I have two food questions.

**emily_hope** · 08-23-2006, 01:35 PM

#1 What do you do with hot dogs besides make hot dogs?

#2 What is a frugal main dish recipe that will feed about 20 people? We are having my Mother's birthday dinner Sunday, her 75th (Go MOM!), and I will be doing the main dish. Need some ideas.

Thanks in advance!

**LastDragonfly** · 08-23-2006, 01:52 PM

I would make several different casseroles and let everyone choose. Or I would buy different kinds of sandwich breads and meat and let every one build their own sandwich.

**tervsforme** · 08-23-2006, 02:45 PM

I LOVE hot dogs! Sometimes I cut them up and put them in baked beans. Just the other day, I wrapped them up in crescent rolls and baked them in the oven. That was yummy, I haven't had that in a long time!!

Main dish for a crowd. How about sloppy joes. Or you could buy a couple of Pork Shoulder Roasts, cook them in advance in the crock pot and make pulled pork sandwiches. I've done that for a couple of pot lucks and it is usually the first thing to go. Pork Shoulder roasts are usually pretty inexpensive around me. Chicken and noodles or chicken and dumplings? Whole chickens are $.89 a pound this week by me. That could feed a whole lot and home made noodles are really inexpensive.

OK, now I'm hungry for chicken and noodles, I have to get a chicken out of the freezer.

**Katybird** · 08-23-2006, 02:59 PM

Hot dogs...

Hot Dog Soup

1 lb. hot dogs
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
2 cups of 1/2-inch carrot slices
2 garlic cloves, crushed
6 cups water
2 13 3/4-oz. cans chicken stock
1 lb. lentils
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. fresh basil, chopped

Using plastic knives, your kids can help you cut the hot dogs into 1-inch pieces. In a large soup pot, sauté the hot dogs in the oil until browned. Remove the hot dogs and sauté the onion, celery, carrots and garlic for about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the water, stock, lentils, salt, pepper and basil. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Adjust the seasonings and add the hot dogs back in. Serves 8 to 10.

When my kids were younger we also made beans and franks. I just added hot dogs to pork and beans and warmed on the stove. I also added them to mac and cheese, the kids loved them and they were cook and inexpensive meals. I also made "pigs in a blanket" out of them. I just took a hot dog and made a split in the middle of it and added a piece of folded american cheese and then wrapped in a flattened biscuit and cooked in the oven till the biscuit was done and the cheese melted, these were another quick and easy meal.

Main dish for 20...

I don't think you could go wrong with spaghetti and meatballs. It is easy enough that you won't have to spend an entire afternoon cooking and you could even make your sauce and meatballs the day before and heat in yoru crockpot the day you need them and then just cook your spaghetti that day.

Taco Salad is always an easy and inexpensive meal for a crowd. Here is a link to a recipe from Taste of Home, it is for a larger crowd than you have to serve but it could be scaled down
http://recipes.tasteofhome.com/eRMS/recp.aspx?recid=749

**YankeeMom** · 08-23-2006, 03:02 PM

I make scalloped potatoes w/ hotdogs instead of ham.
My kids also like hotdogs cut up into the mac & cheese.

Another good dish that sounds a little "ew" but really is good: baked beans, pinapple chunks (canned) and sliced up hot dogs, baked in the oven until heated through. It's really good!

Man, I haven't made that in a while. Gonna have to now

**pkellyc** · 08-23-2006, 03:20 PM

I would keep it simple lasagna, garlic bread and a tossed salad.
Or a baked ham scalloped potatoes, rolls and a vegtable dish.

These are my standard menus because most of it can be made in advance.

**Droppedonmyhead** · 08-23-2006, 05:47 PM

As far as the hot dogs go, I make chili dogs, beannie weenies, pigs in a blanket, and corn dogs.

For the large group, I would probably do a pork roast and then shred it for bar-b-que sandwiches, cole slaw/potato salad, baked beans, hush puppies, chips and lots of iced tea & sodas.

**foxxyroxie** · 08-23-2006, 06:09 PM

In response to the hotdog question....I guess I agree with previous posts.....with mac and cheese, with pork and beans or baked beans for beanie-wienies and inside of crescent rolls. Never made the hotdog soup but I know a few people who have. I don't love hotdogs that much....lol.

