hot diggity dogs at philly hot dog cafe

It was about frickin' time I ate a hot dog.

Soon, the time passed of not eating a bunned wiener would amount to a decade and, honestly there isn't anything I wouldn't eat anymore.

Yet, in the amount of years passed, I promised myself that the first dog I'd chow down on would be worth the wait. My ultimate hot dog shack-of-a-crush has always been Hot Doug's in Chicago. The menu is quirky and phenomenal, including foie gras-topped dogs, aside duck fat-fried frenchies.

But, I'm not in Chicago, I'm in the suburbs of Philadelphia so, I had to uncover the next best thing.

Philly Hot Dog Cafe, first opened last year as a diamond-in-the-rough of a Limerick strip mall, boosts itself at having an overwhelming roster of hot dog combinations. Only some of which are listed on their online menu, the 100% domestic beef dog are loaded with varying fresh ingredients that appear as though "dragged through the garden" with everything from dill pickle spears, coleslaw, roasted reds to celery salt, spicy chili, corned beef and Bleu cheese.

My choice: The Southern Dawg topped with a sweet-and-spicy chili and a homemade coleslaw. The bun, fresh and soft, also allowed for an overall excellent bite.
B's choice: The Chicago Dog, which he selected because it reminded him of the specialty wiener served at Hot Doug's, was amazingly loaded with tomato slices, sport peppers, dill spear, diced onions, relish, mustard and celery salt--all served on a poppy seed bun. In addition to the Chicago, he also selected the simply pleasant Polish Dog, served with spicy mustard and sauerkraut.

With an exciting beef-and-bun experience, hot dogs may not become an everyday thing, yet I will be more willing to bite into another cylinder sometime soon. Also, next visit I am opting for the town-appropriate dog, The Limerick Dog, served dosed with a nuclear hot sauce and Bleu cheese.

almost devilish, almost meatless

I have always been the oddball in the family.

Well, if you met my two older brothers you would think that I am the most normal, by appearance, but when it comes to what I allow to enter my two skinny lips, I am instantly a weirdo. For example, if they'd order a hamburger coated in cheddar, I'd order a lamb patty plopped with feta. They'd order a Yuengling, I'd order a Hop Hog -- you get the point.

Thus, being the adventurous one, it would be expected of me that if I were to make the classic picnic staple, deviled eggs, I would not follow my mom's highly-acclaimed recipe (sorry, Mom). Swirling a little bit of Miracle Whip with a little bit of yellow mustard, her yolks have always been so loved, and this love also comes from my scarfing-self.

So simple, yet so perfect, dozens of these fine eggs are packaged in Tupperware containers for many, upon many friend-and-family functions. However, some times the best things are born from escaping your comfort zone, so I allowed myself to take the Claudia Strauss Torch and devilishly sneak into my own, slightly gourmet, world of hard-boiled eggs, courtesy of Almost Meatless.

In AM, authors Joy Manning and Tara Mataraza Desmond, who are also fellow Philadelphians, satisfying sculpt, as the title assumes, health-conscious recipes that scale back our meaty intakes, without sacrificing the flavors we carnivorously crave. And, coming from a girl who's a post-vegetarian, now embarrassingly-addicted meathead, I have been dying for a book with such a balance!

Here, I cross their starting line with a sampling of their retro-styled devilish eggs, which by the way, received extreme gratification from my experienced mother with a two-thumbs up.

Deviled Eggs

Serves 4 to 8

1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

1 dozen eggs, hard-boiled and peeled

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/3 cup mayo

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1 tablespoon grated shallot

1/2 teaspoon sriracha or hot sauce

5 cornichons, diced

salt & fresh ground pepper

1 tablespoon paprika, for garnish

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Bake panko crumbs on a rimmed sheet for about 10 minutes. Cool. Slice eggs in half. (Tip: Spray knife with cooking spray for easy slicing!) Scrap yolk into large bowl. Add mustard, mayo, turmeric, shallot, sriracha and cornichons. Whisk until smooth; season to taste with salt and taste. Using a teaspoon, fill each egg with a heaping dose of yolk mixture. (To be fancy, use a piping bag.) Just before serving, add pinch of baked panko and dust evenly with paprika.

Reprinted with permission from Ten Speed Press and the authors.