Retro Baked Hot Dogs

We just got back from vacation, yay vacation! We went on a cruise and had a great time. We got sunburned on the beach, drank mai tais, made fun of the onboard entertainment (while secretly enjoying every minute) and watched for dolphins from our balcony. Most of all though we just spent time together which is a special treat for two busy people with very different work schedules. Here's a very awkward picture of me enjoying our fun vacation, I think I was mid sentence or something and um, don't mind my fantastic tan.

Now we're back to regular life (ugh), and will be heading back to work soon (double blah). I was smart enough to clean out the fridge before we left so that we didn't come home to the lovely scent of old milk but my awesome planning meant the dinner pickins' were pretty slim. On a side note, this thoughtful bit of planning also lead to the great oj debate of '11 when I accidentally threw out the orange juice minutes before my main squeeze went to pour himself a glass....oops. I'm still hearing about it and doubt the jokes about throwing out the juice will stop anytime soon.

Anywho I'm trying to avoid ordering take-out all the time sooooo tonight I'll be looting what's left of the fridge to make a childhood favorite....baked hot dogs and soup.The recipe for this one came from one of the first cookbooks I got as a child (either Betty Crocker or Better Homes & Gardens Junior, although I can't remember which at the moment) so I've creatively named this one Retro Baked Hot Dogs and that's about as good as it gets with vacation brain, enjoy!

Retro Baked Hot Dogs

4 hot dogs

4 pieces of bread

8 toothpicks

Butter or margarine

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
2. Cut slits down the length of the hot dogs.
3. Butter the bread and place buttered side down on the cookie sheet.  Place the slit hot dogs diagonally across the bread, then fold the buttered side up and secure with toothpicks (creating a little “tent” with the hot dogs nestled in the middle).
4. Bake the hot dogs in the oven for about 20 -25 minutes or until bread is golden brown.

*Note: some people add a piece of cheese between the bread and the hot dogs before baking.  I like to think that by leaving out the cheese, I'm making it healthier....please let me have these small comforts.