Newman!

There is a great little restaurant down the street from my job where I walk about once a week to pick up lunch and bring it back to my office (to blog of course - I've become so antisocial - all free time must be spent in front of the computer!). Anywho, it's called Paddy's, and they make a mean philly cheese steak sandwich - well as mean as it's gonna get in West Texas anyway.

Since I try to limit my carbs (unless I'm eating pizza) and increase rabbit food intake (when I'm not chowing down on burgers and fries that is), I always order the philly cheese steak SALAD. Yep, I said it. It's a regular green salad, but topped with the meat, melted provolone, bananna peppers, and sauteed mushrooms and onions that are usually on a philly. Mmmm. I always eat all the goodness off the top first, then add my ranch dressing and eat the lettuce last.

So this is where it gets interesting (if you are kind enough to call it that). The nice lady at the counter always puts two packets of ranch in my bag - Paul Newman's Ranch to be exact. I only eat one, and usually throw the extra in a desk drawer (c'mon you never know when you'll get a hankering for a side of ranch on your saltines, cup o soup, thin mints, or any other dry goods that get stashed in the food drawer of my desk).

But today as I was digging for something or another, I noticed a smell, a bad smell, a dirty-baby-diaper-milkshake type smell. And then I saw them. Five of my precious Newman's Own ranch packets had puffed up to the size of a small squash. I was so scared to pick them up, they were so inflated, I was pretty sure that with the slightest jostle they were going to burst all over my grey cashmere sweater. Luckily, they all made the delicate journey to the trash can, all but one, the one that had already popped and led to the smell that is still making me a tad nauseous.

SO. I just finished cleaning all the soured yellow ranch globules out my food drawer. I have scrubbed and sanitized the drawer, but had to throw away a ton of plastic utensils, a couple cans of tuna, some soup, a bag of sun flower seeds, several ketchup packets, and a perfectly good box of Lipton green tea. I just couldn't bear it if my next cup of tea tasted like rotten ranch. Blegh!

Though so tasty, and better on fries or tots than ketchup anyday of the week, I've learned my lesson:
I will NOT hoard ranch packets.
I will NOT hoard ranch packets.
I will NOT hoard ranch packets.

P.S. Speaking of phillies, are the authentic ones up north really served with that spray can cheese, and is this tasty?