Karen made a really nice beef roast for Christmas dinner, so I thought I'd make some roast beef hash for dinner tonight with the leftover beef and gravy.

Was gonna make open faced roast beef sandwiches yesterday, but I opted for a bucket of KFC's grilled chicken instead. Glad I did, this hash smells heavenly!

Ingredients:

3 medium potatos, diced

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 1/2 to 3 cups roast beef, sliced across the grain

2 cups beef gravy

salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsps bacon drippings or veg. oil

In a large skillet add potatoes, onions, and garlic to the hot grease, turn with a spatula to coat evenly, add salt and pepper.

Cover, turn heat to medium low and cook, turning ever so often, til potatoes are starting to brown and are fork tender.

Remove cover , turn the heat up a little, and brown thoroughly, because browned tastes better!

Layer the sliced beef over the potatoes.

Drizzle the gravy over all.

Fold together with spatula to combine

Put the cover back on, turn heat to low, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

I usually make cornbread in that old cast iron skillet you see on my stove, but we're trying to get rid of leftovers, so it's whole grain rolls tonight.

If you're a meat and potatoes kind of peep, this just can't be beat!

And look, it's beer thirty already!

Hope I can stay awake after eating all this long enough to watch UK play Clemson in the Music City Bowl at 8:30 tonight on ESPN!

Maybe I better nap a little bit now?

My growing up in the 50's and 60's is showing again, isn't it?

You heard this everywhere at Christmas time when I was a kid. Everywhere! In stores, outside of stores on loudspeakers, in the elevator, even on the school bus from transistor radios.

In 1958, while still just 13, Brenda recorded Papa Noel, a cajun-flavored song, and Rockin' around the Christmas tree. Expected to be a massive hit, it missed the charts completely, though Brenda wasn't yet in the big time. Following the multi-million selling I'm sorry in 1960, a decision was taken to try again that Christmas. This time, the song went high in the charts, not just in America, but around the world.

Brenda was kinda cute, too.

And that sax ain't bad, either!

Merry Christmas, Xangaland!

WHOOT!

Steeler stuff!

Steeler shirt, Steeler halogram tumblers, and a Steeler Zippo!

Cards, and more cards, Cashola, a little Makers Mark, and a new pair of my signature black Rustler jeans. Still 32 X30's, BTW. (yay me)

Pretty dang good fer a guy that didn't really need anything!

If only the Steelers could manage a win this weekend, I would a happy little camper!

Many, many thanks to all of my Xanga and Facebook friends for the birthday wishes! You guys are the best!

It is near the Christmas break of the school year.  The students have turned in all their work and there is really nothing more to do. 

All the children are restless and the teacher decides to have an early dismissal.

Teacher: "Whoever answers the questions I ask, first and correctly, can leave early today."

Little Johnny says to himself  "Good, I want to get outta here.  I'm smart and will answer the question."

Teacher: "Who said 'Four Score and Seven Years Ago'?"

Before Johnny can open his mouth, Susie says, "Abraham Lincoln."

Teacher: "That's right Susie, you can go home."  Johnny is mad that Susie answered the question first.

Teacher: "Who said 'I Have a Dream'?"

Before Johnny can open his mouth, Mary says, "Martin Luther King."

Teacher: "That's right Mary, you can go."  Johnny is even madder than before.

Teacher: "Who said 'Ask not what your country can do for you'?"

Before Johnny can open his mouth, Nancy says, "John F. Kennedy."

Teacher: "That's right Nancy, you may also leave."

Johnny is boiling mad that he has not been able to answer to any of the questions.

When the teacher turns her back Johnny says, "I wish these bitches would keep their mouths shut!"

The teacher turns around: "NOW WHO SAID THAT?"

Johnny: "TIGER WOODS.  CAN I GO NOW?

A few people have asked me recently what I do for a living, so thought I'd repost this from last year. Nothing's changed all that much!

Most days,Mon.,Weds.,Thurs.,& Fri. start around 4am with 1 or 2 refined naphthalene trailers that need to be heated til the product reaches an internal temperature of around 220F degrees before they can be unloaded.

These trailers are loaded in Napierville,Canada at around 240F degrees but, even tho the trailers are insulated, after the 26 hour trip to Ky. they have cooled off to about 180F.

Since naphthalene becomes a solid white crystalline substance at 175, applying steam to the heat pads on the underbelly of the trailer has to start now.

