Pets and Travel

Ming, safely ensconced within the protective walls of his nest
Attempt to invade and you will lose a hand!

In just over three months, we're off to Belgium for over a week. Ming, protector of home and hearth, may be embarking on a trip of his own. Not the kennel -- I would never do that to a pet. However, 9 days is a long time for a cat to left home without companionship, even with people stopping in for a bit to handle his everyday needs. It's important to keep in mind that Ming is a Bombay; leaving him home alone is like locking up your Labrador in a cramped room for a week. He's one of those rare "people cats" who crave human affection and need constant interaction. We can't go on a day trip, or even an hour-long grocery trek, without finding half the kitchen table contents on the floor from one of his tantrums.

In the past, Don's son was able to cat sit and provide Ming with some individual attention, or at least a human body to keep him company. However, he recently moved to Austin. That leaves Don's brothers. I don't have any family in PA, otherwise I'd call them. Don's brother, Dale, has checked in on Ming in the past when we were away and managed to not let our slick critter get away. You see, Ming is an eel-like "runner" -- he watches the door like a hawk so he can flee under the house to look for dead animals. Dale has already volunteered to check on Ming on his way home from work every day and feed him. This system has worked for some of our past vacations, however, Ming had his brother, Ling, to keep him company back then. I'm not so confident that leaving him alone for so long would be such a good idea. Granted, a human would show up once a day to feed him, give him fresh water, sift the litter, pat him on the head a couple times...however, he would still be sitting alone 9 days, 23.5 hours a day.

Dale did propose another option -- let Ming board at his house for the 9 days. He has a small dog, think it's a Chihuahua, that Ming could pal up with. Ming doesn't mind dogs and this one would not harm him. Dale also has a son that may enjoy playing with Ming. I only have one concern -- what if he gets out? Rewind back to that "eel-like runner" bit. If Ming sneaks past them and heads out the door, there are woods right behind the house for him to get lost/hide in. Am I being neurotic? A cat isn't a dog; it will not respond to a whistle. I think in cat language, he's actually busy flicking us off when he makes these mad dashes. "Screw you, human. I've got more important things to do. Oh no! I'm lost! Help! I want to go back! No, wait, I don't! Help, come get me!" *cat running into road*

So, what do you think? Should I go the safer route and keep him at home? Have Dale check on him once a day? Or, should I pack up his "nest" with a week and a half's supply of food and ship him off to Uncle Dale for a cat vay-kay? All opinions on this welcome! I'm torn on the issue.

At this time, I'm considering taking Ming over to Dale's in his carrier a few times for a bit to see how he fares, monitor his reaction to the front door opening and such. Now, I just have to deal with his fear of being in a vehicle.

Christmas 2009 Menu

....looks a lot like Christmas 2008's! Last year after our Christmas feast, Donnie had declared he wanted the same menu for our Easter dinner. To be completely honest, I do not remember what we did for Easter last year, nor apparently does my blog. *guilty look* I'm one of those people that takes tons of photos for posts, uploads them to a folder, and then proceeds to forget about the photos of food recipes or day trips until a couple months down the line. Think it may be time to dig up some of those photos.

Tomorrow, Donnie heads off to work, bright and early, for his 3-day working weekend. I plan on making good use of this weekend to get myself into the Christmas spirit and get into full gear for the coming holiday. All of my shopping for my husband is done, except for a couple stocking stuffers, and we finished shopping for his side of the family Tuesday night. I still have to put together gift boxes for co-workers, which means getting elbow deep in cookie dough and hunting down the perfect boxes or tins. Oh, and figuring out what the hell I am baking. My boss loves homemade pasta, so I might be experimenting a bit there. Whatever I am making, I better decide soon for tomorrow's shopping list.

