Weird Carolina: Ad placement

In South Carolina, they see nothing inappropriate about advertising Disney on Ice in the parking lot of an establishment called Scooters and Hooters.

I'm not going to make any jokes about Disney princesses working the lunch shift but I will say they totally stole the name of my future biker strip club.

DIY: Cat toys

Animals aren't finicky creatures when it comes to what they'll play with. This is why I don't understand why people go out and spend so much money on toys for their pets (or children. but that's another blog post). Here are some of the cheap and easy playthings I've constructed to keep the kittens endlessly entertained.

1. A cat tunnel. 

Store version:

Zina Carolina version:

Yes, this was haphazardly pieced together using a couple boxes, a six pack holder, paper bags and duct tape. But for the two days before they ripped through it, the kittens adored it. Now they occasionally sleep in it. It's the thought that counts.

2. A cat condo

 Store version:

Zina Carolina version:

Your eyes are correct, my version is an overturned box in which they used to sleep. They like to jump on top of it and...jump back off. Waste not, want not.

3. Shake rattle roll toy

Store version:

Zina Carolina version:

Cats love toilet paper rolls. They don't shake or rattle, but they do plenty of rolling. That's all they need.

4. Cat tree

Store version

 

Zina Carolina version:

This one involved some actual work. Chris nailed some scrap wood together and I glued carpet on top. It was a fun project and the kittens are totally into it. Totally.

So next time you're planning to shell out money for your pet, instead crumple up a newspaper and throw it to them. They'll never know the difference.**


(Uh, just make sure it's not something they can/will eat.)

**These opinions not necessarily validated or supported by the American Veterinary Medical Association or it's affiliates. 

Carolina Cooks: Great balls of cheesy meat

Holy crap. Holycrapholycrapholycrap. I just had the most amazing balls ever.

Stop it.

I'm talking meat balls, kids.

A few factors combined to create this life-altering moment of bliss.

1. My mother has a serious, potentially dangerous addiction to Costco and consequently, brought over 4 pounds of ground turkey meat to store in my freezer.
2. I've become obsessed with reading recipes on Pioneer Woman because she has lots of gorgeous pictures of food that I drool over.
3. Chris is gone all week and he did not hire a ladysitter to cook my meals.

So tonight I decided to do something about all that meat. A tub of blue cheese in the fridge beckoning to me. Called my name.

"Zina. Carolina. eat me. eat me"

And you just can't ever go wrong with meat + cheese. A quick google search led me to this recipe:

Tantalizing Turkey and Blue Cheese Meatballs

Ingredients

4 cloves garlic

1/2 onion, cut into chunks

2 jalapeno peppers, halved and seeded

1 pound ground turkey

3 tablespoons blue cheese

1/2 cup bread crumbs

3 egg whites

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon chili powder


Directions
1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.

2.  Pulse garlic cloves in a food processor until minced. Add onion and jalapeno, and pulse until minced again. Scrape the onion mixture into a large bowl along with the turkey, blue cheese, bread crumbs, egg whites, and olive oil. Season with soy sauce, dried parsley, Italian seasoning, pepper, and chili powder. Mix well.

3.  Roll the mixture into 2 inch balls, and place onto prepared baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, and no longer pink in the center, about 25 minutes.

Substitutions: Instead of soy sauce, I used salt and instead of parsley I used basil. I also don't have a food processor (hint, hint Santa) so I just chopped the garlic, onion and jalapeno.

Note: Some of the cheese will ooze out while baking but it still maintains that earthy blue cheesy flavor.

Meatballs with a side of wild rice

I hoped they would be good but oh my God. OH MY GOD. Tantalizing is an understatement. The flavors of the jalapeno, blue cheese and other seasonings combined to create this incredible burst of flavor.  MmmmmmmMmmmmmmMmmmmMmmMmm.

Okay fine I'll stop now. Just make them, for my sake.

Come home Chris, this is getting out of hand.

Soo...

I was just watching an Animal Planet program about animal hoarding when suddenly it struck me.

Might we have a bit of hoarder in the making? Feel free to keep your answers to yourselves.

It'sonlytemporaryit'sonlytemporaryit'sonlytemporary

Kitten Auditions: Meet Mogli

I'll try to put this delicately. Mogli isn't the most...attractive of his siblings. One might even venture to call him...ugly. But what he lacks in the looks department, he more than makes up for with sweetness. He's the consummate lap cat and a total momma's boy. Knowing that his looks may cause him to be bullied on the playground in the future has made me extra affectionate towards him. He's a special little guy. As they say, a face only a mother could love. 

Kitten Auditions: Meet Sasha

Sasha has always been the most alert of all her siblings. Even at two weeks old, she was always staring up at us when we came in the room. All that eye contact endeared her to us early on. (She's Chris' favorite...shhh) Sasha is intelligent, adventurous, and playful. She also shows signs of being a bit of a diva. With a face like that, can you blame her?

To vote for sasha, text SASHA to your mom

Kitten Auditions: Meet Grey

I am currently auditioning the kittens to decide which one I should keep. I will give a rundown of each of them so you can help me decide.

First up is Grey, also known as Little Grey. I did not know he was a boy until about a week ago. He is the fastest of all of his siblings and will zip right out of the room as soon as I open the door. He is also extremely affectionate and loves to be held and to take naps on me. For such a tiny kitten, he sounds like a tractor whenever he is petted.

What I consider to be his greatest talent is his ability to cover up double chins. To vote for Grey, text GREY to 800-555-6767. Just kidding, write a comment or something.