ooh! ooh!

SureFlap DualScan catflap

Just got an e-mail from SureFlap about this – I’ve been waiting with baited breath for this to come out.

We had a microchip flap fitted in the front door when it was replaced a year ago, but it does in-only. This new one is both ways, which I would hope might keep the Piranha Sisters in the house (ho ho).

Have just mailed them to ensure that the fittings are the same, so that (in theory) the current one could be easily* removed, and the new one fitted.

*Probably for quite small values of easily.

Meanwhile, we are preparing for the little darlings’ arrival. This weekend, I shall be attempting to make the house if not kittenproof (because what is?) but at least with fewer places for them to hide, or hurt themselves. Or us.

Mirrored from the Tribe.

stuff to use up today

 

Leftover haricot?ish beans, and some cheesy mash, both from last night’s shepherds’ pie.

Mirrored from Reactive Cooking.

cheesy irish potato scones

Potato scones are a doddle. 3-2-1 potato, flour, butter or marg. I usually do 150g of spud, but there was 225g leftover from last night and really, what am I going to do with 3oz of mash? To hell with it, it’s Friday, I used it all.

So – rub flour and marg/butter together to make breadcrumbs. Squish in the mashed potato* to make a dough. You’ll need some milk at this point – somewhere between a dribble and a splash, I guess – just to make the dough more pliable. If you make it too sloppy, don’t worry – just add more flour!

Roll it out into (an approximation) of a circle – the thickness doesn’t matter, really, it only affects the cooking time – and divide into six. You can bake these in a hot oven for 10-12 minutes, but I tend to do them on the gas hob on a cast iron griddle (any heavy bottomed frying pan would do). It uses less energy. Turn them after 5 minutes or so, or when they’re browning and cook the other side. I actually had time to wash up and wipe down the worktops while they were cooking.

Traditionally, these are served with bacon in Ireland, but we just scoff them as is, with lashings^H^H a tiny bit of butter.

*If I have cold potato, unmashed, I tend to bung it all in the food processor, but I did it by hand today.

 

Mirrored from Reactive Cooking.

the old man

 

We’re thrilled at the prospect of the new arrivals, but let us not forget Mustrum, our ancient and venerable Bengal. Born in October 1998, he’s now 15. As the vet said to us, “that’s a good age for a Bengal”, thus implying he wouldn’t be with us for too much longer.

He’s losing weight, has hardly any teeth (and those he has could do with attention, but the vet doesn’t want to do a general anaesthetic on him), and his elite jumping skills are not what they were. He spent pretty much all summer out on the shed roof, basking in the sun, and now that the box of warmz is being lit of an evening, he’s quite happy in front of it.

We’ll miss him, and his extraordinary vocal range, so much – but he’s led a full and interesting life, involving blue coloured alcoholic drinks, and ASBOs, and sideways baseball caps :), We just hope we’ll have him a lot longer than everyone expects. Perhaps the Piranha Sisters will give him a new lease of life …

Mirrored from the Tribe.