In honor of book club this week (yes, I’m in a book club.  Wooo, nerds!!!) for which we’re reading a modern classic, I thought I’d make an updated version of one of the classic meals of my childhood.

Mom and Dad- this one’s for you.

I was a fairly picky eater as a kid.  (Try to contain your shock and horror.)  I wasn’t super picky or anything, but I wasn’t all that fond of vegetables or meat- unless it was fried and came out of a happy meal box, of course.  One of the go-to dinners that my mom would make is one that I never refused.  (Well, at least I don’t remember ever refusing it.  I had my ornery moments as a child, so I’m sure I threw a fit and zipped my mouth shut at least once for this meal.)

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you:  Fried hotdogs, potatoes and onions.

Nope, it’s not the food equivalent of a hot yoga class, but it sure did taste good- arteries clogging and all.  Basically the dish was prepared by combining chopped up hot dog, potato and onion in some butter in a fry pan and cooking until everything was softened.

Tonight, I made an updated (and healthier) version.   I started with a meat upgrade.  Remember the chicken sausage I bought at Trader Joe’s last week? I split them open and threw them on the grill.  They’re already fully cooked (and minimally processed- I love you TJ’s) so all I needed to do was get some pretty grill marks going.

Mission accomplished.  For the rest of the dish, I sliced a potato and about half of an onion fairly thinly and tossed them into a skillet with just a bit of oil on medium-low heat.  Once they started to brown, I added a tablespoon or two of water to the pan and let them steam a bit (to soften).  Once most of the water had cooked off, I cranked the heat to medium-high and added salt and pepper.

Oh man, even better than I remembered.  The jalapeño in the sausage added a layer of flavor that I loved.

On the side, I roasted some broccoli tossed in a teeny bit of oil and sprinkled with Cajun seasoning in a 400° oven for about 20 minutes.

Incidentally, this is another updated classic from my youth.  The only way I really remember broccoli from when I was a kid was boiled.  I did not enjoy it.  Once I started cooking for myself, I realized that I actually love broccoli!  Just not boiled. 😉  I’m also not the only one who likes broccoli this way- Caitlin, Kath and Holly are also lovers of the roasted.

Now, where can I find some rainbow sherbet?

What were your favorite dishes growing up?  Do you still make them now that you’re all growed up?