My Weekly W's

What is top of my mind: Jet of course.  He isn't eating much at all still.  He has an appointment tomorrow afternoon to remove the catheter.  I'm going to call in the morning and ask that the vet please consider removing the drain as well.  I think he'll recover quicker once it is gone.  They said it needed to be in 5-7 days.  Tomorrow will be 4 and nothing has drained since yesterday morning so I'm praying they will take it out.

Where I've been: Other than home, work and the vet I haven't been anywhere else all week.

Where I'm going: The big guy is taking Jet to the vet tomorrow so it is likely I will not be going anywhere other than work and out to do our shopping next Saturday.

What I'm watching: The Lost Kitchen on Netflix.  I read her book of the same name this summer and it has been fun watching the series. 

What I'm reading: I am ashamed to say not much.  I really need to pick up my book if I'm going to make my goal this year.  It was just a shitty week.

What I'm listening to: Trying to keep my inner peace by having as much quiet time as possible.

What I'm eating: 

Monday-Roasted chicken, baked potato, salad

Tuesday-I used a large bowl of chili that was in the freezer and made beef chili mac with garlic bread.  We haven't had that in year's, and it was good.

Wednesday-I used the remaining chicken from the roasted chicken from Monday and made chicken fajita rice bowls.

Thursday-Beef sausage pasta and salad

Friday-Cheeseburgers and fries

Saturday- Beef taco 'burritos'  They were SO good.

I have boneless skinless chicken breast that I will make into something tonight.

Yesterday afternoon I made a loaf of cinnamon raisin dough that I baked up this morning.  OMG is it amazing. I got the recipe from Mavis at One Hundred Dollars a Month   It's the no knead bread recipe I use with the addition of raisins, brown sugar and cinnamon.  It is a wonderful bread recipe.  The big guy can't stop talking about it.

Who needs a good slap:  I'm actually too drained to have the mental or physical energy to slap anyone this week.

What I'm planning: Today I'll be changing the sheets, washing the blankets Jet has been sleeping on and doing a little food prep for the week.  I'll be happy when I can actually plan a party or a trip.  Hopefully soon.

What's making me smile: Once again the big guy.  I could not have made it through this week without his help.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday.  How was your week?

Jet's Adventure

 I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that Jet wasn't eating much.  Well last weekend it got worse, and he was eating even less.  Monday I made an appointment to take him to the vet on Tuesday.  So Tuesday we loaded Jet in his carrier to take him.  He was NOT happy about this.  He is a cranky old cat that likes to spend his time at home. We arrived and the vet had hurt her back and we were going to have to reschedule for Wednesday.

Wednesday after work I picked up the big guy and Jet and we went back to the vet.  The good doctor examined him and all looked good except for his weight of course and the lump on the side of his throat that we could all see now that he had lost weight.  It turned out to be cyst and not a mass. A plan was formed that they would sedate Jet, do the blood work and x-rays and if all of that came out good they would remove the cyst.  With Jet being over 15 years old we knew it was possible that his blood work would not be good. So we home without him and prayed everything would turn out well.

Thursday morning the big guy and I went to the vet to hear that Jet's blood work and x-rays were perfect.  No cancer, no kidney problems, nothing and they would perform the surgery to remove the cyst that afternoon.  The vet asked if we wanted to visit with Jet which of course we did so they took us down to see him.  He perked up when he saw us but you could tell he was a little ticked off that we had left him at this strange place to be poked and prodded and violated by total strangers.  The big guy said he was surprised that he wasn't happier to see us.  I explained that dogs were like that.  Cat's hold a grudge.

At this point now the fear was anesthesia.  Would he make it out of the surgery?  Would they be able to get all of the cyst?  The good doctor called a little after two to tell me not only did Jet come around about 45 minutes after the surgery and they not only drained the cyst but were able to get the entire cap so we did not have to worry about it returning.  He explained that he put in a drain and wanted to keep him Thursday night and possibly Friday night depending on how he was doing.

Friday morning I got a call asking if I could come and visit Jet because he was very agitated and he wouldn't eat.  I left work, stopped by the house to get his bowl and a can of his favorite cat food and went to see him.  One of the vet techs took me down to see him and he hissed as soon as she opened the cage.  She told me he wouldn't let anyone near him.  I asked him if he was hungry and he perked up a slight bit.  As soon as I put the bowl of food in his cage he started eating.  She seemed surprised.  When I looked at the brown mush they had offered, I wasn't surprised he didn't want it.

