This is how Thanksgiving used to work in our family (as far as I could see as a child): My grandma would call everyone and tell them what they were in charge of making. My mom would be given the added job of being a reference if anyone had any questions about how to make stuff (that's what happens when you go to cooking school!). Then, we'd all converge at my grandparents' house or our house a few days before Thanksgiving and EVERYONE would be in the kitchen cooking up a storm until dinner. It was so much work and it produced so much food that even the kids weren't allowed to eat at all before Thanksgiving dinner was served (which was at like 3 in the afternoon). To keep people from eating or getting in the way in the kitchen, there would be various appetizers placed on the outskirts of the kitchen. It was intense and wonderful! <3
A large part of my memories about Thanksgiving is my mom cooking and complaining about how to make the perfect Thanksgiving everything. She hated writing recipes down though, claiming she was totally incapable of it (ironically, she also dreamed of being a cookbook author...) so herein lies the issue. As I try to sally forth and conquer Thanksgiving on my own without her, I have to try to remember watching her cook and what she used to say about how to do it and those kinds of memories are, sadly, fading.
Here's the key points that I do remember!
Secrets to the Perfect Thanksgiving According to my Mom:
1. Stuff the turkey with veggies, apples, and oranges, not stuffing because that's a huge health risk! Apples are great at taking up space, not giving to much flavor, and keeping the turkey moist. An orange gives a wonderful flavor to your gravy and turkey. And cover it until just before the end!
2. Don't tell the kids what's in the stuffing or else they won't eat it.
(I think it was the celery. I hated celery as a kid haha. Her stuffing was an herb and apple stuffing that she did on the stovetop, using turkey drippings. so good!).
3. If you only have fresh bread and you need to make stuffing, dry the bread out in the oven on a low heat. Sprinkle with italian seasoning for good flavor. This is important because the secret to stuffing is the quality of the bread.
4. Use fresh green beans if you MUST make the green bean casserole.
5. Take special requests but with a grain of salt.
(Translation: Grandpa demands cranberry sauce but nobody else will eat it and he likes the canned stuff so just serve that and chop at it with a fork to make it not look like the can. Also, requests to put the stuffing in the turkey are heard but will not be honored.)
6. Taste test.
7. Give the kids a job.
And then they stay out of the way.... (we shucked corn, peeled potatoes, and chopped veggies)
(Normally, my mom is a really wonderful, sweet lady who would never say anything snooty or mean. But something happened to her at Thanksgiving and her no-nonsense, take no prisoners side came out that was even stronger than her mama bear instincts haha)
Since I have to go Thanksgiving alone, I rely heavily on Food Network. A few years ago, they live streamed a Thanksgiving dinner prep and I followed along, making changes as I remembered my mom doing, and everything came out truly incredible. Do your best, taste test everything, have the kids help, and if everything is a flop, pbj is legit and happens to everyone (even my mom!).
Wednesday, November 21, 2018
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Potato Leek Stew
This isn't a traditional stew but this is another thing I made on the fly that was super delicious and wanted to share! Potato leek soup was one of my favorite foods growing up and I got inspired to replicate it last night. I made it all in one skillet (with a lid!) and it came together fairly quickly (I think it took me about an hour but that was because I was making it up as I went. I bet you could do it much faster with recipe in hand).
**No pictures yet because....well, honestly this time was because I ate it too fast haha. But also because we only have paper bowls still and they are very un-photogenic.
Potato Leek Stew
This creamy potato leek stew is decadent, filling, and a great one pot meal! This recipe serves between 2 and 3 people.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 small sweet potatoes or 1 large one, diced into 1/4 inch cubes (small chunks cook faster)
- 1 large leek, sliced finely (I cut off the roots and the green stem, cut it in half, slice each half four times longways, and then dice. Make sure your knife is really sharp!)
- 1/4 cup chopped carrots (the multicolor ones add a fun pop of color to the dish!)
- 1/2 - 1 cup shredded chicken (I used some leftover rotisserie chicken that was in the fridge)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup cream
- 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 1 tsp pepper (or to taste)
- 1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning (or to taste)
Optional additions:
- Ravioli (I used cheese ravioli. It was yummy!), use an additional cup of chicken broth if you do this
- Chiffonaded spinach (I didn't try this but I was DEFINITELY tempted!)
- Corn (changes the flavor a little but still good!)
(Please leave more optional additions in the comments! What other veggies would you add?!)
Directions
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat, add sweet potatoes and cover. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are nearly soft, stirring occasionally.
- Add leeks and carrots, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
- Uncover the pan and keep cooking until the sweet potatoes are soft and the leeks are slightly browned.
- Add the chicken broth and seasoning, tasting to make sure you like the flavor. Add the raviolis and additional chicken broth, if you want them.
- Add the cream and chicken. Cook until the chicken is heated and the raviolis are cooked through (check the back of your ravioli box. The pasta will be soft and the raviolis will be a bit floppy).
