Ingredients:
4 cucumbers, peeled and seeds removed, processed 2 green bell peppers, seeds and membrane removed, processed 1 red bell pepper, seeds and membrane removed, processed 3 cups of ground onion 3 cups finely diced celery 1/4 cup coarse salt Water to cover 3-1/2 cups sugar 2 cups white vinegar 1 tablespoon celery seed 1 tablespoon mustard seed A few drops of Blue No. 1 food coloring

Instructions:
Use a large bowl and combine all the vegetables listed through the diced celery. Add the salt and add enough cold water to cover the ingredients in the bowl. Let this sit for 4 hours. At the end of the 4 hours drain all the liquid out using a colander. Use a saucepan in which to place the sugar, white vinegar, celery seed and mustard seed. Boil and stir until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the drained vegetables and add 3-4 drops (or more if needed) of the Blue No. 1 food coloring. Stir together well and bring all this to a simmer for 10 minutes. Pack the simmered relish into pint canning jars to within 1/2-inch of the top. Put on the canning band and lid. Process in boiling water for 10 minutes. You’ll have 5-6 pints of the relish. When you use all the ingredients mentioned above and top them with this relish, you’ll be in Chicago Hot Dog heaven without leaving home. But, there are two more things you need to know. You can heat the hot dogs in simmering water to make what Chicagoans call “dirty water dogs,” or you can broil them on your grill. Either way, you want to remove them from the heat before they split open. This way you’ll get the “snap” of the first bite that true hog dog lovers crave. Readers with questions or comments for Dave Kessler may write to him in care of this publication.