I spent some time with him talking and petting him.  The vet came down and explained everything to me.  Jet was doing well but he felt that Jet would recover better at home and wanted to know if we could pick him up later in the day.  After answering all of my questions I told him and Jet that we would be back around 3 to pick him up.  

A little before 3 we arrived at the vet to break Jet out.  After paying, going over all of the instructions and making an appointment for a check up Monday they asked if we could go down with them to get him out of the cage and hold so they could unhook the catheter because he wouldn't let any of them near him.  Three vet techs were there with us and seemed shocked that the big guy just reached in and picked him up.  While they were wrapping the catheter, I learned that Jet had not been very polite.  Over his two day stay he bit, scratched and lunged at each and every one of them.  They all seemed scared to death of him.  Before the surgery I had to told Jet he was a fighter and he'd make it through this and I guess he took that literally. 

We opened his carrier and he gladly jumped in knowing he was going home.

After he made his round through the house making sure nothing has changed, he is eating, using the litter box and drinking water.  He's still weak and full of antibiotics, pain medication and lingering effects of the anesthesia but he is obviously glad to be home and hopefully will fully recover soon.  Monday the catheter comes out and then Thursday or Friday the drain comes out if all looks good.  A week later the stitches will be removed and hopefully by then Jet will start to forget all of this and be able to enjoy his days at home lounging and staring out the window watching the birds and the squirrels.  

My Weekly W's

What's top of my mind: The events going on between Russia and Ukraine are on top of my mind right now.  I have a friend that is traveling to Poland the first week of February and I hope nothing happens while she is there.  I know worrying doesn't do any good but I can't help but get a tight feeling in my gut everytime I hear more of what is going on. 

Where I've been: Work, home and the grocery store.  I did an inventory of the freezer and we have plenty of meat so we just did a quick local shop instead of going where we normally go. I'm glad we buy meat from local farmers because the store we went to yesterday had little meat at all. And we couldn't get filters for our HVAC.  The guy at the store said as fast as they come in people buy them all up.  Why?  I don't understand.

Where I'm going: No plans to go anywhere this week but work.  Life has really changed.

What I'm watching: Right now I'm watching the birds and the squirrels running around the yard and filling up at the bird feeder.  The sunrise this morning was gorgeous. I took this photo from our bedroom window.

What I'm reading: I hate to admit this but I am STILL reading Taste.  It is a good book but I haven't been taking the time to read like I need to.  

What I'm listening to:  This week I streamed classical music while I was working.  It is good background music. I usually enjoy the silence but the last two weeks I've been trying to incorporate a little music into my otherwise quiet days.

What I'm eating: 

Korean Beef and rice

Chicken tika masala

Beef and bean chili and cornbread

Big Salad

Veggie Pizza

Beef Sausage, veggie stir fry and potatoes

Tonight I'm roasting a chicken and I have the dough rising for a loaf of bread.  I'm not sure what sides I will make but there is time to figure that out.

Who needs a good slap: 2022 needs to slow its roll.  We've lost Meatloaf, Bogdanovich, Poitier, Saget, Talley to just name a few. Yesterday's loss of Thich Nhat Hanh made the world feel a little darker for me.

What I'm planning: Honestly I think the last two years have zapped me of the ability to plan.  It feels like planning is simply testing fate.  

What's making me smile: I had a 3 day weekend and that always makes me smile.  Yes I enjoy my job but I'll take home over work every single chance I get.

So that is my fabulously exciting week.  I hope everyone is staying safe.  What's going on in your world?

Things That Make Me Smile

                                                         Jet makes me smile every day!

Pickle Juice Brined Chicken

Sunday night I tried a new to me recipe for chicken.

First I brined bone in skin on chicken legs in pickle juice for 6 hours. You could use any part of the chicken but the cooking time I'm including is for the legs only. For thighs and breast you would need to increase the time and for wings you would have to decrease. Then I made a dredge of 1 cup of flour, 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, paprika, salt and pepper. 

Coat the chicken with the dredge and shake off any excess and set aside on a wire rack for 30 minutes in the fridge.

You could easily fry or bake in the oven but I chose this time to air fry. I lightly coated the basket with avocado oil and spritzed the chicken very lightly with it as well.  Then I set the temperature at 380 degrees and the timer for 40 minutes.  I turned them over at the 20 minute point.

The meat turned out juicy and tender with a really good crisp on the skin.  You could definitely taste the pickle juice but it was not overwhelming at all.  I always save my pickle juice so I would definitely do this again when I have excess to use up. 

