random amusements

What happens when you put a blanket on the floor in the sunlight? = Cat magnet

I must attribute my recent productivity to my cat, Thumper. He's been hanging out with me a lot in the craft room while I am on the computer. Also, I've learned to keep my digital camera on the countertop by the phone in the kitchen, where it is handy. He makes a good subject, too.

More Thumper photos:

Snoozing on the couch...

Wants to play...

Wants to be brushed...

Wants his morning coffee...?

Wants to sleep...

Wants...something...

French Toast Casserole

Holy crap!!! This was awesome!!!!! I had invited my mom over for brunch this morning, with the idea of making this dish—I forget now where the recipe came from—and we were all amazed by how flippin' good it tastes! Although, pretty much anything doused in real maple syrup is going to be delicious…

French Toast Casserole

1 baguette, sliced thin
2 c. heavy cream
3 eggs
2/3 c. pure maple syrup
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. pecans, coarsely chopped

1. Heat oven to 325˚.
2. Butter a 2 qt. baking dish.
3. Arrange sliced bread on two cookie sheets (you can crowd them as needed) and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Allow to cool.
4. In medium bowl, whisk cream, eggs, syrup, vanilla and salt.
5. Dip bread slices one at a time into egg mixture, allowing it to soak in a little.
6. Stand bread slices in rows in baking dish. Doesn't have to be too pretty.
7. Pour any leftover egg mixture as evenly as possible over the top of the bread. Sprinkle with pecans and bake for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until set. Check the front of the dish and make sure that any egg batter gooey stuff is no longer liquidy.
8. Serve hot with butter and more syrup.

NOTES:
I'm trying to figure out how to make this and incorporate either fruit; or, a combination of cocoa and ricotta...like a tiramisu breakfast casserole...I know, brilliant, huh?!

Qu'est-ce que c'est?

Qu'est-ce que c'est?

What is this? Why is this here? Why do I have this?

Why is this frying pan so shallow? Isn't stuff going to spill and overflow all over my stove when I use this thing?

It's a crêpe pan. The idea is that the pan should be shallow, because you are only going to make the thinnest layer of egg pancake, and I would think that it might help in turning the crêpe, maybe.


Mix your crêpe batter—either homemade recipe, or a box mix (yes, there are such things—spoon or pour a very small amount of batter and then quickly tilt the pan to spread the batter out to cover the flat bottom of the pan. Wait for it to brown, then flip and continue cooking until done.

It does not take very long to cook a whole stack of crêpes, and once you've got the hang of it, you'll probably want to make crêpes all the time. Or, you can even freeze a batch of cooked crêpes, stored with waxed paper between them, in a zip-lock freezer bag.

Qu'est-ce que c'est? It is a crêpe pan. An all-around good thing to have in your kitchen.


The one I use is made by T-Fal, but many different brands manufacture them.


LINKS:
Steel Crêpe Pan $17.95 @ Stonewall Kitchen

Nonstick Crêpe Pan $19.95 @ Crate & Barrel

Crêpe Pan $16.99 @ The Home Marketplace

Crêpe definition: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crepe



NOTE:
I have a fun-and-delicious-looking recipe for a multi-layered crêpe cake which is stacked in a springform cake pan, but I have not attempted this recipe. Yet.

CoaSB: Basic Crepe Recipe

Minnesota Soup

I made some Minnesota soup the other day, because the weather has turned cool, and I had some fresh veggies in the fridge that I wanted to put to good use. Plus, it always reminds me of Grandpa...

REPOST: Minnesota Soup

Towards the end of his life, my grandfather had spells of forgetfulness and some confusion. It didn't change his personality, but he would sometimes use the wrong word in a sentence. As I had previously mentioned, I often took large containers of soup (and bread!) to him for lunch and dinner. One day when my mom was there, she offered to make him some lunch. When asked what he wanted, he remembered I had left minestrone soup. "I'll have some of that...Minnesota soup..."

