Happy July! I love July because it's the month of my favorite holiday, Fourth of July!! I love the patriotism, the decorations, the fireworks, spending the day with my family, all of it!! This is also my "family holiday." It's not always easy to have holiday traditions with a blended family so I made Fourth of July our holiday where every year we spend the day together. We go to the beach during the day and then watch the fireworks on a golf course. We also eat the same food every year. We fire up a grill at the beach and make BBQ Spiral dogs and then I pack the easiest dessert ever, Patriotic Fruit Kabobs!
Spiral dogs look fancy and taste AMAZING!!! This method of slicing and grilling them exposes m ore surface area to be crisped and caramelized during cooking. They are also super simple to make. I will warn you though, plan on making more than one per person, they are that delicious!! All you need are hot dogs, Oscar Mayer classics are our favorites, skewers and a knife.
First step is to slide a skewer through the hot dog.
Grab the end of the skewer with one hand. Then, you will slice the hot dog diagonally while you spin the skewer. Make sure to cut all the way down to the skewer and that the slices are about 1/4 inch apart.
Continue slicing all the way to the end. Then just slide the hot dog off the skewer.
Once you slide it off the skewer, your hot dog should look like a spring! Repeat until all hot dogs are spiraled.
Next, light your grill and place your spiral dogs away from the flame. You don't want them to burn.
Spiral dogs cook a lot faster than regular hot dogs (about 6-7 minutes) so watch them carefully. Turn once while grilling so all sides are perfectly cooked.
Transfer spiral dogs to a plate (patriotic-themed plates preferred!!) and brush Kraft Mesquite Smoke BBQ sauce on them. This BBQ sauce compliments the spiral dogs perfectly.
Place spiral dogs inside a nice, soft hot dog bun and you are ready to go! No need for extra condiments, I promise you!
Now on to the easiest dessert ever, Patriotic Fruit Kabobs!! You can make these ahead of time and take them with you to a Fourth of July party or you can take the ingredients and have everyone make their own!! It's a win-win dessert no matter what! Besides, who can turn down fresh berries and marshmallows?
I made a cute video to show how simple they really are to make! No oven, no stress, so easy!!
Need more recipes for the Fourth of July? Click here for a digital cookbook from Kraft packed full of yummy recipes!
Tell me: Have you had a spiral dog yet? What are your plans for the Fourth of July?