In response to the meal for 20....the easiest is sloppy joes. About 5# ground meat (beef or turkey), brown with 1 chopped onion and chopped green pepper and/or celery if you desire (or have them 'wilting' in the refriger crisper), drain grease and add about 1/2 - 1 small bottle catsup, a good squirt of mustard, about 2 heaping tablespoons brown sugar, 2 heaping tablespoons dill or sweet relish (don't worry if you get some of the relish juice - it won't hurt it a bit), season with salt and pepper. Let simmer (stir occasionally) or put in crockpot on low till serving time (this also keeps it hot if people eat at different times during party). SIMPLE AS THAT. Serve with assorted chips, veggie/pickle/olive tray, and OF COURSE, CAKE.

Good Luck!!

**emily_hope** · 08-23-2006, 08:22 PM

Thanks, I knew you guys would have some great ideas.

**Goodwin17** · 08-23-2006, 08:43 PM

When I was a kid my father used to put cut up, cooked hot dogs in spaghetti (with plain sauce). I laughed when he first made it, but it turned out pretty good!

**grneyegrl** · 08-23-2006, 09:51 PM

my mom makes spaghetti w\hotdogs, we call it ghetto spaghetti. she also makes fried potatoes w\hot dogs,,its soooooo good.. she fries white potaotes in a little(very little)oil then adds the hotdogs when the pototes are getting(kinda) soft.. i like my pototes crusty. but u can adjust this to suit your taste.

oh and we add onion,lots and lots(we love onions) and dont like peppers..but u can add pepers if u like them

**Laurie in Bradenton** · 08-24-2006, 08:36 AM

My mom taught me to make a similiar dish with fried potatoes only with a few more things:

Corn Fry
Fry un peeled sliced potatoes in a small amount of bacon grease. Add one chopped onion, and as many sliced hot dogs as you choose or have. Sprinkle with a generous amount of chili powder and top off with a drained can of corn or leftover corn. Salt and pepper to taste.

Hot Dogs and Saurkraut???

We also made Ham Salad out of hot dogs. Mind you my DH gives me no end of grief about this one.
Step one : Get out your handy dandy manual meatgrinder. Attach to counter or table.
Open and drain hot dogs, peel one onion, half & drain several whole dill pickles.
Run onion, dill pickles and then hot dogs throught grinder. Hot dogs will help to clear out residue of other items. To ground mixture add alittle garlic salt and mayo to taste and spread texture. Great on sandwiches!
Mom used to make this when the mayo jar was almost emtpy and would mix it up in the jar.
Laurie in Bradenton

**PrairieRose** · 08-24-2006, 08:47 AM

For a meal to feed 20 or so I usually cook a brisket (marinate overnite in Claudes' brisket marinade, fat side up) all one night on about 300. Cook a huge crockpot of red beans, make a huge potato salad, whip up a cake. That brisket can be bought if you have enough warning on sale for really cheap. Otherwise you can substitue whatever roast is on sale too.

Hot dogs are good cut up in macaroni and cheese too.

**brandy1401** · 08-25-2006, 03:47 PM

For the hot dogs I usually do 1 of 2 things. Other than just have Hot dogs

#1 Add hot dogs to Mac N' cheese very low cost i pay about .30-35 cents per box of Mac N' Cheese and about .79 cents per pack of hot dogs

#2 I cut hot dogs down the center leaving in tact just to stuff with cheese 1 slice of can do 4 hot dogs (fold the cheese in half then fold each half in half again then one more time put 2 peices in each hot dog) After you put the cheese in the hot dogs wrap hot dogs with refridgerated buscuits (flatten biscuits with hands before trying to wrap). Bake as directed by the biscuit package. I usually serve with Mac N' Cheese
I spend about .79 cents on hot dogs .40 cents on biscuits (theres 10 in each package, so you can open a second pack of hot dogs or have two biscuits) you can get a package of store brand cheese for about .90 cents and you only need 2-2 1/2 slices. and Mac' N cheese about .30 cents very low cost and tasty food.

I hope that helps. Good luck....

**duckduckgoose007** · 08-25-2006, 09:38 PM

How about Stroganoff for that crowd???

You don't even need to use steak...you can use hamburg...could even add canned green beans to the sauce to stretch it a bit farther.