Working For The Weekend

I've always looked forward to the weekends. Who doesn't look forward to two days off in a row? Because of my career choices I've always still done a bit of work on the weekend--grading, reading, etc.--but because of Jeff's career choice I've always tried to savor it, make as much time as possible for us to hang out together. I still do this because that's what you have to if you're married to a journalist. It's what you really have to do if you're married to a journalist and also happen to have chosen an ambitious and strenuous yet rewarding career path for yourself.

But now I look forward to the weekend for an extra reason: I can *almost* forget about my hip problem. When Jeff is around it just hurts. It doesn't hurt so much that all I want to do is lay around, bemoan the grogginess caused by the meloxicam that helps me get a decent night's sleep but makes doing my work much more difficult. When Jeff is at home it's easier to not feel bad about the pile of work I need to do. It's not that I'm not doing my work. I think I've done more work this summer than I have since my summers of schlepping bags of mulch into customers' cars as they made rude comments about my being a woman. Apparently being a woman means I am exempt and/or incapable of loading bags of mulch into customer cars... oh, the stories I could tell about working at Lowe's. But I digress.

I'll I've done this summer is read, take notes, and occasionally engage in tasks and activities that are supposed to keep my stress levels in check. If one looks at my social media feed it appears as though I am doing far more of the latter.

 Farmer's Market!

 Good times at one of our favorite wineries in the area (photo credit-- Jeff).

 Hanging out with my crew.

Homemade pasta. 

 Look at how neat the watermelon looks. 

 Homemade ice cream!

Ruth, discussing the next Doctor with me. She's glad it's a woman but, like me, thinks after fifty plus years a white woman, as much as we love Jodie Whittaker, the BBC could have given us more than a change of gender.

But social media hides secrets. It doesn't tell the whole story. It even helps me fool myself for a fleeting moment. It hides my pain. It withholds the truth--sometimes Jeff has to help me out of bed, there are naps between afternoon outings and evenings of pasta, and Jeff, who never seems to want to take credit, often acts as sous chef. My Instagram feed looks like I'm non-stop, go, go, go. But I'm not. I have to pause for the pain. I have to ask for help. I know that social media allows people to craft their truths, make their lives look more interesting. I knew my posts often made it seem as if I wasn't doing any work. It often looks as though I'm just faffing about, drinking wine, and buying local produce out the ass. It wasn't until recently that I thought about how I might be using it to try to hide the truth from myself. I can't go hiking... so let's post this cute picture of the kitties... let's post this picture of that beef tongue taco I tried. My posts have become a shield from reality. I can't enjoy my favorite trails, visit the one or two left on list to see, or do many of the other items I'd planned to do. I can't do the things I was SO looking forward to this summer.

I can't hide from my reality during the work week. There's no glass of wine to be had on a balcony, no sous chef (P.S. Jeff usually cooks dinner during the school year-- he deserves credit)... there's no where to go really. All there is to do is read, take notes, cross my fingers that my hip doesn't hurt too much, and hope that at some point my body shakes off the heavy exhaustion weighing it down, physically and mentally, so I can finish writing a 200 word abstract. I can't hide from the fact that I'm still too groggy to edit this to the best of my ability... I'm too groggy to craft the perfect final sentence about how all of this sucks, I know life could be worse, and that I will get through this, succeed, etc., etc. I'm just too damn exhausted.

A Thursday With Maggie

My heart is nearly broken. Today I called the vet's office and said, "It's time." Those words were heart wrenching. Thank God I have a vet with a staff who knows each patient and their respective humans so well. I imagine some places would have made me say the dreaded words I refuse to say or even type today.

I've tried to distract myself today while desperately wishing I still had a class to teach. Damn you, summer block class. I know I should cherish each moment I have left with Maggie, but taking care of all the things I need to do before going back to school and buying donuts and Don Taco is much easier than laying here while Maggie ignores me. This is the first day she's ignored me so blatantly. My mom says she's preparing me for the future. Perhaps my mom is correct. Maggie has always been in tune with my feelings. So it's entirely possible she knows what is to come tomorrow and wants me to be ready for the first time she isn't here to head boop me as I cry. Maggie is the kind of cat who would do such a thing for me.

