All-American Inaugural

If you thought these looked like pigs-in-a-blanket on steroids, you got it right. They're Hebrew National hot dogs baked in biscuit dough, then cut on an angle into bite-size pieces and served with five different sauces.

This was just one of my wife's clever innovations for an inaugural cocktail reception and open house for 100 that we catered yesterday. We were looking for an Obama-America theme (who wasn't)--some of his favorite foods that could be served on a buffet. So there was also chili and macaroni cheese served in tall ceramic shot glasses, our own Chicago-style deep-dish pizza that turned out shockingly well, small bites of sweet potato pie and an assortment of all-American cookies.

When the crowd finally departed, we then served dinner for 20: Our favorite meat loaf and mashed potatoes. Here's wishing President Obama--and all of us--good luck and hearty appetite in perilous times.