Super easy! The only reason it takes so long is waiting for the veggies to cook through, which is why I recommend cutting them very small so they will cook faster.
What other veggies would you add to this? I made it on the fly and loved it but I see potential to incorporate more veggies here.
**No pictures yet because....well, honestly this time was because I ate it too fast haha. But also because we only have paper bowls still and they are very un-photogenic.
Potato Leek Stew
This creamy potato leek stew is decadent, filling, and a great one pot meal! This recipe serves between 2 and 3 people.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 small sweet potatoes or 1 large one, diced into 1/4 inch cubes (small chunks cook faster)
- 1 large leek, sliced finely (I cut off the roots and the green stem, cut it in half, slice each half four times longways, and then dice. Make sure your knife is really sharp!)
- 1/4 cup chopped carrots (the multicolor ones add a fun pop of color to the dish!)
- 1/2 - 1 cup shredded chicken (I used some leftover rotisserie chicken that was in the fridge)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup cream
- 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 1 tsp pepper (or to taste)
- 1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning (or to taste)
Optional additions:
- Ravioli (I used cheese ravioli. It was yummy!), use an additional cup of chicken broth if you do this
- Chiffonaded spinach (I didn't try this but I was DEFINITELY tempted!)
- Corn (changes the flavor a little but still good!)
(Please leave more optional additions in the comments! What other veggies would you add?!)
Directions
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat, add sweet potatoes and cover. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are nearly soft, stirring occasionally.
- Add leeks and carrots, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
- Uncover the pan and keep cooking until the sweet potatoes are soft and the leeks are slightly browned.
- Add the chicken broth and seasoning, tasting to make sure you like the flavor. Add the raviolis and additional chicken broth, if you want them.
- Add the cream and chicken. Cook until the chicken is heated and the raviolis are cooked through (check the back of your ravioli box. The pasta will be soft and the raviolis will be a bit floppy).
Super easy! The only reason it takes so long is waiting for the veggies to cook through, which is why I recommend cutting them very small so they will cook faster.
What other veggies would you add to this? I made it on the fly and loved it but I see potential to incorporate more veggies here.
Indian Inspired Mince Skillet
Over the years, I've gone from a horrific cook to occasionally making some really great stuff. I grew up cooking with my mom who was an Amazing chef but it took me quite a few years to figure it out on my own. My specialty is cooking things on the fly when I'm really hungry. I'll make a small portion of something like fried rice, just enough for me and my five year old (the three year old has too many tastebuds and only eats peanut butter and honey for lunch x.x) and it will be Amazing. My husband will try a bite and it'll be one of the best things I've ever made but there's not enough for him and I'll never be able to replicate it, poor guy.
This recipe, if you can call it that, was one such incident. I haven't been feeling well so I tried to make something super healthy BUT I just moved and have no kitchen supplies, spices, nothing, and I don't want to spend a ton of money outfitting a kitchen when my own will be here soon enough. Since I was also feeling sick, I wanted it to be easy. And I was craving curry spices (they are very healthful! and delicious). So I came up with this dish which is a little carb heavy (had to make up for the lack of rice, imo) and on the sweeter side but its delicious and has tons of veggies (a whole rainbow of veggies!). Such a win with my crash kit kitchen that I had to share it.
Oh, for the record, mince is a nicer way to say ground meat. Minced meat. Sounds yummier, plus its a useful search term when looking for real Indian recipes ("Indian mince meat recipes" is the search term I used).
Oh, for the record, mince is a nicer way to say ground meat. Minced meat. Sounds yummier, plus its a useful search term when looking for real Indian recipes ("Indian mince meat recipes" is the search term I used).
Per usual, there are no pictures because I'm still learning. Also, these aren't affiliate links.
Equipment:
- Can opener
- Large skillet with lid or large pot with lid
- Cooking spoon
- Chef's knife
- Cutting board
Optional:
- Garlic chopper (this is a reallllly cool and handy kitchen thingy. I used it for both the ginger and garlic because the last thing you should be doing when you're dizzy is chopping itty bitty things near your fingers. Its a keeper, though for sure. Now my five year old can chop the garlic like he's been wanting, as long as he doesn't load or open it.)
Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground chicken (I've also used beed but chicken tasted better. If you use beef, it has to be 93/7 or less fat content) (I think you could make this dish without meat and it would still be delicious and satisfying, btw!)
- olive oil (about 1.5 tablespoons)
- olive oil (about 1.5 tablespoons)
- 1/2 large yellow onion
- 1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes (orange would be best but white sweet potatoes are good too)
- Carrots (the multicolor ones look super pretty)
- 1 jalapeño (I've tried with it and without and it tastes way better with it!)
- Carrots (the multicolor ones look super pretty)
- 1 jalapeño (I've tried with it and without and it tastes way better with it!)
