Yesterday just flew by. I slept in ’til almost 7 (I tend to sleep in later on the weekends – Saturdays, I get up around 6:20, Sundays around 6:30 – I imagine that if Fred took a week off work and I didn’t have to get up to let the chickens out a little before 7, I’d sleep in ’til 8 every morning. Oh, wouldn’t Fred act like I was sleeping ’til noon if I did THAT. He gets up ridiculously early even when he’s not working, so he thinks everyone should do the same.), then I got up and made a couple of Bacon, Egg & Toast cups (the awesome thing about that recipe is that you can make as few or as many of them as you’d like). I made a batch of Chunky Caramel-Apple Jam (some of which is available for sale), and a batch of Scorchin’ Strawberry-Habanero Jam.
I was sitting in the guest bedroom snuggling with all four of the Wonkas when Fred asked me to come out and look at Sookie’s eyes. They seemed a little goopy and swollen, so I put ointment in her eyes, and we started her on a regimen of antibiotics. For a few hours she acted quiet and sat hunched-up as though she didn’t feel well, but by the end of the day she was playing with her brothers, and snuggling with my boots, which she dearly loves to do because she’s a weirdo. We’ll keep her on the antibiotics, and I’ll be vigilant about putting ointment in her eyes, but I don’t think there’s going to be a problem.
I went back into the guest bedroom and hung out with the Wonkas, and they were bouncing-off-the-walls wild, biting each other and clawing at my feet (what the hell is it about kittens and my feet??), so I left them to it. As I walked out of the room, Fred came down the hallway on his way to find me and ask me to come look at “this.”
“This” was the damn refrigerator. For the last few days, it’s been putting out weird (yet kinda neat) hollow ice cubes. Fred had been getting a drink when he noticed that there was water leaking out from under the refrigerator. We pulled it out (okay, HE pulled it out. I supervised.) and found that the tray underneath the fridge was full of water and had started to (slowly) overflow. I cleaned up the water on the floor, and then cleaned the ten pounds of accumulated dust and cat hair from the floor and walls.
(Actually, considering that it’s been almost exactly two years since we got that fridge, it’s kind of surprising conditions back there weren’t worse.)
We ended up having to empty out the refrigerator and put everything from the kitchen fridge into the laundry room fridge.
“This would be the perfect time to clean out the refrigerator,” Fred said, all perky-like.
“Except that I did that JUST LAST WEEK,” I growled.
We did end up getting rid of a lot of stuff, mostly expired salad dressings and 17 – YES I SAID SEVENTEEN – jelly jars with various and sundry dabs of habanero jams in them. No wonder we never have room for anything in that fridge.
Due to advice from an expert, we left the fridge unplugged overnight, and started it up again this morning.
“What the hell do people who only have one fridge do in this instance?” I asked.
“Well,” Fred said. “If it was [Douchebag we know], he’d call L0we’s and tell them to come get it and bring him a new one, because he always buys the extended warranty. And then he’d sue them for the cost of any food that spoiled.”
I laughed.
“You think I’m kidding!” he said.
“No, I know you’re not!”
Ah, douchebags. What fun would life be if they weren’t there for us to mock?
As a result of emptying out the fridge and freezer in the kitchen, I found some stuff wayyyy back in the freezer that I didn’t know we had. I actually found a pack of three boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I haven’t bought chicken from the store in close to a year, so I’m going to guess that chicken’s pretty old. It still looks good, though, so maybe I’ll make some Crockpot Swiss Chicken. We haven’t had that in a long, long time. Our chickens are really good, but they don’t have large enough breasts so that Fred can debone them and leave me with enough meat to make a meal from.
(That whole last sentence sounds kind of dirty, doesn’t it? Or maybe it’s just me.)
I also found a big back of chicken backs and bones, from which I have been intending to make chicken stock. I’ve never really made chicken stock before, so if someone has a super-simple recipe that they swear by, I’d love to hear it!
For dinner last night we had a pork roast (just rubbed with spices and roasted for 35 minutes per pound at 350ºF), fried green tomatoes, and baked squash. It was truly a Crooked Acres-grown meal, and the best part is that we have enough for at least one more meal, and probably two.
Today, I’m taking a break from making jam, but I plan to use up the rest of the Granny Smith apples we bought on Sunday by making many batches of Caramel-Apple Jam before the weekend gets here.
(I’ll probably save some apples for Apple Crisp. I haven’t made that in at least two years, if not longer.)
Would it be too much to ask for a few days of sunshine? We’re forecast to get rain all week, though we’re expected to have a sunny weekend. I’ll believe that when I see it – those damn weathermen LOVE to promise us sunny days that are juuuuust out of reach.
