Today's dinner: toasted hotdog-and-cheese sandwich

A fast and low-energy 'depression' meal with high salt content. The cronch of the rye toast is a pleasant sensory experience but beware sharp edges if you over-toast the bread. 

ingredients:

2 hotdogs (I used ball park brand beef)

Cheese (i used PCS 'sharp' cheddar but it was kind of soft)

2 slices rye bread (refrigerated)

kitchen utensils:

- toaster oven (I used the Hamilton Beach 31146 you can get for <$30 at Walmart)

- tinfoil sheet (optional, but really not)

- knife or cheese slicer

- a plate (optional, but fancy)

1. line the toaster oven pan with foil and flip the rack so you can put the pan above the toast as so:

2. cut the hotdogs into long and skinny quarters and line them up inside the foil. If any quarter is too big cut it again. We want them to curl when they cook.

2a (optional): toast the hot dogs a little by themselves so they're a little crispy by the time the cheese toast is finished.

3. slice just enough cheese to fill the bread 1/8" thick with a half inch empty border on all edges, and use the cheese for that purpose, then slide the cheese bread on the lower part of the rack

4. the cat can have a tiny piece of cheese if you don't make it a habit. Her tiny kidneys can't handle very much salt.

5. toast until cheese is melted and hotdogs are curled, look from below to make sure your bread doesn't burn (this is why it needs to be refrigerated)

6. remove and assemble, piling hot dog curls as evenly as possible on top of one side of the toasted cheese bread. Think of it like it's a philly or something. Then squish the other side of the bread down on top and enjoy the satisfying crunching noises.

7. drink a glass or two of water.

8. ???

9. profit

Grease is reduced by letting the hot dogs drain into the foil, which can be rinsed out right away for easy cleaning if you're planning to reuse it. You can toast everything for one sandwich at once. Are all hotdogs precooked? Make sure everything you use is precooked.

Next time I'd like to try it with white bread and provolone or white american cheese to see if it's less salty. Also I want to know how runny the individually wrapped cheese slices get when they melt.

This recipe shouldn't catch fire but just remember to unplug the toaster before you panic. Or, preferably, unplug the toaster and don't panic.

(The Doctor said to tell jokes, even if they're bad ones, remember.)