While I was feeding Poppy her lunch yesterday I heard something on the radio that stopped me dead in my tracks….”HAPPY NATIONAL HOT DOG DAY” Whaaaaat?!! How did I not know it was national hot dog day?! Lucky for me being the wonderful wife that I am, I had bought Kegan the most amazing book on hot dogs for fathers day. I quickly flipped through the book for inspiration and before I knew it the “wiener and bean dog” was born!

• plain and simple, nothing fancy hot dogs
• classic white buns
• baked beans in tomato sauce
• bbq sauce, see recipe below
• shredded cheddar cheese

BBQ SAUCE

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp liquid smoke ( if you don’t like a smokey sauce skip this step )
• 1 tsp molasses
• 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup white onion, minced
• 1  clove of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 3/4 tsp smoked paprika
• pinch of chipotle chili powder
• pepper to taste

Toss all of the above into a medium pot and simmer over medium heat for 40-45 minutes, stirring frequently until thickened. BBQ sauce can be refrigerated for up to a week.

ASSEMBLY

in your skillet over med-high heat add a small knob of butter and cook the hot dogs for about 3 minutes, turning so they brown on all sides. Toast the buns. On the toasted bun sprinkle some cheese, add the dog, top with baked beans and bbq sauce. Enjoy!

3 cups sliced radishes

1 cup red onion, sliced in half moons

3 cloves garlic, lightly crush with the side of a knife

1 jalapeno pepper, halved length wise

1 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp honey

1 -1 1/2 tsp salt

1 cup cold water

In a non-reactive pot, heat the vinegar, sugar, honey and salt over medium heat. Stir until the sugar and salt has dissolved. Stir in the water. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Place the radishes, red onions, garlic and jalapeno in a medium sized jar. Pour the brine (vinegar mixture) over the radish mixture, making sure the radishes are totally submerged in the liquid. Refrigerate. You can eat as early as 1 hour later but I would wait a min of 4 hours but ideally I would wait and let them soak over night. These should last up to one month in the fridge ( as long as the mixture remains totally submerged in the brine )

*Note: There are a million ways to enjoy our pickled friends. Here are a few of my faves- serve in salads, on top of rice dishes, tacos or on sandwiches.

Summer is officially here. It’s uncomfortably hot and everyone who has a cottage is dreaming of it or enjoying it to the fullest. For those of us stuck in the city we are making the most of it and flocking to the parks to take shelter in the trees or bask in the sun while spreading out on the beautiful green grass. This weekend we headed to High Park to picnic with about 15 other unlucky city dwellers. Everyone brought a little something and we wound up with a delicious assortment of food. Normally I would have a tough time deciding what to bring, as there are sooo many amazing salads to choose from this time of year but lucky for me Danie pretty much told me this was what I HAD to bring…and so I did. This rice salad is healthy and refreshing, if you can call a rice salad refreshing but the lime and cilantro really do make it just that. For those of you looking to keep it light feel free to skip the cheese – I promise this salad will not disappoint.

• 6 cups wholegrain rice, cooked
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1 jalapeno, diced – note* you can also use canned green chiles or more jalapeno depending on how much heat you want
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1/3 cup cilantro
• 1 1/2 med lime, juiced
• avocado, diced
• salt and pepper to taste

Cook the rice according to the package. Once the rice has finished cooking, drain any excess water and refrigerate until cool.  In a large bowl mix together the rice, black beans, tomato, cheese, onion, jalapeno, and green pepper. In a small bowl whisk together the oil, vinegar and lime juice. Pour over the rice mixture and toss to coat. Now gently mix in the cilantro and avocado. Serve.