Grrsday

Greater Love Hath No Man

Funnyface had a growth removed from the back of his neck this morning. As it turns out, Dr. Tinyvet's operating table was too small so the spousal unit had to hold him for the entire procedure.

Vintage Patterns from Purple Kitty

Since I have been very remiss in copying any of my stuff, I'm falling back on somebody else's efforts, namely those nice folks at Purple Kitty. This book of knitting and crochet patterns is available on their website, free if you want to take the time to download them individually, or they offer them as an eBook for sale.

Vintage Images - Art Nouveau Florals

Copyright-free, from Dover.

Favoring Curry

Curry Balls. Put any pieces of tough uncooked mutton twice through the meat chopper; season the meat with salt, pepper and onion juice. Form into little balls the size of an English walnut. Put two tablespoonfuls of butter into a saucepan; when hot, throw the balls into the butter, and shake until carefully browned. Lift them from the saucepan, and to the butter in the pan add a teaspoonful of curry, a tablespoonful of flour, mix and add a half pint of stock; stir carefully until boiling; pour this over the balls, cook, slowly for twenty minutes, add two tablespoonfuls of lemon juice and serve in a border of rice. Cocoanut milk may be used instead of stock.

Bobotee. Chop sufficient cold boiled mutton to make a pint. Put two tablespoonfuls of butter and one onion sliced into a saucepan; stir until the onion is slightly brown; then add a half pint of stock or milk and four tablespoonfuls of bread crumbs. Stand this on the back of the stove for about five minutes while you blanch and chop fine a dozen almonds. Add these to the meat, then add a teaspoonful of curry powder, and a teaspoonful of salt. Beat three eggs until light, stir them into the meat, then turn the whole into the saucepan. Rub the bottom of the baking dish first with a clove of garlic, then sprinkle over a tablespoonful of lemon juice and put here and there a few bits of butter; put on this the mixture, and bake in a quick oven twenty minutes. Serve in the dish in which it is baked, and pass with it plain boiled rice.

Indian Hash. Chop fine sufficient cold-roasted duck, chicken, or turkey to make one pint. Cut a good-sized onion into very thin slices. Pare, core, and chop fine one apple. Put two tablespoonfuls of butter in a saucepan, add the apple and the onion; toss until brown, then add not more than an eighth of a teaspoonful of powdered mace, a half teaspoonful of salt, a teaspoonful of curry powder, a tablespoonful of flour, a teaspoonful of sugar; mix and add a half pint of stock or water; now add the meat, stir constantly until smoking hot, then stand over hot water, covering closely for twenty minutes. Add two tablespoonfuls of lemon juice and serve in a border of rice.

From Made-over Dishes, 1912, Mrs. Sarah Tyson Rorer. Copyright-free image from Dover.

Caturday!

see more Lolcats and funny pictures.

Quote of the Day

Time spent with cats is never wasted. ~ May Sarton

He Asked For It

Thing Three (let's call him Smitty because that's his name) popped up in front of my desk this morning imploring me to give him some more work. I assigned him to the Breast-Feeding Fair.

Vintage Book Covers - Gunman's Greed

Dad-gummit, they don't make book covers like this no more. Found at the Mennonite thrift store for a dollar.

Vintage Images - Summer Vacations

Copyright-free images from Dover.

In The Flesh

Thing One at 2:12, speaking. At 3:06, Thing Two is in the white shirt, seated, with Thing One standing behind him.

And my third Americorps member is standing next to Thing One. He’s a quiet fella -- we don’t call him Thing Three.

"SUGGESTED FILLINGS FOR SCHOOL LUNCH OR PICNIC SANDWICHES"

From The Super Market Cook Book, by Edith J. Barber, 1955.

Chopped cooked meat, minced onion, celery and mayonnaise.
Chopped corned beef and catsup.
Peanut butter, minced bacon, and catsup.
Mashed sardines, lemon juice, and hard-cooked egg.
Cream cheese, minced onion, and chopped carrots.
Tuna fish, celery, horseradish, and mayonnaise.
Liverwurst, celery, and mayonnaise.
Chopped peanuts and mayonnaise.
Ham, sweet pickles, and mayonnaise.
Ground American cheese and chili sauce.
Hard-cooked egg, celery, mayonnaise, and anchovy paste.
Cottage cheese, minced onion, and sliced radishes.
Ground dates, nut meats, and mayonnaise.
Cream cheese and sliced dates.
Salmon, dill pickle, and mayonnaise.
Hard-cooked egg, chopped stuffed olives, and mayonnaise.
Hard-cooked egg and sliced bacon or deviled ham.
Deviled ham and bread and butter pickles.
Cream cheese, dried apricots, and nut meats.

Many of these are not exactly to my taste, but a couple of them would make pretty good wraps, I think. I’ve seen cottage cheese listed as a sandwich filler in old cookbooks before; maybe it used to be a little firmer than what’s now on the market.

