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Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Winging it.

Sometimes, even my best intentions go awry in the meal-planning department.  This winter, with all of its trials and tribulations, has taken the stuffing out of me.  As I stood in the kitchen on Sunday, I could not get inspired.  I was thankful that there was not a passel of kids sitting and waiting for dinner - the dogs are easy.  Feeding them is like Groundhog Day - the same thing, morning and night, day after day.  That is, once I found the 'perfect' meal for Bertie.  He is the only picky eater, dog-wise, that I have ever had.  Usually, I am up to my knees in fur and moo-moo eyes while I'm in the kitchen.  Bertie has only a mild interest in what I'm doing and whether it involves him.  He is usually on the couch or sprawled, frog-like on the rug, looking in.  After many fits and starts, we determined that he does not like his food mixed together, does not care for grain-free, organic, all natural canned food, will only occasionally eat an egg and only if it's NOT mixed about in his kibble, and will only eat poached or roasted chicken ON TOP of his kibble.  Some broth is appreciated, but NOT MIXED IN.  I could put wallpaper paste in the other dogs' dishes and they'd inhale it.  They could care less what's in it and how it looks.  The Hoovers go on and it's gone in a nanosecond.  Not so the Spud.  I must call him, get him started with a hand-fed morsel and then leave him.  If I stand there, he expects me to peel grapes for him.


Anyhoo, back to my cooking inertia.  I decided to make a pot of Jasmine rice and go from there.  Then I rummaged through my freezer and came up with a couple of pieces of my favorite kielbasa (as Debra so aptly put it - pronounced KOO-bah-sa) from a Polish butcher shop on Long Island.  I then fast-cooked a pan of adzuki beans.  Let's say that I had to fast-cook the SECOND pan of beans, as the first were left too long on the stove and turned to paste.  I'm not used to cooking such small beans, let alone having to actually pay attention for more than 10 minutes.  The second pan got fast-cooked with a timer.  At least I had the focus to not go outside of earshot of the timer and they turned out fine.  I decided to try adzuki beans because they are supposed to be more 'gut friendly', so to speak.  I may love beans but the feeling isn't exactly mutual, if you catch my drift...


I then sautéed some chopped red onion with some frozen chopped orange peppers I found in the freezer on the kielbasa search, and a great deal of minced garlic.  When everything went limp, I added the diced kielbasa and some chili powder, cumin and black pepper.  A few more minutes and in went the beans, then the rice.  It was good - and there was lots of it!  It held me for days.






I need spring.


I am currently working on finishing a pair of socks that my mother started - she has reached the point where knitting is no longer relaxing.  At 93 with sight only in one eye, I say she can do whatever she wants and I'm glad to help.  However, our knitting styles are very different.  That woman knits so tightly you could carry water in her socks!


I definitely need spring.  Soon.

14 comments:

kymber said...

Susan - that dish looks delicious! and debra is right - it is pronounced KOO-ba-sa....my mother's parents were Ukranian and Polish. your little Spud sounds so cute wanting his food so particularly - we have 4 stray cats - 3 of them will eat anything but we do have a fussy one. i think it is wonderful that you are helping your mother finish the socks...and heck - when they are finished at least one of them will make a good water bag - bahahahah!

sending love. your friend,
kymber

Michelle said...

There are definitely advantages to cooking for one. How do you keep the hoovers from eating Bertie's food?

jaz@octoberfarm said...

i feel your pain...teddy is a fussy eater too! spring is coming...take my word for it. i can't stop it no matter how hard i try!

Debra She Who Seeks said...

There's nothing worse than a limp kielbasa, eh? Or did I misread your post? lol

Turn The Page said...

Ha...love the continuation of Debra's keel-basa rant! It looks good to me, and yes, I too, am ready for Spring! Aloha!

Rain said...

Hi Susan :)) Bertie reminds me of our Charlie. She's SO PICKY. When we first got her, she would only eat half her kibble...but right down the half of the bowl almost a geometrical cut because she was avoiding eating the pumpkin we added. This helps with her anal gland "odour"...so now we have to mix it in with hot water (not warm or cold), put a scoop of yogurt on top and then some of my pumpking cookies to hide the yogurt, lol...she'll eat yogurt from our spoons, but doesn't like it in her bowl...but that's the only way we can get her to eat her food with the pumpkin mixed in.

I think you did well with your dinner! Beans do the same to me, I never thought we were meant to eat them lol...

Susan said...

Yes, the picky eating really threw me. He is a most unusual dog.

Susan said...

They wouldn't dare.

Susan said...

I'd love to send you some of my winter - I am just ready for a change. Layers of clothing make me claustrophobic.

Susan said...

Why, no, you did not misread it. Limp koobahsa is very unappetizing....:)

Susan said...

Aloha, Hula La (that was fun!) I am so ready to start my garden!

Susan said...

Rain, that's good to know about pumpkin. I have two sets of anal glands that I have to deal with - Lovey is the exception. So far, the only way I can sneak pumpkin into their (Bertie's) meals is via your dog treat recipe!

Rain said...

Lol...that's why I make the dog treats, to sneak in the pumpkin!! Charlie gets 2 cookies a day plus a spoon full of pumpkin. It doesn't take the smell away totally but it helps a little bit. Charlie has leaky glands and only a painful operation would help and we don't mind putting up with the smell to keep her comfortable. When we ran out of the pumpkin before the last shopping day, we SMELLED the difference!!! I just wish it wasn't so expensive.

Sandy Livesay said...

Susan,

It's hard when you have one pup who is very picky with the food and the food placement. Maybe, just maybe in time this will change. Your put together meal looks very appetizing. I'll send you some of our heat.....temperatures were in the 70's today.