Adult kid's meal.

Grilled hotdogs, sautéed rapini, and Parmesan risotto.

This is an adult twist on hot dogs and mac-n-cheese. I love the combination of greens and creamy risotto. I’m not a big fan of hot dog buns, so I’d rather cut up my hot dog and mix it in with the risotto and greens. Plus, if I pass up the carbs from the bun, can I eat an extra scoop of risotto?

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Easiest part: grill or roast some hot dogs. These are all-natural beef franks from Hebrew National. They’re healthier and still delicious. I cut mine up like a five year old, but it’s how I like it.

Trickiest part: the risotto. It’s worth the trouble, though; I promise. This recipe from Pioneer Woman explains each step carefully. I’m an avid Top Chef fan, and people always seem to get eliminated whenever they try to make risotto. This is not like that. You can do it! The catch is, this recipe does take time. You can’t rush the cooking time.

Note: A pound of risotto is A LOT of risotto. I usually halve the amount of risotto, stock, and cream. I still use the same amount of onion and garlic, though. For the stock, I usually keep adding enough to cover the rice, between 1/2-1 cup. Stir once it’s added and wait until most has been absorbed. You don’t want to wait until the rice starts sticking to the pan. At first, you can add more stock, then towards the end add a little less. There’s a learning curve to this recipe, but it’s definitely doable. You’ll understand what to tweak once you’ve made it yourself once.

The rapini is a quick recipe I designed. For the rapini, I cut off the stems and roughly chop the leaves. Rinse the leaves with some water, and pat dry with a paper towel. I drizzle some olive oil to a pan that’s warmed on medium, then add about 2 cloves of freshly minced garlic. Be careful not to burn the garlic, it turns brown rather quickly! Then toss in the rapini seasoned with some salt and pepper—it’ll soften quickly. Keep tossing it to get it cooked evenly. Usually only takes a few minutes.

Note: I prefer my rapini more bitter tasting, so once it softens, I usually turn off the burner. My husband prefers it to be cooked longer, about 10 minutes on medium-low. Sometimes I add about a 1/4 cup vegetable or chicken stock to the pan to help it simmer down and take out some of the bitterness.

Feel free to toss everything together as you eat it or keep it separated. Channel your best inner five year old! One plate. One meal.