Have you ever seen a happier cat?
I love it when they snuggle up to sleep – and they ALWAYS snuggle up to sleep!
“I HAZ A COMPLAINT.”
“A COMPLAINT, DO YOU HEAR ME?!” (In the foreground, Bill’s all “Yeah, what’s NEW?”)
Tommy snuggles up with Lafayette and Hoyt.
webbthistle mentioned in yesterday’s comments that the Wonkas’ eyes are changing. They are, indeed. They’re no longer that deep, dark, almost purple, blue. They’ve changed to a really pretty greenish blue, on the way (I’m sure) to shades of green.
I had a long discussion with Veruca last night, and she finally agreed that she’s a big girl now and doesn’t need the bottle. Then she “convinced” the rest of the gang that they don’t need it, either. They’re a little nervous about this no-bottle thing, but I’ll give them formula in bowls in the morning and evening for a few more days, and there’s always crunchy food available in a small dish, so they shouldn’t starve.
I’ve noticed that Gus and Mike are more interested in the crunchy food, and the girls prefer the canned stuff, though Violet will occasionally eat some crunchy stuff, too. Judging by the amount of crunchy food that ends up scattered across the floor, they also enjoy a good swim through the crunchy food.
There doesn’t appear to be any danger of these babies starving to death, in any case.
“How’m I gonna tell Mom that I failed Gym? She’s gonna KILL me!”
Count Verucula.
I love me some Mike.
Not only is Miz Poo willingly sleeping next to Elwood – please note that her arm is UNDER him. As if she’s SNUGGLING.
Previously
2008: Like I was having a temper tantrum, so I grabbed his list and took off so he couldn’t check it twice.
2007: No entry.
2006: I sure do wish I was going to see Callie Torres and not some old guy.
2005: Does this mean I’m getting old?
2004: No entry.
2003: Bringing home Mister Boogers.
2002: No entry.
2001: No entry.
2000: All about the cats.
1999: I certainly am bitching a lot today, aren’t I?
Hi Robyn!
Can you explain what the contest is for?? Thanks! (I voted for you twice and put it on my Facebook)
My friend got Lowes or HomeDepot to upgrade her to a three door fridge for free because they were a couple of days late with her floor instillation. Yeah she’s a female douche and part of the reason prices are so high. She wanted to date my newly divorced brother. I advised him to run for the hills and he listened. We were once very good friends but are more frenemies the last few years-long story.
Gus needs to come live with me. Please advise postage.
We are moving to a house with a bay window and I will need to get cat beds. Do your cats favor one kind over another? (Right now our tabby will sleep on anything but always chooses to sleep on the thing you most don’t want furred up. Our Siamese gets annoyed that we are taking up so much room in HIS bed.)
That Veruca is just a natural leader. Go Veruca! I suspect Miz Poo will claim that her paw slipped while she was sleeping, and she definitely was not SNUGGLING with Elwood!
Thanks for starting to fulfill my Tuesday kitten quota. Off to Love & Hisses.
I just toss my poultry bones into the freezer until I get enough or get enough time to make broth. I make my poultry (chicken or turkey) broth by putting the thawed bones in a pot with the cooking trinity (celery, onion, and carrots) and cover with cold water. Will sometimes add garlic but it depends on who I am making the broth for. Bring water to simmer. Don’t boil or it will make broth cloudy. Simmer until bones get rubbery or snap easy (depends if you are using fresh bones or frozen). Strain, add salt if you want and can.
My grandmother used to bake her poultry bones and the cooking trinity before simmering because she said it made a deeper broth but I haven’t found any difference. I do bake my pork or beef bones before I make broth because I do think it does make a difference in the taste.
Hope that helps
Count Verucula. HAW! HAW! You crack my ass up.
And what up with Miz Poo getting all maternal???
nevermind’s process is very close to mine, but I also add lots of woody herbs (rosemary, thyme) and a few bay leaves. Oh, and I throw some of the celery leaves into the broth as well. And garlic is not an optional ingredient. 🙂
When I clean vegetables I tend to put the ends in a ziploc bag in the freezer – onions, celery, carrots – I’ll even toss in zucchini ends. That way if I have chicken bones I always have veggies to make broth. I just toss it all in the crockpout and let it simmer all day. Maybe a little white wine & a bay leaf, some s&p – that’s about as easy as you can get!
