ArcaMax

Déjà vu? I Hope Not!

Titan is up to almost eight pounds. That’s almost three times larger than he was when he came to live with us. He’s grown into a cuddly, playful, beautiful companion.

I have put a lot of work into this cat. He’s been with me almost 24-7 since the day he arrived. That was November 10. He is with me at home. Hangs out in the kitchen to help me cook. Don’t worry, he’s learned how to stay off the counter. Getting squirted with water three times was all that took. He lounges on the yellow sofa in my office while I work. Sometimes he stares out the window watching the birds. Other times he plays quietly with this toys. He’s with me at night too. He’s learned to play fetch just like a puppy. We sleep together in the room down the hall from the master bedroom. He cuddles all night long. That’s 24-7.

The reason we sleep down the hall is the biggest reason he’s not ready to be a free range cat yet. Titan thinks the other cats are his large play toys and won’t leave them alone when they are all together. If I try to sleep in the bedroom with the cats and my husband, no one gets any sleep. Titan keeps pestering the older cats, who just want to sleep. Growling ensues. So we sleep down the hall. I don’t want the older cats to feel kicked out. When Titan calms a bit more we will work toward sleeping as a family again.

Titan is getting ready for his ‘fix’. He needs to be neutered. I took him to the vet for his exam. They gave me the bad news. Titan has a heart murmur. That means he needs an EKG before he can go into surgery. They need the information to adjust his anesthesia. It’s supposed to be a routine exam. Quick and painless.

I quietly freaked out when they gave me the news. My other cat Titi had a potential murmur too, and died after her EKG. So much for routine. I’m still not over that.

I decided to get a second opinion. Sure enough. They found the same thing. The early exam showed no heart murmur. At his resting heart rate he’s fine. When they played with him and got his rate up a bit the murmur surfaces. So no matter which vet I use to do the surgery I’m still faced with an EKG and a riskier surgery.

I didn’t need another thing to add to my worry list. But I got one.

Pork Tenderloin with Onion Marmalade

This dish is so homey. It’s a lovely way to sweeten up onions and make a wonderful thick sauce for the pork. You can also serve this with chicken and it would be delightful.

Serves 4-plus

Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:

2 pork tenderloins. Serving size is 6 ounces per person. 2 tenderloins usually serve 4 to 5 with a few ends of leftovers.
Olive oil spray
Meat rub

Directions:

Lightly spray the pan and lightly spray the pork tenderloin. Then just sprinkle on your favorite meat rub (no sugar). Or sea salt and pepper will do too.

Roast in the oven at 375 degrees for approximately 20 to 30 minutes until 160 degrees or until your preference of temperature is reached. At 160 degrees the pork will still have a bit of pink it and will be very juicy. Let stand for a few minutes before slicing.

Onion Marmalade

Ingredients:

2 large onions. I use Vidallia. They are already sweeter.
1 tsp of grated sea salt
Grated fresh pepper to taste
2 cups of chicken stock
1 Tbl of balsamic vinegar
½ cup of heavy cream

Directions:

Put the onions, sea salt, pepper, vinegar and stock in a large sauce pan. Cover and cook on medium in a light bubble until almost all of the liquid is evaporated. Remove cover. Stir. Add the cream and stir again. Heat at least until cream is hot. If you want thicker sauce you can continue to cook a bit longer until the cream thickens a bit. Serve with the pork.

Cheers,
Zola