For most hot dog toppings, the recipe is remarkably simple: Remove lid. Put bottle on table. Get out of the way.

Others require a little more work — and a little more storytelling. Read on for the details.

N.Y.C. Push Cart Onion Sauce

When he owned Top Dogg Grill & Ice Cream Parlor in Woodland Hills, Doug Hoag of Simi Valley offered regional-favorite toppings from across the country. "According to New Yorkers that ate the Push Cart Dog with onions, this is absolutely the best recipe" for the sauce, said Hoag. After spooning on the onions, ask the person if he/she wants a stripe of yellow mustard, he added. "This really is a very New York thing to do." (Editor's note: Although we cut Hoag's original recipe roughly in half, the following still will produce more than 4 cups of sauce.)

1 tablespoon olive oil

21/2 pounds large yellow onions

1 14.5-ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 8-ounce can Del Monte tomato sauce

1/8 cup ketchup

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons salt

1/2 tablespoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon crushed oregano

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute sliced onions in the oil for about 5 minutes, until onions are soft but not brown.

Add tomatoes with their juice. Stir in the tomato sauce, ketchup, sugar, salt, black pepper and spices. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until most of the liquid has reduced and the sauce is thick. Do not allow the onions to become mushy.

Allow the sauce to cool. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. The sauce is best when served warm.

Carolina Slaw

Another popular topping at Hoag's former eatery? That would be Carolina Slaw, a vinaigrette-dressed mix of cabbage, onion and bell pepper. This recipe comes from Epicurious.com.

For the dressing:

1/2 cup distilled white vinegar

6 tablespoons sugar

6 tablespoons vegetable oil

21/2 teaspoons dry mustard, such as Colman's

1 teaspoon celery seeds

Salt and pepper to taste

For the slaw:

1 medium cabbage (about 11/4 pounds), thinly sliced

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 large green bell pepper, thinly sliced

Combine vinegar, sugar, oil, mustard and celery seeds in a non-reactive medium sauce pan. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the dressing comes to a boil. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper and allow to cool completely.

Combine cabbage, onion and green bell pepper in a large bowl. Add cooled dressing and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until cold (at least two hours), tossing occasionally. May be made up to one day ahead.

Hot Dog Sauce

According to Dorothy Ginnever of Simi Valley, "your mouth will say Wow!' " when you taste a hot dog topped with this spicy ground beef mixture and a dash of mustard.

1 pound ground beef

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cumin (comino) seeds

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons chili powder

Garlic powder, to taste

Brown the meat in a small skillet. Add the remaining ingredients. Cover with hot water and simmer for 1 hour. Spoon over hot dogs and add a stripe of your favorite mustard.

Sausage in Puff Pastry

A fan of unusual sausages found in ethnic markets and specialty food stores, Lisa Lorea of Ventura likes to make this recipe with merguez, a lamb sausage. Can't find merguez? Any "interesting" sausage will do. One possibility: Trader Joe's Gourmet Chicken Sausage with Fresh Cilantro.

1 package of 4 sausages of your choice

1 box Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry sheets (in the frozen foods aisle), thawed per instructions on the box

Dijon mustard

1 egg yolk, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon ground cumin

Pinch of ground cinnamon

If the sausages are not yet cooked, pierce the casings with a knife and bake on a rack over a baking sheet until cooked through. Cool to room temperature before moving on to the next step.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Working with one thawed puff pastry sheet at a time, unfold the pastry on a piece of parchment paper. Determine whether you want to completely enfold each sausage in pastry or to merely wrap each sausage so the tips remain visible. Trim the pastry accordingly.

Smooth some Dijon mustard on one side of the trimmed pastry, then wrap the mustard-side of the pastry around the sausage, crimping the seams and ends together so they don't pop open while baking. Repeat process with the remaining sausages. (Depending on the size of your sausages, you may need to create a patchwork of puff pastry dough to cover the last one.)

Arrange pastry-wrapped sausages on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the pastry with the egg yolk. Combine the cumin and cinnamon and sprinkle over the yolk-basted pastry. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until puffy and golden. Leave whole or slice into 2-inch lengths. Either way, serve immediately.

Baked Applesauce

After discovering that she is allergic to tomatoes, reader Lynda Rice of Oxnard went in search of a non-ketchup topping for her dogs. She found it in ... applesauce. The pairing is "so popular in my family that it often wins out over all other condiments," said Rice, who typically purchases organic, no-sugar added applesauce for the task. If you prefer homemade over storebought, try this recipe from "The Santa Monica Farmers' Market Cookbook" by Amelia Saltsman (Blenheim Press, 2007).

3 pounds (8 or 9) hard, tart apples

A few sprigs of fresh thyme

2 or 3 tablespoons water, fresh lemon juice, Calvados, hard cider or dessert wine

Ground cinnamon or nutmeg, optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut the apples in half vertically and core them. Place the halves, cut side down, in a large shallow baking pan. Scatter the thyme among the apples. Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil.

Bake the apples until tender, about 30 minutes. When cool enough to handle, slip the fruits from their skins and back into the pan, scraping any pulp from the peels. Discard the skins and thyme.

Mash the apples with a fork, stirring in a bit of water (or the liquid of your choice) to help scrape up any brown bits in the pan and to lighten the texture of the applesauce. Season to taste with cinnamon or nutmeg, if desired. Serve the applesauce warm, at room temperature or cold. Makes about 3 cups.