<![CDATA[HOW Cafe - An Online Sellers & Buyers Networking Community - Blogs]]> http://thehowcafe.com/forum/blog.php en Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:27:48 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.thehowcafe.com/forum/images/mystyles/cafeblue/misc/rss.jpg <![CDATA[HOW Cafe - An Online Sellers & Buyers Networking Community - Blogs]]> http://thehowcafe.com/forum/blog.php GO FISHY GO! (PT 5) http://thehowcafe.com/forum/blog.php?b=82 Thu, 01 Jan 2009 20:18:18 GMT Sorry the fish have the day off today. It is a holiday ya' know.

Instead, just a little something to wish everyone a happy new year.

May Our Spirits Rise ]]> ET! http://thehowcafe.com/forum/blog.php?b=82 GO FISHY GO! (PT 4) http://thehowcafe.com/forum/blog.php?b=81 Sun, 21 Dec 2008 17:41:39 GMT Well I think somebody just took the red pill. Got a few minutes? Good. Let's tag along, down down down, down the rabbit hole we go.

Look closely. No, closer. Now look closer still. Wow! How far down are we going?

Poor old Donald Duck, what's he doing hanging around down here? Is this the way in or is this the way out?

I thought we were going fishing! I'm glad this is only a dream.

Ha ha ha ha ha... The ice cream is evil. NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! ]]> ET! http://thehowcafe.com/forum/blog.php?b=81 Chili Rellenos (stuffed peppers) and Mexican Rice OLE! http://thehowcafe.com/forum/blog.php?b=80 Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:29:00 GMT Pooh and I really like chili rellenos. To do them authentically, you need to use an egg batter,... Pooh and I really like chili rellenos. To do them authentically, you need to use an egg batter, which, to be honest, I don't want to mess with.
Also, stuffing them then frying without the stuffing falling out is bothersome. So I made this casserole instead!

This casserole captures the great flavor of the relleno without the mess. The egg mixture sets up somewhat like a quiche, which added a nice aspect to it.

If you don't want to mess with the homemade tomato sauce, just use canned tomatoes and half a cup of good salsa.

RELLENO CASSEROLE
My version (you can omit the roasting of all but the poblanos)
6 fresh poblano chilies, roasted with skins removed. (Don't know of any alternatives,sorry. Maybe whole canned green chilies?)
6 Roma tomatoes, roasted, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 jalapeno, roasted chopped, ribs and seeds removed.
1/2 white onion, roasted, chopped
1 lb chorizo sausage (if using links, remove skins)
4-6 oz Cotija mexican cheese (similar to parmesian)
1 tsp oregano
1 cup Montery Jack cheese, shredded
6 eggs
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/6th cup flour
1.5 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup or so chicken stock

Roast the poblanos till the skin is blackened. Steam in a bag for 15 minutes, then scrape skins off. Cut off stem end, remove seeds.
Chop the tomatos, jalapeno, onion and garlic, saute in 1 tbsp olive oil. Add chicken stock, pinch of salt and let simmer for 20 minutes. Use immersion blender or mash into a sauce consistency.
Meanwhile, brown the chorizo sausage and drain. Mix in the Cotija cheese and oregano. Use to stuff the poblanos.
Put tomato sauce in bottom of an 8x8 oven dish, then put stuffed chilis on top. Sprinkle 1/2 the Jack cheese on top. If there was any leftover stuffing, sprinkle it on too.
Whisk the eggs, baking powder and flour together, then pour over the chilies. Top with the rest of the Jack cheese.
Bake in 375 degree oven for 30 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes then enjoy!

MEXICAN RICE
Again, roasting the veggies is optional.

