Recipe(tried): Our Independence Day Menu - Homemade Hot Dogs, Fresh Cucumber Tomato Relish, Sweet and Sour Slaw, Mimi's Green Tomato Relish, Potato Salad, Calico Beans, Baker's One-Bowl Brownies

July 4th 2002
Brats, Barbequed Hamburgers and Hot Dogs
Fresh Tomato Relish
Mimi's Green Tomato relish
Potato Salad
Calico Beans
Sweet and Sour Slaw
Cheese garlic bread
Sweet Tea
Brownies
Watermelon
Chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches

We sometimes make our own hot dogs. Ours are not particularly like commercial hot dog. They ended up more like a bratwurst in texture and are much lower in fat. When I first decided to make them, I ground them once and did not use casings. We just grilled them over the fire along with the brats. They are pretty good, but to be more like a commercial hot dog they need more fat. This is the basic recipe.

Home made Hot Dogs

1 pound pork (shoulder, butt, whatever...)
1 pound beef (round, chuck, brisket...)
1/2 onion, finely minced
1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely diced
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon finely ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard seed
1 1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon finely ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne chile
1 egg white
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar (or as desired)
1/2 teaspoon salt (or as desired)
1/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
fat as needed for desired fat/meat ratio -- 1 part fat to 5 parts meat
hog casings as needed ? (approx. 1 1/2 inch diameter)

Sprinkle diced garlic clove with 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and thoroughly smash with the tines of a dinner fork. Puree onion, garlic, and milk in a blender. In a mixing bowl, combine puree with egg white, salt, pepper, sugar, spices and optional liquid smoke. Mix thoroughly. Grind the pork, beef, and optional fat separately through a fine grinding blade. Thoroughly mix the ground meat and fat and grind once more through the fine grinder blade. Mix the puree/seasonings mixture and ground meat/fat mixture in a bowl with moist fingers until well mixed. Chill the meat/seasoning mixture for about an hour and grind through the fine grinder blade once more. Stuff the casings, twisting into approximately 6 inch links. Refrigerate the links for a few hours or overnight to allow the flavors to blend. Parboil the links without separating them for about 25 to 30 minutes. Drain and store refrigerated for up to a week. Since the sausage links are pre-cooked, they can be used as-is without further cooking in recipes calling for frankfurters...or they can be grilled on a barbeque as one would grill commercial hot dogs.

Fresh Cucumber Tomato Relish
This has to be made with summer tomatoes
2 cucumber peeled and chopped
2 tomatoes peeled and chopped
1/2 Vidalia onion finely chopped.
3/4 cup white vinegar
1/2-3/4 cup sugar
salt and pepper

SWEET AND SOUR SLAW
(Recipe Courtesy of Frank Brigtsen, chef/owner Brigtsen's Restaurant)
This is a new recipe - haven't tried it yet.

1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup peeled, grated Granny Smith apple
1 teaspoon granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon Tabasco hot pepper sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 cups very thinly sliced red cabbage
2 cups very thinly sliced Napa cabbage (or green cabbage)
1/3 cup peeled, grated carrot
1/3 cup roasted unsalted peanuts
1/4 cup julienned red onion
1/4 cup julienned red bell pepper
1/4 cup julienned yellow bell pepper
1/3 cup thinly sliced chives (or green onions)

In a mixing bowl, add the vinegar, apple, sugar, soy sauce, salt and Tabasco hot pepper sauce. Blend well with a wire whisk. Slowly add the sesame oil in a thin
stream, whisking constantly.

Add the remaining ingredients, and blend well for 3-4 minutes. Refrigerate for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, before serving.

Yield: 4 servings as a side dish

Mimi's Green Tomato Relish
This was my grandmother's green tomato relish
Use an old fashioned grinder to grind together the following:

1 dozen red peppers (sweet not hot)
1 dozen green peppers
6 medium sweet onions
4 small hot peppers
2 dozen green tomatoes

Shred and chop finely 1 head of cabbage. Soak it in water for about 10 minutes and drain and squeeze in dishtowel until dry.

Mix all together in a large bowl and add:

1 T. celery seed
1 T. mustard seed
1 tsp uniodized salt
1 quart of white vinegar
2 cups sugar
Mix and place in clean jars. We do not process this but eat it within the next month or so.

Potato Salad

Peel and cut 5 pounds of potatoes in quarters and cook covered with water at lowest heat necessary to boil until just done, about twenty minutes. Cool and slice.

Dressing:
2 cups Hellman's mayonnaise
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
1/3 cup sweet pickle juice I use sweet gherkins
Tony Chachere's original seasoning to taste (this has salt in it)
Salt and Pepper
Mix the above and pour over potatoes. Add the following and mix lightly.

1/2 pound bacon chopped and fried
3 stalks celery chopped
green onions to taste
a hand full of grated cabbage
2 hard-boiled eggs chopped
10 sweet gherkins chopped

Cool and adjust salt. I usually add more salt because the potatoes absorb a lot of the salt.

Calico Beans

1/2 cup chopped raw bacon
1 pound ground beef
1 (15 ounce) can pork and beans
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can butter beans
1 (15 ounce) can lima beans, drained
1/2 cup ketchup
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon mustard powder
1/2 cup chopped celery

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Place bacon and ground beef in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain and set aside.

In a four-quart casserole dish, mix together the bacon, ground beef, pork and beans, kidney beans, butter beans, lima beans, ketchup, onion, vinegar, dry mustard and celery.

Cover and bake for 1 hour.

Baker's One-Bowl Brownies

3 Squares unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup pecans chopped and toasted

Microwave chocolate & butter in large microwaveable bowl for 30 seconds at a time until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Stir sugar into chocolate until well blended. Stir in eggs & vanilla until completely mixed. Mix in flour until well blended. Stir in nuts. Spread in greased 13x9" pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 min or until toothpick comes out almost clean.