Texas Hots for the Kids

 I used to live in western New York and in that area, Texas Hots are a favorite.  They are hot dogs served with yellow mustard, a heavily seasoned meat sauce and diced onions.  I made them for the kids yesterday and now they are hooked!

 Recipe:

1 pound ground beef
1 T. butter
3 C. water
2 beef bouillon cubes
1/2 T. paprika
1/2 T. sugar
2 T. cumin
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. granulated garlic
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. cayenne
salt and pepper to taste

1 T. cornstarch
1 T. water

 Combine everything except for the cornstarch and the 1 T. of water.  Bring this mixture to a boil and then turn it to a simmer and cook for about 2 hours breaking the meat up as it cooks.  It will smell wonderful.

 This is a good way to make hot dogs for a crowd.  I made 50 of them by just plopping them in my slow cooker and turning it on high for an hour.  They were perfect and retained their flavor unlike when they are boiled in water.

 At the end of the cooking time for the sauce, stir in the cornstarch mixed with the 1 T. of water.  It thickens the sauce so it clings to the hot dogs.  This doesn't look like much but it has wicked good flavor.  You spread some yellow mustard on a steamed bun, add a hot dog, top it with this sauce and sprinkle it with onions.

I steamed all of the buns and kept them warm and soft in my big Nesco roaster.  The kids will be getting these often.