Polly’s Follies Episode 1

It seems likely this will be a semi-regular subject as Polly Esther Dactyl is every bit the silly kitty one could want. Terra’s own feature will be soon forthcoming. She is the ringleader, after all. Here, persistent Polly has followed her sister’s determination on ‘supervising’ kitchen activity. While not as good a jumper she figured out how to use my stepstool.

~rolls eyes~

Thank heaven our GoWise USA has a washable inner pot and we have plenty of antibacterial wipes.

This thing needs a cuteness setting...

 

Who knew this home’s airy, open floor plan would become a detriment? And what is it with my shoes?

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Jungle Jim's – Southwest Ohio's Foodie Paradise

After my last post, the awesome blogger from Eastside Cats posed a good question. What is Jungle Jim’s?

Silly me forgot to provide any other information. So here is their website link.

A sample from the store's Chinese product flyer...

A second location opened a few years ago while the original in Fairfield is expanding. They’ve provided tours for years, as well as hosting various events. We enjoyed the Weekend of Fire one summer.

Vietnamese Offerings...

Contractors made huge progress in the month since our last visit. Additions include a huge collectible toy display room and expanded culinary teaching facilities. A new annex for our furry friends offers a dizzying array of products. We animal lovers have our pick of house wares and whatnot, too. I only wish they provided seating here and there so my husband can rest his back?

Have you ever taken a cooking class? Could you, like we, lose hours browsing such a store?

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Dragon Fruit

Today's trip to our local international market inspired me to try dragon fruit. Marketing aside, this colorful green and red beauty attracted me.

This photo was taken in my kitchen.

The texture is juicy, its mild flavor hinting of strawberry, while the seeds give a nice pop without sticking between ones teeth. I feel blessed to have this available.

Would you try this fruit? Are you, by any chance, heading toward Cincinnati, Ohio and want to check out Jungle Jim's? The place gives tours, believe it or not.

Microwave Magic – No Muss No Fuss Corn on the Cob

July in the Midwestern United States means a wonderful thing – fresh produce, including corn on the cob. Yum! We bought our first half dozen ears at Saturday’s outdoor market.

In past we bought it from the grocery store. Not anymore. The sweetness begins turning to starch fast, and this process accelerates as soon as the ears are shucked. That last was news to us.

Last summer I painstakingly peeled back each husk, removed what silk I could, pulled up the husk, then soaked them several minutes while my husband fired up the grill. Then my guy found this YouTube video by Matt Taylor.

What a revelation! Popping an ear straight from the shopping bag into our (1100 watt) microwave for three minutes cooked the kernels to perfection. And just as shown in this image from his video, the silk came away clean.

Is that not beautiful?

Do you know why they are called ears? Is there a similar shortcut you would recommend for a favorite vegetable?

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One of These Things is Not Like the Others

My husband and I have the good fortune to live about a half hour drive from a huge (and expanding) international market. It’s fun to browse as well as bring home some interesting finds.

This hybrid of various orange varieties proved to be absolutely delicious. So I’m glad we didn’t let the appearance put us off.

Do you think the lemons feel intimidated?

Have you heard of the Weird Explorer, Jared Rydelek, who travels the world tasting unusual fruits? Did you know there are over 70,000 fruit species in the world?

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Following a Theme... (WARNING: Fake but Graphic Gore Ahead)

During a recent meal out my drink came chilled by a very cool looking solid ice sphere. It made me wonder if someone made skull shaped ice trays.

And they do! My husband found several silicon models and purchased the one rated highest on Amazon, which only cost a few dollars. My fun experimenting with ever creepier additives has been priceless.

~grin~

If you don’t want to risk getting grossed out you should skip the photo at bottom. Hint: adding a dollop of tart cherry jam proved to be my best idea yet.

Have you ever seen a novelty ice cube? If you were to buy such an ice tray, what shape would you choose?

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Do you see a tiny second skull?

Here is a bonus fact for those horror fans who hung in there:

Adding cooked rice fragments grossed me out. Tinted green with a dot of wasabi, those ‘maggots’ looked way too real as the ice melted. And the feel of them... Ugh!

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Our New Comforter Set - Creepy Halloween Scare Warning. :)

 

Our bedroom decor  needed a change.
So I went creepy and my husband approves.
The cats are enjoying it, too.
Terra and Polly see the 3-D graphics as toys.
Good times for all.

Refilling the Soap Dispenser

 I discovered an easy fix online. Use the stem of the pump to keep a bubble from forming.

~shakes head

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