Leftover Magic - Velveeta Weenies

There's something so deliciously creamy and cheesy about Velveeta isn't there?! It was a staple in our home growing up, and my children loved grilled cheese sandwiches with Velveeta slices. I haven't bought any for about 10 years or more though because I thought it had more calories and was more expensive than regular cheese. At least that used to be the case.
I found out over the holidays that Velveeta actually has 1/3 less calories than regular cheese, and now, it's as inexpensive or less than cheddar depending on the week. We used it for our Christmas Eve bash when we usually have cheesy bean dip. I like to use Cheez Wiz so the dip is nice and smooth but the local store was out so I decided to use Velveeta, oh yum! Okay, I realize it's a cheese product, but hey, why split hairs when going for taste and creaminess?
What is this all leading to? In my quest to not let food go to waste I had some leftover items in the fridge that needed to be used. Nathan dogs, Velveeta, leftover sour cream and yogurt, potatoes, and onions that we bought way back in October at 25# for 3.84. Can you see where I'm headed? Well here's what my hubby dubbed Velveeta Weenies.

Velveeta Weenies
2 T canola oil
3 Nathan dogs or any other hot dogs sliced into coins
3 medium potatoes, cubed
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cupped cubed Velveeta
1 can Mexi corn with liquid or 1 cup frozen corn plus 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
Tabasco, a dash or two
pepper

In a large frying pan over medium heat, saute onion in oil for 5 minutes. Add hotdog pieces and brown lightly. Add the cubed potatoes and corn liquid. Cover and turn down heat to medium low and let simmer for about 10 minutes or until potatoes are done. Add cheese and corn. Stir to melt cheese. Add sour cream or yogurt and stir in with a dash or two of Tabasco. Taste and season with a dash of salt and pepper if needed. Serves 6.

Gardening for pleasure and food

I have become a fan of the square foot garden method by Mel Bartholomew. I followed his advice on putting boxes together using 2 x 6 boards, and corner brackets. I placed landscaping cloth under the 4x4 foot and 4x8 foot boxes and then filled them with weed free compost, peat moss and top soil. I marked off the soil in a foot by foot grid and planted according to space recommendations and now have seedlings happily reaching for the sun. I can see how efficient this will be, and easy to maintain. And, I'm getting much better results with plant growth already. We will be planting most of the side yard this way, to utilize our not so otherwise useful yard space and cut down on area that needs to be mowed. I'm still in the planning stage as far as what to put down in the pathways to cover the cloth. I would love to put brick or stone, but unless my friend and I can find an amazing supply of flat rock somewhere out and about I will probably have to settle for mulch or gravel. Anyway we do it, after all is done, this will make a pleasant garden full of wonderful veggies, herbs and fruits to enjoy year round. Oh, and if you're wondering why the chicken wire boxes, I am stingy and don't want to sacrifice my garden to the deer. They graze on my flowers as it is, so they get plenty. If you want to learn more about square foot gardening here's the link: All New Square Foot Gardening .
Just for giggles I threw my flower garden photo in. This will be a wildly wonderful flurry of flowers soon.