Stay safe everyone!!

My Weekly W's

What's top of my mind: I'm trying to focus on the moment so top of my mind is what I need/want to accomplish today.  I am going to change the sheets, bake a cake and make lunch to take to work tomorrow for a Birthday, pay a couple of bills and take an hour to read.  

Where I've been: Other than work I made an early morning run to the store today for a couple of things and that is it. 

Where I'm going: I will work all week and Saturday we will do our normal biweekly grocery run.

What I'm watching: We watched Being the Ricardos yesterday.  Cute movie.  I have had the TV in the kitchen turned to various cooking shows or Gilmore Girls while I'm cooking in the evenings as usual.  Other than that, I haven't watched anything.

What I'm reading: I'm still reading Taste.  It's a really interesting memoir. 

What I'm listening to: I streamed a little Van Morrison while doing some data entry at work this week.  I usually like it quiet but decided a little music from time to time is good for the soul

What I'm eating: Monday neither of us were very hungry so we had poached eggs and toast. It also aligned with our meatless Monday challenge.

BBQ chicken breast, mashed potatoes and salad

Chicken Shawarma, rice and naan

BIG salad

Lamb Burgers, potato wedges

Chicken Chili

Tonight I'm trying a new recipe for pickle juice brined fried chicken that I'm going to make in the air fryer.  I'll let you know how that turns out.

Who needs a good slap:  Our Jeep salesman. We all have heard that used cars are in high demand right now. I have a 2016 Jeep Patriot which they no longer make.  It only has a little over 35000 miles and is paid for. We have it serviced at the dealership, so they know it's being taken care of and how many miles it has. I received a letter from the guy at the Jeep dealer that sold it to us saying "it has gone up in value tremendously and is in high demand so they will offer top dollar if we sell it back them".  Why would any sane person sell a vehicle that is paid off with low mileage to then have to buy another vehicle at astronomical prices?  5 slaps because some people will fall for this.

What I'm planning: My project list for the house has gotten pretty long.  Most items are wants and not necessarily needs but most are not expensive either.  If I intend to get this list done, I need to get busy. I want everything spruced up by Spring.

What's making me smile: We always have game nights during the winter.  It's a fun way to spend time together and challenge our brains.  We're both very competitive so it gets quite funny.

I hope everyone is staying safe.  What is going on in your world?

Buffalo Cauliflower 'Wings'

I meant to post this on Monday but this week really got away from me.  I made this last week and we really enjoyed it. Even the meat-eating big guy said this recipe is a keeper.

1 head of cauliflower, cut into large florets

1 Cup AP flour

1 Cup Milk

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 Cup hot sauce

4 tablespoons melted butter

Ranch dressing for serving-optional

Preheat oven to 450.

For batter, whisk flour, milk and garlic powder until combines.  Season with salt and pepper and whisk until the batter is smooth.

Dredge cauliflower in batter until evenly coated.  Shake off excess and transfer to baking sheet.  Bake until the cauliflower is crispy and golden around the edges, about 20 to 25 minutes.

For the buffalo sauce, whisk together hot sauce and melted butter.  Toss baked cauliflower 'wings' in the sauce before serving.

They predicted 2 to 4 feet of snow overnight.  I got up early and pulled the curtain open expecting to see a beautiful white yard but NO, they were wrong again.  We barely got a dusting.  It's cold out and we have no plans to go out this weekend so I'm looking forward to a two day staycation.  I have a new book to start and a lot of cooking and baking to do so I'll be happy.  I'll be back tomorrow with my weekly w's.

Stay safe!!

My Weekly's W's

What's on top of my mind: Jet.  He's getting older and I'm seeing signs of it.  He still grooms himself, uses litterbox, and eats and drinks.  But yesterday for some reason he ate VERY little and seemed a bit out of it.  Today so far he has eaten a bit and seems to have more pep so fingers crossed he just had one bad day.

Where I've been: I went to work all week and yesterday we did our shopping which we hadn't done in three weeks except for fresh veggies and fruit.  I pretty much just restocked what we had eaten.  I could easily not shop for a couple of months but with prices on the rise and shortages the way they are I feel better just restocking what we've eaten instead of letting our supplies get too low.

Where I'm going: Other than work I don't think I'll be going anywhere.  January is still a hibernation month for me.  

