Quick Pitch #1: Calfornia Dog

Most of my posts are about food that takes a pretty fair time commitment to make.  But who really has that kind of time, especially for a lunch break or a fast meal before heading out on the town?  With that in mind, I'm starting the Quick Pitch series, some helpful suggestions for tasty meals that can be thrown together in no time.

First up: The California Hot Dog

This dish was borne out of two main elements: 1) October is an extremely busy month in my line of work, and 2) I am currently out of every kind of mustard (we usually keep prepared yellow, dijon, whole grain/creole, and brown stadium mustard in the fridge).  Not having much time and needing some dog toppings, I rummaged through the kitchen and found an avocado, some diced onion, and American cheese.

Very basic prep: heat up a skillet with just a few drops of cooking oil and throw in your diced onions with the hot dogs.  While those things are browning, peel the avocado, cut it in half, and then slice the half into thin strips.  Line your hot dog bun with cheese, then when the dogs are done and the onions have softened a bit, plop a dog directly over the cheese.  Top with the onions and avocado slices.  Season with the salt of your choice: flake salt would make it look pretty, celery salt or a seasoned salt would add an additional flavor dimension, table salt works in a pinch.  Voila: California Hot Dog.  Much better than a California Cheeseburger.