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Monday, February 21, 2022

Busy Day Dinners That Don't Break the Bank: Hot Dog Wraps (in bread slices)

My focused work on Monday afternoon was preparing our tax returns. There didn't seem to be a logical breaking point until after 5 PM, and I still had to make dinner for the family. The afternoon had really gotten away from me. I briefly considered getting take-out. Then I decided I could probably make something with what we had on hand that would satisfy all, not require a lot of my energy or time, and not break the bank.


For a main dish I chose hot dogs in toasted bread wraps. I had hot dogs and a loaf of soft wheat bread in the freezer. The bread needs to be both soft in the interior as well as have a soft crust (for flexibility when forming into wraps).


For each hot dog wrap, I used 1 hot dog and 1 slice of bread. I put the bread into a plastic bag and microwaved it briefly to soften up the slices. 


I then buttered one side of each slice of bread. I also buttered the inside of a square pyrex baking dish. 


I placed a hot dog on the diagonal of a slice of bread on the unbuttered side. Buttering the bread helps the exterior of the wrap crisp up. The bread-wrapped hot dogs were placed side by side in the buttered baking dish. I baked the batch at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes. 


At this point, the outsides of each wrap were crispy, toasted, and buttery. As you can see, they hold their folded shape after baking.


One of the side dishes I chose for this dinner was equally easy, honey-mustard carrots. Simply a can of carrots heated through in a saucepan with a squirt of mustard, a spoonful of honey, a blob of butter, a dash of salt, and a tablespoon or two of water. This is a favorite side dish of mine because it's so easy, yet very tasty.

An easy-to-make dinner that was also easy on the budget. What more could I ask on my busy day?!

What are your go-to, easy-to-make dinners that don't break the bank for busy days that get away from you?


7 comments:

  1. Lately we've had lots of meal times come and go and nothing was prepared. Many days it was a microwaved potato with butter, cheese and sour cream. Other days I just used my instant pot with some frozen chicken a little onion, garlic and some noodles. Let it cook for 15 or 20 minutes and after pressure has reduced added some sour cream and a can of cream of chicken for a delicious chicken/noodle casserole. We have not done any takeout during this very busy time for us. Pressure cooker for the win because while we do other things, it does the cooking all in one pot.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Alice,
      Just so you know, you and your family remain in my prayers. I can understand how you wouldn't have time or energy for lengthy meal prep. It's such a good thing that your instant pot works so well for you. I don't have one of those and have never used any kind of pressure cooker. Perhaps some year I'll try one. I hear they're much safer/easier to use now than the older models once were.
      Your chicken and noodle casserole sounds very warming and just what you'd need after a stressful day.

      Delete
  2. I have never made baked buns like that. They look good. If we hadn't had buns, I would have offered the bread without doing anything special with it. Once again, your family is lucky to have you because you make an effort to make everything special.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Live and Learn,
      This is how my grandmother made hotdogs for the grandkids when they'd come to visit. I also remember my mom using bread, just plain wrapped around hotdogs. Those were tasty, too. We never minded that the sliced bread was not a bun. We also sometimes had hotdogs sliced in half lengthwise and placed on burger buns, if that was the style of bun we had leftover. Whatever works, right?

      Delete
  3. My mom would use bread instead of a bun when we were out, but never toasted like that. Good idea! It's so helpful to have quick and easy dinner ideas for crazy days.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kris,
      I agree, knowing what your possibilities could be for a quick dinner, before you actually need them, is really helpful. Using bread slices in place off buns must've been a somewhat common thing many years ago.
      Have a nice rest of your day, Kris!

      Delete
  4. Okay, just have to say that it blows my mind that 4 hot dogs feeds four people. We're at the stage of life where one teenager may eat 3-4 hot dogs at a meal.

    Super easy meals here include tacos, an instant pot "taco soup" (uses several canned ingredients), grilled sandwiches, and breakfast for dinner.

    ReplyDelete

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