Penne and Meatballs

When you get a craving, you have to go with it. Today I was craving marinara and meatballs, so that's what was for dinner. For the meatballs, add one egg, some Italian breadcrumbs, onion, garlic and oregano and mix thoroughly. Form balls and brown in a deep skillet. I got mine all browned on the outside before I added bottled sauce (so kill me, I didn't have time to start from scratch) and let it all simmer for 45 minutes or so. I'm not a huge fan of meatballs and spaghetti so I used penne rigate instead.  It hit the spot.

She cut him down to her favourite size/She pads, paws, pads, paws and claws - Ribeye steak and kittens!

Well, the inevitable happened. Though we really didn't discuss it much, it became clear that neither of us could bear the thought of giving up Boomer. And since Starbuck was sent off to another foster home today to await a nice couple who wants he and his brother, we couldn't imagine sending Apollo into the world on her own. So we bit the bullet and officially adopted Boomer and Apollo. Hurrah! It's been so long since we've had kittens that every moment with them is a surprise and a joy. They are the most loving, adorable and playful kittens and they simply make life better.

To celebrate we had ridiculously ginormous ribeye steaks for dinner. I roasted some baby red potatoes (crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside!) and some asparagus to go alongside. In case you were wondering, neither of us could finish our steaks!

Gardening Update: Seedlings still sprouting and growing!

 These dill seedlings seem awfully frail but I suppose they will thicken up.

 I love the way these cucumber sprouts are point towards the sun (actually all the seedlings are).

 Green beans here we come!

 More dill, thyme and basil!

Nasturtiums, the 6 foot and 12 inch varieties. I hope these do well because I love love love nasturtiums. Such beautiful foliage and flowers plus they are edible!

Add some butter and some milk, it goes down as smooth as silk/It's ma-acaroni and cheese - Mac and cheese

It's Meatless Monday and today I was thinking of a creamy macaroni and cheese more than anything else. I also knew I had Swiss cheese so I thought I'd go with that. I made a simple bechamel and added a little nutmeg, salt, pepper and cayenne, tossed in the cheese and finally mixed in the macaroni and edamame (for a little added protein). I toasted some panko bread crumbs in some butter and garlic and topped the pasta before putting it into the oven to brown. In retrospect, I wish I would have remembered to add a little pinch of dry mustard to the bechamel to give it a bit more of a kick.

For a salad I combined baby spinach, baby red romaine, sliced carrots, Granny Smith apple chunks and walnuts with a poppyseed dressing.

(Too lazy to look up vaguely relevant lyrics) - Warm salad with egg

I thought about making this salad for dinner all day. I would use baby greens, then crisp up leftover potatoes and chunks of pork roast to put over the greens, drizzle with a mustardy dressing and top with a runny egg, French style. I envisioned making a tangy dijon vinaigrette, but when it finally rolled around to dinner time, I was too lazy and used bottled honey mustard dressing instead. I always love a runny egg, and I have grown quite fond of warm salads. It somehow feels more like a meal when it's warm. I don't know why.

If I should live to be ninety, I will never forget/The little shrimp and the song he sang as he jumped into the net - Shrimp and asparagus pasta

I didn't really feel like cooking tonight, but I did have an idea earlier, when we were at the grocery store, to make a pasta with shrimp and asparagus. So I had to finally tear myself away from the kittens (though the bold Starbuck eventually followed me in there - brave little cat!). This took about 25 minutes to make, total and by the time it was done, I was hungry. 


First I blanched the asparagus in boiling, salted water, then I heated olive oil, added the raw shrimp and three fat cloves of garlic. Once the shrimp was almost done, I added the drained asparagus, salt and pepper and cooked for a few minutes longer. Then I added the cooked fettuccini, a bunch of grated parmesan and it was done. Easy peasy. 

We're so wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully/Wonderfully pretty/Oh you know that I'd do anything for you - braised pork loin and kittens!

The last half of this week got a bit hectic so some meals have gone unrecorded. There wasn't too much of note, really, foodwise, other than this ice cream sundae we had for dessert last night - vanilla ice cream, freshly made salted caramel sauce and crumbled bacon. I had hoped a bit that it wouldn't taste that great because frankly, I don't really need an ice cream craving that is worse, calorically, than just regular ice cream. However, it really, really worked; the creamy sweet ice cream, the very slightly salty (but still very sweet) caramel and the salty, smokey bacon combined into a suprisingly complex flavor. Can't wait to have another one tonight.

There are three reasons for the hectic (in the best way) days and they are named (for now, anyway) Boomer, Apollo and Starbuck. We are fostering three six-week old kittens for Tenth Life Cat Rescue run by my friend Elizabeth Frick and her husband Adam. It's a wonderful operations, run on a shoestring, but taking in some very, very special cases in addition to kittens and cats who simply need [new] homes. I had been resisting doing foster work because I was afraid I'd get too attached and because Olive, our senior cat, generally hates other cats. Still, when presented with three adorable kittens earlier this week, I finally had to say yes. No regrets yet. These are three of the snuggliest, sweetest little things I've ever seen. Every single thing they do is cute, even pooping. For proof, here's Boomer:

And Apollo:

And Starbuck:

And yes, I was a complete nerd and named them after Battlestar Galactica characters.

Today I had to lure them into their crate with canned food and a fleece shirt of mine as bedding material so I could get some things done without them being underfoot. As it was, I was made immobile for quite some time, with kittens piled and snoozing on me. At any rate, I managed to get a pork loin, braised with red wine and potatoes and onions, into the oven. It baked at 250F for about 2.5 hours, ending up juicy and tender.

Well, she took me to the river/Where she cast a spell/And in that Southern moonlight/She sang this song so well - Soda can chicken

As usual, the sales at the grocery store today made my dinner decisions for me. Whole chickens on sale for 69 cents a pound, and nice weather could only mean beer can chicken. As far as vegetables go, my produce department 'clearance' rack obsession hit pay dirt today. I got two bunches of rapini (I LOVE rapini), two bags of a fresh green bean medley, a large package of zucchini and yellow squash, and two packages of oyster mushrooms. Gosh I love that rack! It was all plenty fresh and super cheap.

When I meandered over to the beer aisle to find a cheap six-pack for the chicken, I was surprised to find no 12 oz. six-packs. There were plenty of 12-packs and a few six-packs of tall boys. Weird. I didn't want to buy a 12-pack of beer that I wouldn't drink and the Boy wouldn't like, so I spotted the section of flavored sodas and settled on a pineapple orange one. I've never really noticed the taste of the beer in a beer can chicken so I figured it would work.

Since I was using pineapple orange soda, I thought teriyaki flavors would work. To prepare the chicken for those flavors, I rubbed it with salt, pepper and garlic and sprinkled the cavity with salt. I poured out half of the soda and then added garlic powder, onion powder and a lot of black pepper before propping the chicken up on the can. Midway through cooking, I glazed it with a teriyaki glaze mixed with a bit of orange juice and some lime juice.

Here's the little darling, about two-thirds of the way towards done. Yeah, I gave her a smiling face and a hat.

And here is the end result, with brown rice and sauteed squash.