Formerly Feral Friday

Here I am pestering Mom. She was trying to cut this fabric for a Gizzy quilt, but I want her to pet me. Now that I am the Only Cat, things have changed, and I want to tell you all about it.

Gizzy used to wake Mom up in the morning. I don't. I sleep on my nifty bed on the blue recliner, just outside Mom's room. When I hear the squawk box go off, I go jump on her bed so she can pet me. She usually hits the squawk box to make it be quiet, then she gives me scritches. She is under the blankets, so I don't have to worry she will try to pick me up. I move all around so she can give me all the scritches I want wherever I want them. Sometimes I will flop down on the bed and lean up against her, but she can't get me, so it's OK. Sometimes I even lean on her, and once I even lay down on her belly. But I didn't stay long. I do not sleep on her bed at night. I only sleep on her bed during the day when she is gone.

When she gets up, she turns on the computer and then goes to the litterbox room. After that she gets my food ready. Then she gets in the rainbox. I don't hang around waiting, like Gizzy did.

I occasionally jump up onto the counter while she makes her lunch and gets her breakfast ready. Sometimes I meow to let her know I want more scritches.

Sometimes I get on the table while she eats breakfast. But I don't drink her milk, the way Jasmine used to.

When she leaves for day hunting, I am usually in my favorite spot in the cat hammock, watching as she gets in the metal macheen and goes away.

Gizzy used to know when she would be coming home from day hunting and wait on the back of the recliner, watching for her metal macheen to come into the driveway. Then he would meet her at the door when she came in. I don't do that. She calls me, but that just lets me know she's home. She gets the mail, turns the computer on, closes the window sticks and puts her coat away. By that time I have done my stretches. She gets my food ready, and then I have dinner.

After she makes the bubbles with the pots and pans, she goes in the sewing room. I usually make sure she gives me plenty of scritches and pets before I let her get any sewing done. Someday she'll figure out that Only Cat also means Top Cat!

Feed Me Friday!

OK! Finally, Mom's got a BEEF recipe for all us carnivores. This is a favorite recipe around here. Mom's had it for like a squillion years. It's one of those "Beef, it's what's for dinner" recipes. It is easy, and good, and Mr Karate LOVES it!

Szechwan Beef Stir-Fry (30 minutes)

1 lb beef flank steak
2 Tb soy sauce
4 tsp dark sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp minced ginger
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper pods
1 small red pepper, cut into 1" pieces
1 8 oz package frozen baby corn, defrosted
1/4 lb snow peas, julienned

Cut beef lengthwise into 2 strips; slice across the grain into 1/8-inch thick strips. Combine soy sauce, 2 tsp oil, sugar and cornstarch; stir into strips. Heat remaining 2 tsp oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, ginger and pepper pods; cook 30 seconds. Add bell pepper and corn; stir fry 11/2 minutes. Add pea pods; stir fry 30 seconds. Remove vegetables from the skillet; reserve. Stir-fry beef strips (half at a time) 2 - 3 minutes. Return vegetables and snow peas to skillet and heat through.

Serve over hot cooked white rice.

Serves 4


American Beef Council

Project Runway T13

Mom loves Project Runway. She has been watching since Season One, way before it became a big hit and everybody got on the bandwagon. I would love to be on Project Runway. But they wouldn't take me. Here are 13 reasons why I think I should have been on Project Runway.

1. I am always perfectly attired: Black and White is a timeless, classic combination.
2. I have a terrific color sense. Look at all the Gizzy Quilts I have designed. (ok, Mom helped)
3. I know how to strike a pose.
4. My claws are better than scissors for cutting.
5. I may be a cat, but I am never catty.
6. The camera loves me.
7. I have excellent taste. (I have excellent smell too: I can smell beef from another room...)
8. I know how to use my time wisely (napping, mostly)
9. I would never get into a fight with Nina Garcia.
10. I know what a sewing machine is.
11. I can take criticism (but mostly I ignore it)
12. Um...
13. Wait a minute.... I am still thinking...

Wayback Wordless Wednesday

(Pssst... Adan, this is Gizzy!)

Two-fer Tuesday

All this thinking of Gizzy made Mom and me a little nostalgic. So today we decided to do a two-fer. Here are two pictures, one of Gizzy drinking water from the faucet (yes it is dripping off his head) and another of me trying to copy him.
I didn't stick my head under the running water, just my paw.

