Saturday, October 5, 2013

Meals Under $10: Wiener Surprise

A Pecha family traditional meal.
One of my fondest childhood memories is sitting around the table with my family and friends to eat a hot plate of Weiner Surprise. That sounds awful, doesn’t it? Let me explain.

Weiner Surprise is a signature dish to my mom’s side of the family. My uncle makes it for his kids too. I have no idea where the name came from, but it’s fun to say and it shocks people. I think it also says something about our sense of humor. Essentially, the meal is a stir-fry composed of hot dogs and potatoes. I know it sounds a little strange, but trust me. It’s incredible. As one of my favorite meals that my mom makes, it’s probably what started my obsession with all things hot dog related. God I love hot dogs.

By now you might be wondering, “How would I go about making this meal?” Or maybe, “Eww, that sounds so gross.” If you find you’re in the second category there, well, you’re wrong. You’re so wrong.

Allow me to enlighten you.

Ingredients.
You will need:
  • 4 or 5 potatoes 
  • 3 hot dogs 
  • 1 bell pepper
  • a few cloves of garlic
  • olive oil








1. Alright, grab some potatoes and peel away!


If you have crazy potato peelin’ hands like I do, you might get a little out of control. Your dog will nibble on the peels he finds on the floor.

The little potato nibbler.

2.Rinse those suckers off, unless you’re they type of person who enjoys dirty potatoes.


3. Lookin’ good!


4.Now take a big knife…


5. and start hackin’ away. I aim for bite-sized chunks.


Like so.


6. Toss them in a frying pan with a little olive oil.


7. Potatoes take forever to cook, so start dicing the bell pepper.

I cut too many potatoes, so the leftovers will go in the fridge
 for now to make baked rosemary potatoes later.
8. Good work.


9. Time to start on the garlic. If you’re a garlic fiend like me, you may as well use the whole head. I opted for four this time, since I made a smaller batch.

I LOVE  GARLIC. Just so you know.

10. Oh, check on those potatoes!

Meh, gettin' there...

11. Chop up the garlic.
Or mince it, or leave it whole. Whatever suits your fancy.

13. Now, bring out the wieners! Slice those suckers up!


14. Check the stove!
Lookin' toasty!

15. Toss in the hot dogs…


16. throw in the peppers…


17. Feed your dog a hot dog slice because he ventured into the kitchen, when normally he hides under the bed when you start cooking…. which you don't know why because you haven't smoked out the apartment in nearly a year... 

That sweet, ravenous face.
18. add the garlic and mix it all up! You’ll know it’s done when you stick the potatoes with a fork and they slide off easily.


19. Set a romantic candlelit dinner for one. Now eat up, you handsome devil, you.

Don't forget to be healthy and have a salad too!

This can be topped with hot sauce, shredded cheese, or my personal favorite, ketchup.


My mom normally makes this with only the potatoes and hot dogs; this is the way my uncle told me he normally prepares it. You could even do German sausage instead of the hot dogs. The variations are endless. Plus, it’s a totally kid-friendly recipe and an easy meal for large groups of people.

Let’s break the cost down:
  • Potatoes: bag of 15 for 2.99, makes each potato about .20 cents. I used 5 = 1.00
  • Bell pepper: .99 cents
  • Head of garlic: .50 cents (and there's still a lot left over)
  • Hot dogs: package of 8 from the Dollar Tree freezer section, makes each wiener about .13 cents each. I used 3 = .39 cents

And the total is… $2.88! What a good deal!

Is this a recipe you will try?

1 comment:

  1. I am definitely going to try this recipe, hehe. Also, we smoked up our kitchen once at home and now every time we turn the overhead fan on in there our dog runs downstairs and shivers...and he's a big boy, too, so he looks ridiculous, but yeah, its been years and he's never gotten over it. :\

    ReplyDelete

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