wieners on nuked buns, but admit to a profound weakness for these hot, toasty devils.

This dish is a 2-in-1. The chili is also delicious on hamburgers, over fries, on a baked potato, with rice, or piled on tortillas.

It's fabulous just as it is in a bowl, too, but it is thicker than my usual, to prevent dribbles. For some mysterious reason, I am always wearing white when I eat chili dogs. Some kind of laundry death wish, I suppose.

If you prefer a milder mix, use sweet chili powder instead of hot or reduce or even leave out the red chili flakes.

Prepare this the day before for an even better flavour.

It makes enough for 12 dogs, so freeze half up to three months.

Super-Thick Chili:

4 strips smoky bacon, diced

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 large onion, diced

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp. hot chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper

1/4 tsp. red chili flakes

pinch each dried oregano and ground cinnamon

1 small can tomato sauce

1 small can chipotle chilies or green chilies (optional)

handful chopped fresh cilantro

Toasted Dogs:

6 large franks or sausages

6 large homemade-style hotdog buns

Grated sharp cheddar cheese and chopped green onion for serving

Crisp bacon in a big frying pan; remove and drain, reserving about 1 tbsp. of bacon fat in the pan.

Add ground beef and onion and brown well, cooking until onion is starting to soften. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, chili flakes, oregano and cinnamon, and cook until fragrant and garlic has wilted.

Stir in tomato sauce and chipotles and simmer together over low heat until cooked through. Mixture is very thick and if it seems too dry, add a little water to the pan.

Stir in cilantro just before serving.

For the dogs, fry franks in oil or barbecue them until crispy and brown on the outside and cooked through the middle. Toast buns on the barbecue or in the oven.

Build the dogs, spoon on the chili and top with cheese, onion and reserved bacon. If you're not a purist, pass the mustard and ketchup.

Stove-Top Hotdog, Macaroni and Mushroom Casserole

Next time you have the barbecue fired up, as soon as the steaks are off, throw on half a dozen good-quality franks. The next day, make this for the ultimate in comfort food for the kid in everybody.

The spinach makes it marginally healthier but, more importantly, really adds to the overall taste. If you think it's a show-stopper for your kids, leave it out.

If you like your casseroles creamy rather than chunky, add half a can of cream-of-mushroom soup or a big spoonful of sour cream (less salt) along with the franks.

1 large onion

2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms

1 tbsp. each vegetable oil and butter

1 red or green bell pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups low-sodium beef broth

1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained (optional)

2 cups uncooked macaroni or other small pasta

6 large barbecued or fried franks or regular hotdogs, cut into 1-inch pieces, preferably on the diagonal

Salt and pepper to taste

Fry onion and mushrooms in oil and butter until mushrooms release their moisture and it evaporates and everything is golden. Add green pepper and garlic and cook a few minutes.

Stir in broth, spinach and macaroni and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

Add franks, cover and simmer 10 minutes longer, or until everything is cooked through. Season to taste - hotdogs and broth are all over the map when it comes to sodium content, so it's up to you to adjust the seasoning. You can't go wrong with tons of pepper, of course.

Top with grated cheese before serving, if you like.

Bacon-Wrapped Sauerkraut-Stuffed Barbecued Dogs

Big name, big taste. This recipe cries out for those chunky smoked sausages, but regular old hot dogs are delicious, too. You need the bacon to keep all the goodies inside. If you've never had sauerkraut you don't know what you're missing, but if you aren't feeling adventurous, combine the other ingredients, except caraway seeds, and spread on the split dogs. Not as interesting, but still delicious.

6 hotdog sausages or franks

1 16-oz. can sauerkraut, rinsed, well- drained and chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup sweet relish

1 tbsp. each ketchup, grainy mustard and brown sugar

6 narrow sticks of Swiss (or other kind you like) cheese

1/2 tsp. caraway seeds (optional)

6 full-length strips lean bacon

6 big hotdog buns

If you are using raw sausages, cook them through and cool just until you can handle them. You don't need any prep for pre-cooked sausages or franks. Slit each sausage or frank down the middle, but not through. Combine sauerkraut, onion, relish, ketchup, mustard, brown sugar and caraway seeds and spread on top of split sausages. Place one piece of cheese in the middle, then wrap with a bacon strip - but not too tightly or the sausage will split when it expands as it cooks - and secure with toothpicks. Don't go overboard with the cheese or put it too near the ends or it will leak out during cooking. Grill or broil on all sides or bake at 375 F until bacon is cooked through and everything is hot. Cover the barbecue or turn down the heat if the outside is cooking before the inside is hot and melty. Toast buns and place a sausage in each. Serve with more mustard on top.

Cynthia Stone is a writer, editor and teacher in St. John's. Questions may be sent to her c/o The Telegram, P.O. Box 5970, St. John's, NL, A1C 5X7.