(you can click the pictures to biggify)

Mancat Gizzy

This is a picture of my bestest pal Gizzy. This picture was taken four years ago, when he was 11 years old. Most of you know that Gizzy went to the Rainbow Bridge this past April. He was wonderful, and Mom and I loved him a lot. Like Monty Q, he used to want to go outside all the time.

One of the comments on my blog last week was a question "What is a Gizzy?" Well, Gizzy is this cat, but a "Gizzy" is the name that cats use to refer to the Gizzy Quilts Mom makes. Mom has made over 100 Gizzy and Holiday Gizzy Quilts. (Eek!)

Anyway, before she made Gizzy Quilts, Mom made a bunch of Quilted Chessboards. Here is a picture of one of them, named "Martini."
The chessboards are made of cotton, but have a filling of denim, to keep them stiff. They are "regulation" size, which means the individual squares are 2-1/4" and will work with most standard sized Chess pieces. This chessboard is set up with a puzzle, and the only clue is "White forces Mate." Now, I don't know what that means, but if you do, you can solve the puzzle.

Mom just rebuilt her computer again (don't ask) and she -finally- got all her pictures back on it, so I can finally post today. I was in a missing-Gizzy mood, so that's why we have this nice picture of Gizzy for you tonight.

Easy Like Sunday Morning

Mom doesn't do easy. Yesterday she went to the WW meeting, then went food hunting, then Mr Karate came over with a present for her. Then they had lunch. He went to his cello lesson and she went down to the basement and moved junk around. She has been trying to organize the stuff she has collected, get rid of stuff she doesn't need and make it look better. Mr Karate came back after his cello lesson and practiced, but Mom went back down there to move more stuff around. When she came upstairs, Mr Karate was hungry again, so Mom made him another sandwich (tuna - yech!) and then they watched Ratatouille. It was really good.


Here's the present Mr Karate brought Mom. Actually it isn't a present, it belongs to Mr Karate. His friend, R, is moving from Boston to Beezer's town of San Francisco to work for Cisco. She decided not to take the TV and gave it to Mr Karate to lend to Mom. So they were able to watch the movie on this big tv instead of the tiny one in the sewing room.

I slept on the bed, on my freshly washed Gizzy Quilt. - I - know how to do Easy!

The guys named Pat aren't playing this week, so Mom will watch all of "The Next Iron Chef" until the final one later tonight. She can't wait to see which guy will be the next Iron Chef.

Oh yeah... Angus; Mom does the WW thing too, and she says yup, those brownies have WAY too many points for her to eat either.

Sympathetic Saturday

Mom had a pretty lousy day at her day hunting job yesterday. So I'm gonna stick close to her today and try to cheer her up.

She's filled all the orders for Gizzy quilts, and she wants to make some to have ready to sell, but she doesn't know what colors cats might like, so that's why we have the poll in my sidebar. Mom figures she could probably make 6 quilts that could be delivered before Christymas. So if you are interested, shoot me an email at darlingmillie AT gmail DOT com. Or just visit the website. Be sure to tell us what colors you would like, and if you want a Gizzy quilt to match your furs.

Cat Blogosphere Most Wanted!

Scroll down for newer posts.

Have you seen this cat?SEND HIM HOME!
Monty Q, wherever you are, GO HOME!

My sweetie is missing! home!

I guess he slipped out when the Pizza guy left the door open too long. Silly Monty! He spent the night on a neighbor's porch chair, safe and sound.

Thank goodness! I feel -so- much better!

Feed-Me! Friday

Brownies!

Mr Karate says these are really good with vanilla ice cream. Or with whipped cream. Or just a cold glass of milk. A pan of these rarely lasts more than 24 hours at our house. Mr Karate says these are the bestest brownies in the whole wide world. Mom got the recipe from her Mom's Betty Crocker 1953 Red and White Cookbook. Mom likes brownies with nuts, but Mr Karate doesn't. Since there is no beef in them, I don't like them at all.

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

Melt together over hot water:
2 squares unsweetened chocolate (2 ounces)
1/3 cup shortening or butter (5-1/3 tablespoons)

Add to bowl containing these ingredients and mix well:
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
¾ cup flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Mix in: ½ cup broken walnuts (optional)

Spread in a well-greased 8” square pan. Bake 30 minutes, until top has a dull crust. A slight imprint will be left when top is touched lightly with fingertip. Cool slightly, then cut into squares.

This recipe doubles easily: put in a 13 x 9 x 2” pan and bake for the same amount of time.