3 Roma tomatoes, roasted, diced
1/2 med onion, roasted, diced
4 mini bell peppers roasted, diced
(or 1/2 a red, yellow or green bell pepper)
1 jalapenos roasted, seeded, diced
1 cup rice (real rice, not Minute Rice)
1/4 cup oil
4 garlic minced
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup water
1/2 TBSP tomato paste
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
2 TBSP cilantro

If you like a fluffier rice, rinse the rice well in water to remove starch.
Brown rice in oil.. about 5 minutes or so. Add minced garlic when done, brown 1 minute.
Add other ingredients, mix well, bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer till rice is done. Fluff well.
If using real rice, cook time will be around 40 minutes. Otherwise, cook as directed on the package. If using a fast rice, you might want to saute the veggies in with the browning rice for a few minutes.. put them in after the garlic has been in for 2 minutes. Reduce heat and saute for 5 minutes or so.
Very good with a dollop of sour cream.
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]]> larruone http://thehowcafe.com/forum/blog.php?b=80 Tig Update http://thehowcafe.com/forum/blog.php?b=79 Thu, 30 Oct 2008 02:08:18 GMT I know I've taken forever. I've been so darn busy lately and then we have this cute little time-waster in our home now. Tig's doing really well! She finished her antibiotics last week so yesterday I took a urine sample to the shelter vet clinic. Hopefully we'll know in a few days whether the UTI's gone. I'm pretty sure it is.

Tig's the sweetest little cat! She's so friendly and cuddly. All the cats get along with her and by that I mean they don't hate her. :D Tickle and Harley really like her except Harley wants to play a little too rough so Tig's always under adult supervision. Her mind is willing (feisty!!), but at 20 pounds he outweighs her by quite a bit!

Here are a few pics!
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]]> Monika http://thehowcafe.com/forum/blog.php?b=79 Kid Trouble http://thehowcafe.com/forum/blog.php?b=78 Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:13:57 GMT :lol3: The other day I went downstairs, I left the girls alone for just a minute while I showed my... :lol3: The other day I went downstairs, I left the girls alone for just a minute while I showed my mother my new camera's neat anti-blur when shaken. The girls were playing happily when I left the room. I could hear their giggles all the way to the Living Room.

And then it went quiet...

When you have 2 kids and there is a mysterious silence you wonder what is going on and RUSH to find out what they are doing.

I got upstairs and found the girls just outside of the playroom (and conveniently had my camera on me)...

I asked Starra what she was doing so she showed me her hands...

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(It's very hard not to laugh when children are so matter of fact about what they did)

And then she blamed Ally...

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(Doesn't it look like Ally is thinking "Excuse you?!?"

How is that no matter what you do to keep your children out of trouble they still manage to find things to get them into trouble? The cat food was up on the window Sill (about 4ft off the ground) when I went downstairs. ]]> Tempest http://thehowcafe.com/forum/blog.php?b=78 Halloween Troubles http://thehowcafe.com/forum/blog.php?b=77 Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:49:21 GMT I left the girls alone for about 10 minutes while I went downstairs to make them breakfast. I came... I left the girls alone for about 10 minutes while I went downstairs to make them breakfast.

I came back to "Starra Bad" (that's what she said as she held up her hand at me)

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Ally has Sparkles all over her face (and a little bit of egg)

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I swear that I had the Halloween make up put up out of reach (on top of a box on top of my desk) and yet still Starra got it down. This isn't the first time but it is now locked away from little fingers.

Moral of the story is Never leave a 2 year old near where there is something she REALLY wants to play with is. ]]> Tempest http://thehowcafe.com/forum/blog.php?b=77 Ugh is it that time of year already? http://thehowcafe.com/forum/blog.php?b=76 Tue, 21 Oct 2008 12:06:50 GMT They are predicting Snow... I'm not ready... No No No

Can't we at least keep the 50 degree weather another 2 weeks like after Halloween or even later then that...

The Woolly caterpillars seem to be mostly orange this year around here. Orange means mildness and Black means severe weather. ]]> Tempest http://thehowcafe.com/forum/blog.php?b=76 Alianna Update http://thehowcafe.com/forum/blog.php?b=75 Tue, 21 Oct 2008 11:56:09 GMT I can't keep putting it off because sooner or later people will notice that Ally's got a large scratch on her cheek or that I'm not posting pics of her.

Almost 2 months ago (on her birthday) Ally was bit by my yellow lab mix. We do not believe it was intentional but he is no longer around my daughters.

Background:
As a puppy Pooh was neglected and unfortunately it lead to a food aggression. I spent a lot of time working on getting him to the point where people could be near without him growling while he was eating. He never even growled when the girls were near his food, but would growl at other dogs. Considering he was never allowed inside and yelled at whenever kids came near him as a pup, that was a good thing. I had him for 6 years and he was 2 when I got him.