As for Christmas dinner, we have yet to do any shopping for that, so it's up to me tomorrow. Donnie has already pointed me in the direction of a brown sugar-cured spiral-sliced ham -- anything different and it's coal in my stocking! I already have a route planned that puts all the shopping stops within a five mile radius, of the initial stopping point that is. Check Stop #1 for stocking stuffers, drive through parking lot to Stop #2 for the Christmas Ham et al, do a U-turn and select a couple bottles of Pinot Noir at Stop #3 and, if necessary, proceed to Stop #4 for stocking stuffers. Somewhere along this route there may be an additional stop to fuel up the car. Hope I beat the forecasted snow storm!

I usually make a moorish mushroom soup for Christmas Eve, but this year we're going to open a bottle of wine and devour Naan with Fig Preserves and Gorgonzola and a batch of Gorgonzola Quince Phyllo Pastries. I managed to get Christmas Eve off work, bringing my Christmas vacation to 4 days! We're going to snuggle up with mugs of cocoa and mindlessly fritter away the day together, with the kitty of course.

We're probably going to stop over at Don's brother's house for a bit in the morning, but we're hoping the other brother (it will prolly just be him and his son; the other brother has kids and his wife's family to celebrate with yet) will make an appearance at our house for dinner. That's a lot of ham for just the two of us.

Christmas 2009 Menu

Brown Sugar-Cured Ham
Smoked Bacon Gouda Tart with Pinot Noir Cranberry Sauce
Creamed Spinach
Baked Apples with Treacle Syrup
Pumpkin challah, Finnish cardamom orange braid or a fresh baguette

Mini Mincemeat Tarts
Lemon Curd Cake or Ginger Roulade with Whipped Cream??

Lab Rat, Part II

Would you believe I started this post on November 23rd? I get around to posting eventually. For my original post on this subject, check here: http://cymry-pa.blogspot.com/2009/11/lab-rat.html

My adventures in the medical world as an experimental rat to poke at continue....

After my entirely unpleasant morning at the hospital, we returned home to find three messages waiting on the answering machine. No, not the hospital or doctor's office with speedy results. There were some issues at work, and the two of us that are most familiar dealing with these particular situations had both scheduled the day off. As is the typical response when people are taken out of their comfort zone and prompted to take initiative, take off the training wheels and perform a process they've seen successfully carried out many times before, they decided to reinvent the system. They panicked; sloppy shortcuts were made and my office was torn apart before I was able to intercede in the situation. Great morning so far, eh! I was in even more discomfort now that I'd been jammed in the ribs a couple hundred times (not the tech's fault; she did what she had to do) and all I wanted to do was change into the most comfy clothes possible and find something to eat. After several phone calls to decipher the level of disarray and upfuckedness, I finally was able to get to the right person to explain the many reasons why the shortcut was the exact opposite of what they should be doing.

Big Gun: "Oh... Oh, ouch. Ok, so we can't do that."
Me: "No, that would be bad."

We won't go there; let's just say my office had been literally taken apart before I could correct the situation. Another phone call later, I hesitantly determined it was safe enough to get a little more comfortable and take a nap. Fortunately, woes@work was solved and placed in more competent hands, and I was able to downshift for the rest of the day.

The next couple days were uneventful, pain-wise. No stabbing pain, but the "fist" under the rib was still there. I began to think I was imagining the pressure and that, perhaps, it had always been present. Maybe the pain just made me more aware of my body and its bulky internal organs. When the pain didn't make an appearance after a couple days, I began to berate myself, thinking this was all a silly somatic side effect from work stress. Then Friday rolled around. The pressure suddenly intensified under my rib; it hurt to sit down, as though my ribs were caving into my stomach. A new pain appeared, a stabbing near the pelvis. It only lasted a few minutes, but it chose to arrive as I was attempting to drive home from work. I made it home in one piece, although in considerably more pain than that morning. Donnie met me in the kitchen and told me he had good news and bad news -- which did I want first? The good news: the doctor had all my test results in. The bad news: there was absolutely nothing wrong with me. Hale as a horse. Every bit of hope that a simple diagnosis would be made and an answer to these bizarre symptoms was close at hand was lost in that moment. They couldn't find anything wrong; no strange protein readings or anemia, no levels off-kilter to even indicate I'd just endured a couple weeks of purging after every meal. Nothing pointed to an infection or inflammation. It may as well have all been in my head. All that time and embarrassment, yet no answer except that it had to be somatic.

