It's Tuesday...and That Means It's No Longer Monday...Thank You Jesus

Good Morning. I'm still at home this morning in the thriving metropolis of Crisp, Texas. I'm waiting on the plumber to install the sink I was supposed to have when our house was built. I paid for a porcelain coated cast iron sink that would not chip, scratch or stain. What I got was a porcelain coated piece of shit stainless steel sink that scratches, stains, and chips. They now get to install the sink I bought and eat the cost. Screw them. I'm not a big fan of plumbers...especially this particular company. Anyways...that's my plumber rant for now.....doubt it will be the last one.

My kid has been on a roll recently. Last week, during the Great Depression, she saw me light a cigarette. She asked me what I was doing and I told her, "Mommy has had a bad day and she's going to smoke." She proceeded to tell me that, and I quote, "I have bad days all the time. Do you see me lighting up a cigarette? That's no excuse, Mommy." Completely shamed by my six year old, I put out my cigarette. She's just such a little adult sometimes. And she's always a piece of work. She's always got something to say...wonder where that comes from?

She's recently taken up competitive Cup Stacking. Yes, you read that right...competitive Cup Stacking. She was in a contest yesterday, her first one, but failed to place in the Top 3. She was a little upset because, "I always get a trophy in chili." Gary and I talked to her at length about being a good sport, always playing to win, but losing gracefully, and always, always, being happy for those that do. She's going to keep practicing so that she can win. Soon we will have a Jesus Christ Cup Stacking Karate Kid Superstar on our hands :)

Anyone cooking chili this weekend? I know we're going to do our best to go to Cleburne. I'm sure we'll be there. TOT is the following weekend, and then SW Open will be Memorial Day weekend. That will do it for us; we'll spend most of our summer floating the River. I'm going on a two week SOTF trip in July that I'm really looking forward to. We're going to be traveling the Santa Fe Trail and I'm pretty excited. I'm going to start working on one of my trailers in the next week or so. I have a very rough Serro Scotty if anyone is interested. Because my Shasta is all original and I don't want to mess with it, I'm going to remodel my Honorbuilt Roamer again and keep her. I need to get rid of the Scotty; what the hell am I going to do with 3 trailers??? Spend money?? Hahaha

If you have received your May TOT Tattler, you know that Ron Barnes is not seeking re-election as Great Pepper. Any opinions on that? How do people feel about one and done Great Peppers? I personally feel that if you take on that position, it should be for at least two years. It's easy for me to say that because I have a great pod, great charity and tons of support. It's hard on charities, and pods, if they're constantly dealing with a new person each year. It seems that TOT is dwindling and I'm curious as to why that is happening. The meetings are centrally located, they've always had a great cook off (Charity is a different story), and they have tons of members (maybe in name only and that's the problem). Gary and I are members and he goes to the meetings regularly - he takes Dr. Ray. We are active in the sense that we help out at the cook off and we do our best to support the Pod in anything that it does. With that said, why aren't there more people out there attending the meetings and committing to help grow the Pod? Is this a leadership issue or an apathy issue? Has TOT become the victim of lots of finger pointers and complainers and very little worker bees? I know alot of Pods suffer from that and it's never a good thing. If all of the people running their mouths would put up or shut up, you'd weed out the bad apples and probably have a better chance of bringing in and/or retaining good members. Or has TOT run it's course? Does it need to start from the ground up and rebuild itself and it's image? Unfortunately, TOT attracts a lot of the "complainers" and I think most of the newer generation of chili cooks get tired of the arguing, bickering and bitching. They want to cook chili, have a good time, and be a part of a Pod, if that's their thing, that is made up of a group of people working towards a goal. Not a group of people in one corner bitching about how it's done..which usually leads to resentful leadership that figures they'll just do it themselves instead of listening to the bitching, and then a group of people willing to help lost in the shuffle. I don't know...I'm just thinking out loud here. Maybe a different venue and a different charity would breathe some life into TOT's annual cook off. Maybe it would re-energize the Pod to work together in a more positive way. It's definitely something to think about..or something to bitch at me about for making observations when I attend very few meetings. Or maybe, I'm just brave enough to say what so many people think and not give a shit who I piss off. I think I'll just share a few recipes now :0)

Cadillac Cowgirl Brisket

1 6-7 lb Brisket
18 oz Head Country BBQ Sauce
2 packets of Meatloaf Seasoning
1 Lone Star or Miller Lite Beer
2 cups Apple Juice

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a very large roasting pan lay the brisket fat side up and pierce it several times with a knife or fork. Pour the beer and apple juice over the brisket and around the sides. Sprinkle both packets of meatloaf seasoning over the brisket and pour half of the BBQ Sauce over the top. Cover with foil and put in the oven for 4 hours. After 4 hours, remove the foil from the top, pour the rest of the BBQ sauce on top and continue cooking it uncovered until tender, about 45-60 more minutes. Remove it from the oven and allow it to rest 10-15 minutes before slicing it. Serve it with baked beans, potato salad, etc. I have a really good potato salad but I've never paid attention to the measurements, so I don't feel comfortable sharing it. And since I'm a supporter of BUSH Beans, I highly recommend buying a large can of their baked beans, embellishing it with a little bacon and bell pepper and you've got yourself some yummy baked beans :)

Okay...I have a stuffed chicken roll recipe that is very, very good but it is the biggest pain in the ass to make. So here's what you need to do instead: (Oh, and it's a slow cooker recipe, too. Yay!)

Cadillac Cowgirl Stuffed Chicken Breasts

6 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
6 Slices of Ham
6 Slices of Swiss Cheese
1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 Cup Flour
1 Tsp each Salt, Pepper, Paprika, Sage and Parsley
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 Cup Chicken Broth
Vegetable Oil

Combine the Parmesan cheese, flour, salt, pepper, paprika and sage in a large bowl. Set aside. Cut a pocket in each of your chicken breasts and lay a slice of Swiss cheese and ham inside. Lay the pocket back over the top and secure with a toothpick. Coat each chicken breast with the Parmesan/flour mixture and place in a large baking dish. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for an hour or so. After they have chilled, add enough vegetable oil to a large skillet to brown two or three chicken breasts at a time. You may have to do it in batches. As you brown them, place them on paper towels and drain them. Once you are finished, lay the chicken breasts in the slow cooker (you may have to stack them). Leave the toothpicks in the chicken breasts to make sure they stay together while they're cooking. Combine the chicken broth and cream of chicken soup and pour over the top. Cover and cook on low for 4 1/2 hours. When they are finished, ladle as much of the sauce out as you can and put it in a saucepan. Bring it to a boil and add some cornstarch mixed with water to thicken it up. Season it with salt and pepper to taste. Towards the end, add the teaspoon of parsley to the sauce. Serve each chicken breast with the sauce over rice, pasta, or potatoes. Add a salad or veggie and dinner is served.

Three things: If the chicken looks kind of pink, it's more than likely from the ham. Considering you've browned the chicken and cooked it for four hours, it's safe to say the chicken is done. Don't forget to take out the toothpicks or you will be accused of trying to kill your diners (like I was). I simply replied that I didn't have life insurance on him and killing him would be pointless :). And the last thing, the cheese may melt and ooze out in the sauce and if it does, I apologize....I haven't quite figured out a solution to that problem yet :)

Have a great day - enjoy the sunshine!

Kelly