Welcome summer!  The kids are out of school, the homework has mercifully stopped, and baseball is back.  Oh yeah!  Glorious baseball!  I welcome you with open glove.

Being from the Bay Area originally (where, unbeknownst to most Angelenos, we are bred to hate everything to do with L.A.), I should be a loyal Giants fan like my husband, true to his team regardless of personal longitude and latitude.   But I blow with the wind, and since the kids were born here, and we've lived here for 15 years, I'm a Dodger.  Also, I look better in blue.

He is such a Giants fan that he roots for any Dodger opponent.  He wears his Giants gear proudly, and as you might imagine, three girls in blue sitting with the Orange and Black Monster is fodder for ever wisenheimer in Chavez Ravine.  People hurl peanuts, and insults.  But he takes them in stride.  Truth be told, we are secretly proud of him.  He is a pinnacle of loyalty.  It is only occasionally that the ride home must include discussions about why, despite what that mean man said,w daddy doesn't really "suck", and regardless of what adults do, never ever extend certain fingers in public.    

Regardless of our team preferences, we all agree that the ballpark is the place to be, especially for a food-loving American family like ours.  Yes, we bring in our own sodas, because there is nothing fun about a $5.00 Coke.  But I will not be denied my Dodger Dog (grilled please).  You can argue about the quality of the Dodger Dog until you are BLUE in the face, but I will not listen.  I know it is not Nathan's, or Pink's, or any of the other currently hot dog-spots.  I know the snap of the Dodger Dog is not the greatest, the condiment assortment is sub-par, and the price is outrageous.  But when you are at the ballpark it is not about quality.  It's about baseball.  It's about tradition.  It's about America, dammit.

I am not alone in my opinion.  Did you know that the Dodgers sell more hot dogs than any other ball park in America?   We out-dog Wriggly field and even Yankee stadium, which sits in America's top dog-eating city.  I guess New Yorkers prefer their dogs on the curb, not in the bleachers.  Lagging behind in ball park dog sales are Coors Field and Minute Maid Park, which I had to look up (home of the Rockies and Astros), because no one names stadiums after teams anymore.  (Beverages yes.  Teams, no.)

The Dodger Dog was created by the late Mr. Thomas Arthur, who started running Dodger concessions at the Coliseum in 1961 until 1991.  Originally called "foot-longs", a smart-alecky fan with a ruler called him out.  The 10-inch dogs were renamed, and the rest is history.  Despite the size issues, Arthur consistently sold about 50,000 dogs per game.  

Over the years, menu diversity has complicated the ballpark experience.  I do not go to the ballpark for pizza, or Chinese food.  I go to watch the game, have a hot dog, and maybe a chocolate malted.  Oh yeah!  Frozen chocolaty goodness you eat with wood.

Sadly, I cannot make every game.  I do have a television though, and I can successfully approximate the ball park experience in the comfort of my own home.  In fact, I can improve on it.  I make wicked-good dogs, and have even been known to stuff my own sausages with exquisite results. (That was not a euphemism.) 

Here is a hoity-toity recipe for a somewhat pedestrian condiment.  Once you unlock the flavor potential of homemade mustard, you'll discover that the variations are endless. Try making it with different spices and herbs, or add some horseradish or honey.   Then slather your creation liberally onto your favorite hot dog.  If you really want the ballpark experience, let your floors get sticky, purchase a beach ball at the 99-cent store, and do the wave from time to time. 

Homemade Herb Mustard

3 TB. yellow mustard seeds

3 TB. brown mustard seeds

[1/2] tsp. caraway seeds

1 whole allspice berry

[1/4] tsp white peppercorns

[1/4] tsp. salt

1 shallot, minced

[1/2] tsp fresh thyme, chopped

[1/4] cup white wine

[1/4] cup white wine vinegar

1.   In a small coffee grinder, grind yellow mustard, brown mustard, caraway, allspice, and peppercorns to a fine powder. Transfer to a blender, and add salt, shallot, and thyme. Blend.

2.   In a small bowl, combine wine and vinegar, and add to the running blender very slowly. Continue to purée until the mixture is a smooth paste. Store in a glass or plastic airtight container in the refrigerator.

Heads Up!

I prefer to use a coffee grinder to grind my spices.  It is small, which forces the spices through the blade more often than a larger food processor or blender does, producing a finer, more even grind.  I recommend you get a separate grinder just for spices.  I have had some mighty weird coffee after a particularly spicy kitchen escapade.  When I am feeling historic, I enjoy grinding in a mortar.  The result is rougher, but more satisfying.