Ashes and Wine: Family Tradition: Hamburger Hotdogs

I don't remember the first time I bit into a hamburger hot dog. As far as I know, it was the first solid thing I ever had to eat.

When I think of family, traditions and my childhood a few things are aroused in my mind - one of them being the hamburger hot dog.

Is it a hamburger? Is it a hot dog? Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

The answer is yes...yes...not quite...and definitely not.

Who came up with the recipe? Who knows...all I know is that my mom made them and now I make them though somehow, tonight was the first night in all the time Ackerman and I have known each other that we have had them.

Sad, I know. Maybe it's the thought of having a child and one day serving these hot puppies to her and her siblings, friends, family, pets and anyone else willing to scarf one down, made me long for the nostalgic taste.

List of Culprits:

1.5 lbs of ground beef

10 slices of American Cheese

1 small red onion

1 package hot dog buns

mustard

salt and pepper to taste

ketchup or other hot dog/hamburger toppings (optional)

Start out by browning off the ground beef and red onion in a skillet. Go ahead and add a dash of salt and pepper to flavor the meat. Once browned, drain off excess grease into a tin coffee can like my grandpa used to do.

Also, talk your husband into getting a decent camera so your photos will turn out semi-well.

After the grease has drained, add the 10 slices of American cheese. I am sure you could use cheddar, Swiss or any other combination of cheese you desire. We have always used American and dang it if I'll stop now. Stir the now melted cheese into the beef.

Preheat the oven to 325.

As the cheese is melting, go ahead and get the buns ready. Place a piece of tin foil (Ackerman gives me grief about calling it tin foil. I have always called it tin foil and dang it if I'll stop now. (See a trend?)) on the bottom of a baking pan. Open up each bun and put a line of mustard down the center. Go ahead...I'll wait....

Once the cheese has thoroughly melted and you've ate two spoonfuls of it just to be sure that it's not poisoned, fill the hot dog buns with the beef mixture. This is where it would be handy to have one of those Taco Bell meat scoopers that puts the perfect amount of meat in each taco. But since I don't work at Taco Bell a spatula worked fine.