Southern Cooking Tip...

Okay, I am not really sure if this is a "Southern" thing or not... but I am sure I have only ever had it in the South.

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Chili dogs in the South are not your average Nally's can of chili. It's a very finely chopped hamburger meat and NO beans in a chili powder sauce. That is what they call chili! I have no idea what they call the other kind.

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So when you see chili dogs advertised... the Chili on the dogs will be just what I described... nothing more, nothing less!

Unless you see some other red neck version of a chili dog, like slaw dogs!!!

(oh and most of the time they will have onions and mustard on them)

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(Seriously, I shouldn't make jokes about them, this place is famous for them and packs in a crowd at lunchtime, rain, snow, sleet or hail. I should be so lucky as to do all the business they do between 11am and 230pm! )

Yes, of course I stopped and tried one... Wally Dog, who wouldn't be tempted. Topped off with onion rings and a diet coke... minus the slaw (too weird even for me).

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So I got the secret tip from my Mom, being the southern belle that she is... and it works! This chili is so yummy!!! I just love it chopped up all fine, it melts in your mouth!!

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Being a braveheart in the kitchen today, I decided if it was good on hot dogs, it would be good that way in lasagna too!

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(I know my mother is cringing about now... after trying to feed the Strong Silent Mysterious Man for the past week... yes this might be a stretch, messing with his lasagna meat!)

So the secret, or the not so secret tip is to add water while browning the meat. Just like 1/4 to 1/2 cup for 2lbs. of hamburger.

And you can chop with a biscuit cutter, a fork, or a fancy meat chopper from Pampered Chef that has never worked for me until I added the secret water... and this time it worked perfectly. I bet I can make a million if I sell this secret to all the distributors of this fancy tool.

And walah!
Finely chopped meat in the spaghetti sauce... not everyone likes their meat small, some like it chunky. I never actually asked my family, but I like it fine, so tonight I tried it out on them.

And either they didn't notice, they were starving to death, or they just really liked it... because they dug into this lasagna like there was no tomorrow.

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And my Strong Silent Mysterious Man has already asked me to pack him some for lunch tomorrow... that is always a really good sign, if he will eat it not just once, but twice!
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Success!!!
(not always an easy task in my kitchen, so definitely blog worthy)