I'd like to think I taught her how to be so kind, but I didn't. She came that way. Jeff and I've even joked that she's part dog. She is literally the friendliest cat I've ever met in my entire life. We love cats, even cats with diva streaks, and while Maggie has one, it's never diminished her capacity to love us unconditionally. It's so great that my mom, who does and always will accept me for who I am and become even when she doesn't agree with certain choices, offered positive words upon hearing that I planned to get tattoos of Maggie's paw prints (even though I already have one of her silhouette!) on my shoulders in honor of the Maggie hug. I don't know if I'll ever have another cat who literally hugs me, but at least I've had Maggie and can honor the memory with the blessing of my mom no less!

Earlier in this process, I wrote about knowing when "it was time." When people tell you that you'll know, they mean it. You will know. However, I'd like to add two sub-points.

1. If your pet has two human parents, "the time" is less exact.

I knew before Jeff. However, I could not force Jeff into knowing with me. He had to see it on his own. This made me sad and angry. Don't be like me. I hate that I might have made Jeff feel like a jerk (I'm sorry, and I'm sorry that I can't tell you right this second because you are currently having a busy day at work.).

As I said a few weeks ago, shortly after getting Maggie, Jeff and I had a talk, agreeing that under the right circumstances, euthanasia is the best route to take with pets. If I could go back in time, I would talk about it more. Or I would make us agree to create an agreement of how we would decide when the time was right. It is vastly more complicated than simply agreeing that pet euthanasia is humane in certain cases. For instance, one of the things experts say to consider is the ratio of good days and bad days. However, what constitutes a good day to me is likely not the same as what constitutes a good day to Jeff. Because our schedules conflict, we've been seeing two different versions of Maggie. These are just a few examples as to why I wish we had talked more in depth or had set up a plan, even if it wasn't until the day we found out she was sick. Perhaps if we'd been more clear about our expectations, the time between me knowing and he knowing wouldn't have been as long. I could be wrong about all of this, but it's something to consider.

2. If possible, make sure your friend can go out with a bang.

Despite our sadness, we've been working to make the last stretch of Maggie's life as great as possible. She's been a wonderful friend and deserves nothing but the best. I refuse to wallow in my sadness until it's time tomorrow. I've allowed myself many tears, but we must, even if between cries, for her and for ourselves, enjoy the moments we have left.

Today we purchased a can of organic tuna. Tomorrow part of it will be put on a "good plate," and she will eat like a queen. I may even put the plate on the kitchen table. We're also going to grab a pie from our favorite coffee shop if they have one of her favorites-- she's a fan of lemon cream. If they don't have a flavor on her list of favorites, I'll bring her home a shot of their homemade whipped cream that she loves so much. I think we might take her out for a walk too. She loves the great outdoors.

And finally, on her last ride in the car, we will rock out like a hurricanes with a variety of tunes including the afore-refereneced (why yes, I made that word up!) Scorpion. It all started because (I have no idea how or when) at some point Maggie entered a room, and Jeff said, "Here I am!" to the tune of "Rock You Like a Hurricane." She must of been entering the room like a bad ass. Regardless, it became a thing. She is and will forever be our badass, sweet, friendly, hurricane kitty, and we will always love her.

Geronimo!

Allons-y!

The TARDIS arrived! Granted it is missing a light and a more permanent details, but for now this is perfect. 

Besides, the kitties don't care. Maggie's even mocking me, "Neener, neener! The Doctor picked me to be his companion! Not you, mom!"

"Purrcy can you believe it? I thought The TARDIS was just on some silly show mom watched... but it's really here!" 

I know Maggie and Purrcy actually have no clue why there's a giant blue box in the living room, but they don't seem to care-- it is a box after all. Maggie is content to just chill inside.

Purrcy on the other hand... well, he's gone nuts. Especially after I hung up a toy. 

I'm so thankful my step-dad was able to make my dream come true for Maggie (and that Purrcy is benefiting too). Not every cat can say they've been inside a TARDIS! I'm also thankful he's willing to help me update it and make changes. I have a feeling it's going to get lots of love for a long time... so she'll need to be fixed up every once in while. But for now, she'll do just fine. 

"Get your own TARDIS, mom."

Tuesdays With Maggie

Since "re-booting" Tuesday With Maggie, I've done a lot of research and contemplation. I've also made some memories with the Mags-- I'd like to think I'll look back at our ridiculous poses and smile.

