Independence Day...a good thing

Above: Fearless family member who served in Iraq. I cannot even tell you how proud I am of him!!! God bless you!!!

Compassion is the basis of morality.
~ Arthur Schopenhauer

Happy 4th of July to everyone!

Mediterranean Dip

1 1/2 c. feta cheese, crumbled
1 can black olives, drained & chopped
2 medium tomatoes, seeded & chopped
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 can artichoke hearts, chopped
1 green onion, minced
1/2 t. oregano
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil

In medium bowl beat cream cheese until smooth. Add other ingredients, except basil. Mound mixture on serving plate. Press basil around edges. Serve with your favorite crackers, tortilla chips or pita chips.

Rustic Salmon-Artichoke Tart

I made this up because I wanted to make stuffed mushrooms, but unfortunately, they had gone bad in the fridge. I was in the mood to cook, so a search through the pantry came up with these ingredients...and it turned out wonderful!

Salmon-Artichoke Tart

1 can salmon, cleaned
1 c. mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. parmesan
1/2 jar artichoke hearts, chopped
1 box Jiffy pizza crust mix
1/2 c. Ranch dressing
cheese and sour cream as topping/garnish

1. Mix salmon and cheeses in a small bowl; add artichoke. Stir well.
2. Prepare pizza crust mix according to directions, press into 9x13 baking pan.
3. Pre-bake crust for 5 minutes at 350˚.
4. Carefully remove crust from oven and spread with Ranch dressing—you can add more than 1/2 a cup, if you like it goopy—and top with salmon-cheese mixture. Lightly press additional shredded cheese onto salmon layer, like making a pizza; then add some blobs of sour cream to garnish.
5. Bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes until cheese is melted and crust is browned to your liking.
6. Serve with additional sour cream or Ranch dressing.

random amusements

"Why did Dr. Halaburt give me a pink bandage?!"

Thumper and the vet

I just want to remind everyone that although being a very "pretty" cat, Thumper is a BOY.

And I found out an interesting fact yesterday, when we picked Thumpy up from the vet. The tech told us that the pain medication we've been forcing down his throat with a syringe is chicken flavored.

Think about that. Chicken-flavored pain medication for cats. On the one hand, it's brilliant. On the other hand, this could very easily lead to kitty addictions. Of course, this was where my imagination took it and ran…

Thumper: Hey, I think I need more of that chicken liquid…
Me: No, you're only supposed to have it every three days.
Thumper: Hasn't it been three days already?
Me: Nope.
Thumper: Are you sure?
Me: Yes.
Thumper: But I really think I need some chicken liquid…
Me: Not yet.
Thumper: I want the chicken liquid!
Me: No.
Thumper: Give me the chicken liquid!!!
Me: No. Not yet.
Thumper: Mrrrrrrr!!!!!! Rrrrowr!!!!



The full history behind this is that I've had Thumper for 12 years—it'll be 13 this August (happy anniversary, kitty!)—and although he is still not acting his age, his teeth were starting to go bad. For the past few years, we've been taking him to the vet to have a kitty dental cleaning once a year, but recently, that has not been enough to keep his gums healthy.

Since I found him as a stray, he has had some digestive issues which prevent him from eating any dry, crunchy cat food. As a result, he gets tartar build-up on his teeth, his gums get irritated, and he gets infections. Similar to how people can get gingivitis and/or abscessed teeth. But you can't tell a cat to brush and floss. Well, not successfully, anyhow.

The only real solution has been to have his bad teeth extracted. So over the past, oh, five years or so, he has had to forfeit teeth in order to stay healthy. This time, recognizing his age and increased risk with anesthetic, we decided to have the majority of his teeth taken out. That may sound like a drastic move, but for a strictly indoor cat who can't eat crunchy food anyway, it's the most logical way to prevent dental problems and infections.

Maybe I'm just writing this to convince myself because I have been a freakin' nervous wreck since last Friday night when I saw a little drop of blood on his lip and thought his jaw looked swollen…but now that he's eating so much more than he had been, I think it was definitely the right decision.