What Happened
Ally crawled over, sat next to him while I got her bed ready. I turned away for one second and when I turned back one of my Black Lab mixes (no clue which one) walked behind him, he growled, turned and grabbed, unfortunately he got Ally not the dog that passed by.

Soon as he realized he had bit her he let go, took off running down the hall and cowered in a corner. As a note the dogs were all under added stress, as we were at my mom's house.

He spent 10 days in Quarantine because his Rabies was up (NYS had, I was told about this law with my now gone sheltie, a law that said your dog rabies and license will end at the same time but I never got a notice and his license wasn't up till October).

The Doctors
My mother's local hospital is fantastic, they thought they were going to have to transport her but decided she wasn't bad enough to have to do that and stitched her up there. She fell asleep while they did her cheek and screamed while they put 2 stitches in other areas. Then gave her a stuffed Teddy Bear that she didn't let out of her sight for 2 days.

Her pediatrician says she should have minimal scaring if any since she's so young but that I can use scar treatments and such to help reduce it as well. He also was very impressed with how the stitches were done. He said that the way they were done should also reduce the scaring.
Ally is not afraid of Dogs at all, getting bit by a dog made her hit the "I don't trust strangers" stage a lot harder then she would have naturally around this age.

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

Ok.. I tried to take a picture about a month ago with the camera I bought on clearance for Starra and it sucks (perfect for a 2 year old not for an adult)... We just replaced my camera, I'm learning this new ones tricks so the picture is crappy but I got a couple of pictures of Ally's face, you can pretty much tell it wasn't as bad as "Dog Bite" sounds and that she is healing pretty well. The scratches on the one side are either from her finger nails or from one of our cats that like to sleep in her crib with her (both have been trimmed now).

Click image for larger version Name: Ally 101708.jpg Views: 2 Size: 39.1 KB ID: 67 Click image for larger version Name: Ally 101708 2.jpg Views: 3 Size: 43.3 KB ID: 68 ]]> Tempest http://thehowcafe.com/forum/blog.php?b=75 <![CDATA[A South of the Border weekend.. Taquitos & Enchiladas]]> http://thehowcafe.com/forum/blog.php?b=74 Mon, 20 Oct 2008 16:03:22 GMT Pooh was out of town, so I filled my lonely evenings as I usually do.. by experimenting in the... Pooh was out of town, so I filled my lonely evenings as I usually do.. by experimenting in the kitchen!

Before I get to the creations, a word about fresh chili peppers...
THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE HOT!
I both of these dishes, i used fresh jalapenos, cayennes, hatch, and yellow peppers. Sounds hot, but if you remove the seeds and inside ribs, you remove most of the heat.. and get to taste the great flavor in the pepper!

So, first was 3 Chili 2 Cheese Chorizo Enchiladas...

Roasted over my gas stove:
3 poblanos
3 green cayennes
4 garlic cloves
2 hatch chilies
1 lg shallot

Let them steam for a while, peeled them down.
Put them in the blender with half a bunch of fresh cilantro,
2 tsp cider vinegar and 2 tbsp cumin or so. Added a splash
of chicken stock, splash of pale ale and dollop of canola oil.
Whirled it down into a pesto type sauce.
I took the seeds and stems out of all the peppers except the
cayennes before whirling.

Browned the chorizo with 3 more garlic cloves and half a white onion.
Tossed in a drained can of black beans and 2 Tbsp oil, lightly mashed
them when they started to pop.. maybe half mashed.
Mixed in the green sauce.
Used this to fill corn tortillas, placed them in a casserole pan.
Whipped up a bechamel sauce, then melted in about 3/4 cup each pepper jack
and extra sharp cheddar.

Poured that over the tortillas and topped it with a drained can of Rotel
tomatoes and chilis. I didn't know there were so few chilies in there, lol!

Baked at 350 till hot and bubbly, sprinkled with some cilantro and it was
good. More sweet than hot, with nice chili flavors.


Last night, I used up the leftover corn tortillas making Taquitos.

These have a chorizo and refried black bean filling. I (gasp!!!) used a package of taco seasoning with the meat, along with generous garlic and onion when browning it. I heated the tortillas in the microwave, filled and rolled them, then secured with half a toothpick. They got fried in 350 degree oil. It doesn't take long at all to crisp them if your oil is hot..30 seconds or so!