A Present and T13

Mom missed me so much, she bought me a PRESENT!

She says it's a heated cat cup. Now, don't get me wrong or anything, but this doesn't look like any cup I have ever seen. She tried to lure me into it by putting my sparkly ball and Nip-filled mink mousie in it, but I'm smarter than that.
Yup. I ain't gettin' in that silly thing. I'm just fine right here, thank you very much.
Oh yeah, it's Thursday, and that means Thursday Thirteen. So here is a list of 13 things I missed while I was on the Road Trip:

1. My cat hammock
2. Getting Mom to give me scritches behind my ears
3. Watching the birds in the bushes outside
4. Mom giving me scritches under my neck
5. My very own bed that Monty gave me for the Summer Secret Paw (it's next to the new cat cup thing in one of the pictures above)
6. Getting Mom to give me Roast Beast when she makes herself a sandwich
7. My special spot in the window in the studio where I can watch the little sticky people next door run around and scream.
8. Walking on Mom while she is sleeping in bed
9. Getting scritches behind my ears
10. Checking out every single Gizzy quilt that she makes for cats all over the world
11. Napping in my cat hammock in the sun
12. Playing with my Nip Mousie
13. Getting scritches behind my ears. Did I say how much I missed those?

'Course now that I am home, I miss Monty Q. Maybe HE can come over and try out the heated cat cup thing. Dunno if he'd fit, though. Bet he could squeeze himself into it.

Dona Nobis Pacem

Home!

I'm home! I'm home! I'm home!

I was so eager to get home! I am so glad the train ran all night and all day! I got home before Mom got back from day hunting. She came in the door, and I was sitting in the big blue chair. I got lots and lots of pets and scritches. I purred and purred, I was so happy. I even rubbed against Mom's arm a bit, and then came back to get more scritches on my cheeks. Oh, I like those so much!

Mom was so happy to see me, she opened up a can of STINKY GOODNESS! As you can see, I dove right in. Later I had some Beef Temptations, and even my crunchies. I will spend the day in my cat hammock napping and looking out at the crappy November weather in New Hampster: cold, grey, rainy.

There's no place like home!

IDYA #3 DUYS

What Mom Did While I Was Gone

Mom made quilts. I don't think I should be surprised. This pretty flowery one is for some girl kitties in Kansas.
And you have probably seen this very Skinny Gizzy quilt that ended up at Parker's house. (I teleported back one night to give it the QA check, as you can see) Click here to see Puff showing off the quilt.
This bright one is flying to its cat in Catifornia today.

You should check Jan's Funny Farm today and tomorrow. I think she's got something to show off.

Bounce showed off his Gizzy Quilt yesterday. Lucy and Trixie also got quilts a few weeks ago.

Mom has also updated the slide show of -all- the Gizzy Quilts over at the Bizzy for Gizzy blog. The slide show starts with Monty's quilt, and then goes through all of the ones Mom has made, in the order she made them. Then it starts at the first quilt again, and goes round and round.

You can also see Rudy showing off the Halloween Quilt that mysteriously landed at his house. He has apparently decided that since the quilt matches his furs, it is HIS quilt. You can also see Jan's Funny Farm showing off the quilt they got recently.

I'll be home before Mom gets back from work today. I can't wait! I can't wait! I can't wait!

Mancats Monday

You all know that I am not a Mancat. I am a Ladycat. I want to celebrate two Mancats here today on Mancat Monday.

First, Luxor. It's not everycat who would put up with having his home invaded by 22 or 28 cats and a couple of dogs he's never met. He was a complete gentleman and a wonderful host on our road trip to visit him. Lux, for your incredible cool and patience, I salute you!
Next, my sweetheart Monty Q. (I'm biased, so what?) Monty put together a terrific itinerary of stuff to do and visit when we got to his place. He also shared driving responsibilities, and spent a great deal of time entertaining us with his singing. And when I got lonely and homesick, he immediately made arrangements to help get me home. Monty, thanks for being there for me!
I shall always remember this road trip. It was the most fun! I met lots of great friends, ate lots of great food, saw wonderful new places and had a fabulous time. I am eager to get home and rest, but I hope we can all have another road trip again someday.

Last Stop on the Road Trip

We are visiting Tara and Kavan today. They have a lovely yard. I got to watch hummingbirds and climb the tree. We will also visit Miss Peach, who has organized hot air balloon rides for all of us. We also had a terrific visit with DKM & the fluffies... that massage was just what I needed to renew my spirits. That barbeque with Michael, well, I've never had such fabulous food! I'm impressed!