Because her condition will likely require us to essentially "pick a date," I've Googled all sorts of phrases involving cat cancer, pet euthanasia, and when it's "the right time." I suppose I hoped it would give me a more definitive answer than what our vet gave us-- "You'll know." Apparently that is the most definitive answer one can get unless you find yourself in an emergency situation.

Before we'd even had Maggie for a year, Jeff and I talked about our feelings surrounding pet euthanasia. Thankfully we were both on the same page, agreeing that sometimes it's the best thing to do for your furry friend. It isn't about the number of years we spend with our companions but the quality of time we get to share with them. Neither of us thought to discuss it any further. Why would it be any more complicated than that? Unfortunately it is vastly more complicated, and not just in our case. There's even a scale designed to help owners determine when it's time.

I don't want or need the scale-- it seems too clinical, at least it is for me. But I understand why it exists. It was made for the very same reason I started researching when and what to do. We are humans, and we want to be in control with all of the answers. For me, my research only confirmed what I didn't realize I already knew-- I simply would, as the vet said, "know." I know with absolute certainty that today is not the day, but I know it could be tomorrow. I know this because I know Maggie. I doubt tomorrow is the day, but I see it coming soon. It scares the shit out of me. That is why I am sitting here writing this. Maybe some day someone will be just as scared as me, and they can find comfort in my words. Maggie is still enjoying life, but rather than eating out of a bowl, she prefers her food on a flat surface. She doesn't follow me around like my shadow anymore either. Stuff like this, the so-called little things, tells me the day is nearing.

I don't know if we'll pick the "right" day, but I know we won't pick the wrong day. Almost every site discussing this issue states something along the lines of "Better a week too early than an hour too late." I've found peace in this statement. I'd rather take away a few good days than give her even one extra bad day. Maggie cannot recover from this. So all Jeff and I can do is give her the best life in the time she has left and trust our instincts. We know Maggie. I've given her permission to let go, and I'd like to think that when she is ready, she will tell me. I told her (yes, I actually verbalized this) to just let me know. Sometimes humans need permission to let go, so I gave the same respect to Maggie, and I know that someday soon I'll get a look, one that doesn't go away.

For now, I am soaking up all the cuddles I can get, and I'm ensuring Maggie gets the most out of her last days, checking off as many bucket list items as possible. On Monday she got organic tuna served on a good plate. Maybe it's silly, but as humans we talk about our last meal. So Maggie at least deserves organic tuna on a good plate!

Jeff snapped this picture. Clearly we made a solid choice because this was the clearest shot he could get. Maggie has a few other items on her list (Taylor Swift has yet to get back to us, and her trip to the park has been delayed because of the heat-- if nothing else, she'll get one more trip to our back yard), but I'm really looking forward to her reaction to the TARDIS cat condo. I've always wanted to get her a cat condo because I thought she'd enjoy being perched up just a bit higher than normal. Sometime this week, we will find out what she thinks!

If she's not a fan of the TARDIS, I know she'll love the toys that I got to go with it. Both cats practically mauled me to get to these as soon as I opened the box. Wet food is usually ranked above catnip and toys. So they must be made with some strong nip!

No matter what happens--with the TARDIS or with Maggie-- I know everything will be okay. We've given her a good life, one filled with good food, toys, treats, sometimes human food (I'm pretty sure she's getting ham and gravy this week!), laughter, and lots of cuddles. She'll always reside in my heart, and I know she'll always be with me. I always thought she'd be here to watch my future human children grow up, at least part of the way, but I know she'll keep an eye on them from above. I don't actually know that, but in a way I do because if Maggie can't be with me, she has to at least be laughing at and watching over Jeff and me while lazing about on her catnip and tuna filled clouds. A life without at least her spirit is just too sad to even consider.

Tuesdays With Maggie

Normally I would be upset with myself for failing to get to this blog post until now-- I had intended to work on it about two or three hours ago. However, my nap lasted longer because in my haze of fatigue I set an 8 AM alarm rather than an 8 PM alarm. I don't usually like to take evening naps, but I clearly needed it! Oddly enough, my not being upset is because I had the best napping buddy a gal could wish for-- Maggie!

If I'm going to "oversleep," now is the best time. Each nap and moment of snuggles I share with her is a gift. I suppose it's funny it happened on the day I planned to blog about enjoying each moment and day like you may not have another. 