Thanks, all of you, for your stock suggestions. I really like your idea of tossing ends of onions, celery and carrots into a bag in the freezer, Neca. I also like the crockpot suggestion – and deeje, I’m with you, garlic’s never optional. Also, nevermind, I really like the “cooking trinity.” 🙂
Hey Robyn-
On Monday it will be TWO MONTHS since Fred has posted anything on his site. I am beginning to wonder if you’ve finally snapped and buried him in the back yard. Could you tell him that unless he wants to have the Alabama state police at his house to check if he’s still breathing, we’d like to see like 2-3 sentences from him sometime before 2010.
Thanks!!!!
I’ll tell him, but I can’t promise anything. 🙂
Robyn, I don’t have any idea why I read your blog. I don’t even like cats! But I did vote for you to represent Sam-e, and I do know how to make a mean stock. Your other commentors are right on–you just need a huge pot of water and a whole lotta time. Boil it forever. Also, throw in any vegetable odds and ends not fit for appearing at the table. Boil it forever and strain well. Here are a few more bits of advice: 1. you always have to add a ton of salt to stock after you make it. 2. I make vegetable stock all the time so I don’t have to die of guilt over the wasting-away veggies, and it is amazingly delicious. 3. Throw in a parmesan cheese rind and a T of pesto and you won’t believe you ever made something so delicious out of vegetable rinds and ends.
Miz Poo will tell you that her arm slipped while getting ready to deliver the smackdown and then she got reaaaaallly sleepy and had to take a nap. She will have to reschedule the smackdown for a later time.
Damn, she has mellowed in her old age, huh?
Voted for you (and will continue to do so). I think I’ve read you nearly as long as you’ve been around. Thanks for all the great posts. Love you.
PS When my old frig started to leak out the bottom, that was all she wrote. I mopped the floor for a long time til we could afford a new frig. But it was way older than two years. That is way too new to be doing that.
PSS I miss Fred’s posts, too, but know he’ll post if he wants to, and if he doesn’t want to, that’s fine, too.
PSSS The kitties really love that purple bed, don’t they? It’s so pretty. But Miz Poo should get first dibs.
You know I love you (in a totally non-weird way) and your blog to pieces, but I have to admit I hope you *don’t* win the SAM-e contest. They want someone to write “a daily blog post about the things that make them happy,” and the posts of yours that make the laugh the loudest, nod in agreement the hardest, and stand up and applaud the longest are the ones where You. Are. PISSED. at something or someone. I love those posts.
I want you to be happy (of course) and I know that you ARE a very happy and positive person (anyone who’s read more than one post would know that), but I would be worried, if you had to adhere to someone *else’s* definition/version of “good mood,” that we would no longer hear about roosters named Asshole, or the fucking motherfuckers who are fucking around at this place or that place, or the many and varied ways you’re going to kill Fred and hide the evidence (I get SUCH good ideas from those posts, hee). I do not think I could bear life without those kinds of Bitchypoo posts and you know how corporate gigs are – one minute it’s all “welcome to the family” and the next minute it’s all “HOW DARE YOU WEAR MEDIUM-DARK-BLUE TODAY IS MEDIUM-BLUE DAY YOU ARE NOT A TEAM PLAYER GO HOME AND CHANGE.” Type of thing.
I hope this comment comes across the way I intend it, and not all horrible and critical – please no one flame me, because I will cry and that is not a good-mood thing and the SAM-e people would not like that.
*smooches*
Oh, by the way: My stock recipe is: Boil the bones and vegetable bits (I don’t care if it’s cloudy) for three days or until you fear you’re going to burn a hole through the bottom of the pot. Carefully strain out the bones and vegetable bits, put the stock in the fridge until cool enough to handle, then forget about it for six months until you’re looking for that pot because you want to make chicken stock, at which point there is a lovely furry blueish-green fluff that spills out when you take the lid off. Then after you regain consciousness and spray some eau de skunk to freshen the air a bit so you can breathe again, the pot will have to be disinfected with bleach before it can ever be used again. You might want to use someone else’s recipe, though, because six months is a long time.
It’s good to add something acidic to the broth, like vinegar or lemon juice, because that makes the bones release more minerals- that’s really good for you, and stock is really good for your joints, too, as it contains natural glucosamin and a lot of other things the joints need.
Ha ha, I just saw the line at the very bottom of the page, “Bitchypoo is peeing-her-pants excited to be powered by WordPress.” That is my feel-good moment of the day, but I highly doubt that Sam-E would be as entertained as I am 🙂
I made a picto-post guide to soup stocking last year (here) if it helps. I love to make stock because it’s so easy and pretty darned useful to just whip out a frozen stock, add veggies/noodles/meat and tada! Soup! Plus simmering stock makes the house smell awesome.