This month’s instalment of First Friday Favourites, inspired by one of my old planners by Pipsticks & Workman, will be short, but not sweet. More savoury…
Besides a new dish that we made recently, I don’t really have other new favourite finds to rave about.
FOOD:
We recently made the Smashed Potato Salad by Pick Up Limes and it was amazing! I had watched the video shortly after it first came out but had never managed to make it until last week. Matt had boiled potatoes in preparation to air fry them and at the eleventh hour we pivoted and used some potatoes for the salad.
If you are a fan of potato salad but are tired of the same old recipe, I highly recommend trying this! The crispiness of the baked smashed potatoes pairs so well with the cucumber and red onions. We are not vegan, so used regular sour cream and mayonnaise and had to substitute dried dill for fresh. But it was still delectable and refreshing!
I personally loved the spicing on the potatoes, but if you are not a fan of cumin (like my mom) then you could always just change it up a bit to your own taste preferences.
Time-wise, it doesn’t really take any longer than other potato salads we’ve made. And this one seems like it could suffice as a meal in itself. I could have eaten all the smashed potatoes without putting them into the salad. Wait, I think I did!
Moving on to some other topics, the past week has had its share of ups and downs. I thought it only fair to write a bit about what’s been going on in our household.
This past Sunday, we had to say goodbye to our sweet foster cat, Moxxi. Not goodbye because she was going to a new home, but because she was going to kitty heaven. Her health took a rapid nosedive in a matter of a few days, and the decision was made by SOS to end her suffering.
When we started fostering her back in July, she was already on a couple of different medications, one for her thyroid and the other for nausea. They were hoping that her condition would improve so that she could have a dental abscess procedure, but sadly, it did not improve enough.
She was also scratching herself to the point that she was bleeding in her ear area, on both sides. The vets couldn’t seem to figure out what the cause was. They thought it was a food allergy so told me to try to switch her to a limited ingredient diet. But since she would end up eating the kittens’ food, it was hard to determine if it was that or not. I personally thought it was a reaction to the thyroid pills she was taking from the research I did. My sister-in-law and her husband thought it may have been stress from her owner dying and being shuffled from place to place.
The kids, of course, wanted to come with me to the vet to bid Moxxi farewell. Brighton was the most visibly upset by the news. It’s the third time in two years that we’ve had to say goodbye to a furry friend. Even though Moxxi was only with our family for about a month and a half, she was a welcome addition in our home.
She was the gentlest cat, even when she was growling or swatting at the kittens. And eventually, she warmed up to them enough that she tolerated some snuggles from Zesty.
I think Zesty was thrilled when he was finally able to snuggle up to Moxxi. He even comforted her after she had to get blood taken and was sporting a bandage on one of her legs.
Mind you, the kittens were still annoying little kittens at times, attacking her tail and swatting at her when she had to wear a cone around her neck.
But Moxxi was stoic and chill as ever. We never really heard a meow out of her, more like low trills. She also seemed to really like Matt and his dad, cuddling up to both of them one night when Matt’s family visited. My guess is that her previous owner was a male.
Not much was known about her history except that a neighbour of her previous owner took her in after her owner passed away. Wherever she came from and whatever the circumstances, we were glad to have had the chance to meet her and comfort her in her final days.
Yesterday afternoon, Matt and I were downtown here, when we received text and phone messages from Whitney’s high school that classes were canceled for the rest of the day. There was no reason given as to why they were, so of course we were a bit concerned. He tried calling her phone but kept getting her answering service.
My phone rang eventually from an unrecognized number and it was Whitney, saying there had been a fire at her school. Thankfully she was not hurt and normally, you would not expect anyone else to have been. But when classes are called off for the rest of the day, something more serious probably happened. And indeed, it had.
All I can say is, What is happening to our world?
Wishing you a safe and peaceful weekend, wherever you are!