We haven't managed to check much off Maggie's bucket list yet, but we've at least made strides. Ever since I became a Whovian, I knew that I wanted a TARDIS cat tower. My step-dad had agreed to help me make one, but I never really knew when it would happen. It was one of those plans that I knew would eventually happen, but it might be a year or two before it came to fruition. It's not that my step-dad doesn't care, but life is complicated and busy-- for both of us. It doesn't help that we don't live near each other! 

After finding out Maggie was ill and there was nothing Jeff or I could do, I asked my step-dad about the cat tower. I told him it would be amazing if Maggie could be in a TARDIS before she died. Because he's the best step-dad ever (no joke), he agreed to start work on it. I had no idea he'd go out the very next day to purchase wood! Since asking less than a week ago, he's got a frame and two shelves (as of late afternoon today). 

If Maggie wasn't sick, this would not exist yet because I simply wouldn't have asked my step-dad to start work on it yet. Obviously I hate that Maggie's sick, but even in sickness, she's taught me a lesson. It's such a trite lesson, yet it's one that I still needed to learn. Life can be taken away at any moment (You'd think as a 28 year-old Doctor Who fan, I'd have figured this one out already-- the end of series two! All of the Donna episodes! Hello!). I can't just live out all my dreams and do as I wish at any given moment, but I should treasure each moment-- even the ones spent napping on the couch with Maggie. 

So aside from stepping into a TARDIS, what else is on Maggie's bucket list so far? 

• Eat Grandma's ham and gravy on one of the "good" plates.
• Take a trip to the park.
• Take a trip in the car without the kennel.
• Marriage equality becomes the law.  

Maggie apparently has her own bucket list. So far I've only figured out two items which isn't bad considering she's a cat, and I only recently discovered its existence. Number one appears to be the standard item of passing down knowledge to friends and family. 

She appears to be teaching Purrcy to how to properly pose. 

I'm pretty sure world domination is legitimately on the list. Thankfully I do not have photographic evidence of the events that led to what is clearly a post-domination chat and modest celebration. 

As members of a CSA we find ourselves in possession of a box of wonderful goodies each week. After moving items from the box to the fridge last Thursday, I noticed Maggie hop into the box. I didn't think anything of it even though it was on the stove top. The counter top region is typically off limits, but I'm much more forgiving because of the cancer. I was also much more forgiving upon noticing that she started to pee in the box. Instead of my normal, "Damn it, Maggie!" I put my hands on my hips, and offered up a "Maggieeeee." We threw the box outside to take care of later as we had dinner plans. We didn't think about the incident again until Sunday evening. 

I was innocently chopping up kohlrabi while wondering why there was a steadily increasing level of some strange odor. Just as I asked Jeff if he smelled it, I noticed a weird residue on one of the drip pans. "What is that?" I asked. 

After a slight pause, Jeff, with either a hint of uncertainty or concern or both, said, "It's not Maggie's pee is it?"

I essentially exploded. "Oh my God! Yes, that's what it is. Oh my God." I then left the room as the smell had become unbearable at this point. Jeff somehow managed to get the stove turned off, the drip pan outside, fans blowing, and the screen door open. 

Once the smell dissipated, it dawned on me that Maggie had figured out how to weaponize her pee. I have absolutely no idea how it happened (other than she obviously managed to get her humans to essentially boil her pee) because we double checked the stove after the initial incident. Maybe she has invisible pee? But holy hell, if cats want to take over, they should figure out how to get their humans to cook their pee.   

So Maggie is certainly living her life to the fullest! We'll see you next week with more updates on the cat tower!

CSA Week 6

We had so many plans for this beautiful box of goodies. Jeff loves blueberries, and I believe he just ate these, plain and simple. I was most excited about the kohlrabi. What's not to love about trying such an alien looking veggie?! I'd even found a promising recipe for the radishes that involved the garlic scapes and part of the dill. Unfortunately, many of our ideas and recipes never came to fruition-- if you read my last post, you know it's because of our dear Maggie.

It's hard to remain excited about trying new recipes while waiting on a pathology report. It's even harder to maintain it and follow through on cooking the chosen recipes once the pathology report comes back with bad news. We still managed cook up some goodies despite everything that's going on with our sweet girl (and yes, I do have a pillow that resembles her!).