I remember feeling my self-control diminishing with that hope for an explanation. I managed to hold my grace long enough to walk upstairs to our bedroom, before crumpling up into a ball on the bed and bawling uncontrollably. I let go of my composure for a moment and lost control, releasing the stress, the pent-up anxiety, the anger at being told nothing was wrong. All that lost time at work for nothing. I felt like a whiny hypochondriac wasting everyone's time and tacking unnecessary expenses onto my medical insurance. We were prepared for a clear-cut diagnosis that could be easily treated with medication or minor surgery. My grandmother had Crohn's Disease and my symptoms were sounding a lot like Crohn's or Celiac Disease, but the blood tests did not indicate issues with the C1 protein or anemia. Even more frustrating, the doctor couldn't find any signs of inflammation in my body, yet it felt exactly as if my intestines were swollen and irritated. To top it all off, some swelling had appeared by my rib cage.

More lab rat fun to be continued...

Do You Still Have Turkey Leftovers?

Hopefully by now you've frozen any remaining turkey meat. The day after Thanksgiving, I already was making a huge pot of turkey stock and a batch of turkey soup. Not just any turkey soup -- turkey acini di pepe soup. I must admit, that is about as creative as I've got so far with turkey leftovers. Turkey curry wraps? Need to buy wraps. Turkey tortilla soup...mmmm... Turkey mole? Definitely on the to-do list, just have to find the time.

Turkey Acini di Pepe Soup

white part of one 1 leek, halved and sliced, rinsed well in a bowl of water
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, halved and sliced
1/2 tsp dried sage
2 tsp sea salt
6 c homemade turkey stock (think I ended up making 12 c of my recipe)
1/2 c acini di pepe pasta
7.5-8 oz leftover turkey, shredded

Sauté onion and carrot until fork-tender. Add sliced leek and continue cooking until softened. Add stock and pasta, seasoning with sage, sea salt and lots of freshly cracked pepper. Allow acini di pepe to cook through until doubled in size. Add turkey and heat through.

Nutrition (per 1 cup): 84 calories; 1 g fat; 19 mg cholesterol; 632 mg sodium; 7 g carbs; 11 g protein

If you haven't made turkey stock before, I highly recommend it. Aside from the obvious chicken and beef stocks, you can also make homemade pork stock, lamb stock, duck stock..the list goes on. Leftover meaty bones is all that is required to make a flavourful, full-bodied stock. You don't even need a stock pot to make it -- a canning pot (my vessel of choice) or even a couple dutch ovens/cassoulet pots will do the trick. Add the bones to your pot, cover with water, toss in a few bay leaves and celery leaves, season with peppercorns or a bouquet garni, and simmer for an hour or so. You'll know it's ready by the colour and aroma. Skim any fat off the top and strain into a large container, preferably something with a spouted top such as a plastic pitcher. To store, pour the cooled stock into an extra ice cube tray or two and freeze in batches, emptying the trays into a large freezer bag once the stock has frozen into cubes. As you need stock for soups or gravies, simply pull some cubes out of the freezer bag and into your pot! Much better tasting and a lot less sodium than canned broth.

I still have some turkey meat left...

~*Winter Storm on the Way*~

Help me!

My Elfrosity gnome has yet to be rescued from the last snow.

We're about to get our second batch of snow! Not so happy about the ice that's coming with it; hopefully that won't transpire. If the roads are too icy tomorrow morning, I'll ask my husband to take me in and pick me up. Don't think he would be too happy about the "picking up" part considering he's working mega overtime and would have to fetch me almost immediately after waking up, however that may be better than having to fish me out of a ditch?

