"I'll have what they're having, please!"

Happy 50th Birthday, Daddy! :)

Well, I anticipated this week to be h.e.c.t.i.c. seeing as how Spring Break is next week for me, but holy cow: Snow day on Monday, half a day on Tuesday... really?! Let me start from the beginning... :)

Christopher & I, as you know, went home this past weekend for my dad's 50th birthday (he would just love that I keep reminding you of how old he is! hehe) and usually stay until Sunday afternoons, however, Saturday morning we woke up and found out that Newnan was expecting some 4 inches of snow starting early Sunday morning. So, we stayed through the evening on Saturday and went on home that night. Good thing we did! Newnan got plowed with snow! ... & Milledgeville got... the sugar dust coating. :) Now, don't get me wrong, it snowed like crazy here, but never ever stuck, bummer! So we sat our cozy little selfs inside all day (because our snow was yucky since it came with rain), and caught up on our television shows, played video games, just simply hung out. We got so jealous though, as both of our siblings kept sending us pictures of the thick snow they had and the fun they were having in it... Why couldn't we have that? Having a yucky day like that does not bother me one bit.... as long as we get a snow day for it! And that's exactly what happened... :)

So Monday was an unexpected day off for me (and a blessing in disguise as I had bagoodles of homework to do if I wanted to enjoy any sort of Spring Break next week). Christopher, of course, had to go into work still (he works for his dad), and so I spent my day doing homework (the good girl I am). I didn't get out of my pj's ALL day... and my sweet hubby-to-be even went grocery shopping for me (I really snagged me a good one, ladies)! He got home so late, we didn't even really eat a decent dinner -- I hadn't thought about it, and it was too late to cook anything, so....

Today, I knew I had a half a day off from school. We're supposed to be working on this project -- but since it's not due for a while, I dedicated this time to catch up on my sleep ;) I made sure, however, to cook that sweet hubby-to-be of mine a good dinner -- Swiss Steaks & Gravy (in the crockpot, of course!) This meal is incredible! Here's the recipe from "Slow Cooker Magic -- A Seasonal Selection of Family Favorite Recipes" if you'd like it:

Ingredients:

3 (.87 ounce) envelopes gravy mix *I love McCormick's Brown Gravy mix*
2 1/2 cups water
2 to 2 1/2 pounds beef cube steaks
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablesppons butter or margarine
3 tablespoons oil
1 onion, peeled, cut in half then sliced
1 cup celery, sliced 1/2 inch thick

Directions:

1. Sprinkle the gravy mix in the bottom of the slow cooker pot. Whisk the water until no lumps remain.

2. Cut cube steaks into 8 serving-size pieces.

3. In a shallow pan or dish, combine the flour, salt, and pepper. Dredge the steaks in the flour mix, shaking off any excess.

4. In a large skillet (preferably cast iron), melt 1 tablespoon each of the butter and oil together over medium heat. Brown 2 or 3 cube steaks for about 2 minutes per side. Remove and set aside. Repeat 2 mroe times, adding 1 tablespoon each butter and oil to the skillet first.

5. Place browned steaks in slow cooker, top with sliced onion and celery. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. If you're home, after 4 hours, gently push the onion and celery to the sides of the pot and down into the gravy. If not home during the day, do it a half hour before serving.

6. Gently remove teh steaks to a serving platter with a slotted spoon or large spatula and pour the remaining juice into a gravy boat and serve!


There you go, Suzy Homemakers! Now, I am off to enjoy my delicious meal, fume over the Bachelor, cover my ears during American Idol and enjoy the rest of my day off! :)