By Fourth of July week. The Quincy parade is Friday — the actual fourth — and the kids and I marched part of the way with the youth basketball league, which Liam is technically signed up for in the fall, and which Nora was allowed to walk with because she is small and persuasive.
The parade ended at the park where there is a bandshell and corn dogs and the high school marching band. We sat on the grass with the rest of Quincy. Sean would have had a chair and a beer and his sunglasses pushed up on his head. I had a folding chair, a water bottle, and the kids' sweatshirts in case they got cold (they did not).
Fireworks at the park Friday night. Nora cried at the first boom and then loved them by the third. Liam wanted to count them. He got to seventy-eight before he gave up.
Clinic — a slow week, half the staff on vacation. I covered Wednesday for Janelle. I gave nine sports physicals.
Group Tuesday — small. Three of us. Bernadette let us go early. We went and got ice cream around the corner. Lila got mint chip. Diane got coffee. I got vanilla because I always get vanilla. Bernadette got rum raisin and we mocked her with affection.
Meghan called at 11 Friday after the fireworks. She said how was the parade. I said hot. She said yes. She said Aidan threw up after eating four hot dogs. I said no he didn't. She said yes he did. He did.
Sunday dinner at Ma's. Cold ham, potato salad, deviled eggs (I made them again), and watermelon. The American summer table.
Saturday pancakes — Saturday the 5th, the day after the fireworks. Burned the first one. The kids watched the smoke curl up off the burned edge and Liam said it looks like the sparklers. It did.
Food of the week: corn on the cob. Boiled with sugar in the water, the way Maureen does it.
I kept thinking about Meghan’s call — yes he did, he really did — and honestly, who among us hasn’t watched a kid push a good thing too far at a summer cookout. Hot dogs are like that. They feel festive and harmless until suddenly they’re not. This recipe is my quieter, more manageable tribute to the holiday week: all the spirit of the corn dogs and the park and the parade, pulled together into something the kids will actually sit down for without incident. Mac and cheese with hot dogs is the Fourth of July table when you’re eating it inside, in your own kitchen, where nobody is counting fireworks or crying at the first boom.
Hot Dog Mac and Cheese
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 cups elbow macaroni
- 4 hot dogs, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the elbow macaroni and cook according to package directions until al dente, about 8–9 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Brown the hot dogs. While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add the sliced hot dogs and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned on the edges, about 3–4 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Make the cheese sauce. In the same pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until the mixture turns a pale golden color. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking continuously to prevent lumps. Cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens, about 3–4 minutes.
- Add the cheese. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the shredded cheddar, mustard powder, and garlic powder until the cheese is fully melted and the sauce is smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Combine and serve. Add the drained macaroni and browned hot dog slices to the cheese sauce. Stir gently to coat everything evenly. Serve warm, directly from the pan.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 520 | Protein: 21g | Fat: 26g | Carbs: 49g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 780mg