Monthly Archives: April 2011

Loving on Uncle Gus

Today it’s time for some snuggly pictures of my friend Carrie and Gus, Erica’s cat.

You would never guess it, but in Gus’s infancy he was a holy terror. For the first year of his life, every time I visited Erica I lived in fear of his almost demonic aggression. Having grown up with 3 cats, Erica was crushed that her steady cache of cat-training and disciplinary techniques were simply not working on this fiendish kitty.

There were tears, there were scratches. Just look at this picture from his youth–he’s flashing those manic crazy-eyes. They were a staple in his violent, furry little face.

Once, when I scooted Gus off the dining room table (where he knew he wasn’t allowed to be), he ran at me teeth and claws flailing, green eyes burning.

I’d never had a cat rush at me in a no-holds-barred vengeful fury, and I will never forget that moment. Thankfully, he came to a stop a couple inches from my frozen and shocked self, turned around, and ran in the other direction. It was a close call, and I’ll never know what exactly saved me from being eviscerated by an angry kitten.

So then, you may ask, why is it well-advised for Carrie to be snuggling him so closely?

Well, I’ll tell you: when Gus was about a year old, Teds entered the picture.

Freshly brought home from the shelter, he was quickly given a bath and then blow-dried back to fluffiness.

He’s grown up a little since then into a lanky teenage-type cat. A little moody at times, but still a fun-loving piece of striped delight.

Look at that freakishly large pink tongue, heh heh.

When Erica first brought him home, Teddy wasted no time in becoming acquainted with his Uncle Gus, proceeding to stalk him . . .

. . . and attack him with youthful fearlessness.

There he is, calmly chomping on Uncle Gus’s paw, the whippersnapper.

And Uncle Gus changed for the better, tamed by a kitten.

He is now a snuggly creature who loves bacon.

While Carrie was cuddling Gus, all of a sudden something happened to his face. It got squished into the shape of the demon-cat that he may have been.

Whoa! It’s like the poster for a horror movie. Let’s take a closer look:

I took a moment to thank the heavens for Teds, who saved us from the frightening-cat-creature-that-could-have-been.

How did you do it, Teds? How exactly did you bring about this transformation?

Well duh–I tamed the shrew with my own two paws.

Now, can we play with my bear-holding-a-bunny or what?

A call to deliciousness

So in my post on Monday I made brief mention of a killer dish called Chili-Cheese Etoufée (a.k.a. Oh Ye Cajun Pot of Goodness), a recipe that I shared with you all last August. But then I remembered that for reasons beyond of my control at the time (ehem, ehem) the featured picture at the top of the recipe didn’t look appetizing at all. I mean–who would possibly want to make this dish when this was the picture introducing it?

Not I, said the chicken. Not I, said the cow. Not I, said the bunny rabbit.

You see my point.

Last night we hosted the bi-weekly Bible study that we belong to, and I seized that as my opportunity to cook up a cauldron of this stuff and take a better picture of the finished product. Oh, and to feed people that I love. That too.

So here are some updated photographs.

A little more appealing, eh?

Let it be known: this is the perfect dish to serve a large crowd of people. As long as they’re not lactose-intolerant, gluten-intolerant, vegetarians, or vegans–then I guess it’s not so great.

But the point is, the flavors are very crowd-friendly and (I think) very kid-friendly. Note to self: must have children asap to test this theory.

Plus, though loaded with cheese and heavy cream, any negative health effects derived from these components are neatly counteracted by the hefty amount of veggies.*

*Not factual information–I’m just making it up as I go.

Bell peppers, an onion, celery, garlic. Mmmm.

Have a great weekend, people, and for the sake of your own happiness please make this recipe. It’s so good that you will probably be moved to send me cookies as a thank you for sharing it. Note to self: prepare cookie jar and cookie receiving log for massive intake of cookie shipments.