Chicago style hot dogs and sea salt caramel corn

It all started with a recipe for popcorn soup.  What?  Popcorn in soup.  Not just a garnish on top, actually popcorn soup!  I decided I had to try it.  But what goes with such a thing?  I was thinking popcorn in the movies.  But inspiration came from popcorn at a baseball game.  Popcorn and a hot dog, make that a Chicago style hot dog and done.  While I was making popcorn anyway, I decided to revisit a favorite recipe for caramel corn and sprinkle it with sea salt.

The popcorn soup was well... a bit dull and not necessarily do again worthy.  Turns out popcorn really is best in popcorn form.  The relish on top is homemade pickled radish relish.  And that is do again worthy.  I had it on the soup and on the hot dog.  I'll bet I can find lots of uses for this stuff.  The soup itself was a fun experiment and it brought me to Chicago style hot dogs, which are exceptional.

Chicago Style Hot Dog

The recipes I found described it as a hot dog dragged through the garden.
Top your favorite hot dog with;
Mustard (but no ketchup)
Tomato wedges
Pickles
Relish (I made the radish relish- not the traditional choice)
Sport peppers (which our grocery store actually had and turned out to be little spicy peppers)
Sprinkled on top with celery salt (don't skip this, it makes for a distinctive taste)
The tradition that I skipped?  Poppyseed buns, which are no where to be found in La Crosse.

Sea Salt Caramel Corn

Start by popping 1/2 cup of popcorn kernels in 3 T of olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot on a medium stove.  I have tried store bought popcorn (pre-popped), microwave popcorn, and air popped popcorn.  Nothing works as good as popcorn on the stove.  Keep it covered but vented just a little to let out the steam.  Shake occasionally and wait.  Once popped spread out on a greased rimmed cookie sheet.

To make the caramel;

Heat 1/2 cup butter, 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 t salt, and 1/4 cup light corn syrup on medium.  Stir occasionally until boiling and then constantly for 5 minutes.

Add 1/2 t vanilla and 1/4 t baking soda off heat.

Pour over the popcorn and stir.

Bake in a 250 degree oven for 45 min to an hour stirring every 15 minutes.  Each time I stirred I sprinkled with a little sea salt to taste.

The week in preview too

Sunday:  Popcorn night

Monday and Tuesday:  My chicken in the slow cooker trick!  Monday tacos and Tuesday BBQ sandwiches (with the left over radish relish).

Wednesday:  Grilled flank steak, broccoli, mashed potatoes (classic).  With a new recipe for coffee ice cream that I found.  Can't wait for that one.

Thursday:  Skillet ziti with salad and any left over ice cream.