ArcaMax

Our Tutty Buddy

When he opened his mouth to speak what came out was barely audible. It was not a meow by any standard. It would hardly hit the chart as a mew.

A precious, quiet, little mew.

His voice says it all about his personality. This was the most cuddly, demure, quiet, easy and unassuming cat you could ask for. He never caused a ruckus; never picked a fight. He’d rather just cuddle and sit quietly on your lap.

And don’t get me started on nap time. If he saw I was going to take a nap on an afternoon weekend he’d spin in circles with excitement as I got a pillow out of the drawer and drew down the blankets to crawl in. He’d come to my right side and nuzzle his head in my armpit and just purr like a little engine; padding away on my side. He was my pacifier.

His official name was Tut. His breed is Abysinnian. A Cleopatra cat, like the sculptures you see in the museums. We called him all kinds of things besides Tut and he would jog over to us no matter which name we called. Tut, Tut. Tutty Buddy. Big Butt Tut. He had a bunch of nicknames.

We lost Tutty recently as he battled a serious and seemingly uncontrollable battle with diabetes...

Read the full column at PlanZDiet.com

Grilled Asian Salmon

This is a Z3.5 (ZReboot 3.5) recipe. When my husband is in the mood for Asian food, this is his favorite dish. It’s a super easy dish, so it doesn’t take much to talk me into it.

Servings: Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 pieces of salmon filet, skin on one side (approx 6 to 8 oz each)
2 tsp fresh, finely grated ginger
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp hot chili oil
2/3 cup Bragg’s Aminos (soy sauce)
3 Tbl brown sugar
green onions for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

Put all ingredients except the salmon in a Pyrex or other ovenproof pan. Stir to mix. Then place the salmon flesh side down on the mixture. Let marinate in your refrigerator for 30 minutes while you relax. Don’t marinate too long or the fish starts to fall apart.

When ready to make dinner, you are going to grill your salmon. You can also do this in a sauté pan if you don’t have a grill pan or don’t want to use it. DO NOT THROW AWAY THE MARINADE. Spray the pan with olive oil spray. Place the salmon flesh side down to start and grill or sauté on medium-high for 3 minutes. Turn salmon over. Grill on skin side for up to four minutes more, or to your liking. My husband likes his salmon cooked through. I use a gauge of six to seven minutes per inch to cook it just past the pink-in-the-middle stage. You can judge your own cooking time based on your taste.

While the salmon is cooking, pour the marinade into a small sauce pan. Heat it on medium-high until it gently boils and starts to cook down. It will get close to a syrup consistency. Don’t let it boil over, but you do want a gentle boil to reduce it.

When the salmon is done, serve with a drizzle of the sauce. Garnish with green onions. YUM.

Enjoy!
Cheers,
Zola