- 1 can of garbanzo beans (lentils would also work), rinsed
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 inch fresh ginger
- 1 cup of spinach, cut chiffonade style (way easier than it sounds. here's a tutorial. basically, make sure your knife is sharp, gather all the greens together, and slice), use more or less to your taste
- 1/2 bunch cilantro, chiffonade
- Better than Bouillon chicken flavor
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup coconut milk, full cream
- salt
- ground black pepper
- Frontier Co-op Turmeric Twist Daily Blend OR turmeric, cinnamon, and cardamon (my grocery store was out of cardamon which I find integral so I gave this blend a try and was pleasantly surprised)
Optional:
- Frozen peas (maybe edamame? I meant to put them in but ran out of pan space, tbh)
- Cauliflower (riced or sliced)
Directions:
- Dice onions, saute in olive oil on medium low heat until translucent (onions can cook quickly and I like to start chopping the next thing while they cook so I do low and slow heat so I don't burn them while I chop the other veggies. You can do medium heat, if you do better mise en place than I do)
- Dice sweet potatoes into small chunks (about 1/2 inch or less), add to onions
- Dice carrots, add to pan (if you're using cauliflower, add it now)
- Mince jalapeño and add to pan.
- Mince ginger and garlic, add to pan. Cover the pan and cook for about 4 minutes, aka however long it takes you to find the meat and open the package)
- Add the ground meat to the pan, using your spoon to chop it into bite size pieces and mix with the veggies, cook until meat is browned
- Add 1.5 tablespoons turmeric spice blend or to taste, salt and pepper to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper), mix thoroughly
- add coconut cream, water, and 1/2 tablespoon chicken bouillon, mix well and cover. Cook for 5-10 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender
- Add the chiffonade spinach and cilantro
- Add the peas now, if you are adding them. Keep the pan on the heat until they are hot and then serve and enjoy!
Optional:
- Frozen peas (maybe edamame? I meant to put them in but ran out of pan space, tbh)
- Cauliflower (riced or sliced)
Directions:
- Dice onions, saute in olive oil on medium low heat until translucent (onions can cook quickly and I like to start chopping the next thing while they cook so I do low and slow heat so I don't burn them while I chop the other veggies. You can do medium heat, if you do better mise en place than I do)
- Dice sweet potatoes into small chunks (about 1/2 inch or less), add to onions
- Dice carrots, add to pan (if you're using cauliflower, add it now)
- Mince jalapeño and add to pan.
- Mince ginger and garlic, add to pan. Cover the pan and cook for about 4 minutes, aka however long it takes you to find the meat and open the package)
- Add the ground meat to the pan, using your spoon to chop it into bite size pieces and mix with the veggies, cook until meat is browned
- Add 1.5 tablespoons turmeric spice blend or to taste, salt and pepper to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper), mix thoroughly
- add coconut cream, water, and 1/2 tablespoon chicken bouillon, mix well and cover. Cook for 5-10 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender
- Add the chiffonade spinach and cilantro
- Add the peas now, if you are adding them. Keep the pan on the heat until they are hot and then serve and enjoy!
Saturday, September 29, 2018
How to Travel with Cats
I've got some time on my hands this morning, unfortunately, so I thought I'd share some thoughts on how to road trip (or otherwise move) cats long distance.
See, we have two large Maine Coon mixes. They weigh about 20 lbs a piece and are about twice the size of a Chihuahua or normal size cat. We got them while my husband was in the military and, when my husband was in the military, we were blessed with exclusively long distance moves. I'm talking more than 2700 mile moves (and can I add that I was pregnant for two of them??). We've learned some things about how to travel with these monsters (who are actually too big to fly in cabin. They literally don't even MAKE a soft carrier big and strong enough for them. I've looked.) so I wanted to share some tips, especially for the poor souls like me who have ginormous cats.
I should add that two of the moves have included a 2700 mile road trip with these cats in a small sedan. So, yeah. Its been interesting.
**This post includes NO affliate links. This is the stuff I legit use or links to give you an idea of what I mean
Medium sized wire sided dog crate (like this one), one per cat
Puppy pads (I use the Amazon Basics ones. I used them for my foster kittens too. Super absorbent!)
Drip Water bottle (like for hamster cages, like this. You CAN train cats to drink out of it)
Food Crock (again, like for hamsters, like this)
Their real food and water bowls, for when you stop
Cat food*
Small litterbox for in cage (optional) and/or their usual litterbox
Litter** (do. not. use. clay cat litter.)
Poop bags (I use the Munchkin ones for my toddler. I like the large size and the scent blocking)
Cat bed (I got them each a cat bed they could hide in when they get overwhelmed, like this)
Cat calming spray (and routinely douse the cages in many spritzes but NOT while the cat is in there!)