The forecasters are calling for a 3-5" snow accumulation, plus freezing rain accumulation of a tenth of an inch. The rest of the week is calling for snow on and off, as well. We're definitely going to have a White Christmas! With the wintry bite in the air, I have been busy warming up. The kitty and I are snugly shut downstairs with the steam radiators hissing and I am bundled up in a warm hoodie and slippers, sipping a protein hot cocoa. Mmmm... Hey, no making faces! You can drink your chalky, sugar-laden, high-fat, less than 1g of protein Carnation Cocoa with Marshmallows -- I'm drinking a healthy hot cocoa, which tastes much the same, sans the guilt and no worries of choking on a dehydrated gum paste cube :) Naturally, I will still enjoy my homemade hot cocoa without the soy milk and protein powder additions, but this was the perfect change of pace from the usual cold protein shake on such a chilly night.

A spoonful of protein love, mixed with just enough water to form the base of the protein cocoa.

No, it's not sandy! Yes, there is a green tinge -- it's called Greens & Whey for good reason. And the brown tinge streaked through? That's chocolate :)

Hot Protein Cocoa

1/2 to 1 serving of your favourite chocolate protein powder, depending on desired thickness (I used Biochem's 100% Greens & Whey Chocolate)
1 c soy milk (I used 8th Continent Light Vanilla Soy)
1 tb Dutch-processed cocoa powder (you could always sub with carob powder/chips)
1 tsp vanilla extract
optional: 1 tsp Raw Blue Agave syrup or turbinado

In a mug, stir together protein powder with just enough to water to form a loose paste, a little thicker than a slurry. Mix well to ensure all lumps are gone. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan heat soy milk until hot, but short of boiling. Whisk in cocoa powder and vanilla; slowly add to mug with protein powder paste. Stir to combine well and enjoy!

Nutritional data for my version with 1/2 serving Greens & Whey Chocky w/vanilla soy and agave syrup: 138 calories, 4 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 110 mg sodium, 13 g carbs, 11 g sugar, 17 g protein.

Note: By omitting the agave syrup, you can subtract 18 calories, 5 carbs and 5 g sugar. Depending on how sweet your protein powder is, any additional sweetener may be unnecessary. Had I used the full serving of protein powder, I would have omitted the agave.

Creamy and frothy chocolate deliciousness

Now, I'm looking forward to trying a hot protein eggnog!

Revving Up for Belgium!

We are currently in the process of planning our trip to Belgium from April 1 to April 9, 2010. Don will lock in his vacation hours tonight for the trip and I will do the same tomorrow morning. One of our good friends works for SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe), and lives just outside Brussels over in Mons, so we're staying with her. Petra is one of our dearest friends and we've enjoyed some lengthy vacations together, both in Europe and over here in NEPA.

So far it looks like we're taking SAS (Don's favourite carrier) out of Newark to Copenhaven (København/Copenhagen), then a quick 1 hour hop over to Brussels. I'm already excited and researching other places to go. Between the three of us, we're hashing out side trips to Holland (no Freudian slip intended; I'm not a smoker), maybe Luxembourg (Don and I are keen on their supermarkets LOL) or even taking the Eurostar to London. I'm rooting for Holland, Luxembourg and enjoying Belgium. We all love Bruges, but I have yet to see Gent -- Don and Petra have and that's on the recommended list. Don wants to see Waterloo and revisit Aachen (just over the border in Germany). Petra's waving the banner for Paris hehe We have a few months to plan yet, and it's going to be lots of fun.

Of course, this means I had to confess one of my husband's presents (wouldn't tell him if it was for February birthday or Christmas) to prevent him from going out and purchasing a netbook, himself. We both have our high-end laptops, but it is easier to travel with a netbook when you won't be working with any memory-intensive applications, such as digital rendering software. Besides, it leaves more room to bring back all the foodstuffs customs will allow! When in Belgium, buy chocky!

