I’m losing my gourd, as my son says on a daily basis, and like some here, am having a little trouble just getting through the minimum needed to keep all the balls in the air, much less contribute as I should to the common struggle our little community is waging to keep ourselves and our country on the beam.
I’ve got lots to say about current events–we all do–but they mostly seem to come out as a half-wail, half-scream, half-self-pitying whinge. (Hey! I am a three-handed professor, after all.) So I’ll keep trying to come up with something more substantive going forward, but for now, a little fun.
You guys may recall that a new furbomb joined the Levenson household recently. Champ, then just six weeks old, came through our door a week ago last Friday, as teeny as can be and kind of spooked about the whole business of existing.
It hasn’t taken long for her to come into her own. She’s particularly interested in human bodies as jungle gyms.
And in discovering hidden talents–here she is getting in touch with her inner Catier-Bresson…
…and standing the morning watch with me and Oppie:
But the Big Cat hasn’t been amused:
It’s been getting a little better–but Champ does test the limits.
But it’s all good–sort of:
Bonus respite. We made the best steak last night. Just a delicious version of a cut that is often pretty cheap. That would the picanha–sirloin cap, cut from the bit just next to the tri-tip, I’ve been told.
It has a great fat cap, and when we have folks to help us eat it, and an epidemiological circumstance that allows us to do so in company, we will buy whole picanhas (2-3 lbs), cover it with the simplest of rub–3:1 freshly ground cumin and coarse salt that gets pulsed once with the cumin at the end of the grind. We sear it on the fat side only, very quickly, and then either cook it in a slow oven–275 degrees convection–or, if I’m feeling particularly attentive, in a Weber, to which I add smoke chips that I’ve soaked. Serve that with a chimichurri sauce or the Peruvian variant that adds feta, and you’ve got a treat. All of two minutes of prep, and, especially for the oven version, nothing more difficult than checking the meat thermometer.
That’s not what we had last night. Instead, the local Whole Paycheck had unusually well marbled sliced steaks (picanha is usually pretty lean–that’s why hanging on to the fat cap is so important) I scored the fat cap (really: don’t let them trim it!) and the meat, and dumped the steaks into a marinade I picked up from somewhere: 1/4 c olive oil. 1/4 c. lemon juice. 3-4 cloves of garlic, smashed then mashed in a mortar and pestle with 1-1.5 teaspoons of salt. 1.5 teaspoons of pimenton, (the sweet one, not the hot)–Spanish smoked paprika. 1 teaspoon dried oregano.
Basically whisk all that stuff up really well. That’s enough for 1.5 pounds of meat–just dump the steaks in the bowl and sluice them around until they’re well covered. Marinate for at least 90 minutes, as much as 6 hours or so–longer than that and the lemon begins to “cook” the meat more than I like; YMMV.
Then onto a hibachi or similar. I cook it hot, and it takes just a few minutes per side to get to the rare-side-of-medium-rare we like.
Nothing special, nothing earth shattering–just a really tasty way to enjoy a steak that doesn’t hurt the wallet the way a rib eye or a strip does, and that requires really minimal prep and skill.
Last goody (see–I’m really trying to focus on stuff that takes me back to my happy place)…
I find as I age I grow increasingly hard of heron:
And with that…
Respite open thread. Talk food, talk pets, talk birds, talk anything but you-know-what.
lamh36
Respite thread, how’s about some movie news
Colin Firth & Stanley Tucci as a couple in a drama like this!!!! TAKE MY MONEY NOW!
Oh…and I already know it’s gonna give me ALLLL the feels!
Dang trailer already got me:
uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c48821b3f43aef745699860e8184584df7aa3362548a025a2abe44d997e7de58.gif
Although, no plans to go back to movie theatres any time soon this year
debbie
Champ is as bold as she is teensy!
schrodingers_cat
Tikka and Tikka’s mini me are adorable.
LongHairedWeirdo
Potential typo patrol:
Context suggests “90 minutes, as much as 6 hours or so” – is that right? (Sometimes, in my own editing, I find that I’ve retyped the same paragraph *so many times* that the obvious fix via context is actually incorrect :-).)
LuciaMia
Big Cat has quite the schnozz
And…The new season of Great British Bake -Off debuts this Friday on Netflix!
Tom Levenson
@LongHairedWeirdo: That’s right. 6 hours. I’m away from my computer and fixing this on my phone is painful, so here’s me hoping context is all.
Tom Levenson
@LuciaMia: yes he does. And that is only one facet oof his magnificence.
Cheryl Rofer
A friend commented that cats see people as affectionate furniture.
gbbalto
Let up hope that Tikka does not shit in your slipper. Last photo looks ominous.
Seriously, welcome to new kitty and Tikka will adapt.
WaterGirl
@Tom Levenson: all better!
pika
So many thanks for all of this–and all you do–Tom
WaterGirl
@Tom Levenson:
:: groan ::
My dad would have approved, though.
