Dogs, hoops, tots, and beers.

It's here again--the 17th annual National Corn Dog Day.

"National Corn Dog Day?" you say, "How can that be possible? I've never heard of it."

Just because you don't believe in National Corn Dog Day, doesn't mean that National Corn Dog Day doesn't believe in you. Visit the NCD official site for a list of all the festivities in honor of "the happiest day of basketball and meats on sticks that you'll ever have:"

National Corndog Day coincides with the Saturday of the final 32 teams in NCAA basketball tournament (this year it’s March 21st). This Saturday is the only day all year that one can watch a quadruple-header of college basketball games (that’s a good 7-8 hours of college hoops) from start to finish without having to change the channel. NCD officially starts with the tip-off of the first game – 10 am Pacific/1 pm Eastern. To help pass the time, have fun with our friends, and to celebrate being blessed with such a thing as a college basketball tournament, we eat Corndogs! Lots of Corndogs...

Celebrate at one of 394 official NCD parties, or, if like me, you prefer to observe your favorite holiday in your pajamas, you can "Poem the heck out of that Corn Dog Day" for a Jones Soda prize package.

For the more intrepid among you, though, I suggest one of NCD's recipes:

Deviled Dogs

• 5 corn dogs
• 10 tater tots
• 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 2 Tbs Mayonnaise
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Paprika

1. Bake the corn dogs and tater tots according to package directions.
2. When corn dogs are cool enough to handle, remove the sticks, and split in half lengthwise.
3. Remove the hot dog part, leaving the cornbread shell intact.
4. Put the dogs, tots, cheese, mayo, salt and pepper into a food processor and process until smooth.
5. Fill each corn shell with an equal amount of the potato mixture. If you have a pastry bag, use it!
6. Sprinkle paprika over the top.
7. Return to the oven, and bake until top is browned, about 5 minutes.

Please, please, let me hear from you if you make (and manage to eat) this dish.