This has been the most incredible week of my life. I have had so much fun with my friends, and seen so many new places, and tried new foods. It has been magical, the I cannot thank my friends enough for their generous hospitality!

But as you all know, I am homesick. My dear Monty Q has organized a train to bring us back home. It is a really fast train. We will put the big red bus on it, and bring all the cats back home. In Florida, we will put the cars on the train, and head back to the cold Northeast. We will spend Monday speeding across the country, and I will be home sometime on Tuesday!

But you know what Monty Q did just for me? He made sure the train had a GIGANTIC wide screen plasma TV so Roxy, Lucky and I could watch The Big Game today between The Guys Named Pat and those horseshoe guys, even though the Guys Named Pat are not Monty's favorite team.


Now that's love!

Homesick

I have been having a lot of fun on this road trip, traveling all around the country visiting friends, eating new foods and seeing the sights. I have enjoyed racing with Sammy, Monty's singing, driving with Dragonheart, visiting San Francisco with Beezer, eating lizard stew with Daisy and watching Lucky and Lux find each other. I really want to see Napa and ride in a hot air balloon.

But I am homesick. I miss my Mom. I miss her scritches. I miss watching her make Gizzy quilts. I miss my own bed. It's kinda noisy on the road trip, and my house is nice and quiet.

After the hot air balloon ride, can we go home now?

Feed Me! Friday & Road Trip Update

I hope you all have been having fun reading about the Road Trip! I was trying to keep my absence a secret from Mom! You all know I am not good at keeping secrets. Like Monty's karaoke machine... You should see what the Sammy Meezer found down in the luggage compartment... He was down there with Abby "investigatin." Oops, there I go again.

Go to Beezer's blog to find out what we have been up to lately. He's now my hero -- you're just gonna have to go over and find out why. The answer is one word: BEEF!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mom has decided to hijack my blog again in my absence and post another recipe. Well I never!


This is another vegetarian pasta recipe. It's a little bit spicy, but not too much. Mom says to make it -exactly- the way it is written or you'll lose the something that makes it special. This is another recipe that takes about 30 minutes.

By the way, Mom is from New Hampster, so what she thinks is "a little bit spicy" will probably be "not spicy enough" for some beans in the Southwest.

Spicy Penne with Cauliflower

1/4 cup golden raisins

2 Tablespoons pine nuts

2 Tablespoons olive oil

4 cups cauliflower florets

4 cloves garlic, thinly slivered

1 14-1/2 ounce can no-salt-added stewed tomatoes

8 ounce can no-salt-added tomato sauce

¾ Teaspoon salt

½ Teaspoon red pepper flakes

½ Teaspoon ground ginger

12 ounces penne pasta

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

1. Start heating a large pot of water to boiling for the pasta. In a small bowl, combine the raisins and ½ cup of hot water. Let stand until the raisins have softened, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small dry skillet, cook the pine nuts over low heat until lightly toasted, stirring frequently, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat.

2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil until hot but not smoking over low heat. Add the cauliflower and cook, stirring frequently, until the cauliflower is golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is lightly golden, about 3 minutes.

3. Add the raisins and their soaking liquid, tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, pepper flakes, and ginger, breaking up the tomatoes with the back of a spoon. Cook until the cauliflower is tender and the sauce is slightly thickened, about 4 minutes longer.

4. Meanwhile, cook the penne in the boiling water until just tender. Drain well. Transfer the cauliflower mixture to a large bowl, add the penne and parsley, and toss to combine. Spoon the penne mixture into 4 shallow bowls, sprinkle with the pine nuts, and serve.

this recipe is from a book called "Great-Taste Low-Fat Pasta"

Oh Dear! I am -SO- late!

Omigoodness.... I can't believe the day has slipped by like this!

We Road Trippers are here at Lux's place in New Mexico. After five hectic, fun-filled days traveling down from New Hampster with an every growing group of pals, today was just a day to rest. Lucky and Luxor only had eyes for each other, and the rest of us decided to leave them to it.

I spent the day relaxing day with my own sweetie, Monty Q. We found a nice quiet place to sit in the sun and enjoy the scenery and smell the smells. It's a lot warmer in New Mexico than it is in New Hampster this time of year.

Mont's karaoke machine has gone missing. He's pretty broken up about it.

Just like the mach... Oops. Gotta go now.