Playful Creations: Summer Hot Dog Series: The Noodle Dog

In this installment of my week long Summer Hot Dog Series I present the Noodle Dog.

This recipe is so playful and creative that I had to include it here. It is one of those recipes that seems impossible but I can tell you without a doubt that it works. I affectionately call it the Noodle Dog.

I could have been more creative then that. But I didn't want to limit myself here. These tasty bites can look like spiders, jelly fish, or even a baby version of spaghetti locks. I leave it up to you on how you want to present it. Whatever way you choose though you are sure to get some smiles from kiddos and grown ups alike.

What you Need:

Dry spaghetti noodles
Hot Dog

How to Construct the Noodle Dog:

First, place a pot of water on the stove to bring to a boil.

Slice up your hot dogs.

Next, insert the noodles into the hot dog slices. The easiest way to do this quickly is to lay the sliced hot dog on a plate and to stick the dry noodles into it. It is up to you how many noodles you want to push through. I used about 8 for each slice.

Then pickup your spiky hot dog and carefully push the noodles through the dog.

Finally, gently place your Noodle Dogs into boiling water. Boil for as long as your noodles require.

Once they are done cooking gently scoop your Noodle Dogs out of the water.

You can decide what sauce to use. Marinara is a good one as it adds some much needed vegetable to this tasty and funny dish.

-------------------Food. Play. Create.----------------

Pool Noodle Fun

What you need:

Pool Noodle and String

There are many creative ways to use the pool noodle. In this activity the grown up must cut the noodle into many pieces. You will end up with lots of rings (which are fun for stacking too!)

With a hole down the middle they are perfect for having those little hands string up the noodle. It is not about what they make but rather how they make it. Learning to thread the string through the hole takes some coordinated effort and concentration.

I tied a string to one noodle piece so that the other noodles don't fall right off. On the other end I tied a small spoon that could fit through the noodle hole to help with the stringing process (my 4 year old didn't need it but the 2 year old sure did!)