Although most kids are already back in school, and autumn doesn’t officially start here until September 22 (at 10:29 P.D. EDT, to be precise), today’s Labor Day holiday is traditionally seen as the end of summer in the United States.

Labor Day is another one of those American holidays where grilling out is part of the tradition. For a fun spin, we thought we’d pull this Labor Day recipe for Grandma Z’s Coney Dogs from the Draper employee cookbook.

The recipe comes from Teri Boxell, who handles Budget Blinds Sales and Service for Draper. Here’s what she has to say about this recipe:

What fun! The recipe comes from my mother. It was a family favorite of our kids when they were little, especially after a hard afternoon in the swimming pool. The green peppers and garlic give it a little something extra.

Grandma Z’s Coney Dogs

• 1/2 c. onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 c, green peppers, finely chopped
• 3 T. cooking oil
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 2 lb. ground chuck
• 8 oz. tomato sauce
• 16 oz. whole canned tomatoes, chopped
• 2-1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 c. molasses or brown sugar
• Grilled hot dogs

Saute the onion, green pepper, and garlic in the oil. Add the ground chuck and brown. Drain any excess oil. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer at least 15 minutes. Serve over grilled hot dogs.

As a personal aside—and this is postscript not authorized by Teri so consider it unofficial—as a non-beefeater I would substitute either ground veggie crumbles or ground turkey for the coney sauce, and use veggie or turkey dogs. Just after browning the ground turkey/veggie crumbles but before adding the other ingredients, add about six or seven shakes of Worcestershire Sauce and mix well.