That "salsa" is roasted jalapeno, green cayenne and yellow chili peppers, along with roasted tomatillos, garlic and shallots. That got whirled in my blender with some cumin, lime juice and cider vinegar. Just before I ate, I mixed in 1 mashed avocado and 1/2 or so cup of Jack and Cheddar cheese.

I don't have a pic of the enchiladas, but here are the taquitos.
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]]> larruone http://thehowcafe.com/forum/blog.php?b=74 GO FISHY GO! (PT 3) http://thehowcafe.com/forum/blog.php?b=73 Sat, 18 Oct 2008 19:44:23 GMT Two fish are in a tank.

One says to the other "You drive. I'll man the guns."

:tank: ]]> ET! http://thehowcafe.com/forum/blog.php?b=73 <![CDATA[Well, I'm A (Kitty) Foster Mom]]> http://thehowcafe.com/forum/blog.php?b=72 Sat, 18 Oct 2008 01:34:35 GMT :eek:

I'm still not sure how this happened, but Tig is now home with us. Poor thing pee'd in the carrier-UTI's are rotten! But she's very happy in her room and hasn't made a peep. I have to give her meds for ten days then take her back for a re-check. I'll take some pictures of her in the next few days.

:eek: ]]> Monika http://thehowcafe.com/forum/blog.php?b=72 Prayers For Tig http://thehowcafe.com/forum/blog.php?b=71 Tue, 14 Oct 2008 06:58:06 GMT Update 10-15 Afternoon: The prayers etc. worked! It's just a UTI! Tig will be on antibiotics for ten days and then will be fine. I've been asked to foster her, but I know it would be permanent, plus we don't really have a spot for her to recover in peace. Crud! Auggie's mom, want another sweet little cat? :-D

****

Update 10-14 Noon: The labwork still isn't back. :rolleyes: MY vet has them the next day! Rebecca is going to try to remember to call the lab late this afternoon if they don't come in.

****

There's a little cat at the shelter that except for the color of her nose, is my baby Tickle's twin. The first picture is Tig and the second is Tickle. I didn't name Tig. Of course her appearance drew me to her right away, and while her personality isn't like Tickle's, I still adore her. Who can't resist a baby that curls up in your arms and wants to be cuddled? This was last Wendesday.

Last Thursday, I did some talking and got her a spot at the local PetSmart. When Officer Rebecca took her over (along with several other cats) and opened her carrier, she found Tig had pee'd and had quite a bit of blood in her urine! She'd seemed fine the day before with no hint of any urinary problem. Poor Tig! So back to the shelter she went. Rebecca said that with the litter they use, the shelter workers probably hadn't noticed that she had a problem.

Anyway, we're still awaiting Tig's test results. I did some Googling of feline Urinary Tract Infections which sound terrible, and I scared the crap out of myself with other maladies this could be. If you could say a prayer or send positive energy or karma that this is easily remedied, I'd appreciate it. Thank you.
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]]> Monika http://thehowcafe.com/forum/blog.php?b=71 More UGH, Politics http://thehowcafe.com/forum/blog.php?b=70 Wed, 08 Oct 2008 18:02:51 GMT It's been a weird week. We volunteers haven't been able to work with the cats for two weeks due to a quarantine for Panleukopenia. One of the kittens came down with it and the whole shelter (appropriately) went into red alert containment. I guess this happens occasionally. Cats exposed to the kitten were isolated. I was concerned about my own cats, but it mainly affects kittens. If older cats have been vaccinated as mine have, it's not a problem. I was still extremely careful.

The good news is that no one else came down with it so we're back to business as usual regarding the cats. I've been going there and doing some non-cat contact things, but it's tough to talk to all of the cats and not be able to touch a ONE! I did it, though. Fortunately that's OVER and today I'm getting my hands on some kitties again! I've done some shifts at PetsMart, but I miss the babies at the shelter.

The time off did give me a chance to get more involved in some of the politics surrounding the shelter. Monday morning and afternoon I spent helping at an adoption outreach just outside the county courthouse. It was a little more than that involving the county council, opposition groups and protests. :eek: Long story short, our shelter will be privatized in partnership with the Humane Society. For a lot of reasons that I'm simply too weary to discuss, this isn't necessarily a good thing. Basically the county wants to sweep the shelter problems under the rug and has caved to a fringe group. I don't know that this is the best thing for the animals, but it will take a few years and now that my activism has been re-ignited, I'll continue to advocate for them.

