Glorified Mac & Cheese With Hot Dogs.

I got a special surprise from my dear friends Steph and Matt (who did NOT run the Philadelphia marathon, even though I tracked a mysterious man of the same name) with the gift of hot dogs. Yes. Just to be clear, hot dogs make for a nice—albeit slightly out of the norm—birthday present.

Also, Matt came in second at the inaugural Hot Dog Challenge last winter. I suspect this was his way of telling me he’s coming back with a vengeance to take the number 1 spot.

Anywho, His Lordship and I decided to use the dogs in a macaroni and cheese dish. You remember, the kind your Mom made with the Kraft blue box and mixed in cut up hot dogs?

Yeah. We remember too.

Glorified Mac & Cheese With Hot Dogs
Serve 2-3

I swear it tastes better than it looks.

Ingredients
½ pound pasta
4 hot dogs, cut into 1-inch slices
1 cup milk
2 tbsps. butter, and more for baking
2 Tbsps. flour
8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese; grated; 1 oz. reserved
1 cup breadcrumbs
salt & pepper
extra-virgin olive oil

Procedure
1. Preheat oven to 400˚F.
2. Heat 1-2 Tbsps. olive oil in nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add dogs, and sauté for 7-8 minutes, until golden brown. Reserve.
3. Make cheddar mornay sauce: In small saucepan over low flame, add butter. Once melted, add flour and whisk to combine. While whisking, slowly incorporate milk. Raise heat—the béchamel (milk sauce) will thicken once it comes to a boil. Slowly whisk in cheddar, and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
4. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook until just short of al dente. Drain.
5. Combine pasta, hot dogs, and mornay sauce in a mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to buttered casserole dish. Top with breadcrumbs, remaining cheddar. Top with pieces of butter. Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.

Recap: Hot Dog Challenge.

Yes, you read that right. The Great NY Hot Dog Challenge put on by the fabulous Rogue Runners was held on Saturday featuring 10 competitors with their eyes on the prize: over $200 in cash, and a sweet, SWEET medal.

The catch: Complete a 2.4 mile course throughout Manhattan, where 11 aid stations are in fact hot dog carts. Competitors must finish one hot dog (with whatever condiment of his/her choice) before proceeding to the next cart. No barfing allowed. Sounds simple enough, right?

Fun fact: Competitors reading this are most likely mentally slapping me in the face.

Competitors and refs gathered in Central Park where we went over the rules and regulations of the run. Initially, all runners were assigned a ref (I was paired with the elite Claire “Will Run for Beer OR Hot Dogs” Walsh), but we lost a few along the way, leaving refs to travel between competitors.

Bethaney is so excited.

Another fun factor of this race? The weather. We awoke to wet snow flurries on Saturday morning, which had the potential to pick up and keep some of the carts at bay. The snow stopped shortly before the high noon start, and it did keep two carts from setting up. Luckily, we moved the start to a cart near by, so the number of hot dogs eaten was to be 10.

Much shit talking and bet placing was had prior to the start, with eyes on Matt, Claire, Bojana, and Neal as forces to be reckoned with. After cart #3, Matt was holding the lead, giving me a huge thumbs up as he passed me on Park Avenue where Cart #4 was supposed to be. It was here that people started to divide. Apparently the buns were a problem for quite a few people. Gillian ran by me and said, “I’m out. I can’t do this anymore. I’m glad I gave it a shot.” Indeed, Gil. You ate more hot dogs than I.

At Cart #5 (in Baker’s Pass on 5th Ave.), Claire and Bethaney were shaken up.

“These taste awful. I might top out at six,” Claire said as she was slowly but surely taking in the water dog.

“This bread is gross. I wish I could just eat the dog,” Bethaney exclaimed while burping and chugging water.

It was here that TJ found he was lost. Using instincts instead of a map will not win you this race, Mr. Ryals. There are too many dog carts throughout Midtown Manhattan. I pointed TJ in the direction of the gauntlet, and Gillian and I decided to see where all the competitors were at. The Gauntlet—two carts on one block in the hub of 6th Ave—had a couple of competitors.

Jim (Dad Posse) said, “Abbe. This sucks. I’m going to kill your boyfriend.”

I wished him luck and bid him adieu to see who was ahead. And as I did that, TJ caught up with Jim. Neal was at the next cart, unwillingly forcing down his dog.

“They just keep tasting worse…” And as I left, TJ caught up with Neal.

Bojana was at the next cart looking strong.

“I’m the female lead!,” she exclaimed. Correct, B! Keep on truckin. You are a force to be reckoned with with your eating packs of dogs on your way home from work (true story).

Mmm...tasty.

The last four carts were on a stretch through Times Square. Let it be known that it was now approaching 1:00pm, meaning if any of our competitors had to puke it would most likely be on a tourist. I bet they didn’t expect that when visiting New York.

Gillian and I kept on to see who was in the lead. It seemed to be a close race with Matt Six and Dave Tao. I later found out that Six had a 2:00-3:00 lead over Dave until he hit a cart being inspected by a member of the NYPD. Whoops. I guess that’s a factor we didn’t consider. The finish was close indeed, but it was Dave Tao who took the esteemed title of Winner at this year’s Hot Dog Challenge.

