103 - Different Strokes

I don't often post recipes, because typically I find them on the internet and there is no need to do anything more than post a link. In this case, it's something I've reconstructed on my own. Not that it was difficult. But still. :)

The picture doesn't do it justice. Nor will it inspire confidence when I tell you that I first tasted it at a cafeteria. Nonetheless, this salad is ad-dic-tive. They made it in limited quantities and you had to be competitive if you were going to get some. Sometimes I bought two containers at a time and hid one in the fridge for a rainy day. You probably think I'm kidding - I got some dirty looks and I didn't care. You snooze, you lose. It's that good. And it's healthy. And it's easy. I eat it for lunch, and Mike takes it to work as a snack to boost his energy during grueling twelve hour days at the job site.

Starport Cafe's Chicken Tabbouleh Salad

Disclaimer: Despite the fact that I have listed ingredient quantities, what you're really looking for is pretty much a 1:1 ratio of everything but the wheat. What I'm saying is, the wheat quantity is definitive, the rest is like your grandmother's cooking... a pinch of this, a handful of that... adjust as you see fit.

5 oz bulgur wheat
8 oz hot water, or enough to cover the wheat
1 cucumber, halved lengthwise and seeded
1 tomato, diced
10 kalamata olives, seeded and chopped
1 chicken breast, cooked and chopped (I use rotisserie chicken)
A handful or two of lettuce, chopped into bite-sized pieces (I used spring mix)
Feta, crumbled, to taste
Juice of two lemons
A few thin strips of lemon zest
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
Olive oil
Salt (I use Pink Himalayan Salt)

Put the bulgur wheat into a bowl and cover it with boiling water. I typically put water into a measuring cup and microwave it for 2-1/2 mins on high and that does the trick. This step makes it perfect for summertime when you don't want to turn on the stove, and it really speeds the process along. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes, then rinse it under cool water and drain the water off. While the hot water is doing its thing... take each cucumber half and slice it lengthwise into thirds, then slice it crosswise into bite-sized pieces. Prep the tomato, olives, chicken, lettuce and feta. Make your vinaigrette: Combine the lemon juice, zest, garlic cloves and some salt, then add olive oil. I don't know how much, I generally add the same amounts of oil and lemon juice then taste to see how strong the lemon is. I like lemon so I use less oil, you may like it more diluted. That's okay. This is definitely not an exact science. Once the wheat has been 'cooked', rinsed, and drained, toss everything but the dressing into a bowl and mix it up. Admire how pretty it is. Add the dressing as you serve it so that the lettuce doesn't wilt. The salad stores in the fridge pretty well for three days - if it lasts that long.

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This is an interesting RV park. It got mixed reviews and one person basically said it was a parking lot that had been converted into an RV park. Not true. There is no concrete here, just grass and gravel and trees. All RV parks technically look like a parking lot in some respects because there are RV's parked everywhere. Duh. I've seen some truly depressing parks on the side of the road... fields with no trees, just spots for a rig to park and hook up to the utilities. So I don't like when people leave misleading reviews because a review is the only way I have to judge a park without going there on my own. In my opinion, it's actually a nice place with trees and well laid out roads. I want to know if you can navigate the roads with a 39 ft fifth wheel. I want to know if the sites are relatively level. I want to know if the utilities work and if the place is 'clean'. Personally I am drawn to the trees and hills and rural look of a place like this. Some people are city folk and want concrete pads and fancy clubhouses with pools that a handful of people use and a playground for the kids.

There are several full-time residents around us, and they run the gamut: There is a bus with a rusted propane tank chained to a grill. There is a Class A that appears to be empty. There is another fifth wheel like ours. There is an old RV with three slideouts on one side of the RV. There is a semi. Then there are the eyesores... the guy who is selling his truck with fluorescent flames on it, which is parked in front of a grey metallic tarp has been made into a tent, which... houses a BMW. And the guy who lives in a 29-foot pull along with a blue tarp on top to, I assume, keep the rain out. He drives a very old maroon cadillac, the kind that has squared edges that existed before the bubble cars of today.

People live all kinds of ways.

I changed the propane tank out last night. We got up at 4 am to drive to this campground and arrived by 6 am. I probably slept for an hour last night so I was exhausted, but I didn't want to go to bed until everything was done. Mike leveled the RV and left for work and I did the rest, which is cool, I like the fact that I know how to. He usually handles the propane and the water heater though. It was cool outside and I had the windows open so I didn't realize the propane wasn't on until I attempted to cook dinner. Then it became a problem as I had already defrosted the chicken and chopped all my veggies.

Today I cleaned the bathroom and changed the bed linens. I did three loads of laundry. I terrified a kitten. I heard a meow and looked out the window to find a small ball of grey fur and white feet on my first step. Gracie was riveted to the spot, growling a bit. I said, "Well hello there," and the kitten's eyes got big and he scampered off into the woods. Poor little baby. I told Gracie how lucky she was that she had a family to love her and take care of her.

I think she might have become diabetic. She's been drinking a lot of water lately, but she wasn't peeing a lot so at first I wasn't concerned. When we packed up to move it had only been two days since I scooped the litterbox and there were a lot of pee chunks in it. Pee chunks, what a nice picture... it's clumping litter, that's what came to mind. Pee chunks. It upset me. I dealt with it once before and never wanted to go through that again. Last time it happened, I was in Ireland and my fire alarm went off for several hours after lightning struck my apartment building... between that, me being gone for a week, and the experience of the firemen tromping through my apartment, the stress caused my cat to become diabetic. This time I feel like it was the stress of us having been gone for three weeks and leaving her with Brian. She was fed, her litter was scooped, and she got water, but she was basically isolated because she just doesn't trust anyone and always hid under the bed when Brian came into the room. She had no way of knowing we were coming back, even though I told her we would.

This time I do have the time to manage it with insulin, but it would be difficult to keep it stocked and at the right temperature, and I'm not sure how much it costs. Losing Gracie is the last thing I need on top of everything we've been through lately. I decided that I'm going to find a way to make it work. According to some articles I found online, diabetes can be reversed, especially if found early. We feed her primarily dry food, but we also feed her canned food. I'm going to eliminate the dry food and only give her wet food, plus some raw meat before I cook our meals and see if it stops the process. Next step would be taking her to a vet and seeing it there are pills instead of shots, or a shelf-stable insulin.