When I first rescued Thumper, I made him a promise that I'd always take care of him. I intend to keep that promise forever.




Thumper in the "meatloaf" posture.

random amusements

Caseykitty!
(If you know my husband, you'll get the joke.)

Greek Chicken on the Grill

Portion control. This is actually A LOT of food for me, though! LOL! Along with the chicken there is a salad with Raspberry-Hazelnut vinaigrette, sauted cabbage, corn, and baked beans.

Greek Chicken on the Grill

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 c. lemon juice
1 t. crushed Greek oregano
1/4 t. salt
2 T. olive oil
dash of black pepper (to taste)

1. Combine all ingredients in Ziplock bag and allow to marinate at least 30 minutes, or overnight if preferred.
2. Heat grill to high temperature, then turn down to medium-low.
3. Place chicken on grill and cook for 6-8 minutes; flip and continue cooking until chicken is firm and juice coming from within is no longer pink.

Options:

• Cube the chicken in place it on pre-soaked wooden skewers to cook as shish kabobs.
• Slice cooked chicken breasts and put on a salad with cucumbers, tomatoes and feta cheese.
• Slice cooked chicken and put on pita breads with sour cream and onions.
  

Easy Baked Beans

Easy Baked Beans

1 can red beans, undrained
1/4 c. ketchup
1 to 2 T. molasses
1 t. bacon bits (optional)

In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients. Stir well and warm over low heat.


NOTE: This recipe is super easy! I made it up spur of the moment when my husband said he was hungry for baked beans.

Grilled Salmon in Foil Packets

That's a grilled turkey sausage and some scalloped potatoes with my salmon fillet.

Grilled Salmon in Foil Packets

2 (4 oz.) salmon filets
salt
olive oil
optional: BBQ sauce

1. Preheat grill to hot.
2. Tear off two pieces of foil, large enough to enclose each filet.
3. Spread a teaspoon or so of olive oil on the foil with a pastry brush.
4. Salt the salmon filets on both sides and place each in the center of each piece of foil. Top with BBQ sauce, if desired.
5. Close foil to seal everything in.
6. Place packets on grill and turn heat down to low. Keep lid closed and allow salmon to cook for 12 to 15 minutes. Fish will flake easily when it is done.

random amusements

This is so sweet, it almost made me cry!

Smoked Salmon Spread

Here's a little hint: the "L" in salmon is silent. Please, please, remember this!

Smoked Salmon Spread

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
1 (16 oz.) can salmon, cleaned
2 t. onion, chopped very fine
1 T. lemon juice
1/2 t. salt
1 t. liquid smoke
1/2 t. prepared horseradish

1. Beat cream cheese with a fork until it is smooth.
2. Add salt, lemon juice, onion, liquid smoke and horseradish; mix until well-blended.
3. Stir in salmon; mix well.
4. Serve with melba rounds or crackers of your choice.
   

random amusements and procrastination

Take THAT, procrastination! HA! I finally beat you!

I made time today to clean and organize my huge curio cabinet, which has been sitting empty in a corner of my living room since we moved in here two years ago. Yah, I know, two whole years. I suck.

BUT not anymore! I got out the Windex Powerized Multi-Task with Vinegar Commercial Line glass cleaner (not a product endoresment!) and tried my damnedest to get the glass to stop streaking and being covered with paper towel lint. At least the dust and fingerprints are gone. That's the best I could do.

What I need is a bottle of the purple stuff that my dad always had in the backseat of his car for cleaning the pipesmoke soot off of his windows. I'll have to ask him what the heck that was...you wouldn't think his car windows would ever come clean, and yet, they did. Amazing. Heh, yeah, I'll have to ask him.

Anyways, back to my amusement...

I collect these little mouse figurines called "Charming Tails". Look it up. They're adorable. When I bought my house back in '95, I got a few of them with a Christmas theme, I think my mom & I went shopping at Highland Pharmacy (remember that place?!). And the rest is history, as they say. Not sure how many I've got by now. I'll have to take a count of them and some photos to post.

