Cats on Tuesday

Cats on Tuesday is a group of cat lovers who write about their cats once a week.....on Tuesday.  For more cat pictures and stories, go to Gattina's.

Below:  a Sunday afternoon nap on the couch for MOM  sounded like a good idea to 4 of the 6!  (I am underneath them all.)

Below:  Minnie oversees "the boy's" (as she calls him) cooking one evening.

CVS Deals

It has been many months since I have been able to snag any real deals at CVS.  Their pickings have just been slim.  Today, however, I managed to grab a few good deals.  I had $1.00 coupons for both the Wheat Thins and the Fig Newtons, so they were FREE.  The body washes produced $4.00 in ECB'S, so I paid $2.42 for these items:

(Cat was not included.)

****I went back later today and snagged another Wheat Thins and Fig Newtons with 2 more $1.00 coupons and paid $.02 for the two.)

Cats on Tuesday

Cats on Tuesday are a bunch of cat lovers who write about their felines once a week, on Tuesday.

Kitty Crack????

Is catnip like crack to cats?  I bought a catnip plant at Lowe's the other day when I bought my herb plants.  For international readers, Lowe's is a huge appliance/building supply/garden store.  I have never really bothered with even dried catnip.  When my cats got ahold of it, Snowflake wanted to fight everyone for it:

I have got to say, my cats started acting as though they were "high" after sniffing the catnip.  Above in one picture Lovey, the gray kitty, is rolling around while Snowflake sniffs.  Later, Thumper was rolling around on the floor, acting crazy.  I do not let them sniff it everyday or for very long.  The packaging said "safe for pets," but they really act weird with it.

Dinner Conversations, Part 2

Cats on Tuesday

Cats on Tuesday is a group of cat lovers who write about their cats once a week on Tuesday.  For more, go to Gattina's.

Lovey, our gray baby from a family who moved to Australia, has begun to assert his masculinity around the house.  I guess he does not want to be seen as merely a "pretty face."  Here he is circling Thumper. 

This last picture with his expression says it all.  The whole time he was making a deep throated noise that sounded threatening.  I guess he is a lover and a fighter.

Baked Ziti

We have eaten this before, and it is a great hit!  Here is the recipe:

Baked Beef Ziti

Servings 8
Preparation Time 20 min
Cooking Time 50 min


Level of Difficulty :Moderate

Ingredients
12 oz uncooked ziti
2 tsp olive oil
2 medium garlic clove(s), minced
1/3 pound(s) raw lean ground beef
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
1 cup(s) part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded


Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat; add garlic and sauté 2 minutes. Add beef and cook until browned, breaking up meat with a spoon as it cooks, about 3 to 5 minutes; drain off any fat and set pan back over medium heat.

Add oregano, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper; stir to coat beef. Cook until herbs become fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Spoon a small amount of beef-tomato mixture into bottom of a 4-quart casserole dish (just enough to cover surface); top with half of cooked ziti. Next, layer with half of remaining beef-tomato sauce and half of mozzarella cheese. Layer with remaining ziti and then top with remaining beef-tomato sauce; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake until cheese is golden and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Slice into 8 pieces and serve. Yields 1 piece per serving.

From Weight Watchers

Chicken Spaghetti

I have never tried this, but it sounded good so I made a batch for the freezer during my freezer cooking morning.  Here is the recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cooks:

Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 45 Minutes Difficulty: Easy Servings: 8

Ingredients

2 cups Cooked Chicken

3 cups Dry Spaghetti, Broken Into Two Inch Pieces

2 cans Cream Of Mushroom Soup

2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

¼ cups Finely Diced Green Pepper

¼ cups Finely Diced Onion

1 jar (4 Ounce) Diced Pimentos, Drained

2 cups Reserved Chicken Broth From Pot

1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt

⅛ teaspoons (to 1/4 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper

Salt And Pepper, to taste

1 cup Additional Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Cook 1 cut up fryer and pick out the meat to make two cups. Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar.

Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).

Cats on Tuesday

Cats on Tuesday are cat lovers who post about their cats on Tuesday.  For more, go to Gattina's.

Ok, I have discovered that Lovey (gray kitty) is enamoured with Minnie.  Here he is kissing her head!

I can't believe she is allowing this.  Lovey has been known to stalk her throughout the house.  No worries as every animal in my house is "fixed".

Here Snowflake decided to try her hand at begging at the counter.  Too bad it was not meal time.

Cheeseburger Meatloaf

So, this is our favorite meatloaf recipe.  This was the second time I made it; it comes from Crystal.

1 1b. ground beef

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

3/4 cup uncooked regular oats

1/2 cup milk

2 Tbsp. minced onion

1 large egg

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 cup chili sauce (I substituted barbecue sauce.)

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees.  Combine first 11 ingredients in a large bowl.  Stir until just blended.  Shape mixture into loaf, and place in an ungreased 8x4 inch loafpan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Pour chili sauce over meatloaf, and bake 15-30 minutes more or until meat is no longer pink inside.  Let stand for 10 minutes.  Drain and cut into 8 slices.

Weekly Menu

Since I particpated in the monthly Freezer Cooking Day hosted by Crystal, I have quite a bit of leeway in the menu department.  It is good to know I won't have to scramble to come up with a plan on the way home from work.  I tend to use casseroles on evenings when I have had a meeting after school.  Here is my plan for this week:

Sunday:  Easter dinner with parents at Ruby Tuesday
Monday:  Spaghetti and homemade garlic bread
Tuesday:  Cheeseburger meatloaf and mashed potatoes (comfort food after a long meeting)
Wednesday:  Hamburgers grilled outside/homemade fries
Thursday:  Southwestern roll-ups
Friday:  Dinner out:  sushi probably
Saturday:  Steak grilled out and sweet potato fries

Freezer Cooking Day

Crystal hosted the monthly Freezer Cooking Day on Friday.  Today I had the time to make a few dishes for my freezer.  As a teacher, I *often* have meetings after school that make me so exhausted by the time I get home that I don't want to think about cooking.  Here is what I came up with this morning:

Chicken Spaghetti Pie

Baked Ziti

Southwestern Roll-ups

                                                 Cheeseburger Meatloaf

I will post the recipes and credits next week.  (It may not look like much, but with just my teenage son and me, it will probably be 12 meals. We eat leftovers around here.)

Thumper

These are the best pics I have been able to take of his thumbs.  I'm a proud cat servant.  My kids at school call him "deformed," but he is NOT; he is unique and special.  Because he is so large, one would expect him to perhaps be aggressive, but other than his rivalry with Miles, he is very laid-back.  He doesn't even meow.  In fact, of all my *6* cats, only Lovey talks.  Everyone else except Snowflake growls (She does nothing vocal!), so it's a pretty quiet bunch.  Even when begging for food, they just run to their bowls, sit, and stare.