What I'm watching:  This week I watched the latest Queer Eye season that dropped on Netflix New Year's Day.  I know it's a reality show but I have loved watching it since it started.  It is such a feel-good show to see them help people feel better and be in a better place.  I have happy tears after almost every single episode.  If you have never watched just try the first episode of this latest season.  So uplifting.

What I'm reading:  I finished Life from Scratch which was a good read and Taste My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci finally arrived yesterday so I will be starting that.

What I'm listening to: I'm trying to find quiet times throughout the day to just listen to my inner voice.

What I'm eating: Meals this week:

This past Monday was the first of meatless Mondays.  I found a recipe for Buffalo Cauliflower 'Wings' and they were very good.  I'll share the recipe tomorrow.

Big Salad

Wonton Cups with chili, cheese and green onions along with a few with cream cheese and jalapeno pepper. 

Beef sausage and veggies over rice

Beef roast with veggies and mashed potatoes.  (this was before it went in the oven)

Deer sausage, cheese, crackers and tomato soup.  This was a good dinner for game night. That's my Camble soup mug but it was homemade soup.  :-)

Tonight I'm cooking a steak for me and wings for the big guy and we'll have loaded baked potatoes on the side. 

Who needs a good slap:  I see it every day and the US Healthcare industry system is broken.  For the people that turned doctors into providers and started paying administrators an unbelievably higher amount than the doctors that do the work, I give 5 slaps. I could go on and on but I'll just leave it at that.

What I'm planning:  I'm going through each room and making a list of things I want to do or change.  I just want to give each room a good spruce.

What's making me smile:  I have been seeing a lot of kindness lately.  I think there is a good amount of people that decided to be a little kinder, pay attention to the joys, be more thankful instead of letting the last two years make them bitter and angry.  That makes me smile.

Wishing everyone a wonderful Sunday!!

Won ton wrappers aren't just for Crab Rangoon

Happy Wednesday!!  We're half way through the work week.

This is something I've been making off and on for probably close to 15 years when an old blogging buddy introduced me to the wonders of won ton wrappers for more than just crab rangoon.

You lightly grease a muffin tin and add one wrap.  Bake at 350 for about 5 minutes.  Pull them out and you have the perfect vessel for amazing appetizers.  

You can add a tablespoon of chili, top with cheese and green onions and return to the oven for about 4 or 5 minutes.  Or you can add cream cheese, return to the oven for 3-4 minutes and then top with jalapeno pepper jelly before serving.  Ham, cheese and red onions would be great.  The possibilities are endless.

This is also a really good way to turn some leftovers into something different. 

Stay safe everyone!!

My Weekly W's on the first Sunday of 2022

Here we are already, about to enter the first full week of 2022.  I'm optimistically cautious after the shitstorm of the last two years. But I'm well rested and ready to give it my all. My motto this year...

This hangs in my home office and yes, I am a Gillmore Girl fan.

What's top of my mind: The goals, plans and projects that I have set for 2022 are still on the top of my mind. I really am going to strive to check all of the boxes this year while still maintaining my work/life balance and reminding myself to be present in the moment.

Where I've been: Monday it was unseasonably warm so we went to Yellen Hellen's for their amazing chicken salad sandwiches and milkshakes.  It was hard to believe we were able to eat outside on December 27th.  The cold is making its appearance this week though. Other than that, I have been at home enjoying the season.

Where I'm going: Tomorrow I return to work after my 10 day vacation.  I can't even imagine how I'm going to dig my way out of this but I'll make it somehow. 

What I'm watching:  After the Christmas movie marathon of December I really haven't watched much TV.

What I'm reading: The latest two issues of Mary Jane's Farm magazine

What I'm listening to:  I'm striving for quieter times, so haven't really listened to much of anything.

What I'm eating: This week's dinners were...

Chili and oyster crackers

Egg rolls and rice

Left over pasta and garlic knots

BIG salad

Beef taquitos, salsa, chips and queso...SO good!

Coho salmon, rosemary potatoes and asparagus

Tonight I'm roasting a chicken, mashed potatoes and salad

Who needs a good slap:  I can't think of anyone at the moment.

What I'm planning: We need to go to the grocery store on Saturday but other than that just work and home projects are on the list.  I still plan to hibernate as much as I can through January.  Maybe even February.  The longer days will be here soon enough.

What's making me smile: This amazing candle that I received for Christmas.  Soy based, burns cleanly and smells amazing!!  I will be buying more of these Benevolence Los Angeles candles for myself and as gifts.

I hope everyone has a peaceful Sunday and that the first full week of the new year is a good one!

Stay safe!!