On that important note, do you think it's time I finally invest in a portable suitcase scale? I've been hauling my suitcases onto my own bathroom scale or making an educated guess for ages, when it may be possible to cram more stuff in there!

Baking Up a Snow Storm

It was just last night that the talking heads on the radio were discussing our local forecast for today and dismissing the call for 1"-3" of snow. "Won't stick; the ground's too warm yet!" was adamantly stated many times. They didn't deny the snow would show up, and it did, around 10 AM this morning. By 10:30 AM it was obvious it was sticking -- the kale was completely covered in the garden and the rhododendron was starting to look a little deflated. I kept worriedly checking on the status of the road in front of the house, concerned it was going to delay my plans to do a little Christmas shopping. To top it off, my husband was not feeling so well (long story but he is OK now). After an hour of pacing a hole through the floor and making Don dizzy, I finally decided to take my chances. The snow didn't appear to be sticking to the road, just everything else. I pulled on my black puffy boots, informed Don of my intended destination should my car veer off the road, and headed out the door to clear the snow off my car.

I've been nervous about driving in the snow ever since that incident last year just before Christmas when I decided to brave the roads to get stocking stuffers the day after a blizzard. Yes, very enterprising of me. That 360 into a snow bank taught me a wee lesson to be more careful. It hasn't completely deterred me from driving in the snow, though. With all the weather-related issues I've encountered over the past couple Winters, you'd never guess I'm still quite fond of the fluffy stuff. Not so keen on the iced-over snow-glass that blankets our front banks, but I do rather enjoy stomping through some fresh powder. It's not Winter until a good squall hits; then you fire up the wood stove and prepare a couple steamy mugs of cocoa.

I was only a few miles down the road when it became apparent that this adventurous trek may have not been such a great idea. Not one to admit defeat, I ventured on, but was wise enough to not exceed 40 MPH. Half an hour later, I safely arrived at the first store on the list and began manoeuvring through the crazy Christmas hoards. Overall, most people seemed to be in the Christmas spirit, even with the snow inches mounting by the hour. I searched in vain for Snog (soy milk eggnog), found two great deals on presents for the Leprechaun, and completed some successful gift idea browsing for our niece and nephews. Not as much crossed off the list as I was hoping -- crowds can be a little overwhelming when you're trying to carefully choose gifts for people and someone's jamming a cart into your back.

The next couple stores satisfied most of the stocking stuffer list, although I was becoming uncomfortably aware that the snow on my car was becoming proportionately higher between stores. Time to call it a day! Some successes, but still one more small gift to go for the Leprechaun. Yes, I know what it is, but I'm not telling ;)

The speed limit spanning the first 10 minutes through town back to the mountains ranges between 15-30 MPH. My speed did not exceed 15 MPH during that time. Once officially out of the Valley, the speed limit increases to 45 MPH. There wasn't a car on the road driving over 30 MPH; visibility wasn't fantastic and the roads did not appear to have been ploughed. As far as I was concerned, it was encouraging just to see a few cars on the road (and not in ditches), anything to indicate there were others mad enough to venture out. I had promised my husband I would be home before 4 PM -- it was past 4:30 PM with a good drive uphill ahead, and none of us were going to attempt speeds over 30 MPH. By the time I finally pulled up in front of the garage, grinding the tires through some particularly thick snow to fit back into my usual parking spot, it was 5 PM and all the downstairs lights and outside lights were on. I made it home safe, found one of Don's presents in the mailbox, and managed a sufficiently productive shopping trip all in one afternoon.

For the moment, the snow has tampered off. Our huge rhododendron by the side porch looks as though it is about to split into four pieces under the weight of the snow. It has seen worse, but you can't help feeling sorry for the rugged beast. I already have plans to wake up extra early tomorrow to fully absorb the beauty of our new Winter oasis. I got an early start this evening by baking several batches of cookies. Donnie and I have been taking turns brewing large pots of coffee since I returned home this evening, which has left me happily wired! I may be paying with an ulcer tomorrow, but in the meantime there are two tins full of cookies and dough for more waiting in the fridge. Here's the start of many more cookie recipes to come:

A Christmas version of Molasses Spice Crinkles

You could use whatever type of sugar you desire, or even sea salt.