4 chip clips or similar
2 sheets to cover sides of the cage
Vet records
Optional: cat scratcher (I got my cats this combo cardboard scratching area with self grooming arch brush that's heavily dusted with catnip and they are enjoying it in the hotel room. They're too big for it to fit in their cage in the car, though)
Plane:
FAA Approved Cat Carrier, one per cat ***
Drip Water bottle (like for hamster cages, like this. You CAN train cats to drink out of it. May not be necessary for short flights, check with your airline)
Food Crock (again, like for hamsters, like this. May not be necessary for short flights, check with your airline)
A small amount of their food in a plastic bag (for long flights where they will need to be fed)
Health Certificate (within 10 days of flight)
Vet records
*A note about cat food. Make sure you keep their regular food because you do NOT want their tummies even more upset than they are. If you can introduce some wet food to complement their dry food before the trip, that would be ideal (substitute a portion of their dry food for some wet food). That will help keep them hydrated and, since their bellies are used to it, they won't puke.
**Use their normal litter BUT clay litter is a nightmare to clean while traveling so switch them to the crystal litter 2-3 weeks before the trip. You don't want to risk litterbox rejection while traveling by switching it immediately before/during the trip!
Litterbox trick! When switching litters or litterboxes, it can be helpful to use some of their old litter that they have peed on and add it to the new litter or litterbox. This enables them to smell that they have peed there and know its a good place to pee again.
***Check and Triple check your airline's cat carrier requirements! Even cats MUST be able to stand up in the cage and turn around in the cage, which must be FAA approved (my cats were almost rejected from boarding a flight once because the attendant didn't believe they could stand up and turn around in the cage. Don't risk this and make sure you adhere to the policy, for the safety and health of your animal). FAA approved cat carriers for cats flying under the plane are the enclosed shell style and have only ONE door on the front, vents on the sides, and the top and bottom screw together (not click like a buckle). This is the general idea of what you are looking for if they cannot fly in the cabin. Cabin carriers are different but also must be FAA approved. While I prefer puppy pads or a pad of some kind in the cage, they do pose a bit of risk to the animal (in case they start eating it out of stress or something) so this is isn't allowed by many airlines which is why I don't list it on the checklist.
Airlines want stickers and stuff on the cages that are checked. I stumbled on this kit and thought it was cool and would highly recommend it! Its a travel kit that comes with Live Animal stickers (required by airlines), metal screws and bolts for the cage, and other goodies that will help you get your pet on the plane!.
On Traveling as "Cargo": This is the general term for when a cat cannot fly in the cabin. I want to dispel some myths on this. They are NOT put in with the luggage to jostle around. They are secured in a separate area under the plane. It is not an inherently bad thing. It is most important that your cat be appropriately sized to the kennel so as to not cause additional stress so please don't squish your cat into a carrier it is too big for simply out of fear about them flying under the plane. I found it comforting to watch the tv series "Animal Airport" which shows the behind the scenes of the animal service at London's Heathrow Airport (I watched it on Netflix).
Even if you're driving. That's actually why I have time to write this post. I was driving last night and got swiped on the highway so I had to bring my car in for service. If I had the vet records, I could have dropped the cats off at a nearby Petsmart while I waited for my car to be finished (it should be okay but still! come ON!). But I made a mistake and left their vet records with my husband (in a different vehicle, days behind me) so now we are enjoying our hotel room and praying my car gets done before checkout time or else I will have to pay for the hotel for another night x.x
If you're flying, they are required. Especially the health certificate! If you're unfamiliar with that, how it works is you bring your cats in for a checkup within 10 days of the flight, they check its health and clear it to fly, giving you a certificate saying its healthy enough to fly. Do it as close to your flight as you can so, if your flight gets rescheduled, the certificate is still good. For example, we were supposed to fly out on the 25 so I made the vet appt for the 20. Our flight got changed to the 30 but we were still okay because the health certificate was still within 10 days of the flight. If we'd flown out on the 31st, we would have needed a new health certificate.
2. Check the Laws at the Destination
Check and see if your destination has any quarantine laws! Hawaii, for example, has stringent quarantine laws BUT if you read up ahead of time, you will be okay. If anyone is interested, I can make a followup post on how to deal with various quarantine laws so your pet spends the least amount of time in quarantine. The USDA is a great resource, in my experience. I was able to get a USDA certificate that my cats were up to date on their rabies vaccines and were originating in a place with stringent quarantine laws so that I was able to get our cats released immediately upon arrival to Japan (which has one of the strictest quarantine laws in the world as far as rabies). That won't be available everywhere but its something to check into.
Also be sure that your pet is legally allowed where you are headed. California, for example, has one of the longest lists of banned animals in the country, including wolf-dog hybrids (primarily first generation), ferrets, and hedgehogs amongst others. California does have agriculture checks at its borders where you will be asked if you have any fruits, vegetables, or animals to declare, if you're driving, although most other states don't seem to.
