BRAINPAN LEAKAGE

One might think that I am referring to the May 5 astronomical event, in which the moon was at its closest point to earth in its egg-shaped orbit, AND was full at the same time. Full of what? Cheese, most likely. Although I suspect there is also a case to be made for Helium 3, but it’s too early to get into that right now.

However… No. I am NOT talking about that particular moon. I am talking about this morning’s moon. Odds are you missed it. The fact of the matter is, I caught it purely by chance, and it was a sight to behold.

You see, we have this cat.

Odd way to start this story, I suppose, but trust me, it’ll make sense.

Said cat is named Tiger. I personally call him Nachos el Tigre – or Nachos for short. Why? Because my daughter gets upset when I call him Almost Roadkill. Like any animal we have around the house, Nachos is a rescue. He came from the middle of the highway as a tiny kitten who was apparently washed out of his home during a flash flood (probably a storm drain) when he was on the order of 4-5 weeks old. I won’t go into the sordid details of us adopting him, suffice it to say he came to live with us, but while you can take the cat out of the feral, you can’t take the feral out of the cat. ‘Nuff said.

And so… Nachos has wreaked all manner of havoc throughout our house, up to and including ripping holes in the underside of our mattress foundation and using the resulting hollow as his “Nachos Cave.” His personal fort, so to speak. What does this have to do with the moon? Nothing. And everything. Yeah, it’s sorta like that.

You see, the redhead – yes, her worship Evil Kat – is none too pleased with his penchant for ripping up the mattress foundation. In fact, if he was… oh, I dunno… just some guy, and not a cat, he’d already be wearing one of her stilettos as a hood ornament. Then we’d have to change his name to Jimmy Choo the Unicorn. However, since he’s a cat, and not a dood, he gets a sorta free pass. Meaning, she just yells at him instead of stomping on him while she yells at him. Odd how that works. Maybe I should get myself a tail and some whiskers… But I digress.

And so, today was no different, or so I thought. Her worship was getting dressed for work when I returned from dropping off the o-spring at school. Upon entering the house I heard a ruckus, followed by the redhead screaming all manner of expletives at Nachos el Tigre. It was pretty obvious to me what was happening, or again, so I thought. The ruckus and screaming continued, so I went to investigate.

There… Below the horizon… as in down on the floor, clad in naught but her lacy undergarments, was the redhead, screaming at the dust ruffle while fishing around underneath the bed with one arm.

Let’s just say Downward Facing Dog does little justice as a description for the moon rising in the doorway. And I have to say, it was super…

Suddenly, the yelling stopped. A moment of quiet fell, then the redhead looked up. “Is this going to be a blog?” she asked.

My reply was simple. “It is now.”

Later…

Le Swerv

Damn… Today “snuck” up on me. Seriously… O_o

So, I am so busy that I’m meeting myself coming and going. Just finished prepping elebenty-twelb-bazillion mini tea sammiches for the o-spring’s Tea Party Project with her Gifted Class today. (NO, not THAT kind of tea party, the REAL kind with tea, snacks, and etiquette. You know, the kind you can actually take seriously and not just shake your head…) Anywho, I have tons more stuff to do – and that’s just BEFORE I deliver the sammiches…

So… Here’s a quickie blog. Since everyone is always asking me for recipes whenever I mention foodstuffs, here’s my personal recipe for Cheese Stuffed Cornbread – just like we had last night with the Black Eyed Peas and Smoked Turkey:

Merp’s Cheese Stuffed Cornbread

Wet Ingredients

• 1/2 Cup Plain Yogurt
• 1.25 Cups Milk
• 1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
• 2 Large Eggs
• 1 TBSP Jalapeño Juice (from jar of sliced Jalapeños)

Dry Ingredients

• 1 Cup Flour (AP)
• 1 Cup Yellow Cornmeal
• 1 TBSP Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1/4 Cup Sugar (Optional)

Other

• Bacon Grease or Lard
• 1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese (Sharp or Mild, your choice)
• Cast Iron Skillet – 10″
• Butter

Preheat oven to 400F. Grease Skillet with Bacon Grease/Lard, set aside.

Beat eggs, then mix together with the rest of the wet ingredients until fully incorporated and smooth. Will be somewhat thick.

Sift together all dry ingredients in a large bowl, make a “well” in the center, and pour in pre-mixed wet ingredients. Stir with a rubber/silicone spatula, using a folding motion, until fully incorporated. Mixture should be wet but lumpy, do NOT overmix.

Pour 1/3 of mixture into skillet and smooth to edges with spatula. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Pour remaining 2/3 of mixture on top of cheese and carefully spread out.

Place in 400 degree oven and bake until a toothpick comes out clean. Approximately 30 minutes.

Poke several holes in top with toothpick or fork. Apply butter to top, return to oven for 2-3 minutes.

Serve with Beans, Greens, Soups, or just about anything where cornbread is desired.

Optional: Add crumbled bacon, or minced Jalapeños to the mix.

More to come…

Murv