A new use for hot dogs--Hawaiian Franks

Hawaiian Franks
Make and Take Cookbook Copyright 1985

1½ cups long grain rice
3 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules I used sodium-free so I added a bit of salt

1 pound frankfurters, quartered lengthwise and cut into thirds
1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1 large green pepper, cut into ½-inch pieces
¼ cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced

½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 can (8 oz.) pineapple tidbits in its own juice, drained and juice reserved
¼ cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce I use low-sodium
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules I used sodium-free
1 jar (2 oz.) slice pimiento, drained

Prepare rice according to package directions, omitting salt and adding bouillon granules to the water. Place cooked rice in a 2 ½-quart baking dish; set aside.

Meanwhile, in a 10-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat, sauté frankfurters in butter or margarine for 7 to 10 minutes or until browned. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the drippings.

Add green pepper, onion and garlic to frankfurters. Sauté for 4 minutes or until vegetables are crisp tender; ser aside.

In a medium bowl, mix sugar and cornstarch. Add water to reserved pineapple juice to make 1½ cups liquid. Stir pineapple liquid, vinegar, soy sauce and bouillon granules into cornstarch mixture until smooth. Stir into frankfurter-vegetable mixture along with pineapple and pimiento. Stirring over medium heat, bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute or until thickened. Pour over rice. If making ahead, cover and refrigerate up to 3 hours before baking.

Bake, covered, in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. I didn't bake it since we were eating it right away.

Makes 8 1-cup servings.
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I still had hot dogs in the freezer from our cookout last month. I'm always attracted to recipes that use hot dogs but I rarely find one that I think makes better use of a hot dog than putting one on a bun. This is one of those rare ones.

I'm embarassed to admit this but do you see that dish of food? That's not a 9x13-inch dish, that's even larger, 11 x 15-inch I believe. All that was left in there after dinner was a bit of rice, a few slices of pimiento and a tidbit. My husband is almost always gracious enough to leave me at least a lunch's worth of leftovers but not this time.

If hot dogs aren't your thing, you could use chicken, pork, shrimp or even small meatballs in this recipe. I would make this again either with the franks or one of these variations. I liked the sauce a lot. It wasn't too sweet or too tart for my taste.

Everything's going great so far this week. I really think getting more sleep is helping.

Blast From The Past: A&W Coney Island Chili Dog Sauce from March 2006. I've made that several times over the years.

Question of the Day: Did you watch Biggest Loser last night? Am I the only one who gets embarassed seeing the men take off their shirts when their boobs are bigger than mine?