Surfing the web for the Purrr-fect meals

There isn't much that happens in this house (okay, apartment) without the furry one's permission. If she wants you to bugger off, you will. If she wants a treat, you will feed her. If she wants a drink from the sink, you guess it, the facet is on. But the most common "if she____, then ____" scenario is: If she wants snuggles, you will accommodate her fuzzy hot-pocket of a body wherever and whenever. Most of the time we are down to help a cat out and give her "brain scratchies" and under arm rub (I know I know cats don't have arms.)
 
But let's discuss momentarily how downright invasively obnoxious this cat Ms. Buchowski can be when one is attempting to work on a laptop.  
 

What's that beeping?

Number 1: laptops are already hot and summer time can get sticky (*see summer time temps in Mpls) Number 2: Cats paws are enough like human fingers that they do in fact move the track pad and mess up the cursor location, frequently. Number 3: Cat butts on keyboards have the ability to reset passwords, change the volume of your Bluetooth speaker, print things, and general F-Sh*& up on a laptop. It is getting "ranty" I know so  here's the last one for now.

Note the irritated look on her face.

Number 4: The cat I have in mind really couldn't care any less about what it was the human in the moment is trying to accomplish, snuggles and arm-pit rubs are the main objective and she will do anything she has to in order to receive said affection including but not limited to: biting the laptop screen, sitting directly behind the screen and staring you down, swishing her tail across the keyboard, sitting directly on your arms, head-butting you in the chin and walking under your chin and getting cat hair stuck in your 5 o'clock shadow (**see below for clarification) 
 

browsing and purring

So yesterday whilst attempting to meal plan some deliciousness from one of my faves (www.Nomnompaleo.com) this happened...
 
Thankfully we found a way to meet both of our needs, Ella got her brain scratchies and I got a killer menu planned for the week. I dare you to try the Shrimp-Stuffed Cremini Mushrooms they were delish!
 
In closing I would like to submit video evidence 5C regarding the case at hand, forgive my kitty voice, it sounds vaguely like my baby voice, I need to work on that.
 
 
 
*Summer temperatures in Minneapolis MN can reach into the high 90s and even break 100 degrees Fahrenheit. No it is not ALWAYS winter here. And YES we do have running water and electricity.
**5 o'clock shadow: That's a Gabe problem, I maintain my chin hairs quite arduously thank you very much.

Have I told you about the time I cooked lamb tongue?

It's true. I did. At a work function for Gabe's company I challenged Jack the farmer from our protein CSA to a duel between farm and kitchen. We received pork hocks... nailed it. Beef bacon... LOVE it. We've yet to find rocky mountain oysters... fine by me. But the day the lamb tongues arrived, I knew I had met my match. Don't get me wrong, lamb is delicious, in chop form, as a kabob, rolled up in grape leaves steamed and devoured. But their tongues? Seriously Jack?

That is what you think. Okay maybe not that.

After getting over the fact that the white wrapped package contained food that Gabe joked would "taste us back." I set to the web for help. How do I prepare these oddities? I quickly learned that tongue was quite the delicacy and would have its own texture and flavor profile like nothing I'd ever eaten. Unlike brain which upon sampling I decided quickly was NOT on my "To-be-eaten-again" list. With a recipe on my laptop screen, ingredients purchased, and lamb tongues still dressed in the white butcher paper (Can you tell I was putting off the inevitable?) I set to showing Jack, Gabe, well let's be honest really myself, that I could handle this kitchen challenge.

After boiling in the "herb bath"

Here we go...

But the reality is, they are seriously tongues. With taste buds. And the muscle that connected it to a cute... fuzzy... little... *gulp* lamb! Of all the steps in the process the worst was removing the taste buds. Sure it is just like taking a sock off a baby, or peeling a banana, or ripping taste buds off of a lambs tongue you fools!