Minnesota Soup II

2 cans beef broth
1 can chicken broth
6 c. water
1 small sweet onion, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 to 6 cloves garlic, minced/pressed
1 can mushrooms
1 can (15 oz.) navy beans
1 c. fresh cabbage, shredded
1 stalk broccoli spears, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 c. cauliflower spears, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 medium baking potatoes, diced small
1 handful baby carrots, sliced
1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes
1/4 package frozen green beans
1/2 package frozen lima beans
1/2 package turkey kielbasa, cut into chunks
2 handfuls tubini pasta
2 t. Italian seasoning
salt to taste

1. In large stock pot, sautee onion in butter until slightly browned.
2. Add beef broth or use bouillon cubes with enough water to fill pot about half way full.
3. Add all other ingredients, except pasta.
4. Allow to simmer for 30 to 40 minutes; until potatoes are done.
5. Add pasta; stir well.
6. Add Italian Seasoning to taste.
7. Simmer until pasta is cooked. Serve with wheat bread or some other hearty textured bread.

Links:
Minnesota soup

random amusements

Photo of me and Denise from New Years Eve...date unknown... (notice the bottle in her hand...?)

That was a really one!

Denise and I have been friends since high school. Best friends, partners in crime, trusted allies, mutual therapists, dance instructors…many things. These days, we don't see each other very often, but when we do, it is as though no time has passed and we fall right into our old joke routines.

One particular memory stands out. It is a phrase that was coined over 20 years ago, and still remains one of those things that will always crack us up. I have shared this story with scores of new friends over the years, and many pick it up and use it in their conversations. A little something that Denise and I have donated to the world.

You see, I don't have to be drunk to be stupid and amusing; I just have to be tired. When I'm tired from, oh, say, staying up all night, I stop making sense. Unfortunately, I don't stop talking. Things will come out of my mouth, and I have no idea what I'm saying. Which is exactly what happened that infamous night.

Denise had invited me, and another friend of hers, to stay the night at her house. It was a weekend, so we were not too concerned about disturbing her parents, and we ended up staying up all night long. It must have been about 6am, after hours of talking, laughing, singing along to the radio, and telling jokes.

I'm not very good at remembering jokes, but at 6am one happened to pop into my mind. What I meant to say was, "wait, wait, wait, this is a really funny one."

But I left out the word "funny."

Denise and Carrie are cracking up, and I'm thinking, "I didn't tell the joke yet…"

"This is a REALLY ONE?!" Denise shouts/laughs.

"It's a really FUNNY one," I explain.

"You said 'this is a really one'," she says, and then falls over onto Carrie, both of them laughing/snorting.

"No, I said, 'this is a really FUNNY one'," I repeat.

"No, you left out the word 'funny' and said, 'this is a really one'," Denise insists and cracks up all over again.

So, ever since then, when one of us heard a good joke, we'd say, "hey, I heard a really one the other day…"

It's catchy. Somebody does something funny, you say, "hey, that was a really one!" Movie cracks you up—it was a "really one."

Maybe it's not translating well into the written word, but if you're around me enough, it'll turn up in conversation. And when it does, you will laugh. It's inescapable.

Here's to Denise, old friends, and good memories….and really ones.

Apricot & Goat Cheese Bites Revisited

I reworked this recipe because I had some leftover won ton wrappers sitting around in the fridge. Initially, I knew I wanted to make little appetizer cups, but I didn't know what to fill them with. Then I remembered trying to find that apricot-goat-cheese recipe and I thought, "hmmm…" This was the result.

Apricot & Goat Cheese Bites Revisited

12 won ton wrappers
3 T. butter, melted
1 container crumbled goat cheese (you won't use it all)
1 jar apricot preserves (you won't use it all)

1. Preheat oven to 375˚.
2. Lightly brush a mini muffin pan with melted butter.
3. Cut won ton squares in half (to make rectangles), then fold in half to double-up the thickness (see photo; makes two layers). Arrange in mini muffin or mini tart pan. Dab with a little bit of melted butter. Bake for only 4 minutes—they should be very lightly brown on edges.
4. Remove pan from oven and carefully fill each won ton cup with about 1/2 teaspoon of goat cheese. Top that with about 1/4 teaspoon of apricot jam. (NOTE: I didn't measure these quantities, I'm just estimating.)
5. Bake for another 3 to 4 minutes or until the won tons look browned and crispy on the edges. (NOTE: the first batch I did, I was conservative with the oven time, and the second batch came out better because I left them in longer to brown.)
   

Links: Croustade Appetizers
Apricot & Goat Cheese Bites

Oatmeal Wheat Bread

I'm so distraught! First my bread didn't rise well after I did the slashing thing on top, and then it fell apart when I turned it out of the pan! ARG!!! Not an epic fail, and it still tastes good.

