Just like the rest of this site, this page is driven by you! Here you can submit anything and who knows maybe it will get posted. Submit your questions. Submit poems. Submit anything that might strike you funny. Submit short stories. Inspiring stories. Submit artwork. Anything that might stimulate the mind. Don't submit porn. That stimulates something else.

QUESTION OF THE MONTH

Hot dogs were first created in Frankfurt, Germany in 1852, and at its heart a frankfurter is a sausage. Hot dogs are now made by hundreds of companies all across America, and each company has its own secret recipe. In general, however, hot dogs contain:

• Meat
• Meat fat
• Bread crumbs, oatmeal or flour - a "cereal filler"
• A little egg white
• Spices - onion, garlic, salt, pepper, etc.

For example, my mother has a recipe that contains 1.5 pounds of pork, 0.75 pounds of pork fat, 0.25 cups of bread crumbs, an egg white, a little water, salt, pepper, onion and garlic to taste. Note that this recipe leaves out the preservatives, coloring and sodium nitrate that you find in store-bought hot dogs. Many brands leave out the bread crumbs and say "no cereal fillers" on the label. Cereal fillers got a bad name because some manufacturers got greedy and started using more filler than meat!

These ingredients are blended together in a meat grinder or a food processor and then they are stuffed into sausage casings. Most of the hot dogs you get in the store are stuffed into synthetic collagen casings, but if you are making them at home you can use natural casings (see the first link).

Once the hot dogs are stuffed you pre-cook them (you can boil them in water for 15 minutes) and then you can refrigerate or freeze them. All hot dogs bought at the store are pre-cooked. When you are ready to eat one you cook it again by boiling, nuking, frying or grilling it.

If you want to know what the Food Inspection and Safety Service has to say about it, go here.

The Jello On My Fork
By Corn Syrup

It sits there,
the jello on my fork.
My fork holds the jello like a new born
the jello on my fork

The jello explores the forks many curves,
the jello is content.
But it deserves better.
The jello on my fork.

Sliding through the teeth,
the jello escapes the metal
and lands in the bowl it first came from.
The jello in the bowl.

The fork is lonely,
and seeks another companion.
And dives in to the depths.
After a few seconds it finds a red dream.

The fork cradles its catch.
The jello is happy.
The fork is happy.
The jello on my fork.

*************************

This was written by an 8-year-old, Danny Dutton of Chula Vista, CA, for his third-grade homework assignment. The assignment was to explain God. Wonder if any of us could do as well.

EXPLAIN GOD

One of God's main jobs is making people. He makes them to replace the ones that die, so there will be enough people to take care of things on earth. He doesn't make grown-ups, just babies. I think because they are smaller and easier to make. That way He doesn't have to take up His valuable time teaching them to talk and walk. He can just leave that to mothers and fathers.

God's second most important job is listening to prayers. An awful lot of this goes on, since some people, like preachers and things, pray at times beside bedtime. God doesn't have time to listen to the radio or TV because of this.

God sees everything and hears everything and is everywhere which keeps Him pretty busy. So you shouldn't go wasting His time by going over your Mom and Dad's head asking for something they said you couldn't have.

Atheists are people who don't believe in God. I don't think there are any in Chula Vista. At least there aren't any who come to our church.

Jesus is God's Son. He used to do all the hard work like walking on water and performing miracles and people finally got tired of Him preaching to them and they crucified him, but He was good and kind, like His Father and He told His Father that they didn't know what they were doing and to forgive them and God said "O.K."

His Dad (God) appreciated everything that He had done and all His hard work on earth so He told Him He didn't have to go out on the road anymore. He could stay in heaven. So He did. And now He helps His Dad out by listening to prayers and seeing things which are important for God to take care of and which ones He can take care of Himself without having to bother God. Like a secretary, only more important. You can pray anytime you want and they are sure to help you because they got it worked out so one of them is on duty all the time.

You should always go to church on Sunday because it makes God happy, and if there's anybody you want to make happy, it's God. Don't skip church to do something you think will be more fun, like going to the beach. This is wrong. And besides the sun doesn't come out at the beach until noon anyway.

If you don't believe in God, besides being an atheist, you will be very lonely, because your parents can't go everywhere with you, like to camp, but God can. It is good to know He's around you when you're scared in the dark or when you can't swim and you get thrown into real deep water by big kids.

But...you shouldn't just always think of what God can do for you. I figure God put me here and He can take me back anytime He pleases.

And...that's why I believe in God.

Whether walking on top of water,
or listening to me at night
I know I can count on you, Lord,
to make everything alright.
You've blessed me more than I can think,
you know I can't repay
All you ask of me, Lord,
is to remember you each day.
To preach to others about your son
is easy so it seems
And yet I fail to do it,
Lord, while you fulfill my dreams.
If I struggle or I'm worried
you put my mind in peace
I try to live up to you, Lord,
but your wonders never cease.
The troubles raging down here,
Lord, are hard to understand.
And yet you take all people,
as children, by the hand.
You're ever loving, ever caring,
forgiving and so warm
Father you calm my troubled heart
as once you calmed a storm.
Now I must say goodnight, Dear God,
listen to me pray.
If I die before I wake
please take me home to stay

by: Lori Kendall