Last Sunday, I went to a fabulous picnic for some good friends who are moving to New York City this summer. Our friends nabbed one of the picnic spots down by the river in Calgary’s beautiful Stanley Park; these spots are always prime real estate on a sunny day.

Our friends set out an incredible spread featuring gourmet hot dogs — a fitting send-off for people moving to a place famous for its hot dogs. The menu was wild: guacamole dogs, pizza dogs, steakhouse dogs, bacon BBQ dogs and Mac’n'cheese dogs. The hosts had all the fixings laid out on a table, and you grabbed your dog from the BBQ and topped it up however you wished.

The hands-down winner for top choice: the Mac’n'cheese, which was a wiener topped with panko crumbs, Cheez Whiz and  heapings of Mac’n'cheese!

I went rogue and did a gluten-free lettuce-wrapped dog, smothered in guacamole, cheese and black bean dip. It was awesome!

And, I learned a great little tip for barbequing hot dogs: slide a wooden skewer into the sausage and cut a series of slits across the top. Remove the skewer and toss on the BBQ. That way you’ll easily know when the sausage is cooked through.

Just in case you want to plan your own hot dog picnic, this was the full menu:

Pizza Dog: Fresh Mozzarella, Basil, Marinara Sauce 

Mac’n'Cheese Dog: Macaroni and Cheese, Panko Bread Crumbs, Cheese Sauce

Guacamole Dog: Guacamole, Lettuce, Red Onion, Hot Sauce