First up on the list was a garlic scape pizza. We love pizza around here, and we needed a new way to use the scapes. We love everything we've tried so far, but part of the joy of a CSA box is trying new things. So when I ran across a recipe for a garlic scape pizza made with a beer crust, I could not resist! We didn't really follow the recipe since we lean towards a vegetarian diet, but it was certainly a source of great inspiration. It also offered a way to create your own beer dough which was important since such specialty items are often not available in our area.

We halved the dough recipe since we were cooking for two. We'd hoped to use a local beer, but the store was out of single bottles. We went with a Fat Tire since that has worked well in other recipes. Other than following the dough recipe, everything went along as any other make your pizza might go.

I topped mine with the garlic scapes, a bit of kale we snagged at the Farmer's Market, and some fake bacon along with our favorite combo of mozzarella and freshly shaved parmesan reggiano. Jeff's is the same, but he added some oyster mushrooms left over from last week's CSA box.  I highly recommend this "recipe" because the scapes made for a flavor topping, and the dough offered a light yet tasty crust. Plus, the great thing about homemade pizza is everyone can pretty much do whatever he or she wants with it.

Another highlight this week were the summer squash sandwiches (from Earthy Feast) made with both CSA and Farmer's Market goodies. The recipe came with an aioli recipe, but we ended up using a more basic aioli recipe and adapted it to use the scapes. I really just didn't feel like buying a jar of mayo that would probably not get used again. I'm sure it would taste great though as the squash turned out excellent! As a side we made cooked up some garlicky dill fries-- sweet and regular (forgive the awful picture!).

Finally, we managed to try out the kohlrabi. Saveur had a recipe for a warm potato and kohlrabi salad. I really wish it had a different name as the term "potato salad" brings terrible images to my mind. I'm sorry if you love it, but I just think of warm mayo on a hot day. Blah! Thankfully this was far from it!

To change it from a side dish to a main dish (keep in mind, we also halved this recipe too), we topped it with an egg. Our local supply is supposed to be okay despite the national shortage. I hope it remains true because an egg is such an excellent way to round out meals! We also added some of the kale because our kohlrabi didn't come with the greens, and like many people say, "Everything is better with bacon." Except we used fake bacon. It still makes everything better!

We get a new basket this evening. Hopefully with the new basket and some encouragement from Maggie (despite being a feline, she manages to inspire us because she is that awesome!), we'll be better about cooking and keeping track of it during week 7.

Tuesdays With Maggie

Tuesdays with Maggie hasn't been "a thing" in quite some time. It started as a minor project for a social media course. In fact, this entire blog is a result of that class. It's a minor miracle it still exists in some capacity. But alas it does.

And of course there's no decent way to transition into what I want to talk about on this edition of Tuesdays with Maggie. Maggie is dying. I've "known" in the back of my mind for about a week or so, but we didn't get the official pathology results until today: Maggie has oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Now, I won't go into the details because that's not the purpose of this post (hence the link). This is meant to honor and celebrate Maggie and reintroduce Tuesdays with Maggie. I'm currently working on a bucket list for Maggie. So far I only have a few items, but as I come up with more and help Maggie check them off, I hope to share some of those moments with you each Tuesday (and throughout the week via Instagram).

Now some of you might be thinking, "A bucket list for her cat? That's weird." Well, Maggie and I are both a bit weird, and despite being different species, we are best friends. We both love naps, eating (although we generally only agree when it comes to dessert and my mom's ham and gravy), and Jeff. She has been with me for nearly my entire "adult life." By the time Jeff and I were engaged, Maggie was already a huge part of our lives, and if it was even remotely possible to have had her at our beach wedding, we would have had her there! From the moment she entered our lives, she's been nothing but wonderful. I will forever be thankful Jeff let me-- his girlfriend of only a few months-- get a pet cat... that I found on Craigslist. 

 

This image has always been a favorite of mine because even upon first meeting each other, both were curious (Jeff never had a pet cat) and welcoming. There was no adjustment period. Maggie just sort of slipped into our lives as if she'd always been there. 

Maggie has grown and changed with us. She even learned to love Purrcy, our attempt to help ease her anxiety (and if Maggie could talk, I think she'd agree that any human would struggle to walk past Purrcy and not give him a home). She's been there for every milestone, if not literally than in spirit. I even took a photo of her to hang on the hospital wall when I had to have major surgery. I'm pretty sure the nurses heard about her multiple times during my morphine induced haze.

