Fascinated Feline

One of Simba's favourite hangouts when he is in the house is the bathtub. He loves to play with the shower curtain, and the water that is continually dripping from the faucet (since Jason hasn't fixed it, yet.)

Today he discovered that when the bathtub is actually full of water, there are even more interesting little glints of light everywhere to tease him.



He made a few bats at the water.



Fortunately, he never took the plunge completely.




(P.S. I'll clean the rust off of my tub again when the shower gets fixed!)

Good Laughs, Good Message

Happy Wednesday!

Reaching

Winter Tree, originally uploaded by Andy Stafford.

The sun is starting to come back, little by little, day by day.

I feel like this tree--reaching for golden warmth, fading out from lack of light's substance.

The globe is tipping back in our favour--soon, the tree and I, we will be satiated. We just need to keep reaching... and waiting.

Bean-and-Cheese Panbread

Yesterday, I shared the Quick Mix secret with you all. Today, I'm giving you another recipe use for Quick Mix.

(Click on recipe title to download a formatted 4"x6" recipe card in .docx [Word 2007] format.)

Quick Mix Panbread
Makes enough for a 16” pizza pan (for 13”, cut recipe in half)

3 c. Basic Quick Mix (A good combination is 2 c. whole grain, 1 c. unbleached)
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. raw honey
1 c. warm filtered water
1 tbsp. corn meal (from non-GMO corn)

Place Quick Mix in a large bowl and make a well in the centre to pour the liquid into. In a separate bowl, whisk oil, honey, and water. Pour into well and mix with a wooden spoon until blended. If necessary, add flour or water by the tablespoonful until the dough is moist, but not sticky. Form the dough into a large ball. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, rolling and stretching to the approximate size of your pan.

Sprinkle corn meal onto (lead-free) stoneware baking pan, then transfer dough to pan, lightly patting into place. Prick the crust with a fork to prevent bubbling. Top with your favourite Pizza or Panbread toppings, then bake in 425°F oven for approximately 17 minutes.

Variation:
You can add 2 tbsp. chopped fresh herbs to your crust (or 1 tsp. dried), as well as a pressed garlic clove, for a pleasant twist.

The above recipe was altered only slightly from MaryJane’s Farm Budget Mix Panbread Crust recipe.

Bean-and-Cheese Panbread
Makes one 16” panbread.

16” Quick Mix Panbread Crust
½ c. homemade mayo
1 c. grated cheddar or mozzarella cheese
1 clove pressed garlic
1 tsp. dried ground sage (or 2 tbsp. fresh)
2 c. homemade baked beans
½ medium onion, sliced thinly into rings
1-2 c. grated cheddar or mozzarella cheese
¼ c. crumbled feta cheese (opt.)

Preheat oven to 425°F. Prepare Panbread crust on 16” stoneware pan or 2 13” stoneware pans.
In small bowl, mix mayo, first amount of grated cheese, garlic and sage. Spread on crust. Arrange baked beans, onions, second amount of grated cheese and feta on top. Bake for approximately 17 minutes, until cheese is melted and crust is golden-brown.

Slice into wedges and serve!

Edit: My mother requested a photo of this. I don't normally post photos, because my dinosaur of a point-and-shoot digital camera takes terrible food photos, and also the light in the evening at this time of year is made up solely of the fluorescent tube above my dining room table and my flash--both terrible for food photos, as well. However, I made this recipe again with a couple of alterations (used red onion and added tomato and pineapple) and took some photos to humour my mother. Here's a photo, for what it's worth. Trust me, it tastes much better than it looks. (Mom--I could point out that if you made this yourself, not only would your mouth water at the sight, but you'd get to actually smell and taste it, too!)

Yay! For Cooking Shortcuts

For the last several years, I have been harping on this blog about how whole grains should be soaked before eating to nullify the effects of the phytates, which inhibit the uptake of zinc and calcium in the digestive tract. Okay, "harping" might imply more frequency than it has actually been mentioned, but it has been mentioned. I am still a firm believer in this, religiously soaking my hot cereal grains for breakfast every night, soaking my beans, and usually preparing my pancakes from a soaked base.

