Yes, it has been a while. I got caught up in some legal issues and getting my mom settled into her new life. Now Mr. Mike and I are fine and scroungin’. Even rode in the Gulfport Mardi Gras parade two weeks ago. The Food Scrounge News has been updated; click the News tab for what’s been missing.

Gulfport Mardi Gras pre-parade

Check the Food Scrounge News tab for a little of this and a little of that (plus exercise). Below is a nutrition Sudoku. Answer key is on bottom of the Sudoku. No peeking!

NutritionSudoku_Easy

Sick of electioneering? Sit down, grab a cold one, and watch the river flow.  Check the Food Scrounge News tab – it has no paid political “messages”.

Scrounge cat still life

Taco soup ingredients

It’s 4:45 PM and I have no idea what I’ll prepare for dinner. This is scrounging: starting point was  ground beef taken from freezer to thaw overnight in the refrigerator.  Checked the pantry and fridge for potential ingredients.  Here it is: half can of diced tomatoes, canned beans, frozen corn.  What did it become?  Next I scrolled through my collection of scanned recipes and there it was – Taco Soup from a Penzeys catalog.  I’m not proud, I’ll take recipes anywhere I find them.

Penzeys Taco Soup

What did I do to the recipe? Because I had 8 oz ground beef, the recipe ingredients were halved.  Diced onion (1/2 cup) and two minced garlic cloves were added to the beef while browning.  Ground cumin (1/2 teaspoon) was mixed in towards the end of cooking the meat.  No fat draining was necessary.  Pinto beans were used because I didn’t have black beans (and so what).  Frozen corn was used in place of canned (I’m not a big fan of canned veggies like corn).  Other than juggling the ingredients, the recipe was followed as written. We used sour cream and hot sauce as accompaniments.  It made three servings; dinner for us and enough for Mr. Mike’s lunch the next day.

It’s OK to change things around according to what you have – often the result is better than the original.

Penzey’s Taco Seasoning is mixed from paprika, salt, onions, lactose, dextrose, corn flour, tomato powder, cumin, garlic, oregano, black pepper, cocoa powder, allspice.  FYI lactose is milk sugar and is the least sweet of the simple sugars.  Dextrose (a natural sweetener) often is made from rice.  I think any packaged taco seasoning would work.  Seasoning mix available at: www.penzeys.com

Taco seasoning mix package

Soup with sour cream "garnish"

My apologies for sporadic postings.  I’m having to adjust my schedule to early morning work hours, so there’s less time for evening posts.  It’ll work out – less than one month to the end of school!

There is much to write about food, gardening, and motorcycles.  However, this is a day for remembrance.  Two of our scrounge cats have made the transition. Scrounge Cat 2 (aka Sidney) was part of the family for eight years; Scrounge Cat 4 lived with us for 10 months.

Sidney, the midnight rider

Sidney’s Song (aka Scrounge Cat 2)

He was a vocal cat.  From his first day with us, he would go into extended chorus of “woawwwww….”  I first noticed him at a rental house a block from us when we lived in Louisiana.  Sidney was left behind when the renters moved out. He sponged off neighbors for a while, but when they tired of his “woawwww”, he hit the streets (as they told me later).  Cooling down from a run one evening, he found me.  Softie that I am, he followed me home and into our hearts.  Maybe due to his starvation experience, he never missed a meal.  However, his bulk didn’t prevent him from catching a bird mid-air as he crouched below the bird feeder.  His catch was worthy of an outfielder bagging a potential three base hit at the warning track!

Sidney was a lover not a fighter.  Unlike Scrounge Cat 1, his battle wounds were on his butt.  He used about half his 9 lives.  One day he unintentionally hitched a ride with me to work.  He was under my truck bed (asleep I guess). He made the 1 mile trip in a downpour, stayed there all morning while it continued raining (typical Louisiana deluge).  He nearly made the trip home when he fell/jumped from the leaf springs, got run over by the rear wheel, then hid in the bushes outside our house where I found him.  He was stiff and sore for a few days, but no major damage.

Sidney easily made the transition to our new home 5 years ago.  He liked the deck a little too well though, one day falling 20 feet from the deck railing  to the concrete pad below, severely breaking his left hind leg.  The vet literally wired it back together.

After that last experience Sidney mellowed out.  He loved being outdoors but never strayed past the driveway.  His favorite sleeping spot was a motorcycle seat.  He went out every night but was always at the front door in the morning, ready for breakfast (and mandatory cat treats). One morning three weeks ago he didn’t show up for breakfast.  We haven’t seen him since.  He was eight years old and may have sensed his time had come.  Cats are more perceptive than humans about those things.

The remaining scrounge cats miss him and we do too.  He faithfully slept with me during my rehab/wheelchair days, though we called him my “boat anchor”! We love you Sidney, and till we meet again, may you be “forever young”.

Kitty confrontation, Scrounge Cat 4 (aka Buddy) in foreground with Scrounge Cat 1

Ode to Buddy

I can’t believe you’re gone.  I keep listening for your scratchy meow whenever I hear the bell jingle in the cat door.  I miss you so much, please come back if you can.

Buddy was the most unique cat I’ve ever lived with.  From his magnificent physique to the way he interacted with other cats, to his protective nature of us, “his” humans.  Buddy found us one cold February morning.  We thought, oh no, not another one and kept him outside, although he was very interested in the world past the front door.  After a horrific fight late one cold night we found him with a head wound, but otherwise OK.  He took out the neighborhood bully cat that night for which we are forever grateful.

It wasn’t long before he melted my heart.  I loved the way he gently butted his head against me, the way he loved my ruffling the fur on his neck, and his scratchy meow.

The other cats were not quite accepting him, yet I never heard him hiss.  He always seemed to be on guard duty on the concrete pad.  The night of November 1, Buddy went outside as was his habit.  We have not seen him since.  I know that one day we’ll meet again, either in this world or the next.  Still, come back now if you can my friend.  I love you, Buddy.

(note: I wrote Buddy’s remembrance in January 2012)