Dorothy A. Winsor
Love the baby kitty.
TaMara (HFG)
Those kits are balm for my soul.
I grilled up chicken thighs tonight and they were amazing. I just grabbed what sounded good from the spice rack and made a rub. Of course I’ll never be able to duplicate it.
Oh, well…
Suzanne
Mr. Suzanne hung the new bamboo Roman shade in the living room window and it looks awesome. I am exhausted.
MazeDancer
Thank you so much, Tom, for the excellent kitty coverage. Vastly improved the day.
zhena gogolia
@lamh36:
Wow, that looks terrific
I’m glad Colin Firth put on a little weight. Livia had him on a starvation diet, I think.
schrodingers_cat
@Suzanne: Where did you get them from? Do you have a photo or a link? Thanks.
Redshift
I’m on a zoom meeting of our local Democratic committee. We just elected as one of our vice chairs a gay Latino undocumented immigrant high school graduate (who seems like a great guy), which is just about the most Democratic thing ever. ?
HumboldtBlue
Seeing pics of Champ on your Twitter feed is about the only bright spot on that medium.
CarolPW
@gbbalto: I actually thought Tikka looked less pissed than usual. And Champ is absurdly cute.
lollipopguild
Currently on page 210 of “Money for Nothing” You write what could be very dry history as an interesting novel. Thanks for sharing yourself and cats with us Jackals.
West of the Rockies
Well, Tom, you got a bit of a Richard Gere look going on that last picture, the distinguished professor thing. I am envious! Not as handsome as the cats, of course.
WaterGirl
@CarolPW: I never think Tikka looks pissed; he just has a perpetual look that resembles: Do. Not. Fuck. With. Me.
I do agree that he looks different in the final photo. I see resignation. Tikka has determined that Champ is here to stay.
I predict that they will be great buds in time. Champ really is little a little Mini-Me for Tikka. I will admit to having kind of a crush on Champ every time I see him. He’s so tiny!
SiubhanDuinne
I love the picture of Champ dancing right in front of Tikka’s face.
Van Buren
I don’t know if it’s the change in the weather or just back to school stress, but I can’t stop consuming mass quantities of carbs. Today was 2 bowls of rice to go along with chicken chili.
That’s not very respite-y, but it’s all I got.
Ruckus
@TaMara (HFG):
It took a long time before I could get the gist of just grabbing stuff off the shelf and making something reasonably eatable. Sister helped, by just watching her experiment. Most often the results were amazing. But now as I have no sense of smell whatsoever the sense of taste is the only factor and that is sweet, sour, salty and bitter. Not quite the same and cooking for those is a lot different than what we consider normal sense of taste.
mali muso
@LuciaMia: GBBO is the content I neeeeed in my life right now!!!
beckya57
@WaterGirl:
My brother has also victimized us with this one.
beckya57
@Redshift: Awesome!
beckya57
Rocky Raccoon, Bandit, Chicago and Scribbles all say hi to Tikka and Champ!
VeniceRiley
OMG cute cat story well told. On the meat adventures I also can report that my perusal of the surrounds of my new home in England is in close driving distance of two rare breeds farms. I’ll be going out, I’m sure, at least twice a month to buy their delicious cuts of beef and pork, and carting them to the local butcher… then into the fridge freezer! here’s one of their websites baylham-house-farm.co.uk/
Pete Mack
Cute kitteh. Speaking of cheap cuts, I scored a pork sirloin ( also with nice fat cap) recently, for $1.50/lb (that is dirt cheap out here in the adirondacks.) Not knowing what else to do, I seasoned it with Cajun seasoning, cumin, black pepper, and ground pasilla pepper, and basted the whole mezillah with canola. Gave it 6 hours, then smoked it on the (el-cheapo) Weber for a couple-three hours along with my usual 2lbs of Italian sausage (for future use.) (Temp:220-240, with hot water dish to avoid drying. Basted every 45 minutes.) Yes it is lean as heck, but it came out moist enough with an OK smoke ring and good flavor. Very, very good lunch meat. The sausages,of course, are divine for all purposes.
WaterGirl
@beckya57: My sister has that gene, too. She just wants you to notice what she’s done, and doesn’t seem to care whether you groan or laugh. So that works!
Miss Bianca
Ooh, Tikka and Tikka’s Mini-Me (h/t Schroedinger’s Cat)! Yay!
So, Tom, reading up on the South Sea Bubble currently in Charles Mackay’s Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds, which I’m sure you’ve perused more than once, in preparation for Money for Nothing, which is on order.
Mm, pizza’s just out of the oven, another glass of Bristol Brewing’s Winter Warlock coming up!
Obvious Russian Troll
…and I hear my neighbor calling for her outdoor cat Phyllo outside my window.