3. Flea Treatment before you Leave!
Be honest, not all indoor cat owners are diligent with the flea treatments. These are CRITICAL while traveling. Be sure your cat is up to date with flea treatments before you leave! If you aren't doing it regularly, put it on at least 48 hours before you leave so it can start working. You can do your best at home but, especially if they are staying in human hotels or pet hotels, they may become exposed to fleas and you DO NOT want the fleas to stick around.
4. Hotel Hacks
If you book your hotel room online after 5 or 6 pm, its frequently 10% or more off. Be sure to declare your pets at check in because there is a small additional fee (usually about $20, sometimes for both pets and sometimes individually). I'll stop at about 5 pm for gas and google "hotels near xyz" (wherever I think I'll stop for the night). If you hit "more filters," you can select pet friendly hotels. It hasn't steered me wrong yet!
Bring all your stuff into the hotel room and let your cats adjust to the room before letting them out of their cages. I recommend using the bathroom, showering, and brushing your teeth before letting them out because those loud sounds may be overwhelming for them. Then, put out their litterbox (bring a towel or mat for their litterbox, in case they decide to kick litter everywhere in protest), their regular food and water dishes, and let them out. Keep things calm and quiet for them while they adjust to the room while outside their kennels. I set out the cat scratcher as well and they were VERY happy to see it (if there's ever a time you want your cat doped up on catnip, its while traveling). In general, just let them be. Pet them if they are bold enough to be out. If they hide, let them hide and leave them alone. If there is a window and you can set their bed near it, they'll love that!
If you're lucky, hotel beds have boards so nothing can get under them. Nothing is as fun as trying to drag an upset cat from under a hotel bed when you are rushing out the door for another day of road tripping. Check the bed before you let the cat out so you can prepare mentally.
5. Cats in the Car
Cage setup: Cover floor of crate with puppy pads. Add litterbox and something comfy and familiar for kitty to sleep on. Spritz heavily with cat calming spray. Keep the cage spacious and resist adding tons of toys. your cat needs space to move around more than things to do, in order to keep them calm. If you do add toys, try to stick to quiet, calm toys (cardboard scratcher or self groomer might be good). The car trip is stimulating enough for your cat so minimize other stimuli. Caveat: all cats are different. If your cat turns out to better with a distraction, do add the distraction. You know your cat best!
Cover your seats or the area under which the cages will be with large trash bags. In my case, my car is very small so I fold down the back seats and put a trash bag over them. Then put a moving blanket or something down before putting the cages in the car. Load one cat per cage before exiting the dwelling (house/apartment/hotel room) and put them into the car (preferably pre-cooled, if its hot out or slightly warm if its cold). I thought I'd have to cross tie the cages so they would not move around in the car, or at least tie them together, but that turned out to be unnecessary as I packed my suitcase in behind them. Be wary of any exterior clips/water bottles/etc that may catch and/or break as you load the cages (rip hamster water bottle #2). Check the cages to see if the sun is shining on the cages. Cats like sunning themselves but they have nowhere to escape in the car if they get too hot so clip up a sheet on that side of the cage if there is sun shining on it, making sure there is at least two inches of fabric on top as well as over the side. Drive gently (no slamming breaks or hard turns).
Put some calming treats in their food dish with a small portion of food. Every cat is different in the car; my cats sit on top of their hideaway beds for the road trip (the entire 12 hours we are on the road!). In the evenings, they sometimes pee in the litterbox if they can't hold it until the hotel room but they prefer to wait for the hotel room (they used to not care when they were younger).
Let me know if you have any questions/comments/recommendations!
See, we have two large Maine Coon mixes. They weigh about 20 lbs a piece and are about twice the size of a Chihuahua or normal size cat. We got them while my husband was in the military and, when my husband was in the military, we were blessed with exclusively long distance moves. I'm talking more than 2700 mile moves (and can I add that I was pregnant for two of them??). We've learned some things about how to travel with these monsters (who are actually too big to fly in cabin. They literally don't even MAKE a soft carrier big and strong enough for them. I've looked.) so I wanted to share some tips, especially for the poor souls like me who have ginormous cats.
I should add that two of the moves have included a 2700 mile road trip with these cats in a small sedan. So, yeah. Its been interesting.
**This post includes NO affliate links. This is the stuff I legit use or links to give you an idea of what I mean
Traveling with Cats
I'm going to assume you have planned your move or road trip. You know the starting point and an ending point and have a rough idea of the method of transportation (car, plane, train, boat. Do they even allow cats on trains?). You know what YOU need to bring for YOU. Pajamas, clean traveling clothes, packets of tea, a water bottle, the basics. What about the cats?!Checklist:
Car:Medium sized wire sided dog crate (like this one), one per cat
Puppy pads (I use the Amazon Basics ones. I used them for my foster kittens too. Super absorbent!)
