WHAT THE #*!&%?
I put in my hours at the wage generators this week. Forty at the mag. Eight at the bookstore. It's Saturday and I've already finished my obligatory bag of red string licorice and opened the bag of cookies. Well, they're called cookies in the grocery store. Vienna Fingers--Creme Filled. What that means is the driest sandwich cookie this side of the Sahara. Maybe Vienna Fingers are meant to be dipped into something to saturate them with moisture so it won't feel like a mouthful of cotton (hippie reference) when one takes a bite of them. Maybe the dog will like them.

And, I have a budget to work on for a non-profit that needs to be done on Monday. Aren't salaries fun?

And, I was mocked into making, of all things, Tater Tot Hotdish. Now, you've heard me go off on Minnesota Food before. One of the women at work had this particular treat for lunch on Friday. Having never had this culinary experience before, I went off on a five minute stand up routine on Minnesota Dining Habits. Then someone asked me if I had ever had it before. "No, of course not." "Well, don't knock it 'til you've tried it!"

I have responded to this type of a challenge before. It has led to a liking for martinis, dogs, and a list of things too numerous to name. That is why I will be making Tater Tot Hotdish for dinner tonight. It is also why, for the first time ever, I bought a can of Cream of Mushroom Soup. Of course, I went out on a ledge and got the "Golden" variety simply because the color was more intriguing than the plain variety.

I spent the rest of the day asking how to make it. "Oh, you know, it's just hamburger, french cut green beans, cream of mushroom soup and tater tots." Oh, really. So today I have been surfing the web for the perfect recipe. I have seen the tater tops on the top, tater tops on the bottom, cheeze whiz or velveeta, cream of mushroom, cream of celery varieties. I finally decided on one that fit me most. The recipe found on the White Trash Cooking site. There would be a link, but I haven't quite figured that out yet.

I will be living outside of the box a bit by adding onions, garlic, mushrooms, two (yes, two) types of vegetables, and, shock of all shocks, I even think I will drain the hamburger and grate real cheese to add. I know that's a bit on the edge, but after those damn cookies, I NEED some flavor. I will definitely let you know how it goes.

I also promise (myself) not to surf Blogexplosion all night and see how all the rest of you are doing and finish that damn budget. At least it's an excuse to not do laundry. Go Sarah!