Yesterday my boss let me work from home the second half of the day because it was too hot for my kittens to stay outside in their cage. They have a fan blowing on them out there, but 105 is too hot for them to be out there. I think it’s just awesome that my employer had enough concern for my cats that they let me do that. My kitties were glad to be able to be in the house for hours. It’s going to be that hot again today, and I’m getting ready to let them in soon.
I’ve started cooking lately. I got my first shipment of cheese, butter, Devon cream, and tampenade from igourmet.com. I’ve tried the cave aged Emmental (Swiss) and it’s delicious. I’m planning on making au gratin potatoes with the Emmental and the Devon cream for dinner tonight. My husband will probably think the cheese is too strong, so I might have to fix another potato dish for him. LOL. And I’m making meatloaf in my Pampered Chef Deep Covered Baker. In the MICROWAVE. I never thought I would cook meat in my microwave, but it’s the best meatloaf I’ve ever had. And I made Burrito Bake in it the other day. I also made a cheesy rice dish I found in my Fine Cooking magazine. I LOVE that magazine. I’m becoming a cooking machine. LOL
I’m currently in the process of proofing the Libby Fox trilogy again for print. Even though it’s in ebook form already, I always go through another proofing for each print book because it’s a lot harder to correct typos after a book is in print than when they’re in ebook form. Besides, I get to read it again that way, and I have a fondness for Libby and Adam. 🙂
I’m just lazing around today. It’s too hot to go outside, even though my rose bushes really need watering. Maybe later this evening….
Okay, I’m off to let Willow and Oz in. They can spend some time annoying my husband. LOL
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Super nice boss! It’s great when unexpected things like that happen. Now go on you furry little devils and wreak havoc as only you little fur balls can do (which makes me think of the movie ‘Critters’, I hope they don’t do that much damage). 105 degrees! I’m glad I live a block from Lake Michigan, it’s usually 10 degrees cooler by house than it is downtown, which is only a mile the other way and it gets hotter as you go (I stay). Wheeeeeeeee! I love summer. Enjoy your cooking!
My cats have been surprisingly well behaved today. And they’ve been in long enough that they’re resting now.
I wouldn’t trade places with you. I couldn’t handle the cold winters up there.
The cooking went well! It was yummy. 🙂
I’d love to try your meatloaf. I’ve only ever had it once, when I was in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware many years ago. I think the dish was called Mama’s Meatloaf and it was served with creamy mash potatoes, yum!
105 degrees? I don’t know what that is in Celsius but it sounds too hot.
Willow & Oz: how cute 🙂
I love meatloaf, but cooked in the microwave in the Pampered Chef baker, it’s even more awesome. 🙂 I looked it up…it’s over 40 degrees Celsius.
What a great boss you have! 😀
I hear you on the temps. We haven’t gotten as high as 105, but we did hit 101 and are in the high 90s. All I can say is thank goodness we live in a time there’s air conditioning.
I’m impressed with all the great food you’re making. If you ever get bored and need something to do (like cook in a new location), I’ll be happy to have you over. 😉
I do have a great boss. 🙂
I let my cats in this afternoon and they just flopped down on the floor a while before playing. They were panting, poor things.
I’m loving the cooking thing. But I hate the clean up! Luckily my husband helps with that,
I love the names you chose for your kitties.
Sometimes it feels really good to dive into the kitchen, especially if you’ve been ignoring that side of life a little too much. I find cooking very grounding and I love to feed people. But I’d been slacking off for a while, and it showed. Eating out isn’t as satisfying or as healthy — and cooking saves you a lot of money! Now I’ve restocked my pantry (mostly) and next I need to stock the freezer. If I can pull two meals a week out of the fridge or freezer because I made them in advance, we’ll eat way better that week. I spent last Sunday making pulled pork, chicken tetrazzini, and grilled chicken. I didn’t stress about it, just made it one of my projects for the day, and knocked ’em out. We had enough food to take lunches and have flexible dinners (necessary when the little ones want to eat at five, and hubby doesn’t get home until nearly seven). I have to say, I used to cook a lot more when I had Food Network. But that was before I was publishing books, too. 🙂
Willow and Oz seems to work. 🙂
Cooking and having something turn out well is so satisfying. And it definitely saves money! It’s better to have something like that for lunch than grabbing a burger.
I just had dinner a little while ago, and your post still made me hungry! I thought I was going super gourmet tonight with the pasta with artichokes and capers and fresh parmesan, but your cooking makes my meal sound kind of dull. I’m glad your kitties got some cool indoor time. Cats usually like hot weather, but 105 is too hot! I’m really craving a “cool front” to bring it down from the 98-100+ range here.
Michelle, your pasta dish doesn’t sound dull at all! I’m really excited about this new cooking thing. And I’ve found that if my food is tasty enough, and I eat slowly enough, I can get by with less. I’m all about quality rather than quantity. LOL.
When I went outside yesterday afternoon to let the cats in, the fan we have blowing on them was only blowing hot air. My husband had to go to church early for a meeting, so I was at home with the cats by myself. When it was time to go to church, I didn’t have the heart to put them out, so I locked them up in my office/exercise room. Most of the stuff in there is mine, so if they made a mess, it would be my stuff. So after church, I hurried home before my husband left so I could let the cats back into the main part of the house. I thought I was being clever…my husband would think I just let them back in the house after I got home. When he got home, the first thing he said was “You left the cats in while we were at church, didn’t you?” I said “How did you know?” He said “I’ve lived with you long enough to know what you would do.” I guess I wasn’t so clever. LOL
It sounded good in the recipe book, but it was a little bland. Quality is definitely better than quantity. We tend to overeat when our body isn’t getting enough quality in both flavor and nutrients, so your idea of eating more gourmet sounds like a good plan. It is amazing how you get to know your spouse so well. Eventually, all it takes is a glance from the other to have a whole conversation on a topic!