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I ended up leaving out the can of black beans
you see pictured, and apparently forgot to
include the ketchup. |
One of the latest social media fads that I absolutely love are those short video clips that demonstrate how to make a fun recipe. The recipes usually involve just a few steps and the speeded up "how to" shows you how to make the dish. I love anything that attempts to demystify cooking. I could watch those videos for hours. Like me, your Facebook feed is probably full of friends and family "liking" recipes or sharing them to be sure they can find them again when the mood strikes. This particular recipe idea came from one of those video clips; as soon as I saw it I knew I had to make it.
My husband has very few "favorites" when it comes to savory foods. He loves desserts and anything "donut", but if he had to choose just one guilty pleasure that was savory it would be Chili Cheese Dogs. One too many late night stops at Steak 'N Shake in graduate school has positively imprinted his brain with the nostalgic memory I suppose. :)
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Just cutting these reminded me of being
a kid - Spaghetti-Os with hot dogs! |
Like most of those video recipe clips, the concept for this dish is extremely simple. You can make it your own in so many ways so take the term "recipe" lightly here. If you want to watch the video that inspired my dish, you can find that
here. Since this recipe calls for a version of 'chili' I embellished what the original recipe called for. Mostly because I had some red peppers in my fridge I wanted to use up and I like to season my chili with more than just chili powder. (If you have a go-to recipe for a simple chili, just use that.)
In a deep skillet, cook the onion and pepper in a tablespoon of olive oil until softened. Add the ground beef and salt and pepper. Cook thru. Add in the diced tomatoes, ketchup, sugar and seasonings to your liking. Bring it to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes (or longer if you have time). Just because this is simple comfort food dish doesn't mean you can't pay attention to layering your flavors. The better the chili tastes, the better the overall dish will taste.
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Pieces of biscuit dough, coated in butter,
parsley and cheese. Use your fingers to
get it mixed evenly. |
While the chili cooks, cut the hot dogs into coins and set aside. Open the can of biscuits and cut each one into 6 equal sized pieces and put them in a glass bowl. Add the melted butter, 1/2 Tbsp garlic powder, salt, pepper, parsley and shredded cheese. Mix until everything is coated evenly.
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Mix the hot dogs into the chili so they
are spread throughout. |
Spoon the chili into the bottom of your baking dish. I used an 8x8 glass dish but you could use a 9 x 13 if you're feeding a larger group. The layer of chili will just be thinner (or you can double up the chili recipe). Add in the chopped hot dogs and stir them into the chili. Cover with the pieces of biscuits, spreading them out across the top to cover. You will have some gaps, but they will fill in as the biscuits puff up in the oven. As I got to this part of the assembly, I thought it might be fun to sprinkle black poppy seeds on top to simulate the buns in a classic chili dog.
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The puffed up biscuits covered in cheese
make the perfect crusty topping
for the chili and hot dogs. |
Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees until the top is golden brown -- check to make sure the biscuits are cooked through - - and then serve. This probably isn't going to be the most "gourmet" recipe you read on my blog, but I can guarantee that it is delicious! And sometimes, eating those foods that remind us of childhood or fun times is the best way to relive those memories. Enjoy!
Chili Cheese Dog Bake:
1 yellow onion (diced)
1 red bell pepper (chopped)
1 lb ground beef (or ground turkey)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 can diced tomatoes or 1 can sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 Tbsp Cumin
11/2 Tbsp Garlic Powder (separated)
1 tsp granulated sugar
10 hot dogs
1 can biscuits (pre-made)
4 Tbsp unsalted butter (melted)
Fresh parsley (or dried if you don't have fresh)
1 cup shredded cheese (Cheddar or blend)
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See the chili peeking out the sides? Let it set for a few minutes
before serving. The chili was less thick than I thought
it would be, but I think that was from the fresh red peppers I used. |