After putting it off for this long, it was like finding a lost treasure all over again. Maybe I'd forgotten how much I love my little mouseys. Next time you come over, you'll have to be sure to check them out.


Here is a pic I found online:

random amusements

I kinda found this by accident: Choclatique

Can you believe how elaborate those chocolates are? Can you believe how expensive?! LOL!

It does look good, though, doesn't it? Mmmmmm, chocolate....

Fun birthday cake

This was Casey's birthday cake. It was a concept I'd come up with months ago, and it finally became a wish-come-true for him. LOL!

It's just a layer cake with Ding Dongs on top. Brilliant, huh? I made a 10-inch base layer and an 8-inch top layer, covered it with "tripple fudge chocolate chip" frosting, and then we sliced the Ding Dongs in half and positioned them on top.

I think I like the Duncan Hines box mix the best--it always turns out so moist. Yeah, I coulda made it from scratch, but we had some people over for a little casual BBQ and I was running out of time. As it turned out, the cake was just coming out of the oven when they arrived.

A very fun night, and a happy birthday to my sweetheart. <3

Potato Peasant Bread

I made this bread on Wednesday and it was gone within 24 hours. We did give one loaf to the neighbors, but still...I think it is addictive!!!

Potato Peasant Bread

3 1/2 c. flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. sugar
2 packets yeast
2 t. salt
1 1/2 c. water
3 T. butter or margarine
3/4 c. mashed boiled potato (*for instant potatoes, see note below)
1 T. flour

1. In a large bowl, combine 1 cup all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, contents of yeast packets, and salt.
2. In small bowl, microwave water, butter and mashed potato until very warm (120 to 130˚).
3. Gradually add to flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally.
4. Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes.
5. Cover; let rest 10 minutes.
6. Divide dough in half. Roll each half to 8 x 12-inch oval.
7. Beginning at short end, roll up tightly as if for jelly roll. Pinch seam and ends to seal. Place both, side by side, on a large greased baking sheet.
8. With sharp knife, cut 3 diagonal slits (1/4-inch deep) on top of each loaf. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon flour. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
9. Bake at 400˚ for 15 to 20 minutes or until done. Remove from sheet; cool on wire rack.

*To use instant potatoes: Combine 1/2 cup water and 3 tablespoons milk in saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; stir in 1/2 cup potato flakes or buds. Cool to room temperature.

Hawks win game 3; lose game 4

Get ready, Hawks...

Game 5 is tonight, and it is a must-win. I have been offline a lot because we had a birthday weekend, and I've been spending more time in the yard. I didn't see much of game 4 because we were outside most of the day, but every time I came in to check the score, it turned my stomach. It still pisses me off, and I don't really want to talk about it. However, looking forward, this team CAN play a good game and they CAN beat the Deadthings. Get your heads straight, and get to work, boys, you can do it!!!!

I'm planning a birthday cake for Casey, but it'll probably have to wait til the weekend. Another project on my mind is that we're looking for a cement contractor so we can get a nice patio put in behind the house. I'd like to be able to sit out there in my jammies and drink my morning coffee. Not that there's a lot of people around here to begin with, but sitting in the back yard would be less conspicuous than on the front porch.

I should get back to baking...maybe it would improve my mood...

random amusements

This is totally ME as a cat:


http://icanhascheezburger.com/

Leftovers and Eggs

This is a good meal for any time of day; it does not have to be for breakfast. Any leftovers will do. In the photo, it is leftover sloppy joe meat and some zucchini.

Leftovers and Eggs

1. Find some leftovers in the fridge.
2. Put them in a frying pan over medium heat with a dab of butter.
3. Heat leftovers, then add eggs; cook until eggs are done.

You can use basically any leftovers you want, or throw in some fresh veggies with some meat, then add the eggs. There are no rules for this one. It depends on what you can find in the fridge and what you have a taste for. I use this as a meal idea for low-carb cooking options.




Thumper: "Where's mine?!"

Round 3 Game 1

Hawks lose game one

In a high-action game where Chicago out-skated the Deadthings in the first period, the Hawks were only granted one power play, which they did score on, and Detroit was allowed to hook, hold, and slash their way to a victory.

