One by one, ten excitable dachshunds pile onto a chair.

One by one, ten excitable dachshunds pile onto a chair.

Danny Gurkin believes in his heart that the Sluggers are the best team in baseball. There's just the small matter of breaking a century-old curse involving a pretzel, a bubble-gum tycoon, and a missing shortstop. Danny also believes that the outcome of Sluggers' games depends on him and hot dogs. Because eating two hot dogs with everything before each game is the best kind of luck a fan can give his team. Danny Ghurkin has a date with baseball destiny; he just doesn't know it. Yet.

Hot dogs belong in the pantheon of great America food items. What can be more democratic than a meal that allows people to eat what they want, the way they want? Try these one hundred dogs that celebrate America's melting pot culture.

Authors Holly Schmidt and Allan Penn reinvent the classic hot dog with 40 creative, inspired, and easy-to-make recipes.

Elevate your hot dogs with this creative and informative cookbook including recipes for both classic and adventurous sausages, buns, and condiments, as well as gorgeous photos and detailed history for each recipe The classic cookout staple gets a fresh and tasty twist, with recipes inspired by everything from south-of-the-border BBQ to Japanese fusion to modern food-cart cuisine. Handcraft your own top-notch dogs, buns, and condiments with step-by-step from-scratch instructions and beautiful photos for inspiration. Each of these hot dog styles from around the world is accompanied by an in-depth look at history and tasty traditions. The perfect summer cookbook, this indispensable guide will make your grilling extraordinary.

If we are what we eat, Americans are hot dogs. We ate them on the way to the moon and served them to the king of England. We name a Hot Dog Eating Champ! Garnished with hilarious illustrations and amazing "foodie" facts, this kid-friendly, globe-spanning history of our favorite fast-food meal offers unique insight into America's multicultural heritage. From a hobo's franks-and-beans to astronaut food, there's more to the wiener--and what's for dinner--than you think.