Ballard's finest acheivement: Tater Tot Casserole

They don't call me Tater for nothing...

Oh, the meal of my childhood…tater tot casserole. Most nights I was pissed that we were having it, and wanted it out of the casserole rotation, but now…I have embraced my Ballardness and love it. My version is a little different (adapted to meet the needs of my adult palate) and much more delicious.
You will need:
1lb of ground beef
bag of tater tots
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
onion
garlic
Worcestershire sauce
Montreal steak seasoning
Shredded cheese (I like mozzarella/provolone mix)


So first, sauté the garlic and onion in a pan. Add the Worcestershire sauce and Montreal steak seasoning to the onions when they are translucent. Also, make sure that you are listening to Nate Dogg and Warren G “Regulators” while you are making this or it won’t turn out right.

Next, switch your mind back into freak mode, and add the ground beef. Cook it! Add more Montreal steak seasoning (you can never have enough).
Now, get out your casserole dish. Make sure not to drop it on the ground and have it shatter. You can drain off some of the fat from the meat if you want to…be lame, or leave it for a delicious fatty tater tot casserole. This is where I add cheese. All of the meat should be the bottom layer, then a layer of cheese. Next up: the cream of mushroom soup (do not dilute it). It will be all thick and gross.

Use a spoon to spread it in a layer over the cheese and meat. Throw on some more cheese and then a layer of tots. Then….Add more cheese!! Top it with a few extra tots to fill in the gaps.

Bake it in the oven on 375-400 for about 45 minutes. Crack a Rainier tall can and sit back while your apartment starts to smell like a vat of grease and oil.

Organize Your Sewing

Here is another little craft installment for you.
I am trying to organize all of my shit. It is proving very difficult seeing that I have some how accumulated enough crap to entertain a small country for years on end. Today I decided to tackle my “office/craft room”. Yep, I live in a studio, so when I say “room” I really mean tiny area of allotted space, but room sounds SOOOO much better and more adult. Moving on.
I went to my parents’ house expecting to find some of that press board that has holes in it. You know, the type they use at Target to put those little hooks in and hang crap off of? Yep, why wouldn’t my dad have a full supply in multiple colors? BUT…he didn’t! After I picked myself up off of the garage floor, and examined the basement thoroughly to make sure he wasn’t lying to me and trying to hoard it all for some secret project that he will never get to…I had to get creative. Luckily, I spotted a hideous gold and brown velvet picture frame in my search. This would be my inspiration.

Now, it being one of the only sunny days in Seattle, and one of my only days off, I naturally decided to go to Target and walk around for two hours trying to figure out how I was going to organize.
I purchased foam poster board and golf tees. The end. Good luck! Just kidding.
The poster board was very special, it had BLUE on the back, that was a whole extra $0.10! Ahh! The golf tees were “extra long”…personal preference, hehehe. Nope, you’ll see why at the end. So…here is what you’ll need:
An ugly picture frame
Poster board
Sharpie
Drill
Extra long golf tees (I have 85 extra ones if you’re interested)
Glue gun
Ric rac
Bias tape
Zippers
Spools of thread
Box cutter
Two Full Sail Pilsners (this is crucial for creativity)

1. Measure the inside of the frame. I used a yardstick that I was forced to practice the highland fling on as a child. If I've had enough to drink I'll demonstrate for you.

2. Cut your poster board with the box cutter
3. Decide how many spools of thread you want to get out of the pile of shit laying next to your sewing machine. I decided that 15 different colors of thread was plenty. Make a little dotted chart.

Then use your drill (or something sharp like an ice pick…I mean a screw driver) to make a nice little hole. It’s going to look all ragged and gross, but the spool of thread will cover it.
4. Now, get creative. Use the little pieces of ric rac and bias tape that you’ve been saving for who knows what to make overlapping “x”s that will hold all kinds of crap. Glue gun them on to the poster board.
5. Now, push a golf tee through the back, tilt it up slightly and glue gun it. Isn't this a fantastic photo? I'm going to buy a digital camera with my first big girl paycheck. (don't worry, I've gone through 5, yes 5, digital cameras)

6. After the glue is all dry, push the poster board into the frame and hang it on the wall. Stock it full of all kinds of stuff. Thread, seam rippers, hand needles, inspiration, fabric swatches.
If your glue gun was on the clearance rack (like mine) a little duct tape never hurt (yep, I’m from Ballard)
Happy organizing!