This gutsy sauce is perfect for grilled steak, but it’s incredibly versatile. Make a double batch and store it in a covered container in your fridge and use it to marinate shrimp, toss it with rice pilaf or warm potatoes, or use it as an alternative for vinaigrette on a crisp green salad.

CHIMICHURRI

1 cup packed flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, finely chopped
½ cup packed cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1/3 cup packed fresh oregano leaves, finely chopped
¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced

- Combine all ingredients in medium bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature about 1 hour to allow flavors to meld. Serve.

This a photo I snapped while at flea market in Clignancourt in Paris last fall. It seemed very apropos today.

I made this Lemon Cake with Fresh Raspberry Buttercream for my “Let Them Eat…” cake column on Serious Eats: Sweets. I normally don’t cross-pollinate between my blog and Serious Eats, but I couldn’t resist shooting it different ways, it was so pretty. The full cake accompanies the recipe but here is a slice to whet your appetite.

This weekend, the hot summer sun will melt into the horizon and leave the sky dark and stark, a clean canvas to be Jackson Pollock-ed by blazing fireworks. Sit back, relax, crack open a frosty bottle of beer, and dig into one of these outrageous hot dogs.

Photo by Kate Kelley

ALOHA DOGS
Makes 8 hot dogs

¼ cup vegetable oil
8 hot dogs
1 (7-ounce) tin SPAM, cut into ¼-inch thick slices
8 fresh pineapple spears
2 cups teriyaki sauce
8 hot dog buns
Sriracha sauce (optional)
1 rice cake, crumbled

- Heat grill.

- Lightly oil grill and arrange hot dogs in single layer. Brush SPAM slices and pineapple spears with teriyaki sauce and arrange on grill in single layer. Cook until hot dogs are cooked through and SPAM and pineapple are lightly charred, turning with tongs as necessary.

- To serve, tuck hot dogs and pineapple spears into buns. Cut SPAM into cubes and add to hot dogs. Top with generous amount of teriyaki sauce and Sriracha sauce to taste. Sprinkle with crumbled rice cake.

Photo by Kate Kelley

DOWNTOWN L.A. DOGS
Makes 8 hot dogs

Notes: Use your favorite brand of hot dogs and bacon for this recipe. Secret ingredient: cornstarch! It acts like glue and keeps the bacon form peeling off the hot dogs while they grill.
Optional garnishes: sliced radishes, lime wedges, hot sauce (I prefer Valentina), and crema or queso fresco

8 hot dogs
½ cup cornstarch
8 bacon strips
4 ripe avocados, pitted, peeled, and cut into ½-inch dice
Juice of 2 limes
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 cups tightly packed cilantro leaves, chopped
½ cup mint leaves, finely chopped
¼ cup minced white onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 ripe beefsteak tomato, seeded and cut into ½-inch dice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 jalapeño peppers
¼ cup vegetable oil
½ cup mayonnaise
8 hot dog buns

- Heat grill.

- Place cornstarch in shallow bowl. Roll each hot dog in cornstarch, shaking off excess. Wrap each hot dog with one strip of bacon; set aside.

- To make the guacamole: Lightly mash the avocado in medium bowl with a fork—some chunks should remain. Add lime juice, vinegar, cilantro, mint, onion, garlic, and tomato and lightly stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper; set aside.

- Brush jalapeños with oil and grill until charred. Lightly oil grill and arrange hot dogs in single layer. Cook until bacon is cooked through and lightly charred, turning with tongs as necessary.

- Chop 2 of the charred jalapeños and stir into guacamole. To serve, spread inside of hot dog buns with mayonnaise, tuck in hot dogs, and top with guacamole. Serve with optional garnishes (See Notes) and remaining charred jalapeños.

CHIC DOGS
Makes 8 sandwiches

Notes: Ficelles are slender baguettes. Purchase your favorite type of sausage for this recipe—I used a garlic-herb variety. I prefer buttery, nutty Stilton as a topping.

8 fresh sausages
¼ vegetable oil
4 cups tightly packed mesclun salad blend
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 ficelles, cut into half crosswise, then split lengthwise
1 cup grainy mustard
2 cups cornichons
1½ cups (6 ounces) blue cheese crumbles

- Heat grill.

- Prick sausages all over with fork. Lightly oil grill with vegetable oil and arrange sausages in single layer. Cook until sausages are cooked through. Transfer to cutting board and slice sausages on the bias.

- Season salad greens with salt and pepper and toss with olive oil.

- To serve, spread inside of ficelles with a generous amount of mustard and stuff with salad, sausage slices, and cornichons. Sprinkle with blue cheese crumbles.

ALL-AMERICAN DOGS
Makes 8 hot dogs

Notes: Use your favorite brand of hot dogs and BBQ sauce for this recipe. And od course, you can use homemade macaroni-and-cheese instead of store-bought.
Optional garnishes and sides: pickles, mustard, potato chips or fries

1 (7.25-ounce) box macaroni and cheese
8 hot dogs
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 cups BBQ sauce
8 hot dog buns

- Heat grill.

- Prepare macaroni-and-cheese according to package instructions. Transfer to bowl and cover with foil to keep warm.

- Lightly oil grill and arrange hot dogs in single layer. Cook until hot dogs are cooked through and lightly charred, turning with tongs as necessary.

- To serve, tuck hot dogs into buns and top with generous amounts of BBQ sauce and macaroni-and-cheese.

ABOUT THE PHOTOS: I spent a recent rainy day with my talented friend, photographer Kate Kelley, working on these shots—our plans to shoot on a sunny roof deck were foiled, but we turned my tiny living room into a studio.
These photos are two of a series—do take a look at the rest in my personal styling portfolio, and please check out Kate’s (in collaboration with Jonathan Beller) breathtaking work in “Resilient, A Portrait of Sierra Leone.”