It's a given fact that one of
the closest food items you will
come to meat while in the throws
of poverty while the VA and
Capitol Hill spins their wheels
on how to rescue you or even
whether to rescue you at all,
is almost unanimously hot dogs
and ham.

Cheap and available and it
freezes well in your refrigerator.
I know you can only buy those
every couple of months or so
unless the food pantry that
is near you also carries a few
limited meat items that you
can choose from. But let's give
it a go here and talk about
what to do with them when
you get it home.

Hot dogs can be pretty satisfying
as long as you take the time
to obtain or buy all the other
accents that go with it to
make a decent meal for yourself.
Just because it's hot dogs, that
doesn't mean you have to cut
corners and have it in the saddest
way possible.

You should be able to obtain
the necessary accents such
as mustard, or ketchup or
pickle relish to have on your
hot dogs. Some local programs
have a Bread program where you
might be able to pick up some
free rolls if they do not
happen to carry that at your
food pantry.

Make a list of what you love
with your hot dogs when you
are out on a beach somewhere.
Then set about collecting it
at the food pantry first and
then that reduces what you have
to buy with your food stamps.

If you like chopped raw onions
on your hot dog, then go for
it and chew gum for the rest
of the day. If you like Chile
on your hot dogs, or meat sauce,
go to the major supermarket and
look in the mustard and pickles
aisle and see if they are
selling hot dog meat sauce in
containers there. Pick some up.

The hot dogs themselves, the
best kind to work with are Oscar
Meyer Beef hot dogs. They have
a nice tender texture and flavor
and are not rubbery like the pork
hot dogs. If you are forced into
taking what they have at the food
pantry, then this is fine too
so don't worry about it. When times
get better after the VA grows
a brain, you will be able
to buy the Oscar Meyers with your
food stamps later on.

You can get several meals out
of one package of hot dogs and
then freeze the rest all wrapped
up in clear plast wrap or a zip
lock bag.

When you are at the food pantry,
try to get a can of Campbells
baked beans (or Bush's brand)
or get some on sale with your
food stamps. The age old dish
of beans and franks are still good.
I do NOT recommend "pork and beans"
as that is a completely different
recipe and the baked beans have
more flavor. (Unless you are partial
to pork and beans and are fond of
them.)

It's all about what you mix
and match with hot dogs so take
the time and be choosy and pick
out what you like.

If you are working with just regular,
plain ole hot dogs then cooking
them is half the fun. You can
boil them in hot water, just bring
a small pan of cold water to a boil,
drop the hot dogs in and wait for
about 10 minutes and they will
double up in size. If the hot
dogs are frozen, use a fork to
poke them to make sure the hot
dogs are cooked all the way through.

You can always grill them on
a small cookout fire outdoors.
Put them on a long fork or a
whittle-ended stick and just
cook the hot dog over the fire
until it is charred pretty well.

Also, you can just plain fry
them in a frying pan. No grease
or anything, just drop the hot
dogs in a fry pan on a low heat
and cover it. Roll the hot dogs
around a few times so they do
char but don't exactly "burn"
on any one side. Again check it
with a fork and make sure the
hot dogs are cooked through.

In a separate pan you can empty
a can of the Baked Beans, heat
on a low flame until it simmers.
Spoon out the beans with a little
sauce on a plate, then fork out
your hot dogs on the plate. Cut
it up into little pieces and
move the hot dog bits around
into the sauce and enjoy.

Have a side vegetable such as
corn, carrots, sliced cucumbers
or tomatoes, whatever you have
around in the house. If you like
cottage cheese as a side dish,
that also goes well with beans
and franks.

If you have a bun then that's
great, if you don't then use a
folded up slice of fresh bread.
You will have to hold it in
your hand and be careful when
you set it down on your plate
that it doesn't roll off.

You can also microwave the hotdogs,
but the pan fry or outdoor fire way
is really the best way to make
a hot dog.

If you were able to find meat
sauce or chile that you wanted,
heat that up in a small pan
until it simmers on a low heat.
Put your hot dog in your roll
or bread, then put on your
mustard, onions, relish whatever
and then put your chile or meat
sauce on it top last. Messy
but tastes so good.

French Fries goes well with hot
dogs too as does macaroni and
cheese.

If you have heart disease concerns,
there are alternative hot dogs
which are quite good, but they
are also quite expensive in the
$5.00 price range but I'll include
it in this discussion. Usually
somewhere inside of a large supermarket
there is a vegetarian section of
meat substitute products made with
Tofu. Hot dogs are one of those
meatless products. Before you baulk,
they are quite good.

They come under different lables,
sometimes Tofu Pups, or meatless
Hot Dogs. Ask around in the store
for somebody to steer you to the
section. Meatless hot dogs cannot
be frozen. Also, they cannot be
fried or barbequed. Tofu Pups
are boiled in water exclusively.
They smell just like the real
thing, and after you bury it in
all of your favorite toppings,
it tastes like it too. You will
have to get these with your
food stamps if you are diet
restricted.

Ham is another cheap meat you
can master while the VA Piddles
and Diddles your grocery bill
away because at the VA, it's all
about THEM!!

Go to the meat counter of a
regular supermarket. Ham steaks
are now sold 3 or 4 to a pack
in the meat section. When you
bring those home, open the pack
and separate the steaks out
and wrap them up and put them
in your freezer. Then pull one
out when you want a meal.

Ham steaks are best cooked either
fried in a pan with no grease,
or broiled from the bottom burner
of your stove. Cook over low heat
until it is charred up the way
you like it. You can either eat
the steak for one meal or you
can cut it in half and put it
in the refrigerator for a second
meal later on. Just reheat the
cooked ham in a fry pan once again
and you have a second meal for
yourself. You can make, for instance,
half of a ham steak for dinner,
then have the other half for
breakfast with a couple of eggs
and some home fries potatoes.

If you decide to broil, most
stove broilers are at the very
bottom of the stove. Just light
the flame or electric dial to
activate the broiler. Put your
ham steak on a flat pan covered
with aluminum foil so the steak
will not stick to the pan. Slide
it under the flame and then
watch it closely every 5 minutes
thereafter so it doesn't burn
or overcook. Flip it after 15 minutes
under the broiler to get the
other side.

Take it out and shut off the stove.

If you can obtain instant mashed
white potatos at the food pantry then
go for it when you are out shopping.
Add in any vegetable for the side
of your plate because just about
any vegetable goes well with ham.

You can also get canned "yams" or
sweet potatos at the food pantry
when you are there, or buy it
with your food stamps at the super
market. You will find those in
the "canned vegetables" aisle of
the store. Just empty the can
in a small fry pan with the liquid
and simmer on a low heat with a
cover over the pan. If they dry
a little, just add a little margarine
to melt in there. Once the Yams
are hot all the way through, then
they are ready for your plate.
Perfect with ham steak. Or you can
microwave the Yams too in a plastic
container about 2 minutes at a
time until they are hot all the
way through.

Applesauce also works as a side
dish for ham steak and you should
be able to obtain that at the
food pantry. If not then you
can pick up small school lunchbox
size desert containers of applesauce
and just open one with your meal
for a side dish.

As long as you plan your meal
ahead and make smart choices
at the food pantry and what you
get with your food stamps, you
can still have a very satisfying
meal in spite of what the VA
has done to you. The rest of
us are eating the same thing
so you are NOT alone. Hold out
for good ingredients and then
put it all together when you
get home.