Hot Dogs

I don’t know about you, but my family is going through some serious baseball withdrawals right now. In early April we were supposed to be in LA celebrating my husband’s birthday and cheering on our boys in blue down in Dodger Stadium. This time of year, I am supposed to be carting my kid around to late night baseball practices and be spending my weekends in the bleachers cheering him on. But we are obviously not, and we are trying our best to be okay with that. It is in everyone’s best interest that we are instead, safe at home. So why not make the best of it and satisfy those ball park cravings from the comfort of our own home.

For the second installment of Family Theme Night we went with a “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” theme and I’m not gonna lie, it was a pretty fantastic way to spend Friday. The best part of all, it was simple and cheap. You do not have to spend a fortune and spend hours prepping to incorporate a family theme night into your week.

Family Theme Night—Take Me Out to The Ball Game

We had some popcorn, lemonade, a hot dog bar, and watched Little Big League while sitting in lawn chairs in our living room. It was anything but fancy but my guys LOVED it! It was the perfect ending to another week in quarantine.

Hot Dog Bar

Family Theme Night—Take Me Out to The Ball Game

If you do participate in any of the theme nights please be sure to post your pics and tag me on Instagram @DivaDiCucina and use the hashtag #DivasThemeNight. I would love to see how you and your family incorporate any of the themes and put your own twist on them. Please also share any other ideas you have or links to other baseball themed recipes you enjoy in the comments below.

I hope you have as much fun with this as my family and I!

FOOD IDEAS
Click on the name of the food item below to be directed to a page with that recipe. Please note some of these link to recipes shared by other awesome food bloggers which will redirect you to their sites.

Appetizers
Garlic Parmesan Wings
Pizza Rolls
Hot Soft Pretzels

Drinks
Fresh Squeezed Lemonade

Main Course
Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes
Crock-Pot Shredded Chicken Jalapeño Popper Sammy
Chicken & Waffle Sliders
Crock-Pot Pale Ale BBQ Chicken Sandos
Hot Dogs
Nachos
Loaded Garlic French Fries

Dessert
Churro Chex Mix
Copycat Cracker Jacks
Churros
Snow Cones
Ice Cream

Family Theme Night—Take Me Out to The Ball Game

I love it when I find a fun themed meal for the different holidays. I got the recipe for these mummy dogs from my friend Christa’s blog, which you should totally check out! (www.creativelychrista.wordpress.com) Christa always has lots of great kid friendly recipes as well as awesome craft projects and more.

I thought these were perfect for my little goblin this Halloween not only because they are festive but also because they are incredibly quick and easy to make! Christa’s version is much healthier than mine since she used turkey dogs and whole-wheat pizza dough. On days I work our evenings are already chaotic but when you add in getting dressed up in costumes, setting up the spooky décor, and trick or treating to the mix and it’s just a mad house! What’s not to love about a $5 dinner you can get done in less than 20 minutes and that the kids will love! I have a feeling we will be making this ghoulish recipe every Halloween. Thanks for the recipe Christa!

INGREDIENTS
1 can refrigerated pizza dough (I like Pillsbury)
1 package hotdogs
mustard and ketchup

STEPS

Preheat oven to 375º.
On a large cutting board lay out your pizza dough and cut into 1/2” strips.
Cut those strips in half.
Use the strips to wrap the hotdogs up like mummies making sure to leave an exposed area at one end for the face.
Place the wrapped hot dogs on a greased cookie sheet as you finish them.
Bake for 12–15 minutes or until the crust is a nice golden brown.
Once removed from the oven, allow to cool for a couple of minutes.
Use the mustard to dot some crazy eyes on these bad “dogs.”

Have a happy Halloweenie everyone!