Saturday, November 28, 2009

Cats, Toys and Leftovers.

A comment about the Lolcat picture I posted the other day, reminded me about a cat we had once in the UK. Something frightened her, I have no idea what it was, and she jumped across the fire and up the chimney. There being a small platform there. Frightened the life out of me; then, of course, we had to coax her back down. I know she was singed and the skin of her paws got burnt when she had to put her paws on the hot coals to get back down, but nothing major thank God. What a terrifying experience that was. Sadly I don't have any pictures of her. We called her Fancy after a cop in a programme on TV we missed the day we picked her up. She was a tortoise shell very like the cat in the picture. Later we called our first German Shepherd after Zebedee in The Magic Roundabout; a children's programme which a lot of adults watched and thoroughly enjoyed, it was very well done - I certainly rarely missed it. This reminds me, a friend sent me a link to a British video made for a charity, Children in Need, with all the children's toy characters they could use, including Paddington Bear in shades, click here to enjoy I had some trouble identifiying all the toys but I could name a few of them. For supper tonight, I am going to try the Shrimp Saltimbocca with Polenta which I posted the other day (Nov. 24). Seems simple enough to do, once I have peeled the shrimp that is. For those of you who have lots of leftovers from Thanksgiving, Recipezaar have a load of recipes on this site which you might find useful. I usually end up chucking everything into a large saucepan and making soup, the soup is considerably improved if you have stuffing to add. The following recipe from Eating Well specifies chicken but obviously you could use turkey. I love things in pita bread pockets. Indian-Spiced Chicken Pitas From EatingWell: May/June 2009 Make a perfect summer supper: grill spice-rubbed chicken breasts and tuck them into whole-wheat pitas along with fresh vegetables and a tangy yogurt sauce. Serve with: Grilled vegetables and a pilsner. 4 servings Ingredients * 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed * 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala , (see Tip), divided * 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided * 1 cup thinly sliced seeded cucumber * 3/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt * 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro , or mint * 2 teaspoons lemon juice * Freshly ground pepper , to taste * 4 6-inch whole-wheat pitas, warmed * 1 cup shredded romaine lettuce * 2 small or 1 large tomato, sliced * 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion Preparation 1. Preheat grill to medium-high or position rack in upper third of oven and preheat broiler. If grilling, oil the grill rack (see Tip). If broiling, coat a broiler pan with cooking spray. 2. Sprinkle chicken with 1 teaspoon garam masala and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Place the chicken on the grill rack or prepared pan and cook until no longer pink in the center and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165°F, 4 to 8 minutes per side, depending on the size of the breast. Transfer the chicken to a clean cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. 3. Meanwhile, combine cucumber, yogurt, cilantro (or mint), lemon juice, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon garam masala and 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper in a small bowl. Thinly slice the chicken. Split open the warm pitas and fill with the chicken, yogurt sauce, lettuce, tomato and onion. Tips & Notes * Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 2. Refrigerate the chicken in an airtight container for up to 2 days. * Tips: Garam masala is a blend of spices used in Indian cooking. It is available in the spice section of most supermarkets. * To oil a grill rack, oil a folded paper towel, hold it with tongs and rub it over the rack. (Do not use cooking spray on a hot grill.) Have a great weekend.

6 comments:

  1. I always wonder how people decide the names of their pets. As a child I had a cat I called Pepsi (like in Pepsi Cola. My recently-departed two goldfish were Trigger and Sharky. The latter turned into a shark whenever I dropped food pellets in the tank while Trigger was so slow that he never caught on that there had been food, until after Sharky had eaten it all. I hope that he's a little brighter now in the fish heaven or he might just die a second time ...

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  2. The last dog we had was called Chinook which is the name of a wind and she was given to us so she was 'free as the wind'.

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  3. That is a seriously pretty cat, Jo. Generally, I don't care for tortie-and-whites, but that one has such an evenly marked face she's quite gorgeous!

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  4. My Fancy was just like that with a pristine while belly and neck. Wish I had an actual pic of her.

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  5. One day I will have two white Persian cats and two white Westies.This is what I keep on telling myself. And oh yes, I will have a white Maserati and an African chauffeur who will only wear white. So, I better fill in that Loto card now ...

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  6. What's with all the white Marilyn? I used to want a white carpet until a girlfriend dreamed of me lying on the white carpet behind the sofa with my throat cut. Put me right off.

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