We lost one of our (two) cats this morning.  It was very unexpected.  I never would have thought that I expected to be affected this strongly.

She had cat AIDS, or something weird like that, where she was allergic to everything.  It caused her body to attack itself.  She spent the first part of her life living with us as a bare-assed cat. (She lived with Mel for like 6 years, before she moved in with us.)  Seriously--weirdest ratty looking nekkid tail and ass--like one of them baboons.  People would come over, and she'd be all, "Hey, pet me," and they'd give her the stink eye.  But she inevitably won them--and maybe me--over. 

Her old vet said she had fleas.  Whatever.  Our vet helped her out significantly--but it was better living through chemistry--and love--no doubt.

She was a perfect lap cat for Tiff. Cover yourself with a small blanket, and Bailey was there--if you were Tiff. Bailey seemed to hate feeling the baby move--but she loved sitting on Tiff's lap--so that always seemed to leave her with something to work out.  Was the movement worth it?  It seems to me that it usually was.

It's heart wrenching to lose a pet.  I've been there, and that's why I don't keep pets anymore. But it's agonizing to watch your wife deal with her lost pet, and to feel so helpless and worthless, because you can't make it better.

"Bailey--you'll be missed, but I bet kitty heaven rocks." - Tiff

Beef: it's what's for dinner! (Rouladen, actually.)

We're hosting a Liederabend for Tiff's students.  They'll come over, eat some German food, sing us some German songs (Lieder) and then we'll call it a night!

But more about the rouladen:

Ingredients! 

This is my ingredient list.  Top round (beef), bacon, yellow mustard, pickle, onion, spices, and you can see the spaetzle and red cabbage, too.  (But those are side dishes.)

Lay the steak out, add: bacon slice, yellow mustard, spices (I used garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, sweet paprika, salt), yellow onion and a Vlasic dill pickle spear.

Roll those puppies up, and stake the steak (see what I did there?) with a bamboo skewer.  Growing up we used the metal ones, but bamboo ain't bad!

Browned, but not German-style. (That's a long story for later.)

Now you need to brown them.  I made a dozen, so I had a few slices of bacon left.  I fried the bacon first, and then browned the rouladen in the pot.  A heavy dutch oven style pot is best, as it hold heat, and has plenty of room to later hold the meat and gravy again.

I de-glazed the pot with some pickle juice.  Then i added some finely diced onion (left over from the rolls),  some diced pickles, and a good squirt of yellow mustard.  I added flour, and used beef broth, to start this gravy.  Gotta let it cook a bit, to get the flour taste out!  Then I added the rest of my beef stock, and some water, and some buillon, and used some of the seasonings to get the gravy like I like it.

Add the rouladen back to the pot, simmer until cooked through.  We're serving ours with spaetzle, and with red cabbage.

Yay!

Day 14 - Ever sneaked a peak at a gift?

Nope! Not to my knowledge, anyway.

Day 13 - Describe your typical Christmas eve.

Uhm. I come home from work, I eat dinner, I watch some tv, and mentally prepare for all the work involved on Christmas day. What's yours like?

Day 12 - Another audio of a favorite Christmas song/carol.

I think the last time I answered this (see Day 1) I chose an advent song. This time I'll go with Stille Nacht. Here it is, performed by the St Thomas Boy Choir.