~ Corn Dog Casserole ~

Hot dogs and beans is a comfort food meal in our house. It's such a hearty and simple meal. So simple, that when I worked, we had this just about once a week.

Then, I simply emptied a can of Bush's Beans into a microwave safe bowl and heated them while I boiled some hot dogs.

Now that I am home most days, I've tried to fancy-up some of our old stand-by meals.

I originally got the idea for this recipe in one of those small cooking magazines at the check out register at the grocery store. I used to be a sucker for those things! But, I've been really good at controlling myself when it comes to impulse purchases.

I've made several changes to the original recipe to make it to our liking. But it's really fool-proof and can be easily changed according to likes and dislikes or according to what ingredients you have on hand.

~ Corn Dog Casserole ~

Ingredients:

6 cups of our favorite baked beans

1 (16 oz) pkg. cocktail sized hot dogs**

several squirts of ketchup and mustard (approx. 1/4 cup total)

1/4 cup finely chopped onion (optional)

1 box of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix (prepared as directed on package) Directions:

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
In large saucepan, combine beans, ketchup, mustard, hot dogs and onion; mix well.
Cook over medium-high heat until bubbly, stirring frequently.
Pour into ungreased 2-quart casserole.

2. Prepare corn muffin mix as directed on packing.
Spread batter evenly on top of hot bean mixture.

3. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until topping is golden brown.

makes 6 servings.

***I usually use regular hot dogs since they are usually cheaper than the cocktail sized hot dogs. I cut them into 1 1/2 inch pieces.

We really enjoy this meal. It's really a perfect meal for us, since we usually have the ingredients on hand. Not always the case with a traditional hot dog meal. We don't always have rolls and would often make an extra trip to the grocery store, which would often result in purchasing additional items that weren't "on the list". The corn bread topping is a wonderful hot dog bun alternative!