Oatmeal Wheat Bread

2 T. active dry yeast
1/2 c. warm water
1 1/2 c. scalded milk
1/3 c. canola oil
2 t. salt
1/2 c. molasses
4 1/2 to 5 c. whole wheat flour
2 c. quick cooking oats

1. Sprinkle yeast over warm water (110˚) and allow to proof for 5 minutes.
2. In a 2-quart saucepan measure and scald the milk; add the canola oil, salt and molasses. Allow to cool to 110˚.
3. In a large mixing bowl place the yeast-water mixture and the milk-shortening mixture.
4. Add 1 cup of the whole wheat flour; mix well. Add 2 cups of the quick oats; mix well.
5. Add 1/2 cup at a time of the whole wheat flour, kneading with each addition in the bowl until you have used enough to make a soft dough.
6. Place dough on a lightly floured work surface and knead until the dough has become elastic and smooth, approximately 10 minutes.
7. Put dough in a lightly greased bowl and turn to coat.
8. Cover and let rise until almost doubled in bulk.
9. Punch down and let rest 10 minutes.
10. Form into loaf and place in well-greased round casserole pan.
11. Cover and let rise until almost doubled.
12. Preheat oven to 375˚ and bake 35-40 minutes. Remove from pan immediately and allow to cool on wire rack.

This stuck in the pan, and another part fell on the floor....Casey ate that part, anyways! LOL!


I ate the part that was stuck in the pan...it was crunchy goodness!



Hmmm, I forgot to get a photo of the top of the loaf... I may post one later.

random amusements

Say what?!

Am I the only one who has to look up those cryptic clothes label washing instruction hieroglyphics?

I just bought a new clothes item and it has no washing instructions, as it is a "tag-free" garment. Super. Great. How do I wash it? Oh, lookie here--there are symbols to indicate how it is to be cared for...

Weird polygon thing with one dot, no-black-triangles, mailing envelope...

Say what?!!!!

I looked it up. Here you go:
http://www.textileaffairs.com/c-common.htm#wash

Thought I should share.

: )

Basic Crepe Recipe

My mom taught us how to make crepes when we were kids. Of all the fillings to choose from, I think just a little butter and powdered sugar is still my favorite. Or, if I'm feeling ambitious, homemade vanilla custard.

Basic Crepe Recipe

1 c. flour
1 1/2 c. milk
3 eggs
pinch of salt

1. Mix all ingredients together in a blender. (NOTE: this is the best mixing method. However, it can be whisked by hand if you don't mind lumps.)
2. Ideally, you should let the batter stand for 30 minutes, then blend again. But you don't have to.
   
3. Take a flat-bottomed, non-stick, 8 to 10 inch skillet and brush the bottom with a light coat of melted butter. (Or you can use cooking spray, with a light hand.)
4. Heat the pan until a drop of water will skitter across when hitting the surface—this lets you know the pan is properly heated.
5. Pour a small amount of batter—about 2 tablespoons—from the blender pitcher into the pan and quickly lift and tilt the pan to spread the batter across the bottom surface of the skillet, making a thin layer.
6. Allow to cook over medium heat until the edges begin to curl a little and pull away from the pan. Using a pancake turner, carefully pick up an edge of the crepe to see if it is beginning to brown on the underside. It should be a very pale shade—you don't want it to get too done, or else it'll affect the texture and flavor. Turn the crepe over to finish cooking and brown on the other side.
7. Slide onto serving plate and prepare with your favorite fillings and roll up to eat.
   

Fillings can include any (or all) of the following:

• butter
• powdered sugar
• cocoa powder (sifted on! do not clump!)
• Nutella
• any leftover chocolate frosting you might have hanging around
• mini chocolate chips
• mini marshmallows
• toasted marshmallows
• coconut
• toasted coconut
• chocolate shavings
• jam/jelly/preserves
• pudding/custard
• strawberries & whipped cream (don't use Cool Whip or it will melt and ooze)

I have also had some savory-filled crepes, such as mushroom & sirloin tips, which were fabulous.

This one is Nutella and a cocoa & powdered sugar mix:

random amusements

Toasted Marshmallow Day

Okay, now how can you argue with this? Today is Toasted Marshmallow Day. I think s'mores are in order, for everyone!

Chocolate Coconut Marshmallow Pie

Yes. Yes, it is as good as it sounds. We had friends over for dinner last night and I was late getting this pie made, but it was WELL worth it in the end!