Sautéing with Purple Kale

Shallots, Garlic, Bacon, & Tongue

After that 10 minutes of my life was marked directly onto my brain for later instant recall (and possible gag reflex,) I was able to treat the tongue for what it was, food. Chopping, simmering, and sautéing helped ease me back into the rhythm of cooking that soothes me. Voila dinner is served. Gabe (who only experienced the process when I put one of the tongues next to his ear as he worked on his computer) thoroughly enjoyed the meal, only adding Sriracha after the first few bites and acknowledging the hard work of the English Style herb bouquet in the dish's flavor. Yeah right. He has no ideas what any of that means and just likes food that slaps him in the taste buds. Too soon for tongue jokes? I, on the other hand, couldn't quite get past all I had to do to get this meal in a bowl. I did my best, and Gabe got all the leftovers.

The End Result

That being said, we recently had a delicious and dare I say insanely expensive meal out that included many cuts of lamb, and tongue was involved. I ate it (working hard to push that instant recall photo memory far far away) and yes, it had its own unique flavor, melted in my mouth, and was...*gasp* delicious. It is true.

If you ever find yourself with this cooking challenge, I recommend the following recipe from Nose To Tail At Home.com Lamb Tongues, Turnips, & Bacon and will personally be trying this recipe for Tongue Tacos the next time they show up in my kitchen.

Back at it.

I think that I might have neglected this process, but then again I'm not always sure I have anything interesting to say. But here I am... bring it on.

The paleo/primal/dino chow (props to Melissa @ the clothes make the girl for this one)/clean-n-healthy-no-more-sick-me eating is delivering results. Thanks in part to a renewed commitment to the lifestyle... okay thanks in total to the renewed vows to caveman yums.

As we discover new treats and eats, try them out, and cast votes of approval and the occasional "I refuse to eat that again" (see future cooking experiment post regarding lamb tongues) I feel the changes taking place. My migraine headaches are reduced to less than two a month. My body doesn't loathe me and reject breakfast-lunch-dinner by ballooning up. I have energy at times of the afternoon when after 6 hours of wrangling kindergartners I would normally crash and likely burn... through a twix bar... and then crash again. And dare I say that clothes are fitting differently, in a good way. The momentum is awesome and the team work around these digs is super helpful, and the cat well, she is loving licking the tuna out of the cans after we have after workout snack!

For the record: I'm a sucker for an evening spent cooking and leaving a colossal mess in our tiny galley kitchen for my beloved man-human to clean up. And thankfully said man-human is a sucker for delicious grub and is willing to pay the cost in dish soap and scrubbing! I get praise from the one dude who gets to eat my food and he reminds me often to toy with the idea of putting my "culinary" brain-tornadoes into some sort of intelligible sort of pretty format to share with someone. I am not sure who... but hell if you're reading this, then he meant you!

I beg steal and borrow the foundation of many meals from my favorite bloggers and am quite proficient at a google search. Impressive huh? So next step for me (consider this a self-guided goal setting conference) is to upload the pics from my fancy phone and get to bloggin' and postin' and postin' and bloggin'

But that is going to have to wait for another day. And I know that's lame. Apologies.

Curiousity frustrates the humans...and hasn't yet killed the cat.

Ella's got her diet figured out, she eats the food a cat should eat (mostly) and she's living as much of the kitty dream as one cat can when cooped up in a small apartment on the corner of two busy streets in the downtown district of a "big" city. She stalks things we can see, and others we cannot (and tends to see and hear more than we do on a daily basis.) She hides in the plants, in boxes, in coolers, in closets, in blankets, in cupboards, on book shelves, behind the TV, under the tub, and most often, in the sink. According to her, you'd NEVER know she was there.

In our quest to uncover and reclaim the healthiest lifestyle we can, the human duo in this equation decided to test our casita for mold. Iew right? But today the process seemed more comical than frustrating as I watched the man-human in the house try to keep Kitty Boo out of the sticky traps laid out in wait for the heinous mold spores.