Drip Water bottle (like for hamster cages, like this. You CAN train cats to drink out of it)
Food Crock (again, like for hamsters, like this)
Their real food and water bowls, for when you stop
Cat food*
Small litterbox for in cage (optional) and/or their usual litterbox
Litter** (do. not. use. clay cat litter.)
Poop bags (I use the Munchkin ones for my toddler. I like the large size and the scent blocking)
Cat bed (I got them each a cat bed they could hide in when they get overwhelmed, like this)
Cat calming spray (and routinely douse the cages in many spritzes but NOT while the cat is in there!)
4 chip clips or similar
2 sheets to cover sides of the cage
Vet records
Optional: cat scratcher (I got my cats this combo cardboard scratching area with self grooming arch brush that's heavily dusted with catnip and they are enjoying it in the hotel room. They're too big for it to fit in their cage in the car, though)
Plane:
FAA Approved Cat Carrier, one per cat ***
Drip Water bottle (like for hamster cages, like this. You CAN train cats to drink out of it. May not be necessary for short flights, check with your airline)
Food Crock (again, like for hamsters, like this. May not be necessary for short flights, check with your airline)
A small amount of their food in a plastic bag (for long flights where they will need to be fed)
Health Certificate (within 10 days of flight)
Vet records
*A note about cat food. Make sure you keep their regular food because you do NOT want their tummies even more upset than they are. If you can introduce some wet food to complement their dry food before the trip, that would be ideal (substitute a portion of their dry food for some wet food). That will help keep them hydrated and, since their bellies are used to it, they won't puke.
**Use their normal litter BUT clay litter is a nightmare to clean while traveling so switch them to the crystal litter 2-3 weeks before the trip. You don't want to risk litterbox rejection while traveling by switching it immediately before/during the trip!
Litterbox trick! When switching litters or litterboxes, it can be helpful to use some of their old litter that they have peed on and add it to the new litter or litterbox. This enables them to smell that they have peed there and know its a good place to pee again.
***Check and Triple check your airline's cat carrier requirements! Even cats MUST be able to stand up in the cage and turn around in the cage, which must be FAA approved (my cats were almost rejected from boarding a flight once because the attendant didn't believe they could stand up and turn around in the cage. Don't risk this and make sure you adhere to the policy, for the safety and health of your animal). FAA approved cat carriers for cats flying under the plane are the enclosed shell style and have only ONE door on the front, vents on the sides, and the top and bottom screw together (not click like a buckle). This is the general idea of what you are looking for if they cannot fly in the cabin. Cabin carriers are different but also must be FAA approved. While I prefer puppy pads or a pad of some kind in the cage, they do pose a bit of risk to the animal (in case they start eating it out of stress or something) so this is isn't allowed by many airlines which is why I don't list it on the checklist.
Airlines want stickers and stuff on the cages that are checked. I stumbled on this kit and thought it was cool and would highly recommend it! Its a travel kit that comes with Live Animal stickers (required by airlines), metal screws and bolts for the cage, and other goodies that will help you get your pet on the plane!.
On Traveling as "Cargo": This is the general term for when a cat cannot fly in the cabin. I want to dispel some myths on this. They are NOT put in with the luggage to jostle around. They are secured in a separate area under the plane. It is not an inherently bad thing. It is most important that your cat be appropriately sized to the kennel so as to not cause additional stress so please don't squish your cat into a carrier it is too big for simply out of fear about them flying under the plane. I found it comforting to watch the tv series "Animal Airport" which shows the behind the scenes of the animal service at London's Heathrow Airport (I watched it on Netflix).
Tips:
1. Don't Forget the Vet RecordsEven if you're driving. That's actually why I have time to write this post. I was driving last night and got swiped on the highway so I had to bring my car in for service. If I had the vet records, I could have dropped the cats off at a nearby Petsmart while I waited for my car to be finished (it should be okay but still! come ON!). But I made a mistake and left their vet records with my husband (in a different vehicle, days behind me) so now we are enjoying our hotel room and praying my car gets done before checkout time or else I will have to pay for the hotel for another night x.x
If you're flying, they are required. Especially the health certificate! If you're unfamiliar with that, how it works is you bring your cats in for a checkup within 10 days of the flight, they check its health and clear it to fly, giving you a certificate saying its healthy enough to fly. Do it as close to your flight as you can so, if your flight gets rescheduled, the certificate is still good. For example, we were supposed to fly out on the 25 so I made the vet appt for the 20. Our flight got changed to the 30 but we were still okay because the health certificate was still within 10 days of the flight. If we'd flown out on the 31st, we would have needed a new health certificate.