Maybe game two tonight will see the refs pull their whistles out of their asses and actually call penalties at both ends of the ice. Nah, what am I thinking?! I can accept losing when it is fair and square, but that game was anything but. We were out-playing them. Period.


Game 2 Tonight

Chicago Blackhawks
VS.

Detroitsucks

Hawks need to keep hitting and take the wind out of their opponents sails; out 4th line had them running around in their own zone, and we need much more of that. I know these kids can win. They know they can win. But the ice has to be level, or at least close.

C'mon, Hawks. Let's run 'em over and take a win away tonight.

LET'S GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!
LET'S GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!
LET'S GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!

Garden Party Today

Goldie's garden party/plant swap

This isn't working out exactly the way I had planned it, but I think it'll still be a fun day.

I invited some friends and family over to have some snacks and join in a plant swap. Basically, you bring a flat of flowers or plants, and everybody takes one, then gives you one of theirs. My only requirement was to make one purchased flat for trading, and then you could also bring stuff from your yard that needed to be thinned out.

The issues I ran into were that it has been a cold spring and I didn't want to plan this too early where things could still get hit with frost, and then we have two holiday weekends in May (plus my birthday & Casey's!), so I should probably have stuck with an April date. Next year, I'll do this earlier!

I will also make the next one an open invitation on a first-come-first-serve basis, because of the whole scheduling and weekend activity issue. And maybe it will be a two-day process of swapping whenever you have a chance to stop by. At the start, I didn't want this to get too big or crazy, so I limited the number of people invited, and that kinda didn't work out so well...but I was trying to pick the friends who I knew were interested in gardening, and I over-thought the process.

I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone brings. It is always a good idea to share, and this gives people an organized time and place to do it; prompting them to go ahead and dig up some of those daylillies that are going crazy in the yard, ya know?

Below is the text I used in my email and flyers—feel free to borrow it for your own garden party plan:

I'm planning to have a garden party & plant swap on [date] .

The basic premise is to share different types of plants among all the attendees. However, if you are not interested, or aren't available on this date, please let me know a.s.a.p., so I can plan accordingly.

What you should bring:
1) A flat of plants + a few more from any of the local garden centers (grocery stores even have the garden tents put up now). If each person does this, we will each receive a nice variety in the swap.

2) Bring any plants from your yard that need to be thinned out or divided. But you are NOT required to bring extra store-bought plants—this part is strictly voluntary, for those who have the resources in their yard and want to do the digging.

3) Extra seeds or seed packets that you'd like to share. I know every year I save a TON of seeds from my columbines, marigolds, hollyhocks, dill, and all kinds of other stuff.


If you want to join us, please let me know what you intend to bring, so that we can coordinate colors and not get too many duplicates in the swap. I’ll keep everyone updated on this.

Snacks and drinks will be provided, so you only need to bring plants and not food.

Thanks a bunch, you guys! See you soon, I hope!


RSVP:


I will try to post some pictures later or tomorrow...

Blackhawks advance to Western Conference Finals

How about that title, eh? Can you believe it?! WOW!

There are so many reasons why this team is successful. If you look up and down the roster, you'll see that scoring ability is balanced throughout. With four lines putting up numbers, it takes the pressure off of the "star" players, and keeps the opponents guessing about who to cover. Both Calgary and Vancouver had trouble shutting down the Hawks' offense because everyone has the potential to score goals.

In the next round, we will be facing either the Anaheim Ducks or the Detroitsucks Redwings. Their game 7 is tonight, so we will know by the end of the evening who the next opponent will be. People have asked me which one would be better. I could argue it either way, really. Both will be tough to play against and have a physical style of game, which would make for an interesting series.

I have also been asked who my "favorite Hawk" is... What an impossible question! Each guy has a particular function on this team, and it's like a jigsaw puzzle which would not be complete without any one of the pieces in place. I like them all equally. Any Hawk can be the hero on any night, so you cannot put more of the value on one player over another. It's a great team. They all put forth excellent effort.