For July 4th, would you like more than ketchup or mustard on your hot dogs?

Zatarain’s asked six home chefs to take hot dogs to the next level, with these 6 regional recipes.

They used Zatarain’s Cajun Style and Andouile Smoked Sausages, 100% pork sausages with no artificial colors or flavors, no byproducts or MSG; and gluten free.

Zatarain’s Smoked Sausages (photo #3) are available at Sam’s Club, select grocery stores across the country and coming soon to Kroger.

But the recipes will work with any frankfurters.

After all, a frankfurter is a just thinner pork sausage with somewhat different seasonings, parboiled and ready to eat.

(Franks need only be heated in hot water for about eight minutes, which prevents the skin from bursting. Those of us who like them more crisp with the skin burst use direct heat: broiler, fry pan or grill.)
 
 
> The History Of Hot Dogs
 
 
SIX REGIONAL HOT DOG RECIPES

Colorado: Nick Evans, otherwise known as Macheesmo, is paying homage to Denver’s favorite hot dog stand, Biker Jim’s, with his take on their classic hot dog: grilled and served with caramelized onions and cream cheese (photo #2). (Editor’s note: try chive or olive cream cheese.)

Kansas City: Kasim Hardaway is adding the taste of his hometown to his rendition of a grilled sausage dog with classic Kansas City BBQ sauce. It’s topped with crispy onion straws and served with classics like baked beans and coleslaw.

New Orleans: Yvette Jemison of Y Delicacies combines Cajun classics with a Grilled Andouille Dog topped with jambalaya with a pickled trinity topping* (photo #1).

Southern California: Derek Campanile of Dad with a Pan was inspired by the flavorful Mexican street corn that’s become an ubiquitous snack throughout the Golden State. He created an Andouille Elote Dog topped with seasoned grilled corn, a cilantro aïoli and cotija cheese.

South Florida: Robyn Lindars of Grill Girl highlights the Caribbean and Cuban influences in her state with a recipe perfect for the hot summer: a grilled Andouille sausage dog topped with mango and black bean salsa.

Texas: Jess Pryles, a self-proclaimed hardcore carnivore and Texan by choice, is putting her Texas spin on Zatarain’s Andouille Smoked Sausage: perfectly grilled, stuffed into a BBQ-sauce-lathered Mexican bolillo roll and topped with a spicy jalapeño slaw.
 
 
MORE HOT DOG RECIPES

[1] New Orleans-Style: a grilled Andouille dog topped with jambalaya and a pickled trinity topping (photo © Yvette Jemison).

[2] Colorado-Style: caramelized onions and cream cheese (photo © Nick Evans).

[3] Zatarain’s Smoked Sausages (photo © McCormick).

*The holy trinity of Cajun and Creole cooking comprises bell pepper, celery and onion. While this combination is cooked as the base of most savory dishes Cajun and Creole main dish, in this recipe you can pickle them in as little as one hour for a delicious garnish.
  

[1] Beef and mushroom broth with sliced portabella mushrooms, garnished with nasturtium leaves (tangy and peppery), sliced radishes and nori (seaweed) (photo © South Fork Kitchen & Bar).

[2] Vietnamese-style broth with scallions, tofu, noodles, onions and a cilantro garnish (photo © Nguyen Phuong Nguyen | Pexels).

[3] Familiar veggies: celery, leeks, onion, zucchini, parsley (photo © Foodism 360 | Unsplash).

Pesce en brodo (PESH-ay en BRO-doe) is a classic Italian seafood soup, serving the fillet in a light broth with vegetables.

See our article on how to make pesce en brodo, a light and luscious—and
easy to make—summer main.

Tortellini en brodo is a pasta version.

But how about verdure en brodo (vehr-DOO-ray), vegetables in broth?

It’s a light soup dish for summer, perfect as a first course in beef, chicken, fish or vegetable broth, or as a main course with added protein like tofu—or a tweak with a few shrimp or scallops.

You can also add noodles: spaghetti or linguine, glass noodles (a.k.a. cellophane noodles) or rice noodles*.
 
 
WHERE TO BEGIN

If you’re not the type of cook who relishes making broth from start, it’s easy to make with purchased broth.

Then, simply stroll the produce aisle for the vegetables.

Go beyond the obvious contenders—button mushrooms, carrots, celery, green beans, peas. They’re fine but there’s much more. How about:

 
The variations are endless, and your produce aisle will inspire you.