But, I will admit, there are always those times when snack time comes rolling around, and the cupboards are looking pretty bare, that some fresh baked goods look like both a cheaper and a healthier alternative to a run through the Tim Horton's drive-through. Or on the nights when you didn't pre-plan anything for supper, and you need to have everyone fed in forty-five minutes, wouldn't it be nice if there were a few "from-scratch" recipes that were tasty, healthy, and fast?

In these situations, I figure that a menu that utilizes fresh-ground grains, even though unsoaked, are better than falling back to fast food, or food-out-of-a-box. And when you're in a hurry, shortcuts are always better.

A few years ago, my friend Larrissa M. introduced me to MaryJane's Farm, and her wonderful "Budget Mix" concept--a basic flour mix that can be used as the starter for a wide range of wonderful main dishes, desserts, and snacks. I loved the idea of having some of the work done in advance, but not so much the ordering of the mix from another country, especially for the quantity I would go through. (I also love her magazine--highly recommended!)

After some playing around, I came up with my own mix, which (for copyright purposes), I will call "Quick Mix", since I came up with it on my own--although it works in place of Budget Mix in any of MaryJane's recipes that I've tried. I have also developed a few recipes of my own, which I will be sharing with you all over the next little while--starting today!

Make up a batch or two of the Basic Quick Mix in advance when you have time (such as after you have popped a meal into the oven for twenty minutes), and store it in your freezer until you need it to "lock in" the nutrients. The nutrients in grains begin to oxidize as soon as they are ground, but freezing slows down this process considerably. I find that 3 cups of Quick Mix does enough of most recipes for a single meal for my family--but if you are cooking for a smaller crowd (or a less hungry one!), cut it in half. I make my batches up 3 cups at a time (for even distribution of constituents), then store in 3 cup yogurt containers in the freezer so they are ready to go.

Let me know if you try any of these recipes, and your comments!

(Download a pre-formatted 4"x6" recipe card by clicking on the recipe titles.
Edit: I just tried this, and since I created the Cards in Word 2007, that is apparently the only program you will be able to read them in. I will leave the links up for those of you with that program until I figure out another solution.)

Basic Quick Mix
Makes 3 cups

3 c. flour (any variety: whole wheat, spelt, unbleached. Whole grain flours should be freshly ground)
2 tbsp. aluminum-free, GMO-cornstarch-free baking powder
1 tsp. aluminum-free baking soda
1 tsp. ground coarse gray sea salt

Sift all ingredients together well. If not using immediately, store in sealed container in freezer.

Quick Mix Pancakes
Feeds up to 8 people

3 c. Quick Mix (I like to use 2 c. whole wheat, 1 c. unbleached)
¼ c. whole sugar (such as Panela or Rapadura) or loosely packed brown sugar (opt.)
2 eggs
2 ½ c. milk
¼ c. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. vanilla (opt.)
butter or extra-virgin coconut oil

Mix all ingredients well in 2-qt. mixing bowl. Heat cast iron pans gently over medium-low. Use butter or extra-virgin coconut oil, about 1 tbsp. at a time in pans—do not let the butter burn. Spoon batter into pans approx. ¼ c. at a time, or as desired. Cook until edges look dry, and bubble begin to form in pancakes, then flip. Cook until golden-brown, then remove from heat. Serve with your choice of fruit, maple syrup, and whipped cream or butter.

Variations:
Thin pancakes: Use 3 c. milk.

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes: Use only 2 c. milk. Add 1 c. canned pumpkin, 1 tsp. ground cinnamon, ½ tsp. ground cinnamon, ½ tsp. ground nutmeg, and 1/8 tsp. ground cloves.

Quick Mix Biscuits
Makes 1 doz.

1 ½ c. Basic Quick Mix
¾ c. milk, buttermilk, kefir, or filtered water
2 tbsp. cold butter (opt.)

Preheat oven to 375°F. If using butter, cut into budget mix using pastry blender or a fork. Mix in liquid until just moistened. Use a 2-tbsp. scoop or a spoon to make 12 drop biscuits on a seasoned stoneware baking sheet, or lightly greased-and-floured metal sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes, until golden brown. Serve with butter.

Watch for more Quick Mix recipes to come!

P.S. Is it helpful having the downloadable recipe cards?

Snippets of Jabin

Words Jabin says (because that's how he is convinced they are pronounced!):

• "Dever mind!"
• "Reraser"
• "Betending" (Instead of "pretending".)
  

