Happy Groundhog Day

The potluck was a resounding success. I made the most amazing soup. I always make something I’ve never tried before and make my co-workers my guinea pigs. I found a recipe on Foodnetwork.com called Taco Soup. It’s mostly just tomatoes, ground beef, beans, and seasonings. Then it’s served over Fritos and topped with cheese and sour cream. So. Good! I had many, many requests for the recipe. It was easy to just direct everyone to the website and have them type in Taco Soup in the search field and click on the Paula Dean recipe. I modified it to suit my own tastes, though. I substituted black beans for the red kidney beans. I did not add any olives or green onions or chives. I also did not use the stewed tomatoes but did put in 2 cans of Mexican style diced tomatoes. Still, everyone seemed to like it. The potluck was well attended and we raised over $1000 towards the van for Bob! Our potlucks usually raise a quarter of that…sometimes not quite half that, but never have we raised so much. We are truly humbled and blessed.

How’s this for getting into my head regarding my attitude towards food? I was walking down the hallway at work yesterday and passed a co-worker I haven’t seen in quite a long time. We stopped to chat. He asked how I was, I said I was fine and then asked how he was. He said he wasn’t so fine, but would make it. I made my patented clucking sympathy sounds and then said, “There are sandwiches in the break room fridge…did you know that?” He said he would go check them out. Yet, how weird was it that when I heard he was down, my first reaction was to offer him food? Eat for comfort much? Sheesh!

This morning was so beautiful. It was cold, but the sun was out and everything was so bright and shiny and brand new. I wished I had walked to work today, cold or no cold. I think when we get our tax return, instead of buying all new clothes with my assigned allotment; I will go and get outfitted with warm walking clothes so I can walk to work on cold winter days. I need some kind of water resistant shoe, some lined pants and/or long underwear type thing, a hat and/or ear muffs, and warm socks. I’ve been told of a sporting goods store in Minneapolis that specializes in marathon wear and it was recommended that I check them out. So, I will.

Tomorrow night is my department “holiday” party at my boss’s house. I am looking forward to it as we rarely get a chance to socialize outside the four walls of our office. I am brining a dish called Cowboy Casserole. I hope it goes over as well as the taco soup did at yesterday’s potluck. Then, Saturday is the Winter Wine Down for MDA. Bob and I are running a game that should be fun. Plus…wine! If you live in the Twin Cities area, like wine, like quaint river-side towns, and have $45 to give to a worthy cause, please come to Stillwater for the MDA Winter Wine Down from 6-10 on Saturday. Sunday is the Super Bowl, but I doubt we will do more than have it on as background noise.