Released the in fall of 1993, the same time that I started my freshman year in college, this film became a fast favorite. Set on the last day of school in 1976, it follows a group of teens living in Austen, Texas through freshman hazing rituals, party exploits, and general everyday nothingness. It has cute guys (and girls), awesome cars, wardrobes that I coveted, and a killer soundtrack (of which I owned...okay still own...both parts). A stoner flick at its core, there is also plenty of pot smoking.
There are also so many awesome young actors like Parker Posey, Jason London, Ben Affleck, Cole Hauser, Joey Lauren Adams, Marissa Ribisi, Mila Jovovich, Rory Cochrane, Adam Goldberg, Anthony Rapp, and Matthew McConaughey. I was totally ga-ga over Pickford (played by Shawn Andrews, who I haven't seen in much since then). I had a thing for hippie boys.
But alas, I digress. As far as food inspiration goes, you could of course choose anything that would satisfy the munchies. But there is also beer, drive-in diner food, and the awesome scene filled with ketchup, mustard, flour, and oats that inspired my simple hotdog recipe today.
So, with that scene in mind, there is a point at which Simone (Joey Lauren Adams) tells the younger girls...
I just want you guys to know that I feel for you. I did it when I was a freshman and you'll do it when you're a senior, but you're doing great. Now fry like bacon you little freshman piggies! Fry! Fry!
I combined all of that fun into one recipe idea (the phrase from the scene and it's recipe component):
- Freshman piggies = hotdogs
- Fry like bacon = wrapped in bacon AND fried
- Suffer sisters, suffer = zig-zagged in ketchup and mustard, but I skipped the flour and oats and added some powdered Parmesan in their place to emulate the look and feel.
yield: 8
Fried Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dogs
prep time: 10 MINScook time: 5 MINStotal time: 15 mins
Hotdogs that are wrapped in bacon and fried and finished by splattering with ketchup, mustard and powdered Parmesan cheese.
INGREDIENTS:
- vegetable oil, for frying
- 8 hotdogs
- 8 slices bacon (regular or thick-cut)
- 8 buns, optional
- ketchup, to taste
- mustard, to taste
- powdered Parmesan cheese, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Pour a few inches of oil into the bottom of a heavy pot and heat to 350° F (or heat your fryer to the same).
- Wrap each hotdog in a piece of bacon, securing the ends with toothpicks. Very carefully lower into the hot oil and fry until the bacon is crisp, 3-5 minutes (adjust heat so that oil stays between 350° and 370° F - this will keep the hotdogs from bursting).
- Use tongs to lift out and transfer to a paper towel lined tray to drain; remove the toothpicks.
- Serve as-is, or on buns, criss-crossed in ketchup and mustard, then sprinkled with the powdered Parmesan (and any other toppings you want).