♦ ♦ ♦

Quotable Quotes:

"Mommy, I love girls. They're beautiful!"

♦ ♦ ♦

At supper, I leaned over to Jabin and asked, "Would you like me to cut that into smaller pieces?"

Without any prelude, Jabin flashed his million-dollar grin at me and replied, "And Mommy, Noah's p_n_s is bigger!"

Jason and I didn't stop laughing for about two minutes.

(I had actually overheard Jabin and Noah talking along this line earlier in the bathroom, and that conversation was even more hilarious--but I don't think that even an "innocent" conversation the likes of that one would be permissible on a family blog!)

♦ ♦ ♦

Spot o' Tea?

THIS week, I was staying up stupid hours, re-learning HTML so I could re-vamp my eBay listings (which I still have not finished), and catching Noah's cold for my efforts.

THIS week, I didn't have time to blog, or to do anything particularly blog-worthy.

But LAST week, I made a new dress, which I love!

I've always loved wearing dresses, and this winter I have discovered that I can wear dresses in the wintertime, too, if I layer up. I've taken a cue from those Regency women, with their chemises, stockings, pantalettes, and long gowns, and found I can stay cozy warm in the draftiest of houses! Thus, my typical daily fashion this winter has been tights, socks (often wool), pants (usually jeans) or bloomers (more about these in a later post), a chemise (I have one in linen and one in broadcloth--the linen is my favourite), a turtleneck or shirt, and a calf-length dress. Sometimes, I also put a cardigan over top.

Until recently, I haven't actually owned any long dresses, other than my wedding dress. And I'm not about to pop my wedding dress on for working around the house, going to town, or any other reason! (Assuming I could even get into it anymore--which I can't!)

I was a little stunned a couple of weeks ago when I put on one of my favourite green calico dresses, which I have owned for eleven years, and discovered that it had actually worn out around the armholes (it was sleeveless)! I had already been planning a trip to the fabric store that day, and was thrilled to discover that they actually had a sale on--something that's kind of rare in our local fabric store. I picked up some poly-wool tweed for only $4/m. I knew already that this dress would be down to my ankles, and it would be inspired by the Regency styles I love so much. I was going for warmth, here.

The photo above and below show the front closure on this dress. I was altering a pattern from Sense & Sensibility Patterns that actually had a black closure (but who wants a button-up back?!! Yikes! We don't have dressers and maids anymore!) I styled this front closure after the style of many of the dresses in the 2005 Pride and Prejudice movie.

I succeeded. This thing is like wearing a warm blanket. And nothing makes you feel more British than wearing a Regency-style dress in tweed!

Maybe not the sexiest thing I've ever made--but it's modest, it's warm, it's comfortable and it does the job.

And, most importantly, I like it!

Sumi's Last Ride

We had to put Sumi down tonight.

Remember when we had that really cold snap in December? The kittens were inside for that, but one unfortunate "recess" outside, sentenced by my husband for "rough play", saw Nala get sogged by Shiloh in -40. As a souvenir, she got frostbit ears and a cold. Thus, the kittens ended up staying inside for about three weeks. During that time, Sumi became even more reclusive than normal, and in fact at one point, I had to go searching for her since I hadn't actually seen her in a couple of days--she had found a new hiding spot behind my dresses.

It wasn't until the kittens were about to be put back outside, as the weather had warmed up and Nala was pretty much over her cold, that I noticed how thin Sumi seemed to be getting. Then it occurred to me that I hadn't really noticed evidence of her eating or using the litter box much for a while. Maybe a week? I wasn't sure. Hard to tell when she only comes out at night. Was it the stress of having the kittens in the house, or the fact that they ate up the food we had been using for her so we had to switch to what they were eating, or a combination of both?

At any rate, after trying to get her to eat for a couple of days, I googled "will a cat starve itself to death?"

Apparently, the answer is yes.

Amanda M. is a veterinary assistant by training, so I went to her for suggestions. I checked the things she told me to check and found out that it was not urinary crystals, and noticed that she was actually drinking a little, but just not eating. Then I remembered a can of soft food that her previous owner had given me--I had offered it to her before, when we first got her, and she had not eaten it, so I never gave her the other can. At this point, I figured anything was worth a shot, so I opened up the can (room temperature) and offered her a little bit. She ate maybe a tablespoon. But at least she ate! The next morning, she ate about another teaspoon (cold from the fridge). After that, she never ate any more, warm or cold.

