The first version of Smudge arrived with a tint on his white face and kept it long enough to earn his nickname. He also had quite a cold, no appetite, and began losing weight. That’s not good for a kitten so he made several trips to the vet and back to the Austin Humane Society. We worried he might not make it. He was very tiny and fragile and sleepy.

But that was then and this now! Thanks to Jackie’s ‘kitten growing’ expertise, Smudge — Take 2, got over his cold, began eating again, and hasn’t stopped. In fact we call him Pudge now as well, especially when he pushes four adult cats away from their food, in order to get first pick. He’s growing into an energetic, playful and happy cat. He will literally play himself to sleep in your lap, on a sofa, or on the floor. He’s on his way to becoming an expert fetcher. I’ve only known a few cats who really fetch well and they are a lot of fun to have around.

So Smudge returns to the Austin Humane Society in the next week or so to await his permanent home. If you’d like a new friend or know someone who does, contact me or Jackie or the AHS. As parents do, we took lots of photos and a few movies. You can browse these in the April and May sections of the web gallery.

A couple of Smudge’s Oscar worth films. (You’ll need QuickTime to view).

                                       That’s My Box!                                                                                Fetch Boy!

Summary:

1. Copy this file to your your XLSTART folder (usually C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE12\XLSTART)
2. Restart Excel.

1/2 cup olive oil
2 TSP red wine vinegar
2 TSP lemon juice
2 TSP Worcestershire sauce
1 TBSP anchovy paste
1/4 TSP mustard powder
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 TBSP Yogurt (fat free, plain)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

There are lots of recipes for garbanzo/spinach tapas; most omit the bacon and shallot, some omit the red pepper, and some add sherry vinegar or lemon juice.  Mine was:

3 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
1 or 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed & drained
1 red bell pepper, diced small
1 or 2 tablespoons shallot, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pinch smoked Spanish paprika
10 oz raw spinach

Half-cook the bacon.  Depending on how much bacon fat you’ve got, add 1 or 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Add chickpeas, bell pepper, shallot, and garlic and saute until the chickpeas start browning, maybe 5 or 10 minutes.  Add paprika and stir in spinach until it’s wilted, 2 minutes or so.

I started with a recipe from AllRecipes and ended up with the following yummy and healthy replacement for couscous or risotto.

* 1 cup uncooked quinoa
* 1 TBSP olive oil
* 2 cups chicken stock
* 1 TBSP chopped garlic
* 2 TBSP chopped fresh parsley
* 1 TBSP chopped fresh thyme
* Sea salt, fresh pepper
* 1 small onion, finely chopped
* 1 dash fresh lemon juice (optional)

1. Warm oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the quinoa, and toast, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and do the same.  And again for the garlic.  Stir in broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, or until quinoa is tender.
2. In a bowl, toss quinoa together with the other ingredients. Sprinkle with lemon juice, and serve.