Bratwurst Chili Dogs Recipe

As you know my name is Emma and I am in college, I bet any college student can agree that it is hard to afford to make your own meals with the budget that we live on. I have learned easy meals that we can make as college students so we can get our basic nutrients and still be able to afford it while having money to play and have a good time because lets be real we are young and we all want to spend our money on other things so we can create some awesome memories that will last a lifetime!

 Today, I am currently living in a extended stay hotel while my husband is selling alarm systems for the summer with a company called Vivint. I have a major obstacle while living here and that is that I do not have an oven so for the next month I will be posting meals that do not even use an oven. The first thing you need to do is get yourself a crockpot if you do not already have one. I got mine at my local grocery store for $35.00 so save up your money and buy yourself a crockpot it is well worth the money and you will be able to make yourself some really good home cooked meals. You will feel like you never left home. Besides, if you can make meals here you can make meals anywhere!

 This morning when I woke up I was thinking of what I should make for dinner tonight. I looked through my basically empty cupboards and saw I had a can of chili in there so my mind started brainstorming what could I make with this can of chili? I went to my local grocery store (Walmart) and saw that a package of FIVE bratwursts was $4.39. If you have ever had brats you know that they are absolutely amazing, a major step up from hot dogs. Instantly I thought hey I could make chili bratwurst dogs. All I needed was to buy some hot dog buns which is $1.50 at your local Walmart. That is exactly what I did!

Bratwurst Chili Dogs Recipe Ingredients:

 1 package of your favorite kind of Bratwurst (I prefer cheddar brats)
 1-2 cans of chili (depending upon how much chili you like)
1/2 c. water
1 garlic clove, minced
1 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 t. cumin
1/2 c. cheddar cheese shredded for sprinkling (optional)
1/2 c. onions chopped for sprinkling (optional)
hot dog buns

Directions:

 In a small saucepan over meadium heat combine the cans of chili, water, garlic clove, garlic powder, pepper, and cumin stirring occasionally. While the chili is cooking you can either cook up the brats in a frying pan or on a grill which usually takes about 10-15 minutes. I prefer a grill that way I don't smoke out my house. The key to cooking a delicious brat is getting the sides a little crispy, the more burnt the better is what I always say. That doesn't mean make the weeny charcoal, but cook it enough that each side of the brat has a nice dark brown crispy toast to it. Once your brat is done to your liking, and it is no longer pink in the middle put that bad boy on a bun. At this point your chili should be nice and hot. Get a heaping scoop of chili and put it on top of your brat. After you add a good amount of chili sprinkle your chili dog with some cheese and onions, and WALA you have yourself a bratwurst chili dog!