2. Check the Laws at the Destination
Check and see if your destination has any quarantine laws! Hawaii, for example, has stringent quarantine laws BUT if you read up ahead of time, you will be okay. If anyone is interested, I can make a followup post on how to deal with various quarantine laws so your pet spends the least amount of time in quarantine. The USDA is a great resource, in my experience. I was able to get a USDA certificate that my cats were up to date on their rabies vaccines and were originating in a place with stringent quarantine laws so that I was able to get our cats released immediately upon arrival to Japan (which has one of the strictest quarantine laws in the world as far as rabies). That won't be available everywhere but its something to check into.
Also be sure that your pet is legally allowed where you are headed. California, for example, has one of the longest lists of banned animals in the country, including wolf-dog hybrids (primarily first generation), ferrets, and hedgehogs amongst others. California does have agriculture checks at its borders where you will be asked if you have any fruits, vegetables, or animals to declare, if you're driving, although most other states don't seem to.
3. Flea Treatment before you Leave!
Be honest, not all indoor cat owners are diligent with the flea treatments. These are CRITICAL while traveling. Be sure your cat is up to date with flea treatments before you leave! If you aren't doing it regularly, put it on at least 48 hours before you leave so it can start working. You can do your best at home but, especially if they are staying in human hotels or pet hotels, they may become exposed to fleas and you DO NOT want the fleas to stick around.
4. Hotel Hacks
If you book your hotel room online after 5 or 6 pm, its frequently 10% or more off. Be sure to declare your pets at check in because there is a small additional fee (usually about $20, sometimes for both pets and sometimes individually). I'll stop at about 5 pm for gas and google "hotels near xyz" (wherever I think I'll stop for the night). If you hit "more filters," you can select pet friendly hotels. It hasn't steered me wrong yet!
Bring all your stuff into the hotel room and let your cats adjust to the room before letting them out of their cages. I recommend using the bathroom, showering, and brushing your teeth before letting them out because those loud sounds may be overwhelming for them. Then, put out their litterbox (bring a towel or mat for their litterbox, in case they decide to kick litter everywhere in protest), their regular food and water dishes, and let them out. Keep things calm and quiet for them while they adjust to the room while outside their kennels. I set out the cat scratcher as well and they were VERY happy to see it (if there's ever a time you want your cat doped up on catnip, its while traveling). In general, just let them be. Pet them if they are bold enough to be out. If they hide, let them hide and leave them alone. If there is a window and you can set their bed near it, they'll love that!
If you're lucky, hotel beds have boards so nothing can get under them. Nothing is as fun as trying to drag an upset cat from under a hotel bed when you are rushing out the door for another day of road tripping. Check the bed before you let the cat out so you can prepare mentally.
5. Cats in the Car
Cage setup: Cover floor of crate with puppy pads. Add litterbox and something comfy and familiar for kitty to sleep on. Spritz heavily with cat calming spray. Keep the cage spacious and resist adding tons of toys. your cat needs space to move around more than things to do, in order to keep them calm. If you do add toys, try to stick to quiet, calm toys (cardboard scratcher or self groomer might be good). The car trip is stimulating enough for your cat so minimize other stimuli. Caveat: all cats are different. If your cat turns out to better with a distraction, do add the distraction. You know your cat best!
Cover your seats or the area under which the cages will be with large trash bags. In my case, my car is very small so I fold down the back seats and put a trash bag over them. Then put a moving blanket or something down before putting the cages in the car. Load one cat per cage before exiting the dwelling (house/apartment/hotel room) and put them into the car (preferably pre-cooled, if its hot out or slightly warm if its cold). I thought I'd have to cross tie the cages so they would not move around in the car, or at least tie them together, but that turned out to be unnecessary as I packed my suitcase in behind them. Be wary of any exterior clips/water bottles/etc that may catch and/or break as you load the cages (rip hamster water bottle #2). Check the cages to see if the sun is shining on the cages. Cats like sunning themselves but they have nowhere to escape in the car if they get too hot so clip up a sheet on that side of the cage if there is sun shining on it, making sure there is at least two inches of fabric on top as well as over the side. Drive gently (no slamming breaks or hard turns).
Put some calming treats in their food dish with a small portion of food. Every cat is different in the car; my cats sit on top of their hideaway beds for the road trip (the entire 12 hours we are on the road!). In the evenings, they sometimes pee in the litterbox if they can't hold it until the hotel room but they prefer to wait for the hotel room (they used to not care when they were younger).
Let me know if you have any questions/comments/recommendations!
Tuesday, September 4, 2018
Tongue in Cheek Chai Tea Recipe
Disclaimer
I am not trying to make authentic chai because I've only had the boxed stuff here in the US and the chai at Indian restaurants so definitely no chai expert. I have had some REALLY bad chai (especially lately), though, stuff that tastes like steamer and that's it (a steamer is just hot milk. it tastes like hot milk and I'm *pretty* sure real chai isn't a steamer).
Also, there's no pictures because, honestly, I suck at taking food pictures. I don't want to torture you or turn you off chai altogether. Maybe later when I learn how to blog better and take real pictures.