Phyllo’s owner butts heads with my next door neighbor, who gives all the outdoor cats in the neighborhood treats. On the other hand my next door neighbor does (understandably) resent being left to care for Phyllo (and two or three other cats) when Phyllo’s owner goes on vacation for 2-3 weeks–leaving them outdoors!
She apparently tried a cat door, but the raccoons kept getting in.
(Phyllo is a great cat, by the way. Very friendly and he poses for pictures all the time.)
Benw
Lovely kitties!
Now I have work and chores and dinner done and I can settle in to stress about the Lakers in peace
:)
craigie
I see what you did there…
Mary G
That shot of Tikka and Champ having the stare down on the same chair, with your hand nervously hovering in the bottom right corner of the picture, cheered me up immensely. It was Wild West gunslingers in the street hands ready to draw, with you as the sheriff racing in to break it up.
I adopted my two together at the shelter, where they shared a cage due to overcrowding, and thus were supposedly “bonded.” Then they spent the next nine years fighting each other like real siblings. Only recently have they agreed to sleep together, and if a human notices, split up or start hissing at each other right away.
zhena gogolia
If anyone wants the most perfect version of “Mr. Tambourine Man” here it is:
youtube.com/watch?v=TesVDuox0m4
Wag
@WaterGirl:
As a dad, I 100% approved.
Suzanne
@schrodingers_cat: I bought it from this place called Steve’s. I didn’t know Cole’s cat sold window treatments. He’s quite multi-faceted. I don’t have a picture of my window but there’s images on the site. I bought the color “linen”. It isn’t the color of linen, but it is a very nice color. I like it so much that I’m gonna get another one for my bedroom.
Miss Bianca
@zhena gogolia: I’m listening!
Mai Naem mobile
You should have named Champ Masala. I can’t be the first one who’s suggested that. Or Kalee Mirch
trollhattan
After three weeks of dinner while watching the day’s TDF stage I’m feeling like something is missing from our evenings. ‘Til next year, France. And a job well done.
Downtown AQI is 9 after a few nasty smoky days. That’s a welcome consolation prize. My NH brother would like us to take our smoke back but I’m blaming that on Oregon.
trollhattan
@Wag: We gotta stick together on this. #DadJokesRBestJokes
Wag
@trollhattan: Absolutely.
Amir Khalid
@WaterGirl:
I’ve always thought of that look as Lee Van Cleef Kitty.
WaterGirl
@Amir Khalid: I had to google that name to see why you thought that.
opiejeanne
Your kitties are adorable and that first photo is just killing me with the cute.
Your comments about the beef cuts was very helpful and I’ll tuck that info away in the recipe collection I’ve been amassing for quite a few years. Tonight I made a pot roast using chuck, partly because I was out of ideas, and it was very good. The veggies were all from our garden, which would normally make me feel smug but not tonight.
I’m feeling the strain from trying to hold it together and am worried that if I lose control, so will other people, that they will spiral away in despair. I don’t know if I’m really the rock anyone is clinging to, but I’m starting to feel almost frozen emotionally. I just feel like I’m done. Don’t know why, because I was feeling a lot better yesterday about politics and everything but today it was like a wave washed over me.
Going to call my doctor tomorrow to talk about this.
Meanwhile I’ve been donating to various candidates for the past few days, thanks to the daily ActBlue page here.
Tom Levenson
@opiejeanne: I’m sorry the weight of it all is hitting so hard today. I know what you mean—I lose days to that as well.
Do talk to folks. And talk to us. We’ll be here.
J R in WV
Also have been donating quite a bit. We have donated so much I now get calls from congress critters to say thanks. I was invited to participate in an online town hall earlier today, and said, “How about I just contribute $50?” ’cause I don’t want to do a town hall for folks I don’t really know…
Folks we donated to years ago are now on TV all the time being interviewed, which is pretty cool, also , too!
Yutsano
Tikka kitteh is not amused. Champ is teh cute. Something must give.
@Miss Bianca: The South Sea Bubble chicanery is WILD. Like how did Blunt get away with his chicanery (and even got a baronet in the end!) for so long without anyone looking into it? And that’s just one character in the shenanigans?
(Spoilers BTW)
opiejeanne
@Tom Levenson: thanks. People here are swell and so are you.
I knew I needed to talk to my doctor a couple of weeks ago, mentioned it, but have been putting it off because we’re trying to stay in our bubble as much as possible and because it’s a hassle.
Ruckus
@opiejeanne:
It’s easy to feel like the world is spinning down on you, especially when there is so much crap happening around you. Talk to your doc, a different voice often helps. I spend a fair amount of time at the VA, and just the change of perspective from home and BJ and twitter and wearing a mask and, and, does it to me as well. We can get through it. And come out the other side stronger.
Rihilism
Don’t know if you found your happy place but the cutie kitten pics helped me find mine. Thanks!