Winner, winner. Please no hot dogs for dinner.

The finish (and after party) was held at Rudy’s, where patrons get free hot dogs for purchasing booze (hooray!).

Our map made the wall!

Congrats to all finishers, and to those who DNF’d for competing in this mayhem.  And special thanks to Miss Greenberg for being the official photographer of the race!

You are all heroes of America and challengers of encased meat.

Weekend Wrap-Up: NYC Marathon/Best Friend Funtivities

First and foremost, HUGE congratulations to all marathoners this weekend. What a perfect day for a race! Most everyone I know had a fantastic time, which is great to hear! It’s mega important to enjoy the race, and I heard very few complaints! Baller.

So, let’s wrap it up, shall we?

Friday marked a monumental occasion: Best Friend Bradley Ballou and his lady friend, Christin, were to visit me in the city. Bradley hasn’t been to the Big Apple since I first moved here, and that was nearly five years ago. So, this was to be a much better weekend as there would be no 4 am drinkery, late night falafel, and Meatpacking District. And hell, why not throw in one of the greatest days of the year (ahem, NYCM—and if you don’t know, that’s what google is for)?

With a, “We’re in the cab line” and “What does crosstown traffic mean?,” the Mad Dog/Lady Stryker weekend-o-fun was set in motion.

Mad Dog & Stryker.

Restaurant recommendation of the weekend: Lure Fishbar. I’m a fan of their sister restaurant, Chinatown Brasserie, and Christopher once told me that he was a fan of Lure. It was indeed, exceptional, and quite cool as it is housed in what looks like a boat. Besides the drunken old woman who was throwing up in the bathroom (get a grip lady, it’s 8 pm!), I can safely say that all four of us had a stellar meal.

What’s better than seeing a movie being filmed in Manhattan? Seeing MF-ing BATMAN being filmed. That’s right. I was lucky enough to get a glimpse of movie trailers around my work neighborhood. But seeing an actual scene being filmed really took the cake. And since it was Stryker’s first trip here, it only made sense that she see something baller like Bruce Wayne. And we learned that there is going to be a “Batcopter” in the major motion picture. Oh. My. God.

The Dark Knight Rises on Wall Street.

Best NYC Landmark of the weekend: The World Trade Center Memorial. It truly is a sight to see, and beautifully done. Ordering your tickets online makes the flow of traffic easy to handle, and also makes the park less crowded.

   

Most inspirational experience of the weekend: NYC Marathon. Not only was Chris running the marathon, but about 10-12 dear friends were out crushing the course as well. Bradley, Christin and I made our way uptown (after a train delay, no doubt) and met up with Jeff, Ali, and the rest of our cheer squad at mile 17.5. We watched as the professional athletes passed (moving as fluid as ever), and tried to keep track of who was next. We were at an interesting spot along the course, as many runners tend to hit “the wall” around miles 17-20. I saw one gentleman literally hit that wall coming up 1st Ave., when he came to a screeching hault and then slowly continued walking. Christopher came charging up at a 6:35 pace, ripping off his heart monitor, high fiving, and moving on. It was quite amusing, and there is even a video of the whole shabang.

Side note: The Marathon app was ridiculous. I didn’t get stats from any of my friends until about 4:00 pm, well after they were finished. Do I smell a refund? Maybe?

One of the greatest tips I have ever received was from dear friend Susan, who said, “Put your name on your shirt. Just do it.” Well, I didn’t do it for Chicago as I didn’t want anyone pronouncing my name wrong and shouting, “GO ABE!,” but I think that for Kentucky I will most put some version of Abbe on there. Our cheer squad was shouting at everyone, and it made it even more special when people had their name written visibly for all to see. For those of you future marathoners, I would most definitely take that piece of advice with you. Having people shout your name on your 26.2 journey makes it all the more better for YOU.

And here’s another tip: If you’re cheering in Manhattan (and I suppose the same goes for Brooklyn after hearing about how it’s a giant party), don’t leave your post. Biggest. Mistake. EVER. Bradley, Christin and I decided to head to the Lordship Household to use the bathroom. I started tracking some of my friends who I would soon see. I came back out to find out that much of the crew left to find various things (i.e., pizza, beer, toilet), and there really wasn’t a large spot for us to gather back into. The entire west side of First Ave. resembled a wall of people, anywhere from 5-8 people deep. This goes to show: Don’t leave your post. You gotta tinkle? Suck it up and hold it.

Christopher finished with a stellar time of 3:00:48, and a bunch of my friends had stellar PRs and overall fun experiences. Many, many congratulations to all of you out there.

By the numbers:

Number of Hot Dogs Bradley consumed: 4 (a bit sad, really, as Christopher soon told him of a fun game called a ‘Hot Dog-a-thon’ which we will play during his next visit)

Mad Dog Feed.

Number of “Late Night” pizzas: 1. And it wasn’t late. It was 10:30.
Number of Batmobiles spotted: 1. Nerdrection.
Number of Protesters: Eleventy Billion (Oh yes, we ventured to Occupy)
Number of Restaurants/Bars Attended: 11

Special thanks to Mad Dog and Stryker for an exceptional weekend. I can’t wait to only top it with your next visit.

This photo speaks volumes.