Fat Cat

Spring is here.

Summer is coming soon.

My mind is turning to healthy (read: not too fattening, not too much trouble to cook in the heat) recipes. The exercise ball, yoga class and long walks to the lake beckon.

I miss my sun salutations, warrior positions, triangles and trees. One of these days, I'm going to make it to Anniston Yoga Center and meet Mariya Bullock. I want to do yoga in the historic Kilby House and on Cheaha Mountain.

At the risk of PETA protests, I like a fairly obese cat. It's not a personal image choice. but cats look better with some weight on them. This guy may have gone a bit too far, though.

Okay, a lot too far.

Remember B. Kliban cats, anyone?













I adore salads. A good one (to me) is a treasure hunt for chicken breast, pecans, tasty cheese and some fruit in a good balsamic on fresh romaine. I am very happy that we are growing romaine lettuce in the garden this year. Jay is set up to simply snip leaves. It's amazing!

Occasionally, though, one has to branch out from leafy greens or one becomes bored and eats things that can make one look like these cats.

Here are two easy recipes:

Cool Couscous Salad

• 1 (10-ounce) box instant couscous
• 6 ounces marinated artichoke heart quarters - drain and reserve liquid
• 1 cup halved grape or cherry tomatoes
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced (if you like onions)
• 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 large cucumber, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 cup loosely packed mint leaves, roughly torn (if you like mint)
• 1 package of roasted chicken breast (I suggest Oscar Mayer)
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and black pepper

Cook the couscous. Uncover and fluff with a fork. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool. Add the artichoke quarters, cherry tomatoes, scallions, chickpeas, cucumber and mint. Toss the chicken into the couscous. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil and the reserved artichoke liquid. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour dressing over the couscous mixture and toss lightly to combine. 

Beth's Honey-Dijon Glaze for Chicken Breasts or Pork Chops

about 1 cup of lemon juice
about 2 tablespoons of dijon mustard
about 1 cup of honey
a tiny bit of garlic salt

Put these ingredients into a large skillet, cooking on low heat and stirring constantly until a nice consistency is reached and it's well mixed. Taste and add more of whichever ingredient you'd like. Place four chicken breast halves or four boneless pork chops into the mixture and simmer for at least one hour (covered). Turn chicken or pork as necessary to coat each side. Uncover for the final ten minutes or so. The honey caramelizes nicely this way, but you can transfer the meat to a broiler pan or grill to brown it up a bit if you like. Save the excess glaze and dribble it on rice.

Let me know if you try either of these and find them tasty.

 Love from Delta.

Women Who Run with Chickens

This is my beautiful cousin Julie. She visited Delta last night with her handsome son, Erik, and her equally handsome dad, my Uncle Reesie.

Julie is an Alabama Girl at heart, I think, though she lives in a very lovely part of Colorado now. We grew up running around the countryside here barefoot, and the red-clay roots run pretty deep.

While we enjoyed appetizers on the back porch, Julie tried her hand at feeding "the girls", and they were exceedingly happy to see her. Here she is with Nilla, our Aracauna hen.

She gave them an ancient chocolate cherry fudge cupcake for starters. That went over very well. After that, the velociraptor chickens and Chuck the Duck became more interested in cracked corn.

The hens will eat you alive if you let them. Chuck is a bit more placid. She does not ask for much; just a nice place to swim.

Diablo and Poseidon joined the fun.

It was terrific to spend time with family. Our daughter came home from school, and we went to explore some local scenery. Even though it was mighty foggy, it was still possible to see Turkey Heaven Mountain.

Another dear and wonderful friend joined us. Her name is Eime, and she's half-Japanese. In addition to being pretty and smart, she is very talented and artistic - I think she gets it from her mother, Takako, who sent me this exquisite bookmark.

 
Tak is seventy-six years old, and truly an inspiration to women everywhere. She can do traditional Japanese dance with grace and style, cook a catfish filet that is out of this world, and do origami like that.

Speaking of out-of-this-world food, here are a couple of ridiculously easy recipes we enjoyed last night. The first is a starter I learned from an old friend, Robin. I have served it a zillion times:


Goat Cheese and Sun Dried Tomato Appetizer

Buy a plain goat cheese log (not spiced with peppercorns, et cetera). Open a jar of sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil and tear or chop the tomatoes into small pieces. Pour this over the goat cheese log (use a fork to press the tomatoes artfully into the cheese). Sprinkle with pine nuts and dribble a bit more oil onto them. Chill and then serve at room temperature with a cheese knife and your favorite crackers.

Dump Cake

Embarrassingly simple, and great for any time of year: Buy one can of cherry pie filling and one of crushed pineapple in juice. Empty every single drop of this into a 13x9x2 pan; spread it around a bit with a wooden spoon to distribute the fruit. Sprinkle Duncan Hines Golden Butter Recipe Cake Mix evenly over that. Put small pats of butter all over the top (I prefer Unsalted Land o' Lakes). Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to one hour (until bubbly and golden on top - you may need to add a teensy bit of melted butter to any dry spots near the end).

This smells and tastes delicious, guaranteed.


I wish I could mail Julie her very own chicken or two. They love her, and so do I.









Love from Delta.