Snake Dogs

By Andrew Hunter

Stretching for miles in a sprawling Los Angeles canyon is Griffith Park. We love Griffith because there’s an observatory, museums, hiking, biking, swimming, horseback riding, a working historic train, and a multitude of snack shops that keep us well nourished and hydrated during our strenuous weekend activity.

The crown jewel of snack shops is “The Trails,” a shack built to blend into the landscape. It’s the California hippie version of Manhattan’s Shake Shack. If you’re in Griffith and can’t find “The Trails,” just look for the long line of people waiting for a slice of pie, a lavender cookie, a sprout sandwich, or if you’re Ben and Nick, a Snake Dog.

Snake Dogs are like pigs in a blanket, only much cooler – a frankfurter wrapped in a coil of puff pastry, then baked so it looks like a snake slithering across the picnic table. We’ve started making Snake Dogs at home. Here’s a recipe so you can pack Snake Dogs in the picnic basket for your next trip to the Griffith Park where you live.

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Hot Dog Hangover

By Katie Barreira

Given the pivotal role of tea in the story of our nation’s liberation, one might think that the herbal brew would have become the hallmark of Independence Day celebrations. But, from Coney Island’s infamous eating contest to the smoking grills across America, it is clearly the hot dog that reigns on July 4th.

By day 3 of the holiday weekend, after grilling hot dogs, eating hot dogs, and prying a cold, slippery dog from the jaws of another beast of the same name, I felt that I could easily go the rest of the summer without seeing another link. But I knew we would meet again, and soon, given those leftover wieners, panting from the fridge.

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