The temp usually rises 8-10 degrees an hour, so at 8am they are ready to head to Kenova,WV to deliver at Willert's Home Products, where the naphthalene will be used to make mothballs and urinal cakes, believe it or not!

At 8, we open for tank cleaning, and the first one, a Calgon Carbon, rolls thru the door.

And, of course, there's always the paperwork!

After each trailer is cleaned and dried, got to have two copies of the work report.

Fax a copy to the dispatcher, so they'll know it's ready.

At 9:15 it's no. 2, another Calgon Carbon trailer.

By 9:20 we're starting to roll, and bring no. 3, a QC ethanol unit, into the 2nd bay.

The one major change around here is the idiot fellow pictured above has been replaced by this guy.

It was a good trade!

No. 4, at 10am,  is another ethanol, we do a lot of those lately, Gasohol, ya know.

No. 5,at 10:30, and we're back to bay 1 and another Calgon.

11am and the naphthalene is back from Kenova and ready to be cleaned.That's no. 6 and it's not even lunch time yet.

7 is another Calgon at 11:30!

BREAK!

12:15 til 1:00 we do lunch.

Lunch is a quick run to Go Mart for some of that bargain $4.09 a gallon gasohol,

a pack of Camels, see my favorite Go Mart girl, Hazlea,

who was also my first Xanga friend, by the way, thru the McDonald's drive-thru for a burger and a Coke, and right on back to the grind.

At 1, it's no. 8, a Marathon Petroleum coal tar light oil trailer.

At 1:15, a Lyco gasoline unit makes it 9 so far.

Steam cleaning and degassing so unit can be welded on at Kat Tank to stop a major leak.

Blowing steam out to dry it, so it can be reloaded after repairs are made.

At 2pm, no. 10 is brought into bay 1.

2:15, and 11 is another QC ethanol. Rear unloader tho, little different setup.

3pm and the last one for the day, I hope!

No. 12, another Calgon.

4 o'clock, and we're done!!

My dogs are barkin'. Time to head for home!

It's gotta be beer thirty by the time I get there.

Kind of a slow day, really.

Mondays are usually 15 or 16 trailer days.

Just got back from Wallyworld, had a piece of key lime pie while watching the Bengals at the Vikings game, and thought I'd post the pictures of our tree.

Got eleven days to work on that empty space underneath it!

I love the fresh smell of pine that a Christmas Tree brings into the home!

Think I might go Christmas shopping next weekend, instead of putting it off til Christmas Eve, like I usually do.

That may work out a whole lot better!

Whadaya think?

Cookie Mix

1 cup of water

2 cups flour 
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup of brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup nuts
2 cups of dried fruit
1 bottle Jose Cuervo Tequilla

Sample the Cuervo to check quality. Take a large bowl, check the
Cuervo  again, to be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one
level cup and  drink.  Turn on the electric mixer...Beat one
cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add one teaspoon of
sugar...Beat again.

At this point it's best to make sure the Cuervo is still OK, try
another cup... just in case. Turn off the mixerer thingy.  Break 2
leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit, Pick
the frigging fruit off floor... Mix on the turner. If the fried
druit gets stuck in the beaterers just pry it loose with a
drewscriver. Sample the Cuervo to check for tonsisticity.

Next, sift two cups of salt, or something. Who giveshz a sheet.
Check the Jose Cuervo. Now shift the lemon juice and strain your
nuts. Add one table. Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever
you can find.  Greash the oven.

Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over. Don't
forget to beat off the turner. Finally, throw the bowl through the
window, finish the Cose Juervo and make sure to put the stove in
the dishwasher.

CHERRY MISTMAS, EBERBOVY!!!

SIL sent me this in an e-mail.

Hope she wasn't having this bad of a day!

After leading early on by 19, and with John Wall in the locker room for a large part of the second half, our beloved Wildcats managed to hold on against a very good, very talented, and very determined bunch of Tarheels for a 2 point win!

The second half wasn't pretty for the Cats, turnovers nearly killed us, and free throws saved us.

But, it was a win, and I'll take it!

Makes us 8 and 0 on the year. So far!

University of Kentucky 68

University of North Carolina 66

Be proud of your guys today Carolina17!!!

They played their hearts out, and could easily have won this thing!!

Now we wait for UCONN.

The first snow of the season crept in last night as I slept. It's not much, but it's kind of pretty.

It's starting to melt off already!

Has it snowed this year where you live yet?