kruizing with kikukat

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Akira!

Happy Fourth of July!!!  I'm spending my day basking in co-dependence, rather than celebrating independence.  I'm co-dependent on all my animals to keep me happy.  Just finished cleaning house for Joy & Davi. I just love the smell of Soft-sorbent Lavender bedding!  Also finished cleaning the litter robots.  I'm getting tired of the Scoop Away smell, so if anyone has cat litter suggestions, please pass them on . . . looking for something with a light, fresh scent thats not too perfume-y.  Also, it HAS to be the clumping type in order to use in the litterbot.

For everyone who thought I was nuts, this is just gonna prove it.  I added to my family yet again.  Hmmmm, now what could it be this time?  We already have dogs, cats, fish & mice.  Could it be a Jackson's Chameleon?  If you know me, you'll know geckos scare the shit outta me (and Dee), so there is NO WAY a stinking reptile will be added to my 'dependents' list.  No, Akira is not reptilian.  Akira is AVIAN.  He is a 5-month old Jenday Conure and he hails from Pearl City.

Akira has been keeping me busy.  He is very comfortable being handled, so he requires continued socialization to keep him happy.
Even though I could never get into any of the Harry Potter or Twilight books, I've been able to get into reading all I can about conures and what keeps them happy/alive.  One big no-no is allowing non-stick cookware to overheat.  The fumes can be deadly to birds.  Luckily, most of my cookware is stainless steel Calphalon (remember, Co?) so just need to be sure the food fumes aren't too strong.

With Akira around, I've been trying to have a variety of fruits and vegetables on hand.  Akira enjoys some kind of fresh fruit or vegetable daily.  He loves apple slices and cannot get enough of merliton.  The munched piece at the top of the skewer is a merliton slice after Akira had his fill. 

I wanted to give him some watercress, but since he is rather tiny, there was no way he could eat the whole bunch, so I had to think of something to make with all the watercress I had.  After buying a bag of pre-soaked beef teriyaki from George's Meat Market, I decided to make Korean Rice.  Turned out great, even though I forgot that I needed kim chee.  I just ate the rice along with some taegu (Man Nani brand is my favorite).

I know most of you don't have birds, but you can still make Korean Rice.  I don't have any pictures of the finished dish, but it would be great to mound the rice in a shallow bowl and take to a party.  I'm thinking that when I reheat the leftovers (yes, I had TONS of leftovers, as I cannot eat 4 cups of rice by myself), I might make an over-medium egg for a homestyle bi bim bap.


click on title for printable recipe

4 c rice (use rice cooker cups and cook as usual)
1 bag (about 10 oz) mung bean sprouts, blanched
1 bunch (10-12 oz) watercress, blanched, cut in 1" lengths
5 tbsp shoyu, divided
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 lb bbq meat, cooked as usual and sliced in slivers
1 egg, fried in a thin sheet and sliced
taegu, cut in 1"lengths (optional)
1 c kimchee, drained and sliced thin (optional)

Combine 2 tbsp shoyu, sugar, salt, and oil in a medium saucepan.  Add bean sprouts and watercress.  Cook for 2 minutes.  Drain, cool slightly, then squeeze out excess liquid.  In a large bowl, toss rice, vegetables, bbq meat with 3 tbsp shoyu and sesame oil.  Toss in kim chee at this time too.  Spoon into serving dish and garnish with egg slices and taegu.

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