Greetings:
It was a fun but quick weekend. I had considered doing some work-related tasks but I really didn't. I think the only work-related task I focused on was email. Saturday was fantastic because I slept better Friday night and slept in. I wasn't happy that I slept in so long because I didn't get all my domestic duties done. I do feel like I caught up with sleep though. I went back to having sleep issues Saturday night though. Jon got to experience how wired I get. I felt bad because it kept him up too because I couldn't be still.
Saturday also involved a lot of basketball. The ISU Women's team is now playing conference games and lost to Baylor. I don't remember the last time I saw the team lose a game in Ames. Gavin had his first game of the basketball season too. He's playing at a different site in Ames. He's played on the north side of Ames for all previous seasons. The south site is closer to our home and I arranged for him to be on a classmate's team for carpooling reasons. Usually practices conflict with Swim & Gym. The first game was sort of a blow out. Gavin and his friend certainly dominate but I'm also wondering if they are the only 6th graders on the team.
Today's blog will be lacking a picture. I had meant to take a picture of the potatoes I made for our church potluck. I ran out of time though so the dish didn't get a photo shoot. I made "Firehouse Potatoes". Jon actually passed the recipe onto me last year. It was created a by a firefighter that does the cooking for a firehouse. It looked so pretty this morning and tasted wonderful. It's not a conducive recipe for losing weight by any means but if you need a fail-safe recipe for a gathering....it works!
Firehouse Potatoes
Ingredients:
7-9 potatoes (all depends on their size...recipe recommends medium sized potatoes)
1 can of Campbell's cheddar cheese soup
Sour Cream (I believe the recipe asks for 1/2 cup)
Butter (3/4 to 1 stick)
Scallions
Bacon (optional)
Potato Process:
1) Peel and boil potatoes. Drain from the water like typical mashed potatoes. Add butter to the potatoes and mash. Do not add milk or any liquid. You need the potatoes to be as stiff as possible.
2) In a separate bowl, mix together the soup and sour cream so they are evenly blended.
3) Add soup/sour cream mixture to mashed potatoes. This is why you want the potatoes as stiff as possible. The soup/sour cream makes the potatoes very creamy and you don't want the soupy effect to kick in.
4) Place cheesy concoction into a casserole dish and place in the oven at 350 degrees for 30+ minutes. I watch the top of the potatoes to see how nicely they are browning.
5) After the casserole is nicely baked, add chopped scallions to the top of the casserole. You can also chop up crisp bacon and sprinkle on top too.
On a different note, my mental health started off on the right foot. I was feeling pretty down toward the end of the semester and even spoke to a doctor. I've felt pretty darn normal so far this year (other than the sleeping issues). I'm hoping that stays the same as the semester starts tomorrow. I really don't want to pop a pill to feel better or to sleep better. I actually did more research on Lunesta and Ambien and hell no. Based on my tendency to not sleep well already, I don't need any of those adverse reactions to show up too.
I'm sure I'll have some praises and some complaints to share as the semester starts this week. I still need to do more updating and editing with my DMACC materials. I think I do like the new book I'm using...it reduces the number of chapters I have to cram in before the end of April.
Hopefully you saw my Facebook status....I got to rake leaves today! It really felt like October. Weird!
2 comments:
Isn't every weekend quick? I wish I could be more more self-motivating for work and home stuff. Luckily my sleep issues have decreased - I've been able to fall asleep reasonably fast. I hardly ever feel rested.
I'm not a big basketball person, but watching Alissa play, Gavin play (if I ever get to), and the UNI game was fun. So, Gavin's pretty good, relatively speaking? That's good. It's good he's got an athletic outlet.
The potato recipe sounded good. I have no idea when I'll make or if I would, but I'm bad in the kitchen.
I hope the new semester helps the mood, attitude, stress level, etc. I would like to say depression is normal, but make sure it doesn't get too bad for too long. Lack of sleep can't help your emotional/mental health either. In fact lack of sleep might be the worse thing for depression. I've never had good luck with sleeping aids. The side effects weren't worth it.
Congrats on the raking. I'm not too jealous, but it's crazy what the weather has been like. When is "it" going to hit? I'm not opposed to a snow day or two. Maybe I should keep my mouth shut.
Those potatoes sound delicious. I might have to make them in the very near future! I'm sure a picture would have been mouth-wateringly lovely!
I'm glad that you're feeling more like yourself but I really wish you could figure out your sleeping issues. In all honesty, what was your sleeping like when you were feeling down last semester? Maybe your poor sleeping was messing with you. The pills seem really scary so I can understand you not wanting to take them to sleep. Some of the side effects are downright terrifying.
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