Dots & Dogs

Reese & I were looking for some fun Thanksgiving-themed recipes to cook in the next few weeks, and we came across a version of this recipe (that has nothing to do with Thanksgiving!) in a Southern Living Kids' Cookbook I have. Reese helped me write our shopping list of ingredients, & when we came home, we cooked it for lunch. This was a GREAT recipe for Reese to make. Lots of soft-cutting, pouring, & mixing with not-very-messy ingredients! We changed up the original recipe (I couldn't find the box pasta the recipe called for), so below you'll see our version of the recipe, which Reese calls "Dots & Dogs"!

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Here is Reese's version of instructions to make Dots & Dogs. I was pleasantly surprised at how much of the process he remembered!

"We got the recipe. First go to Sam's & get groceries. Um, we made it on the stove. I cooked them--the hot dogs--and I cut them with knives. The macaroni cooked and then we put in cheese, milk, and butter. We mix it up and put milk. And then poured it. I put the hot dogs in the swimming bowl! No, I put it in the pot. I shaked it. I mixed it up. And now I'm eating it. I think it's good and not bad. I love you!"

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And here's Mommy's version of Dots & Dogs:

DOTS & DOGS:

1 box SuperMac Macaroni & Cheese
3 turkey hotdogs, sliced
1 cup frozen peas
1 1/2 tsp mustard
butter
milk

DIRECTIONS:
*Boil a pot of water, then add macaroni & frozen peas. Boil until maraconi is cooked. Drain.
*In pot, mix cooked macaroni & peas, cheese powder, mustard, 2 Tbsp butter, & 1/3 cup milk. Stir until cheese & butter are mixed in.
*Add hot dog slices, mix, & serve.

Some perfect jobs for the kiddos: slice the hot dogs with a plastic knife, measure the frozen peas, milk, and butter, pour the cheese powder into the pot, dump the hot dogs into the pot, help mix the dish.