How to Make AMAZING Chai Tea
A quick recipe, written in the style of how I have been instructing my husband to cook.
Ingredients:
5 black tea bags (I used English Breakfast flavor because that's what I have on hand)
4 cups of water
6 cloves
1 large amount of cinnamon (maybe like a tablespoon)
3-4 small grinds of pepper (I shit you not. Its critical!)
Several dashes cardamon (about half as much cardamon as cinnamon)
2 short dashes of nutmeg
2 small pinches of anise
Dash of all spice
1/2 cup sugar (or honey. good god, I really need to remember to try it with honey!)
Milk
Directions:
1. In a small pan, toast the spices (cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns, cardamon, nutmeg) for about two or three minutes, until they smell like soap (at least that's what it smells like to me!)
2. In a saucepan, put the water, tea bags, and toasted spices. Mix it gently. Turn the burner to high and boil the mixture for 2 or 3 minutes (something like that. It needs to boil for at least a minute).
3. Stir in the sugar.
4. Let cool on the stove (just because straining boiling hot liquid can be dangerous, especially for me).
5. Remember that the chai is cooling on the stove. If you forgot to add the sugar earlier, add the sugar now and heat it up just enough so it will mix.
6. Strain the chai into a refrigerator friendly container using a FINE mesh strainer or cheesecloth.
7. Remember to put the chai in the fridge.
8. Pour a half a teacup of chai and fill the rest of the cup up with milk. Drink and adjust the milk/tea ratio to taste.
9. Don't drink the sludge at the bottom!!!! Just make another batch! Every single time I skip this step and its really important so don't skip it!
Did I mention my husband doesn't appreciate my cooking instruction? O:-) But it really is how I make my chai and I've made some TASTY chai lately!
Per the disclaimer, I'm not a chai tea expert. This is just what tastes good to me personally. I'm still nailing down my proportions so I promise to update with real measurements as soon as I figure them out. I'm not sure where I got my original chai recipe. I've searched for hours and I just don't remember where this recipe originated. I *think* this may be it but I'm not sure (at the very least, it will give you a great idea of ACTUAL spice proportions):
https://livesimply.me/2014/10/06/homemade-chai-tea-latte/
Enjoy your chai!
I am not trying to make authentic chai because I've only had the boxed stuff here in the US and the chai at Indian restaurants so definitely no chai expert. I have had some REALLY bad chai (especially lately), though, stuff that tastes like steamer and that's it (a steamer is just hot milk. it tastes like hot milk and I'm *pretty* sure real chai isn't a steamer).
Also, there's no pictures because, honestly, I suck at taking food pictures. I don't want to torture you or turn you off chai altogether. Maybe later when I learn how to blog better and take real pictures.
How to Make AMAZING Chai Tea
A quick recipe, written in the style of how I have been instructing my husband to cook.
Ingredients:
5 black tea bags (I used English Breakfast flavor because that's what I have on hand)
4 cups of water
6 cloves
1 large amount of cinnamon (maybe like a tablespoon)
3-4 small grinds of pepper (I shit you not. Its critical!)
Several dashes cardamon (about half as much cardamon as cinnamon)
2 short dashes of nutmeg
2 small pinches of anise
Dash of all spice
1/2 cup sugar (or honey. good god, I really need to remember to try it with honey!)
Milk
Directions:
1. In a small pan, toast the spices (cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns, cardamon, nutmeg) for about two or three minutes, until they smell like soap (at least that's what it smells like to me!)
2. In a saucepan, put the water, tea bags, and toasted spices. Mix it gently. Turn the burner to high and boil the mixture for 2 or 3 minutes (something like that. It needs to boil for at least a minute).
3. Stir in the sugar.
4. Let cool on the stove (just because straining boiling hot liquid can be dangerous, especially for me).
5. Remember that the chai is cooling on the stove. If you forgot to add the sugar earlier, add the sugar now and heat it up just enough so it will mix.
6. Strain the chai into a refrigerator friendly container using a FINE mesh strainer or cheesecloth.
7. Remember to put the chai in the fridge.
8. Pour a half a teacup of chai and fill the rest of the cup up with milk. Drink and adjust the milk/tea ratio to taste.
9. Don't drink the sludge at the bottom!!!! Just make another batch! Every single time I skip this step and its really important so don't skip it!
Did I mention my husband doesn't appreciate my cooking instruction? O:-) But it really is how I make my chai and I've made some TASTY chai lately!
Per the disclaimer, I'm not a chai tea expert. This is just what tastes good to me personally. I'm still nailing down my proportions so I promise to update with real measurements as soon as I figure them out. I'm not sure where I got my original chai recipe. I've searched for hours and I just don't remember where this recipe originated. I *think* this may be it but I'm not sure (at the very least, it will give you a great idea of ACTUAL spice proportions):
https://livesimply.me/2014/10/06/homemade-chai-tea-latte/
Enjoy your chai!
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