What Did You Eat?

WCB: It's My Yard Again!

Well, I've been on this hellish diet for a week and I know you're shocked at how emaciated I look.  This is so disgusting--they want me to look like Kate Moss or one of those other size 0 models.

Despite being starved, there is some good news.  The squirrels are leaving tomorrow. Yeah!!  Finally!  I get my yard back.  Pardon me while I do a little dance of joy.   Keep reading and you can see them for the last time.  But, first let me thank our WCB host for this weekend, Belly Timber.  Go there to see the roundup of cool kitties.

WHB: Rosemary And Orange-Glazed Chicken With Sweet Potatoes

As I was making this dish, I had a nagging feeling that I'd seen it before on another blog.  So, I Googled it and found nothing. Then I checked some other blogs, thinking I had seen it on them.  Again, nothing.   If anyone made this, let me know.  It's driving me crazy.

This dish was featured in Diane Rossen Worthington's, Seriously Simple, and it was seriously easy to make.  It's the kind of recipe that assembles quickly and goes into the oven, emerging later full of flavor, with a beautiful aroma.  A lot of the flavor and aroma comes from rosemary, which grows with abandon in my backyard.  With the exception of mint, I don't know of a more enthusiastic plant. Plus, it tolerates extremes in temperature, both hot and cold.  And it can outlast most droughts.  I once had a rosemary bush that was rarely watered, it but  flourished.  This admirable herb is perfect for this week's Weekend Herb Blogging, created by the lovely Kalyn, but hosted this week by Swank Catering.  Please check out her site this weekend, to see all the wonderful WHB participants.

"Cleaning Out The Crisper" Noodles

Several weeks ago, I vowed to treat my veggies better and not allow them to wither into little mummified lumps in the crisper.  My plan was to use them up while they were still in their prime. So, on Monday I looked into the fridge and saw a carrot, half of a red pepper, some bok choi, and bean sprouts signaling me that I better act now if I wanted to save them from an ignoble fate.  In a case like this, I usually make some kind of stir fry served with rice or noodles.  I chose noodles this time.

I don't have any set recipe for this. It's usually depends on what's in the fridge.   To my horror I noticed that I was almost out of soy sauce.  That's not supposed to happen--ever.  There are some things that must always be available and soy sauce is one of them.   Fortunately, I had exactly 3 tablespoons in the bottle--so I was safe.

How To Take The Sting Out Of A Birthday

I celebrated my birthday this weekend.  It was a modest affair and quite nice.   Yesterday, I spent the day Christmas shopping with my friend Lizz, where I bought an absurd gift for my husband.  I can't say what it is, but it's safe to say that 8 year old boys all over the world would love this gift.  Then we went to lunch at Cafe California, where I decided to practice restraint (a new concept I'm experimenting with when dining out) by ordering a small salad and crabcake.  Lizz and I felt so proud of our low calorie menu choices, we each ordered the pear and apple tart with vanilla bean ice cream for dessert.  It was delicious and tasted like a stick of butter was used to make the crust. 

For the last five years, I've used a very reliable point and shoot camera, which is about the size of a deck of cards.  It's been a fine camera but lately it makes some alarming noises when I try to take a shot.  I love my little camera, but I was very excited when I opened my birthday present from my husband and found this Canon Rebel XT!  Years ago, before the digital camera took over, I used a Nikon SLR, which took great pictures.  Once I switched to the point and shoot camera, picture taking was fairly mindless for me. I know I'll learn all the ins and out of my new camera--but it seems a bit daunting. Thanks to Kalyn for lending encouragement and information.  I hope I can take pictures as good as hers with the new camera.

WCB: Ugh!

Here I am at the place all cats dread:  The Vet's office.  I was subjected to the most disgusting things.  They weighed me and said I was fat. OK, I did gain 3 pounds since I was last there. And I do weigh 18 pounds.  But, I'm a Maine Coon Cat for crying out loud. I have big bones.  So, now I'm on a diet!  I only get half a cup of my Eukanuba twice a day. GAH!  And no kitty treats.  Oh--and that thing where they took my temperature??  That's a violation!  Disgusting!!  I should sue them.

And then the vet looked at some "growths" on my skin and said they were sebaceous cysts.  And she said cats don't usually get them, but they're common in dogs. So, then mom and the vet laughed and said I have "dog skin".  I was so insulted.  And to make matters worse, I have to go back there in a few weeks and get my teeth cleaned and the cysts removed.  And the vet said they might give me a bath while I'm knocked out. Frankly, the whole situation sucks!

Well, this week Weekend Cat Blogging is being hosted by The Hidden Paw =^..^=. Go there and see all all the other cool cats.  Meanwhile, I'm calling a lawyer.

WHB: Mexican Black Bean Soup With Sausage

Not the greatest looking picture--but the soup is very nice.  This is a fast and easy recipe that I made for the first time today.  It took less than 30 minutes, but tasted like much more labor was spent making it.  The rich, smokey taste comes from chipotles and smoked kielbasa sausage.  It also contains  Penzeys Mexican oregano, so that makes it a good candidate for Weekend Herb Blogging, the brainchild of Kalyn, of Kalyn's Kitchen.  And this week, WHB returns home to be hosted by Kalyn!

Mexican oregano comes from a different family than European oregano and has a slightly sweet, stronger taste that's ideal for dishes containing chilies.  It contains high amounts of antioxidants and is prized for it's medicinal properties in some cultures.