Don’t skimp on the veggies: Make your soup chock-full of them.
 
 
RECIPE: VEGETABLES EN BRODO

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COOK the ingredients in the broth. Garnish as desired and serve.
 
 
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*Both glass noodles and rice noodles are Chinese-style noodles, but they differ in their main ingredient. Rice noodles are made from rice flour and water, while glass noodles are made from mung bean flour and water. Glass noodles are also known as bean thread noodles, cellophane noodles or transparent noodles.

Here’s a piece of food art from Di Bruno Bros in Philadelphia.

We’re sharing it as a tribute to NYC Pride weekend.

You can make this rainbow flag* appetizer, with the seven colors† of the rainbow, using these foods (or substitutes of your choice):

 
Serve the platter with crackers.

A salute to Di Bruno Bros and the Pride movement!
 
 
HOW ABOUT CARAMELS?

If you’d rather have a box of chocolate-enrobed caramels, Charles Chocolates has created this limited-edition box of their Fleur De Sel Caramels.

We can vouch for their deliciousness.

Get yours at CharlesChocolates.com.

[1] The Pride Flag, created in appetizer ingredients by Di Bruno Bros (photo © Di Bruno Bros | Philadelphia).

[2] Rainbow caramels from Charles Chocolates (photo © Charles Chocolates).

*The rainbow flag, also known as the gay pride flag or LGBT pride flag, is a symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) pride and social movements. The colors reflect the diversity of the LGBTQ community.

†Rainbows appear in seven colors because the water droplets of rain break the white sunlight into the seven colors of the spectrum: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. Red has the longest wavelength, with each subsequent color decreasing in length.You can only see a rainbow if the Sun is behind you and the rain in front.

[1] Patriotic pie crust (photo © The Topless Baker).

[2] This Captain America Pie can be easily repurposed for July 4th. Here’s the recipe (photo © Hungry Enough To Eat Six).

While our previous recipe for red, white and blue frozen yogurt pops is a snap to make, this pie crust requires a bit more handiwork.

This piece of pastry art was created by Matt Adlard, the Topless Baker.

You can use different coloring techniques to add red and blue colors to a pie crust.

You don’t need an elaborate cut-out top like The Topless Baker’s. You can paint a plain crust with your own design. Abstracts are fine!
 
 
HOW TO COLOR DOUGH

Food Powder. You can color all or some of the stars in photo #1 (or any simpler design)red.

Or, you can make only the base crust red.

Beetroot powder, mixed into the dough, bakes into a dark red color.

You can use blueberry powder for the “blue,” but it turns out more purple than blue.

Here’s how to do it.

Food Color. You can paint the top of the stars after the pie comes out of the oven, using a colored egg wash. Here’s how to do it.

Food Gel. How about painting with food gels? It’s like painting with watercolors.

Here’s the technique.

Food Coloring. This recipe makes a red and blue pie crust with the food colors you likely have on hand.

Finally, how about a red, white and blue apple pie (photo #2)?

Here’s the recipe from Hungry Enough To Eat Six.

For dessert or snacking over July 4th weekend, it couldn’t be easier to make these frozen yogurt pops.

You need only 4 ingredients—plus an ice pop mold or paper cups and sticks—to make these scrumptious frozen yogurt pops.

We have them in the freezer all the time during the warm weather; each week, a different flavor.
 
 
RECIPE: VANILLA YOGURT FROZEN POPS WITH BERRIES

Ingredients For 6 Pops

 
Preparation

You can easily make mixed berry pops. If you want single-berry pops as shown in the photo, place the berries in separate bowls and divide the other ingredients.

1. PLACE the berries in a bowl. Add the yogurt and sweetener, and fold together.

2. DIVIDE the mix among the ice pop mold and freeze until solid, 2-3 hours or longer.

3. TO REMOVE: Rinse the ice pop molds under hot water to loosen the pops.
 
 
ICE POPS VS. POPSICLES

Most people say “Popsicle” instead of “ice pop,” but that’s technically wrong.

The Popsicle® brand is owned by Unilever, and only that company can call its ice pops Popsicles.

Everything else on a stick is an ice pop or a frozen yogurt pop.

[1] Patriotic ice pops for July 4th or any warm day (photo © Pixabay | Pexels).

[1] Use your favorite brand of yogurt (photo © Bellwether Farms).

> CHECK OUT THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF YOGURT