Attempt 1: tip laundry hamper over across bedroom doorway, close curtain over hamper. Result: Failed
Attempt 2: close bathroom door (that officially latches now.) Result: kitty banging her body against the door and then sitting sullenly outside waiting for some dumb human to open it up. Result: Success!
Attempt 3: Chase cat around house petting her incessantly. Result: Success at the expense of an Angry/Grumpy Ella hiding in her pet carrier (humans laughing, because they are rude like that.)
Attempt 4: (suggested by lady-human) Put cat treats in empty egg carton and close lid, see if this will hold the Furry One's attention. Result: 15 minutes of a frustrated Ella pushing, pawing, and nosing the carton around before the humans stopped laughing and felt sorry for her and used their evolutionary gift of opposable thumbs to open the carton and free the tasty treats. Pseudo Success.

Needless to say for all our entertainment, the cat tired of the game, gave up her curiosity, and spent the rest of the afternoon curled in her pet carrier (which she hates to be put in, but has no problem entering under her own free will) intermittently grooming, purring, suckling her own fur (odd duck,) and snoozing solidly. Sounds like solid Sunday for the feline.

A Cardboard Obsession

All cats are guilty of it, and Ella needing to be every bit the diva kitty wouldn't dare dismiss rule #1 of cat-iquette: Thou must enjoyith every container no mater the size. So I share with you a collection of Ella-in-a-Box photos. There really isn't a space that she won't try to put her furry self into.



*A serious stance on a pizza box, showing it and us who is boss (don't tell her the pizza is already gone and she's not defending a thing but her dignity at this point!)

*An upright stance in a downright tiny box, proof that yes, she can fit herself into anything and no, the treats are NOT making her fat.


*The "Owly": For the record that is Ella in a mirror, but she's not so sure she should be at ease with that other cat eyeing up her moving box!

*To our right we have a math equation:
4 paws in + 1 butt out = Ella owning this shipping box.

And our personal favorite and I admit we're bias because we too enjoy the product that these boxes contain, but who really can beat an empty 12 pack box! Everyone wins!



When all is said and done, being Ella or any cat for that matter is a hard-knock life, and napping on a box is the best way to make sure it doesn't get away from you the next time!



Toxic Drinks

There comes a time in ones life when (if you consume alcohol) you discover your "bad" drink. This drink makes you snaky and mean and maybe more than a little bit crazy, and the worst part is, you rarely remember all your infractions the next day. Likely it takes more than one cocktail but it might not take many...

I've discovered Ella's "bad" drink. Fishbowl water (not to be confused with an over sized margarita glass swimming with ten types of schnapps, a whole lot of vodka, and only the bartender/god knows what else.) Rather, this fishbowl water, seen here in photo evidence number 175.Will the jury please note that the photo was not taken on the night of the alleged crime.

After dining on delectable (and stanky) canned kitty food, she wandered into the bathroom for a nightcap before hunkering down next to Gabe (*note that he's on the couch reading something mind boggling about economics.) She stared, and she glared, and she may have even gone cross eyed, and then *wha-BAM* she up and bites him! Yup right on the knee-cap, didn't phase him a bit and she just sauntered off like nobody's business. Damn cats!

Disclaimer: I might be enjoying this attack a little more than I should, but let's be honest they usually occur at witching hour, 3 a.m., and my snoozing wrists are usually the victim of Ella's fishbowl fever! Ouch, karma's a cat named Ella Buchowski!

Graduate School: the perfect ruse

So there is this furry critter who has been allowing me to grace her presence for the past five years and she believes she some sort of sensation. I've recently be assigned the task of blogging as a process of "personal growth" during graduate school and I was not sure I had anything of great interest to share. And then Miss Ella Boo herself sauntered across my laptop, plopped down on Gabe as he browsed the web, and proceded to purr intently while pawing at/biting his earbud cord. So really, the least I can do for the little fur-bucket is honor her antics in a blog. Mind you, I'm not the blog-stalking or blog-writing type so this may bore you to death, for that I am eternally sorry.

Now my cat on the other hand is a complete attention seeking mess, who if she had her way would have married Ms. K. herself to get the lime light. But let it be know, she is in need of now E! TV starlet to pave her way. She's furry, feisty, and if only we spoke her language I could confirm she's facetious beyond belief.

Gabe, Ella's other captive human roommate has a knack for capturing her best moments, and I her worst. I will not promise frequent updates, but she has her ways!