Chocolate Coconut Marshmallow Pie

crust:
2 c. shredded coconut
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1/2 stick butter, melted

filling:
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 c. mini marshmallows (I used 14 large ones)
1/2 c. heavy cream
4 oz. (1/2 a package) cream cheese
3 1/2 c. Cool Whip

1. Heat oven to 350˚.
2. Mix coconut, pecans and butter in 9-inch pie plate; press onto bottom and up sides.
3. Bake crust 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow to cool.
   
4. Microwave chocolate, marshmallows and cream in LARGE microwavable bowl on high for 30-second intervals, stirring frequently. Remove from microwave and continue stirring until marshmallows are blended in and chocolate is completely melted.
   
5. In separate bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer until smooth. (NOTE: this is an important step, otherwise you may have lumps in the filling.)
   
6. Beat cream cheese into chocolate mixture.
   
7. Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes, or until slightly thickened and no longer warm.
8. Fold in Cool Whip, gently.
9. Pour into crust, and refrigerate about 3 hours.
   

NOTE: I made this without the pecans in the crust because we have someone in the family who has tree nut allergies, and it still turned out fantastic.


JST devours:


Going, going...


GONE!

random amusements

http://icanhascheezburger.com/

Orange-Molasses Grilled Chicken

I made this up, spur of the moment, after taking a pre-dinner cat nap with Thumper.

Orange-Molasses Grilled Chicken
and Potato Foil Packets

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 or 3 T. frozen orange juice concentrate
1 t. molasses
1 heaping T. brown sugar
dash of garlic salt

Melt OJ in microwave, then stir in other ingredients. Marinate chicken in this sauce for at least an hour. Grill chicken as usual. You can baste the chicken with the sauce as it cooks, but we didn't and it still had a lot of orangewang flavor.

Potato Foil Packets

2 medium potatoes, thinly sliced
2 slices from an onion, minced
1/2 a package of turkey kielbasa, cut into chunks
optional: I added some leftover sauteed cabbage

Tear off two large sheets of aluminum foil. Coat with non-stick cooking spray. Pile ingredients on foil, fold ends over, then crimp up sides to seal, so that it won't leak. Leave on one side of the grill as you are cooking the chicken.



Sorry the photo is of my partially eaten dinner...you're actually lucky I was able to pull myself away from the table and grab the digital camera off the kitchen counter to take these pictures.


Thumper was dismayed to only get a tiny taste of the chicken, but I want to be careful not to upset his little kitty digestive system since he's doing so well now and putting weight back on.

random amusements

...we're still eating chocolate tart...
Don't you want some?!!!

Bean Salad

This was always a holiday standard with my dad's family. His father cooked two things: BBQ chicken, and bean salad.

Bean Salad

1 can (15 oz.) red beans
1 jar (10 oz.) olives, sliced
3 T. sweet pickle relish –OR- 6 to 8 sweet pickles, diced
1/2 a small onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1/4 c. mayo (NOT Miracle Whip)
1/4 c. milk
Optional: 1 small green pepper, diced

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl; chill for an hour.

random amusements

Flapophobia

Hi, my name is Goldie, and I have a fear of licking envelopes.

I just sent a donation to the Arbor Day Foundation (NOTE: this is not a political statement) and as I raised the envelope towards my mouth...I *freaked*...and then spit on my finger to rub and seal the flap.

Not sure what the problem is. Just can't bring myself to put my tongue on that flap. EVER.

LOL...maybe it's Seinfeld's fault?!



References:
Arbor Day Foundation
Seinfeld episode: The Invitations

Thumper's story

The Story of the Doodle Cat

When I was a kid, my favorite book was "The Velveteen Rabbit." The idea that if you loved something enough, it would become real was well within my capacity for love, as far as I was concerned. (If you're not familiar with this story, you need to go look it up or buy the book!)

I guess it was when I was in about 4th grade, I had a spiral notebook that I used to sketch in; I'd had it for years. I showed it to a teacher at school who wasn't very enthusiastic about my drawings, and I remember feeling crushed by the lack of interest. (Note: I was *never* in trouble in school, so it's not like I was neglecting my studies to draw in this notebook.) Not long after that, I had left my notebook on the kitchen table, and my dad accidentally spilled coffee on it, ruining it. And that was the end of my drawing career.

