8.21.2006

Morgan Ave, Russian Blues, & Tomato Salads


I tool this photo from the L Train on the way to Queens. I so love the mosaic tilework in the old NYC subways. (The subway also has one of the coolest giftshops ever. You can even get parts of old trains, and replicas of the tiles.)

Here is the actual Morgan, napping in her favorite chair next to my desk. I swear this kitten is all tail.

While we were gone, Grey Cat held down the fort.


As an aside, I swear Grey, whom I adopted as a wild stray from Bosworth's Funeral Home parking lot in Hoboken back in 1990, looks so much like one of these 1902 Russian Blues. (And the kittens on the top of that page look just like RheLynn's infamous Squint!)

Emma slept, when she was not busy scolding kittens.

Isis tests out the new cat tree. This top level already has been the site of many King of the Mountain wrestling matches.


Carrie K's delectable photo of her garden produce directed me to a recipe for Panzanella Salad. Aurora mixes up fresh tomatoes, stale sourdough bread, cucumbers, fresh basil, olive oil, and balsamic vinagar. Yum!

The Hoboken version of this salad is one of my all-time favorite (and easiest ever) dishes: fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, and the aforementioned basil, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar, with a little freshly-ground black pepper. Best eaten with a hunk of Italian bread you can drag around in your bowl afterwards to sop up all the oily-vinegary-tomatoey goodness left in the bottom.

So if you're lucky enough to have garden-fresh tomatoes (or access to some) try spritzing them with some good olive oil and balsamic vinegar! I have to try Aurora's version with the cukes and sourdough...sounds yummy. (You don't even have to mix a dressing, just drizzle that stuff right on your salad...mmmm!) We're just beginning to get tomatoes now, I can't wait!


By the by, O'Kitten will once again be gone to the lake for three days for knitting and napping respite. I'm packing freshly picked sweet corn and our first cantelope, plus a just-delivered shoo-fly pie and some real doughnuts (the best I've ever had) from Pennsylvania Dutch Country as well. So I shall return fat and happy on Wednesday (Mr. O'K starts school on Thursday). Pray for rain and tomatoes.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ohhhh man ... shoofly pie. That's a favorite around here.

Cute pics of the kitties.

Have a restful vacation.

Chris said...

The tile subway signs are indeed cool. Hmm, how many cats do you have?? Four?

Have fun at the lake! What is shoofly pie, anyway?

Severina said...

Mmmmm, real tomatoes...

Your tomatoes are just starting to get ripe? All ours are pretty much done. My parents gave me a grocery bag of veg, complete with fruit flies, and their plants are just starting to die off. The corn wasn't ready so I didn't get any of that, dammit.

My kitty loves tomatoes. He'll pull cherry tomatoes right off the plant if you let him.

Severina said...

And I haven't had a shoofly pie in ages. They tend to think here that cobblers have flat crusts and dumplings are big square noodles.

That's what I get for moving to the city.

RheLynn said...

Your Hoboken tomato recipe sounds perfect! I use all of those ingredients (but Mr.J won't eat the cheese)

Another thing my mom used to serve up was a rich gravy and dumplings over warm thick bread - but Mr.J (besides being vegan) won't eat anything 'soggy', no matter how good it tastes. :o(

Speaking of the infamous Squint - he was pawing the pictures of your kitties on my computer monitor as I clicked in and out of them! He really likes the picture of _your_ Grey Cat!

Anonymous said...

Either Russian Blue or Korat - but definately handsome!

verasunshyne said...

I have a gray kitty. . he adopted us when we moved here a year ago. He talks a lot.

Carrie K said...

Duly praying for rain and tomatos. Pray that the ones on my vine actually ripen. I think they're giving up.

Sheba and Hezekiah are both gray cats! I was accused of only having gray cats. Hey. I didn't know H wasn't a stray, whereas I do know who Cleo's Daddy is.

Gray Cat is quite stolidly holding down the fort. Love that mosaic!

BEESTLYproducts said...

I'm starving!!! Panzella is so tasty and followed by some shoo fly pie.... forget about it! :-)

Knitted_Painting said...

Your Morgan looks just like our Kal-El..he's all tail aswell..but he's not as grey as your Morgan^_^

Anonymous said...

You know, while I'm a dog person at heart nowadays, I still love cats. In fact I find them very enchanting and mysterious. I think that's the way they want to be.

Anyway, I always love your kitty pictures. Have a great time at the lake.

RheLynn said...

As if my life depends on it - I will get out a package to you tomorrow!