I ended up parking five blocks away. Walking there was fine as it was downhill, but back...:eek:! My butt muscles are still sore! ]]> Monika http://thehowcafe.com/forum/blog.php?b=70 Harley Was Abused http://thehowcafe.com/forum/blog.php?b=69 Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:02:41 GMT :frown: This makes me so sick. In the last week we came to the conclusion that Harley was abused in... :frown: This makes me so sick. In the last week we came to the conclusion that Harley was abused in his previous home. It never even occurred to me. I don't know why not as I've seen some really tragic animals come in the shelter, but I guess it's so far out of my realm of thinking that it just didn't. DBF mentioned it last week, and I spoke to some of my favorite people at the shelter and yes, Harley acts like an abused cat.

I've been in tears wondering how someone could abuse this beautiful, gentle boy.

I still have a lot to think out as far as his behavior goes. He's never acted like a secure cat, but he's getting a lot better. Last night was the first time he slept on the bed! :) He's acted like he's afraid to be on it. He does like to be where we all are and he follows me like a puppy. He doesn't purr much and only makes muffins on his bed, but he's been purring more. He used to freak out when I'd try to hug him, but now he puts up with it for about ten seconds. :D He HATES having both hands run down his sides, he CRIES :frown:, but one side at a time he's getting a lot better about that, too. He's not terribly affectionate, but when I cuddle with the other cats he watches intently. I can only scold him in a whisper (this is usually for eating the plants or beating up on his sister :rolleyes:) or he stays away from us for hours. He will come back up when I go visit him and apologize. He seems relieved when I do that. That was before I figured out I can't scold him above a whisper. He does look proud of himself when I tell him he's a good boy after he's made a good decision (not jumping on the table or not beating up his sister :D). He used to cry a lot, but he hardly ever does anymore. I didn't realize it was crying, just thought he was noisy. Now I know. :frown:

He does love to play and the living room is his playroom now. It's the most it's ever been used. :-D To heck with interior design! All the furniture is pushed against the walls for the largest play area possible! I play with him at least once a day for about a half hour. He LOVES our playtime and is very happy afterwards. Plus he doesn't beat up his sister because he's too tired. :D He doesn't really beat her up. He just wants to play and Tickle's the most playful, but being a rowdy youngster he takes it too far. He really needs another rowdy boy to play with and slowly others here are coming around to this thinking. ;)

He's made a LOT of progress since we got him, but there's a long way to go. That's fine-he's not going anywhere! Even if he didn't get any better than he is, he still has a home for life. I think he will, though.

I should take some more pictures. He's such a great guy. He weighs 19 pounds :eek:, all muscle! ]]> Monika http://thehowcafe.com/forum/blog.php?b=69 Flying Solo At PetsMart http://thehowcafe.com/forum/blog.php?b=68 Sun, 28 Sep 2008 20:46:47 GMT :eek: I was supposed to have one more training day, but I'm going it alone today. The person I'm supposed to train with is sick, so I said I'm comfortable enough to do it on my own. I am, but I'm a little nervous about it! It does help that I know how the shelter operates. I'll be going Tuesday as well. Wish me luck! I'll post later this evening or tomorrow with how it goes.

It's kind of cool that I'm getting a reputation of being trustworthy with the shelter staff. I guess a lot of volunteers flake out. This makes no sense to me as I've always felt commitment and reliability are the essence of volunteering. Anyway, I was asked to do some behind-the-scenes work with some of the staff last week. This was in areas normally off-limits to volunteers. I was very flattered and glad to be able to help.

Update: it went great at PetsMart. I'm surprisingly efficient. :D I would've gotten finished pretty quickly, but the lead volunteer came in to "drop off some things" (check on me :D) and we talked and talked and talked which I think added an hour to my time there. :-D I'm not usually a huge talker, but we really hit it off. I think we got a kitty adopted while we were there. The lady went home to think about it, but I suspect she'll be back. :)

I smell like bleach. :-& ]]> Monika http://thehowcafe.com/forum/blog.php?b=68