Caturday!

Quote of the Day

But in the days of my childhood, if you were unhappy enough to be born a female, your soul was not supposed to soar above such joys as keeping a dickey-bird in a cage and feeding it with sugar and groundsel, and making woolwork slippers for your male relatives, and kettle-holders for the females, domestically inscribed “Tea is ready.” If you wanted to stretch your limbs, climb trees, or make a noise out of the very joy of your youth and health, you were regarded as something entirely beyond the pale, and your governess shook her head and told your grandmother, “I tremble for her future.” ~ Edith Cecil-Porch

Keeping the World Safe for Bureaucracy

I have yet another conference to attend this week. See everyone on Friday.

Somebody Else Try This First

“Roast Suckling Pig. Have dealer select 10-pound suckling pig between 5 and 6 weeks old, and have him clean it thoroughly. Rinside inside with running water and wipe outside with cloth. Fill with 8 cups poultry or fruit stuffing and sew opening of cavity securely. Tie legs together and place pig in kneeling position in large uncovered roaster. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and pour 1 cup boiling water in roaster. Cover pig with parchment or wrapping paper. Roast in moderate oven (350⁰ f) about 3 ½ hours, basting frequently with hot water and drippings to prevent cracking of skin. Remove paper 30 minutes before pig is done. Serve on hot platter, and place apple in mouth and cranberries in eye sockets. Yield: 10 to 12 servings.”

The Super Market Cook Book, Edith Barber, 1955.

Caturday!

Quote of the Day

Oh, all the comrades e'er I had,
They're sorry for my going away,
And all the sweethearts e'er I had,
They'd wish me one more day to stay,
But since it falls unto my lot,
That I should go and you should not,
I gently rise and softly call,
Good night and joy be to you all.

Smokin'

I nominated Big Flat County for two Director's Awards from the Windswept State Department of Public Health.

(And we won both of 'em, by golly).

The Online Bookshelf - Water Babies

With wonderful period illustrations by Jessie Willcox Smith. Available at Project Gutenberg.

Papercraft - a Ginger Tom

Ah, this was too sweet not to share. One of many wonderful cut and fold paper models on the Canon website.

Six Foot Tall and Bulletproof

Somebody got the stuffin' beat outta him last night, poor boy. He's been very humble all day.

Vintages Images - Martini & Rossi Vermouth

Copyright-free, from Dover.

From The Sublime to The Ridiculous

Stuffed Manicotti

1 lb ground beef
½ c. chopped onion
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 6-oz cans tomato paste
2 cups water
2 T. chopped parsley
1 T. dried basil, crushed
1 ½ t. salt
dash pepper

*****
1 ½ lbs (3 cups) fresh ricotta, or cream-style cottage cheese, drained
2/3 c. grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
2 slightly beaten eggs
¼ c. snipped parsley
½ t. salt
dash pepper

*****
8 manicotti shells
½ cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

In large saucepan brown meat lightly. Drain off excess fat. Add onion, garlic, tomato paste, water, parsley, crushed basil, salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, combine ricotta or cottage cheese, 2/3 cup Romano or Parmesan cheese, eggs, parsley, salt and pepper.

Cook manicotti shells in boiling salted water till just tender; drain. Rinse shells in cold water. Stuff manicotti with cheese mixture. Use a small spoon or cut the shells lengthwise with scissors; open to fill.

Our half the tomato-meat sauce into 12 x7 ½ x 2-inch baking dish. Arrange stuffed manicotti in a row. Top with remainint sauce. Sprinkle with ½ cup Romano or Parmesan cheese. Bake in moderate oven (350) for 30 to 35 minutes. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Corned Beef Squares

In a bowl combine 1 cup milk, 2 eggs, 1 cup fine cracker crumbs (20 to 22 crackers), ½ cup chopped onion, 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish, and 1 teaspoon dry mustard. Add two 12 ounce cans corned beef, chopped, and mix well.

Turn into 10 x 6 x 1 ½-inch baking dish. Bake in a moderate oven (375) for 30 to 35 minutes. Cut in squares. Serve with 1 medium head cabbage, cut in 6 to 8 wedges and cooked. Pass Dill Sauce. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Dill Sauce. In medium saucepan combine one 10 ½ ounce can condensed cream of mushroom soup, ½ cup milk, 1 teaspoon dillweed, and 1 teaspoon dry mustard. Cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat till mixture is smooth and bubbly.

(Casserole Cook Book, published by Better Homes and Gardens, 1968. Somewhere out there, there may exist a recipe that makes canned corned beef edible, but I don’t think this is it).

Quite Possibly the World's Most Embarassing S.I.W.

I was trying to drive and eat a sandwich at the same time this afternoon and I bit myself on the hand.

Caturday!

Quote of the Day

If one cannot command attention by one's admirable qualities one can at least be a nuisance. ~ Margery Allingham.

Grrsday