Molasses-Spice Crinkles (adapted from Cooking Light's 2006 recipe)

4 tb salted cream butter, room temperature
1/2 c brown sugar
2 tb Blackstrap molasses
1 large egg white, or 2 tb beaten egg whites
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 1/3 c all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
raw or coloured sugar for rolling

Cream together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses, egg white, spices, baking powder and baking soda. Mix in flour, beating only enough to combine. Chill. Form into 1" balls and roll in sugar. Place on nonstick pan and press down to gently flatten. Bake at 375F for 8-10 minutes.

Citrus Poppyseed Thumbprints (adapted from BHG)

4 oz salted cream butter, room temperature
1/4 c granulated sugar
1 tb poppy seeds
1 egg yolk
1 tsp orange liqueur (I used Triple Sec)
zest of 1 small orange or clementine
1 1/3 c all purpose flour

Cream together butter and sugar. Add poppy seeds, egg yolk, zest and liqueur. Mix in flour until just combined. Roll into 1" balls and place on nonstick baking sheet. Gently press down with thumb to form a well in each cookie, then fill with desired preserves. I used blackcurrant preserves and cherry preserves. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes.

Sticky, sweet and gooey

Raspberry and Mint Jelly Hazelnut Thumbprints

Hazelnut Thumbprints (adapted from MarthaStewart.com)

1/2 c salted cream butter
1/4 c granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 + 1/8 c all purpose flour
1/4 c finely chopped hazelnuts

Follow directions for citrus thumbprints. Roll in hazelnuts before placing on baking sheet and fill with desired preserves. For these I used mint jelly and raspberry preserves. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes.

Nutritional data and photos to come later today...it's almost 3 AM!

EDIT 12/6/09 2:14 PM -- photos uploaded, a little blurry but I was hurrying to get them up! Snow photos on the way!

Do You Bribe Yourself To Go To Work?

Don't get me wrong; I actually do love my job, most of the time. But, while you're tapping away at your work computer, don't you ever get that wistful, guilty feeling that you'd really rather be doing something less productive? I'm not talking about lounging around the house, although we could all use a day of that every once in a while. Having free time to take a hike in the woods, bake treats in the kitchen, cuddle up with the cat and watch a corny Christmas movie -- these are all indulgences for me that I wish could be had more often.

Luna Caramel Nut Brownie -- waiting for me to dig in!

Drizzled with chocky and stuffed with nuts...even better than a brownie

These sentiments are at their strongest on Mondays. My prescribed solution: protein bars. If I must use my brain and join the masses at work, I should at least be allowed a small indulgence. Not wanting to develop a crutch and fall back into bad habits, I've limited the indulgence to something reasonable that won't turn me into a Graf Zeppelin. Don't get me wrong; protein bars usually contain a higher amount of calories and fat than the usual "snack" granola bar, although that's often good fat from nuts. The typical meal replacement bar is usually a high-protein bar. Every two weeks I purchase two protein bars, usually Luna Bars, and save them for the next two Mondays. At this moment, there is a S'mores Luna Bar waiting for me to rip into this coming Monday. I can't touch it until then; that's the rule!

Yup, another protein bar. This one was my breakfast last Monday.

It's difficult to tell in this photo, but this bar is coated on the bottom with a thick layer of chocky.

Blogging and reading others' blogs is another popular form of bribery for me. I wake up an hour earlier than actually needed to leisurely enjoy a pot of Assam or Ceylon and the Internet. Only after that am I prepared to endure a grueling day multitasking in five different directions and being closed off from the rest of society (not counting the visitors plunged into our little world) for 8+ hours.

What do you do to encourage yourself to go to work?