I came in too late to recommend my favorite non-frying fresh okra cooking method, which I just discovered a few days ago: very short stewing, whole. Basically, cut just the stems off the okra, put it in a skillet with an eighth inch of boiling water, cover, and simmer for about 7-8 minutes, until just tender enough to eat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper (or Cajun seasoning, if you're me - Tony Chacere's More Spice). I don't know why Joy of Cooking calls this stewing instead of steaming - I guess because it the okra actually sits in the water as it cooks instead of above it - but it makes a very non-slimy, extremely healthy okra that really lets the flavor shine through. I stewed mine with chopped ripe heirloom tomatoes from the farmer's market in the same pot, and it was phenomenal.
If you cook it much longer than that, you need to cook it a LONG time to avoid the slime. That's the cajun-style "smothered" okra: cook it until all of the juices are long, long gone, which removes all sliminess and stringiness. It takes about 45 minutes. I like that method too, but the quickness of the stewing method is likely to win out for me from now on when I'm skipping frying it.
ETA: I only use cornmeal about half the time when I'm frying okra. I almost prefer it with just flour, salt, and pepper - the okra itself gets crunchy when you do it that way, instead of the breading, which I like.
Silly Magnolia! I have been so worried - Mycroft was an utter spook the whole time he was with teh nice foster people and for the first few weeks he was with us - it's really only in the last week that he hasn't been completely invisible to not us. I keep thinking about how easy it would've been for him to spook at something and just vanish before he got to know us.
To sum up: Mags kitteh, people have laps and food and a Frankie. Stay with them!
Yay, for Magnolia being found! I hope she decides to be social again soon.
My poor roommate is sitting on a cat carrier on top of her closet, reading Mockingjay and waiting for Magnolia. She was crying at the edge of the opening but wouldn't jump down, and ran away when N went up there. The things we do for our cats!
Can Roommate pile up some boxes or something to provide a series of jumps down to the floor? Then set out some food and move back, away from the opening. Seems like Magnolia wants to come down; give her a ladder and some motivation and privacy, and she'll come down.
She got her! Magnolia is back in the building. She let N pet her a few times, and N scruffed her. Thank the good lord, that was ridiculous. Thanks for all the ~ma and advice.
Has Askye checked in lately? She's in VT, right?
At what point after apologizing and trying to make ammends for a horrific breach in friendship do you, the offending party, get to say, "Get over it. I'm sorry, I said as much, let's move on." or, conversely, "Fuck off." in response to passive-agressive FB posts about finding out who your true friends are in times of hardship and being surprised as the people you thought you could count on but can't??
Sadly, I think that if you are the offending party and your apology is not accepted then you just shut up. They're not obliged to accept your apology or make you feel better.
They have accepted the apology. They have said all was fine. But still, with the posts.