There was a picture I had drawn of a fuzzy cat, and I really liked it…I don't have the original sketch anymore, but here is a fairly accurate recreation, as I remember it:
Eventually, my doodle cat became real…

Thumper was a stray cat who was living in my parents' garage for a while. My mom had told me about this shabby-looking long-haired tabby cat who she had been feeding, because he appeared so skinny. My dad had been calling him "Thump" because he would rummage around in the back of the garage, making a lot of noise. This soon turned into "Thumper." Having lived alone in my house in Highland for a while, and being unable to successfully transfer my original kitties—Garfield and Samantha—to the new house, I thought perhaps this new little guy could keep me company.
At first sight, he wasn't the beautiful cat you've seen on today. Way too skinny, full of fleas, and shy around people unless you were sitting down, it broke my heart just to look at him. I sat down on the driveway, and he walked right up to me and said, "meooow." As I put out my hand to pet his head, he reared up on his hind legs a little to rub his face on my palm. Then he flopped down on his side—thump!—and stretched out, purring. Like he'd been waiting for me.
I couldn't leave him. I knew I had to keep him. That day I called and made an appointment to take him to the vet for a checkup, shots, and to be fixed. I brought him home on Saturday, August 27th.

At first, I thought maybe I should keep him in the basement for a period of adjustment, because he had been an unaltered male, and I wasn't sure if he would still be inclined to "mark" his new territory. I let him out of the cat carrier, gave him food & water, and showed him where the litter box would be. He immediately ran and hid under an old end table, by a stack of cardboard boxes. Thinking he'd be less frightened if he had some time alone, I went outside to do yardwork.

Checking on him later, I found him still hidden under the table. I had to crawl on my belly to get back to the corner where he was huddled up. As I began to pet him, he seemed to snap out of it, and came out from his hiding place. Repeating his name, I offered him some food on the tip of my finger, and he began to eat. I told him I had more weeds to pull, but that I'd be back in later to check on him again. Also, I left open the basement door, so that he could explore the house while I was outside.

A short while later, I came back in and went downstairs to see if he had eaten any more food. The plate was empty, and he was nowhere to be found. I searched the whole basement, but didn't see him anywhere. Slowly, so as not to startle him, I went up the stairs to the kitchen. No kitty. I walked down the hall as quietly as possible on the squeaky floor, and there he was…..curled up in the middle of my bed, sleeping.

Thumper was home.

For 13 years, I have kept my promise: that I'd always take care of him. As you can see from the photos, his left eye is cloudy-looking—the vet says the lens in that eye is detached, and he probably can see out of it, but blurry. His top right canine tooth had been chipped as well, and the vet suggested it was from a fall, a blow to the head, or possibly even being clipped and sent tumbling by a car in the road. I'm not sure, and Thumper never wants to talk about it. I've stopped asking.

Imagine treating a cat you don't know very well with ear drops. Thumper had ear mites when he first came home, and he never gave me any problems when I needed to put the drops in. He didn't like it, but he never got mad, or said anything. Most of the time, I caught him while he was napping on the couch, and he didn't even jump down to run away after the drops were in.

Another issue have both dealt with over the years is his sensitive stomach. Thumper has what the vet refers to as "cat colitis." Which means he has bad poo problems with foods that are too rich, or don't contain enough fiber. But we've never had any litter box issues, in spite of what must be uncomfortable for him at times. So, he has been on different types of prescription canned cat food over the years, and they had just discontinued his Hill's brand w/d food. All this time, we thought it was his stomach, but now that he has had his teeth out, I'm wondering if it was chronic gum disease and dental infections which caused his digestive troubles. He is on another form of the Hill's w/d, and, apparently, he loves it, cause we feed him all hours of the day, and he cleans his plate. No poo problems, so far. *crosses fingers*

NOM-NOM-NOM!

One other thing I want to mention… I found Thumper about 3 weeks before my grandfather passed away. I was devastated by that loss. Those of you who know me, you know how much my grandparents shaped my life. Grandma left us in January of 1996, and Grandpa made it to September without her, but it was too much for his heart to take. He died on September 18th, 1996. As I had said, I lived alone at the time, and Thumper was my main source of comfort. I cried on that cat for a week straight. And although we were new friends, he would just sit there and let me hold him while I cried into his fuzzy fur. I'm not much of a crier, but this was one of the worst times of my life.
People who don't own pets cannot understand the power of the unconditional love they provide. Nor the meaning of the history you share with them. And the promises you make to them.

Maybe now you can sort of see what Thumper means to me.