Roseau Times-Region - Serving Roseau County for over 100 Years - The Official Roseau County Newspaper

Last week didn't end well. First, I turned the water on in my kitchen sink Friday morning and I only had a dribble of cold water coming out. I left the water running and opened the cabinet doors so it would hopefully thaw out. The good news was it was only froze at the kitchen sink faucet and nowhere else.

Next, I go out in the garage to have my morning coffee and a smoke. The phone rings and Julie's name shows up on my phone. I don't want to answer it because I know it's not going to be good news! It's Friday and she drives to Thief River Falls to pick up the newspaper. I braved it and answered the phone. I would never not answer her call. I wouldn't leave her stranded and left to figure things out on her own. Her news was she made it to TRF, but the van now had a flat tire.

I go wake up Kyle and we begin to figure out our plan of attack. I called Tracy at The Times and she talked with the guys and they all said Falls Towing. Kyle called and they were booked until Monday. We knew that wouldn't work since our phone would blow up with the calls of people not getting their paper. It's great the paper is missed on Friday and Saturday if it's late. That makes us all feel appreciated for the work we do to get the RTR out every week knowing our subscribers miss it.

Kyle ended up going to TRF and rescue Julie. He took the tire off and ended up buying a new one at Walmart.

The paper made it back and only a few were concerned the paper was late. Everyone was understanding when they were told the reason why it was late.

Also by the time I was finally ready to go to work my water was back in full function, too.

I may have gotten a "tone" from B in a phone call that day, as well. It went something like "I told both you and Lorena 1000 times..." I just continued on and skipped that part of the conversation. I had enough crap already that day and didn't need anymore.

The day ended up getting better and we were getting lots of great comments on the Hockey Day Section we published!

Needless to say life is a rollercoaster! I guess I will hope that February will be better. I would say it can't get any worse, but it can!

Let's hope that the end of January ends better than it started. I have a few appointments at LifeCare today and I'm hoping that all turns out ok.

We can then turn to a great February. The weather will be getting warmer and that's already a plus for me. We will be closer to a certain someone's 40th birthday!! I wonder who that could be...right Kyle!?!? And it's almost gardening time.

I think February and on will be great in 2024. I guess I just had to get the shit out of way!

Cheesy Potato & Smoked Sausage Casserole

A creamy, cheesy meat

and potatoes casserole,

this dinner is simple Southern comfort food.

Ingredients

3 cups peeled cubed Russet potatoes, boiled until soft but not mushy

1 lb smoked sausage thinly sliced

4 tbsp butter

4 tbsp flour

2 cups half & half or milk

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 lb Velveeta cheese cubed

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

Directions

In a large skillet, over medium low heat, saute the sausage in a large skillet with 1-2 tbsp of olive oil flipping and stirring until they've browned a bit.

Lightly spray a 9x13" baking dish with non stick cooking spray. Transfer the cooked potatoes and sausage to a casserole dish, stirring just enough to evenly distribute.

Turn the heat up to medium and add the butter to the skillet. When melted, whisk in the flour. Allow it to cook about a minute, whisking constantly, to get rid of the floury taste. Slowly add in the half and half, 1/4-1/2 cup at a time, whisking constantly until evenly incorporated. Continue cooking until thickened.

Stir in the Velveeta, paprika, and salt & pepper, stirring occasionally until completely melted and the sauce is smooth.

Pour cheese sauce evenly out over the potatoes and the meat. Evenly sprinkle the shredded cheese over top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender and the casserole is golden brown on top.

Joke of the Week

A farmer got pulled over by a state trooper for speeding, and the trooper started to lecture the farmer about his speed, and in general began to throw his weight around to try to make the farmer uncomfortable.

Finally, the trooper got around to writing out the ticket, and as he was doing that he kept swatting at some flies that were buzzing around his head.

The farmer said, "Having some problems with circle flies there, are ya?"

The trooper stopped writing the ticket and said-- "Well yeah, if that's what they are-- I never heard of circle flies".

So the farmer says-- "Well, circle flies are common on farms. See, they're called circle flies because they're almost always found circling around the back end of a horse."

The trooper says, "Oh," and goes back to writing the ticket. Then after a minute he stops and says, "Hey...wait a minute, are you trying to call me a horses back end?"

The farmer says, "Oh no, officer. I have too much respect for law enforcement and police officers to even think about calling you a horses back end."

The trooper says, "Well, that's a good thing," and goes back to writing the ticket.

After a long pause, the farmer says, " Hard to fool them flies though. "