Maggie is more than I know how to describe-- part of that could be the massive amount of sadness weighing me down. But if you ask the people who know me or the people who are lucky enough to know Maggie, they will likely give you a similar yet vague and wonderful description of her. She's just one of those once in a lifetime pets who changes your life forever. 

Her bucket list isn't long yet, and I'm open to suggestions.

But first up is a trip to a park. Girlfriend deserves a wild adventure! There will also be plenty more naps, wet food, and treats. And if we are lucky, Taylor Swift and Cat Olivia Benson will send us a tweet. Maggie may not be a famous Internet cat (I wish she was simply because I think she is so amazing. I mean look at those posing skills!), but at least I know that Jeff and I have given her an amazing life and will continue to do so in the next few months. Here's to you, Maggie!

CSA Week 4

Thankfully we are done moving. Sadly, not all the boxes are unpacked. Our precious Purrcy hasn't been taking it too well. Despite Maggie's anxiety (and a temporary higher dose of medicine per the vet's orders), she is handling it quite well-- as long as we are all together with her stuff, she knows everything will eventually go back to normal. And she sleeps like a baby...

Purrcy on the other hand doesn't know what to make of the new place. He seems to like it just as much as Maggie but is still slightly unnerved-- to the point of an upset tummy. We've got some sort of cat antacid (sadly this is not our first experience with such medications because of Maggie's anxiety) that will soothe his belly. I just wish I could clearly communicate to him that everything will be exactly as it was before, just with new surroundings. For now, I will just keep looking at cute snap shots of him enjoying the windows, cuddling with Maggie, and taking more pictures of Purrcy when he does things like this...

Enough about the kitties (but if you ever need advice about cats with anxiety, let me know since we've tried just about everything-- did you know they make aromatherapy for cats?). This is supposed to be a post about food. What can I say? I love my feline children.

Week 4's CSA box was very green.

We received collards, some sort of lettuce, a red lettuce mix, broccoli, green onions, garlic scapes, and a few cucumbers. If I ever get my dream garden, it will have garlic-- so many parts of the plant can be used during the growing process!

These boxes are sort of like a choose your own adventure book except it's food. I chose to start my adventure with the garlic scapes. I found several recipes to try, but I settled on a garlic scape carbonara first. I was cooking for myself since Jeff was at work so it seemed the most appropriate. Plus, the last time I tried using the grill things did not go so well. Pasta on the stove top it was! I did hate that I had to cut the scapes up though. 

Their natural curves show off nature's beauty... I almost went digging for my good camera, but alas, I was hungry. The original recipe called for bacon, but I didn't have it on hand since we lean towards a plant based diet. To amp up the scapes, I seasoned them with a bit of poultry seasoning as they cooked in the pan. I also added some of the red Siberian kale we had left from last week's box. Overall, I enjoyed the dish. Jeff is more of a kale eater than I am so if I make this again, I hope to add spinach instead. I also think some fakin' bacon would be a nice addition too.

Over the weekend we had plenty of unpacking left to do which meant serious desires to eat out. However, we love going to the Farmer's Market (minus its early start time), especially now that we live closer. We bought yellow potatoes, zucchini, blueberries, and a few more strawberries before they go out of season here.

We ended up making a compromise, or rather, my cravings and wallet made one. We ate an early dinner at a favorite Mexican joint of mine and had a small salad for a late dinner/snack.

We have oodles of lettuce, but it's not all that appealing on its own, at least to me. So I thought we could grill the garlic scapes and zucchini for a bit more flavor. I was a bit leery about the scapes. I knew the zucchini would be great as we'd done it before following a Pioneer Woman recipe. However, the idea of eating something straight from a garlic plant seems a bit absurd-- I love the flavor of garlic, but make a funny face if I accidentally bite into a bit of a cooked clove hiding in my pasta. But the Internet raves about garlic scapes, claiming they taste almost like a green bean with a bit of extra flavor. In this instance, I bow to the Internet. The grilled scapes actually tasted as described. If you manage to find scapes, I highly recommend grilling some up! The recipe we used (from With Food and Love) paired nicely with the zucchini, and the left over oil and lemon zest we had was a nice way to dress the rest of the salad. 

On Sunday we initially planned to make collard greens and a potato parsnip mash, but I had a hankering for my Grandma's Au Gratin potatoes. Purrcy appeared to agree with me, putting his paw on the recipe in our family cookbook. We stuck with the collards and paired them with the potatoes.