According to the internet (which knows everything, don't you, dear internet?) after several days of not eating (some cats are REALLY picky about switching to new food) a cat will start to develop fatty liver disease, and at that point loses its appetite. Some of the suggestions for picky kitties were force-feeding the cat one pebble of the new food, and often the cat will decide it's not so bad after that and chow down. I tried it--didn't work. Maybe she was too far gone by that point, I don't know. Anyway, once they start to get fatty liver disease, there isn't much besides a hefty vet bill that can bring them back from the road they've chosen.

And while I don't want to be a poor steward of what God has given me, a hefty vet bill was not in our future on Sumi's behalf. Honestly, with the psychological problems this cat has, I'm kind of amazed she lived this long--and she's only about 18 months old.

Anyway, it's been a week since she ate that wee bit of soft food, and at least three weeks since I saw her eat much of anything else. She's all bones and fur. She's started puking up bile. She stinks. I can't handle watching her die this slow, painful death, so as I type, Jason is taking her for her last ride.

I'm sad that I couldn't do anything for her. It also broke my heart to coax her to me, the one person she really trusts, so I could put her in a box for her Green Mile. It all seems so wrong--like Frodo coaxing Gollum to follow him and be captured by the Men of Gondor. No one liked Gollum, but that doesn't change the fact that it kind of ruined his chances for redemption forever. I don't even kill bees and spiders most of the time, just capture them and put them outside. (Flies I kill. And mosquitoes. Don't ask for the logic of my justifications, but really--who doesn't think flies and mosquitoes deserve to die? Well, other than the flies and mosquitoes. But I digress.)

Have any of you ever had to "euthanize" a beloved (or at least needy and tolerated) pet? How did it make you feel?

Hamburger Helper

There are a few secret ingredients that I call on time and again to make delicious meals, three things that I know will turn something "so-so" into something spectacular: sea salt, fresh garlic, and thyme.

If you feel like your dish is "missing a little something," it's probably one of these three.

Here's another quick-and-easy meal that can be prepared in about 45 minutes, from scratch. This will feed a family of 5, with leftovers, or up to 8 people. Cut it in half for a smaller crew.

Spicy Hamburger Scrambler
Feeds up to 8 people

2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. butter
2 lbs. ground beef or game (I used moose)
1 lg. onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
3 tsp. (1 tbsp.) sea salt, coarse gray
2 tsp. dried thyme
8 med. red potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes
4 lg. carrot sticks, peeled and chopped fine (I used my Food Chopper)
4 celery sticks, chopped fine
1 tsp. cracked black pepper

Brown meat in olive oil and butter in a cast iron skillet (if you are cutting the recipe in half, a 12-inch cast iron pan would work). I recommend using a lid if your meat is lean to retain juices. When nearly completely browned, add onion and garlic and sauté until onions are soft. Add salt, thyme, and vegetables. If your meat is lean, or you are not using a lid, you may need to add some more butter at this point for flavour and moisture. Cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are soft (about 20-25 minutes), add pepper, and serve with home made crème fraiche or ketchup.

Variation: After it is finished cooking, you can sprinkle with about 1 cup of grated cheddar and put lid back on for a few minutes so it will melt before serving.

If you prefer, after you add your vegetables and seasonings, you can cover, add a few tablespoons of water or beef stock (if necessary) and finish in a 375 degree oven, about 25 minutes.

Little Big Man

Jude, I love that you are a big enough boy to:

• Help with the vacuuming.
• Help your little brothers with their chores and coats
• Help Daddy at work once in a while
• Pull your brothers on the sled
  
• Watch Lord of the Rings with us
• Learn to play Settlers of Catan with us
• Start the van (Command start!)
• Read The Fantastic Mr. Fox, James and the Giant Peach, and Nicholas Nosh at Sea all by yourself, to yourself.

But I also love that you are still a little enough boy to:

• Want to cuddle up next to Mommy on the couch at night while we read together.
• Want to exchange "what I'm thankful for today"s every night before bed.
• Want to give me a hug and a kiss before you go to sleep.

Sometimes you drive me crazy, but mostly, I love the stage you are in.

And more than that, I just love you.