I've Never Been So Happy to See Monday....

Good Monday Morning!!! I cannot believe I'm saying this, but I was actually happy to see Sunday come to an end and Monday begin. Let's recap yesterday:

11:42 am - Gary and I enter the elevator at the Marriott. Elevator goes down one floor and jars to a screeching halt. Gary tries to convince me to have sex with him in the elevator. I politely decline. (It was a tile floor!!)

12:45 pm - Gary and I exit the elevator that is hung between floors 3 and 4 via a ladder held by Grapevine firemen. I go down backwards with my ass in their faces. Humiliation overcomes me to the point that I start babbling and asking for Xanax. They tell me that they don't carry Xanax with them, but that they do have Morphine. I then ramble on about my love for coma-inducing narcotics. Classy.

1:45 pm - We arrive at our house and notice that our yard is flooded and the tube shoot is open...water is everywhere. We then determine that our son has left the water on for the past 24 hours. Lots of cussing can be heard on Chmelar Rd. Tyler is still alive and working off what is sure to be an astronomical water bill.

That was my weekend! I pray to God that my week is much better. We did eat lunch at Babe's yesterday and that helped a little, but good Lord. What else was going to go wrong??? We were scared to leave the house once we got back there.

We went to Gary's 20th high school reunion Saturday evening. It was interesting to say the least :) Before we went to the reunion, we had dinner at Kirby's Steakhouse in Grapevine and it was very, very good. I wasn't overly impressed with the wine list, but the food and service were both great. We all had the filet and it was very tender and cooked as ordered. The appetizers were both really good - fried pickles with a garlic dipping sauce and a seafood platter that consisted of crab scampi, calamari and grilled tequila shrimp - yummy!!

Speaking of food.....I have some recipes to share. My mom makes a really delicious Shoepeg Corn Casserole that I wanted to post, but now I can't find it. I'll have to locate it on my desk from hell and post it this week. Before school starts, I cook and freeze casseroles, spaghetti sauce and soups so that I help myself during the school year. This gives me a head start on dinner so that we aren't eating at 9 pm, or eating out a lot, or beyond busy in the evenings. I also utilize my slow cooker a lot. Here are a few of the casseroles I like to make ahead and freeze or make in the slow cooker when I need some help time wise. I've also got a recipe for a Cold Baked Potato Salad like the one they serve at The Gristmill in Gruene.

Cold Baked Potato Salad

8-10 Medium Red Skin Potatoes, halved (skins on or off...your choice)
1 1/2 Cups Sour Cream
1 Cup Grated Cheese
6 Slices of Bacon, diced and fried till crispy
1/4 Cup Chopped Chives (or you can use just the green part of 3 green onions)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Once the water is boiling, add about a teaspoon of salt to the water. Boil until fork tender, but not mushy. Drain the potatoes and allow them to cool. Once the potatoes are cool, start out by adding 1 cup of the sour cream and all of the cheese, bacon and chives. Stir together to get a nice creamy consistency with the sour cream, but with the potatoes still kind of chunky (you just don't want a bunch of mushiness). Depending on your preference, you may or may not need that extra 1/2 cup of sour cream. Salt and pepper to taste, cover and chill for at least two hours. Serve and enjoy!

Cornbread Turkey Casserole

Okay - this makes three casseroles, but it is totally worth it and very, very good. It's a great way to use leftover turkey after Thanksgiving, or you can use chicken. Either way it's really good and your kids will even eat it! Yay!!

3 6 oz packages of cornbread stuffing mix
10 cups cooked chicken or turkey, cubed or shredded
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
2 10 3/4 oz cans each condensed cream of chicken and cream of celery soup
1 10 3/4 oz cream of mushroom soup
1 12 oz can evaporated milk
3 13x9 aluminum baking pans

Prepare the stuffing mix according to the package directions; add the turkey and 2 cups of cheddar cheese. In separate bowl, combine the soup and milk. Pour one cup each of the soup/milk mixture into each of the aluminum pans. Top each of the pans with the turkey mixture, spreading it evenly over the soup. Then pour the remaining soup mixture equally over the three pans. Top each pan with the remaining cheddar cheese. Cover and freeze for up to two months.

To prepare one after it's been frozen, allow to thaw covered in the refrigerator a day in advance. Once it's completely thawed out, bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until bubbly. You can also remove the cover for the last 5 minutes to help melt the cheese.

If you choose to bake one immediately and freeze the other two, bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly.

Rancho Chicken

3 cups cooked chicken (feel free to use canned or rotisserie chicken, too)
1 10 3/4 oz can of cream of chicken soup
1 10 3/4 oz can cream of mushroom soup
1 10 oz can of mild Rotel
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp Gebhardts chili powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt (or more to taste)
1 cup grated cheese
corn or flour tortillas

Place the chicken in a slow cooker and top with everything but the cheese and tortillas. Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours. For the last 30 minutes, turn the temperature to high and top with the grated cheese. Allow it to melt and serve along side the tortillas, rice and beans.

Creamy Crockpot Red Potatoes

2 lbs small red potatoes, quartered
16 oz cream cheese, softened
1 can condensed cream of potato soup
1 small envelope of Ranch dressing mix
1 tablespoon milk
Optional: 1 cup diced ham

Spread the potatoes in the bottom of the crockpot. In a medium bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients until smooth. Stir into the potatoes and cook on low for 8hours or until tender. If you want to add the ham, sprinkle it over the potatoes before you pour the cream cheese mixture over the top.

I'll share more recipes during the week. I think things are slowly but surely beginning to return to normal around the office. I just finished billings that I started two weeks ago. Now I have to begin the task of cleaning up my office, my desk, and putting files back together. It looks like a bomb went off in here.

Have any of you ever heard the phrase, "if you're not with me, then you're against me"? I kind of feel that way today about family members who continue to stay in close contact with my husband's ex spouse. Their divorce was anything but amicable. Their relationship now could be described as tense, and I'm being generous. This is not someone who got along with anyone in his family while they were married, yet they feel like they need to remain in contact with her - and not just in passing. That bothers me. Maybe I'm too black and white. Maybe I'm too loyal. At any rate, I know if my parents and sister tried to continue a relationship with my ex-spouse, my husband would come unglued - and rightfully so. I personally think that anyone who likes his ex wife probably needs their head examined....with the exception of his kids who can't help it - she's their mother. Anyways....that's just one of my (many) issues. I haven't spoken to his ex wife in over 9 months and my life is better for it. This isn't your typical ex wife/new wife type animosity. This is someone who told me that me and my child would burn in hell and that she's saving up bail money so that she can kick my ass when Zoe turns 18 (I'm going to send her a piggy bank..hehehe) among other things. She also threatens Gary and talks shit about him to the kids when she doesn't get her way, etc. So there you have it....I have a problem with my husband's family having anything to do with someone who is a complete wackjob. I said it - it's out there in the blogosphere for everyone to read :). I've tried, really, really tried, to get along with her. I know I must be a very inflammatory reminder of her divorce and I accepted that at first - but it has been 8 years and she's still a bitch. Oh well... Not that I'm not a bitch, cause I know I am, but she takes it to a whole new level. And I know I'm not perfect - far from it. I'm a screw up just like the rest of the world and I've never advertised myself as anything but an imperfect train wreck at times! I mean, you saw the pictures of my desk last week....complete chaos :)

Have a great day and I'll hopefully be back tomorrow!!

Kelly