I was worried about the collards, but they were actually delicious! I have to thank my brother for pointing me in the right direction. He couldn't remember the exact recipe, but he knew it involved apple cider vinegar and maple syrup. After a quick Google search I found what looked like it could be a solid recipe from Heather Crosby. Because there's only two of us, and we only had 15 leaves, we needed to adjust the recipe. We also wanted to give it a little something extra since it was being paired with meat or a protein heavy main dish. Fake bacon to the rescue! We also threw in some green garlic and green onion from the week's previous CSA box.

Our adaptions worked out well, especially since it was just the two of us, and this turned out to be one of my favorite CSA experiments. If you need left overs, I'd consider doubling the recipe.

Ingredients:

1. 15 large collard leaves
2. 3 to 4 slices of fake bacon (or real bacon if not following a vegetarian diet)
3. 1 stalk of green garlic
4. 1 green onion
5. 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
6. 1/4 cup maple syrup (preferably Grade B)
7. 1/8 cup water
8. Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Wash and rough chop the collards. Removing the stems is optional.
2. Cook the green garlic and green onion in a small pan until tender.
3. Put the collards in a large pot, and stir in all ingredients except the bacon.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium to high heat.
5. Cook bacon following directions on the package, and once cooked, chop it up, and toss it into the collard mixture.
6. Reduce heat, letting it simmer until the liquid reduces completely. 
7. Eat! 

We still have items left in the box, most notably the romaine lettuce. Our plan is to grill it, and use it in place of taco shells. Other than that, we'll have a few more salads, and keep using the green garlic, the scapes, and green onion.

I wonder what we'll get in the next box!

We've Got a Musing and a Gem... and a Silly Kitty!

So I've been a bit busy lately. Between work, weird work occurrences, physical therapy for my hip bursitis, and just typical life busyness (this word looks weird), I feel like one of those poor beheaded chickens. It doesn't help that the weather has been rather wonky... tornado warnings in February! And I have to say, it's super weird and kind of scary not having cable during a storm (we canceled a while back because it's pricy, and we have yet to get the stuff to make the local stations work). I miss turning up the volume to extra loud so I can hear Jim and Nick (the weather dudes, obviously) while I hide away in the bathroom with the kitties. Thankfully, I'm safe as are Maggie and Purrcy and the husband.

Unless Purrcy decides to get more daring. Although, I'm not sure how much further he can take it, considering he's sprained his paw in a toaster, tried to put his healed paw in the hot toaster, got stuck behind the refrigerator because I guess he thought jumping behind it was a good idea even though we weren't home, and he had no escape plan, fallen from the top of our refrigerator into a pile of glass shards created from his fall, and whatever else he does while we're sleeping. But I digress.

Despite a jam-packed schedule, I managed to do some baking. Since I'd had such a terrible run of bad luck with new recipes, I tried out a Martha Stewart recipe because Martha has never steered me in the wrong direction.

I went with her Chunky Peanut, Chocolate, and Cinnamon cookies... but I omitted the peanuts. Still delicious! So how to make these bad boys and girls?

Ingredients:

•  2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter (I used vegan butter because I'm lactose intolerant)
• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 sugar 
• 2 large eggs (Use an egg replacer to make it vegan if you want because my chocolate chips are vegan so I assume it would work out just dandy!) 
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to about 350. I say about because you all know I have a shitty oven. 
2. "Whisk" together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. That's right. I whisked it... with a fork. I'm not Martha!
3. Cream the butter and peanut butter together. Martha says to do it for two minutes. I just guessed. 
4. Cream in the sugars. Again, Martha says to mix it for two minutes. I guessed! 
5. Mix in the eggs and the vanilla (Note: Martha says to add the vanilla at the end with the chocolate chip cookies. That seemed strange to me becuase no other recipe has you do that, at least that I know of. So I added the vanilla at the "normal" time.).
6. Gradually add in your flour mixture that you so gracefully whisked together. 
7. Once combined, fold in your chocolate chips. 
8. Refrigerate the dough for about fifteen minutes or until it's kind "firm."
9. Scoop dough on to parchment paper lined baking sheets (seriously, screw oiling the pan anymore). 
10. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes (I baked mine for 11 minutes, but I like a chewy cookie.).
11. Enjoy! * 

 * I forgot to take a better picture of the cookies, and I'm too focused on eating them to take another picture.