Gloomy Finish to the Weekend

I woke up at what the now changed clocks said was 7:30 AM on Sunday. I stripped the bed (much to Scruffy's disgust and protestations) and put the bedding into the wash.

Since I'm having the strata for bunch, I settled on a cup of coffee on the couch. When the buzzer went off, I switched the sheets, etc., to the dryer and put the blanket and bedspread in the washer.

At 9:30 AM, I preheated the oven to 350 degrees F. while I melted a stick of butter in a saucepan. I poured the butter on top of the strata and then covered it with Special K cereal (she said you could also used crushed Corn Flakes, BTW). I put it in the oven and set the timer for one hour. I went back to my book and the couch.

After the hour was up, I took it out of the oven. It had puffed up and, in fact, spilled a little over the sides. After my first (flopped) strata, I guess I hadn't thought about that or I would have put the pan on a half-sheet tray. Oh, well...

I let it set the obligatory 10 minutes while I refilled my pill box for the coming week. I forgot to mention it's been raining off and on all morning here. It's overcast and gloomy and I have to turn lights on in the rooms I'm in.

So, I cut into the Christmas Strata. She said you should serve it with fresh fruit and hot cinnamon rolls, but I have neither. So, I cut it into eight pieces, using a pizza cutter (I figured it would be easier to get through all the Canadian bacon that way). I plated it and ate it on the couch.

Excellent! I loved the flavors of it (the Canadian bacon, the sharp cheddar cheese, and just the hint of green pepper) and the crunchiness of the cereal was a nice texture change to the dish. What I wasn't prepared for was how filling it was! I planned on eating two pieces, but could barely get the first one down.

Thanks, Cathy! You were right, that recipe's a winner!

I did the last load of laundry and then headed back to the couch. I was reading and occasionally looking at the cat hair on the carpet. I was thinking I should get off my lazy butt when my friend B___ called. Ah, a welcome distraction! We talked for a while, probably longer than he planned (he would start to hang up and I would change the subject, so I didn't have to get up and clean). As I've said before, "Use your friends wisely!"

But, finally he did hang up and I did have to get up. I did get all the cat hair off the carpet and the rest of the rooms swept. But I made an executive decision to NOT dry mop or wash the kitchen and bathroom floors today. I went back to my book, instead.

My daughter Melissa called around 5:00 PM. She was telling me something when I said, "Yeah, I heard. Amy (her sister) mentioned it in her comment." She said, "Her comment?" I said, "Yes, if you remember, you insisted on me posting our conversation." She said, "Oh my God! Why would you listen to me? Can you take it out?" So, after we hung up, I deleted that part and Amy's comment (sorry Amy). This Blog is never, ever meant to embarrass anybody, although I am sure I occasionally and inadvertently do (mostly myself).

So, then it was time for another executive decision. Do I make the fancy dinner I'd planned or just eat something quick and good. Quick and good won out (I'm always lazy on gloomy days). So I heated up a can of Dinty Moore Beef Stew and ate it with a couple pieces of buttered bread.

I went in to watch my Sunday Night shows and tried to fall asleep at 11:00 PM. I wasn't all that sleepy (knowing it was really 10:00) but finally fell asleep, without realizing there was a time bomb ticking away...