Fast food just one of th iy 13, 1992 — North Shore News ! HAD a contractor drop by to give me an estimate on @ bit of work that needs doing around the house. As we were discussing the job, our Ginger cat strolled in. The dialogue went something like this, ‘‘...we can resurface the MIGAWD THAT’S A BIG CAT deck but...”’ No one who sees Ginger for the first time is underwhelined. He’s simply huge. Of course, part of his size is due to a long coat, but underneath is a lot of cat. His bones are solid and his paws measure an inch and a half across. We’ve had him for a year and a half now, but he lived in our back yard for over a year prior to the big smowstorm that had us invite him in. : How old is he? Anywhere from five to nine. Who owned him? Probably a fool. When we adopted him he was un-neutered, which indicates an irresponsible owner. He was scarred, and covered in sores and matts. We vetted him and fed him, but I was scared to touch him! His fangs and claws are awesome. How do you ap- proach a former wild cat? Gingerly, that's how. It was a revelation. Hz simply loves petting. He’s got a purr like a moter boat and he turns it on the minute you mention his name. He doesn’t bite, even when you have to give him pills or pick sticks out of his tail. What a lovely companion he is! He’s the Wayne Newton of cats — huge in size but with a barely audible meow. But he communi- cates —- he “‘talks’” when you talk to him and slaps you with his tail for attention. He stares at you until] you blink at him and then he blinks back, as long as vou keep it up. If you walk by him he reaches out with one of his huge paws and taps to remind you that ears need regular scratches. If there’s any commotion around the house, he snaps to attention and places himself between me and any perceived threat. What got me off on the subject <@ Wi Pa Leese Barbara McCreadie BUDGET BEATERS of Ginger this morning? How would you feel if you were work- ing at your desk, looked up and saw a big face and two paws resting on the opposite side of your desk? Answet: a Stray! very privileged. Adopt Families need fast food. Any- one who has worked all day, grabbed hungry kids from a sitter and headed home to chaos under- stands. Here are some quick reci- pes that don’t depend on **Helper’? combos which are pricey. American Chop Suey 1 1b. lean ground beef 3 medium onion sliced vertically 1 cup diagonaliy sliced celery 1 tin beau sprouts, drained 1 tin mushrooms, uncrained 1 tin water chesinuts, drained and sliced OR: 1 large tin (28 oz.) mixed Chinese veggies which contains sprouts, mushrooms and chestnuts, undrsines 1 tin consomsae WOODWARDS PARKADE. WE PAY = Up Te _< = _~f L% ORFF and more! SIZE 3x5 4x6 4x6 DESCRIPTION Persian Tribal Persian Shiraz Bokhara Pakistan Persian Hamedan Chinese Parsian Tabriz Cainese Super 90 RETAIL 6oaKD0 #8 WATER STREET, GASTOWN across trom Spaghetti Factory) HOURS: MONDAY - SATURDAY 109 - 7 P.M, « SUNDAY 11-6 P.M. 681-6440 FOO 2 tablespoons cornsiarch “% cup soy sauce Toss the beef, onion, celery into a big non-stick frying pan and stir gently until the meat is grey and the veggies limp. Add the remain- ing vegetables and simmer 15 minutes. Thicken with a mixture corn- starch and soy sauce. Serves 4, doubles and freezes well. Either rice or Chinese fried nocdles (buy bulk) go well with this and, oddly, carrots. Best hint of the week: {f you chop and freeze onions and green peppers in half-cup quantities you'll speed up your preparation time for almost any casserole. Neither need blanching. Don’t forget that dried onion flakes are fairly inexpensive and a great speed-up for a harried cook. Fast Beef-Rice Skillet 1 Wb. fean ground beef Salt and pepper 2 teaspoons mixed Italian dried herbs “% cup esch, diced, onion and green pepper {owt of your freezer?) Garlic powder to taste 1% cups water I cup stewed tomatoes 1% cups uncooked instant rice Saute beef, seasonings and vegetables on low heat until the meat is grey and the vegetabies limp. Add water and tomatoes and boil. Add rice, remove from heat, cover and let stand 5 minutes. This is even better when you top it with graie? cheese (cheddar or any nippy variety) and give it a run under the broiler. Salad and hot bread rounds it out. eoo Many harassed cooks overlook time-savers. Cocking becomes one of those lousy chores, a daily grind that they start dreading as they pul! out of the parking Ini for the ride home. Here are a few hints I couldn’t live without: @ My crockpot! Many fpecple have received these gems for gifts and have never kad them out of the box. Each comes with a recipe booklet with all sorts of 8-hour e facts of life meals. Is wonderful to walk in your front doar and smell dinver ready. @ Oven delayed-start timers. A big frozen casserole, piaced in the oven, can safely thaw for $ hoars. Set your oven heat much lower than you would normally — | use 225°F — and a covered casserole is perfect in three hours. One caution: When you are preparing the original casserole, have the ingredients hot and chill it fast. As socn as you can handle the dish, fast freeze it. @ “‘New” vegetables don’t need peeling. Peeling potatoes is a time-wasting nutrient destroyer. @ Instant rice is fine but when you consider that it takes just 20 minutes to cook the better-tasting regular rice, why spend more? However, in some casserole rec- ipes, instant is the only way to go. ‘Regular’ takes at least an hour. @ Keep an emergency shelf. Hf you’ve got basics like tinned corn- ed beef (quick hash?), tinned salmon (a loaf? patties? a noodle casserole?) and various soups and nuts, you'll be amazed at how you can avoid that dreaded trip to the store. he Red Twisting Tail of a Kite | as it Pens It's Signature in the sk yi ur 10 56% OFF the manuiacturer's suggested retail price of ALL iiN-STOCK WALLCOVERING & BORDERS BONUS - $14°° Value Buy 8 or more single rolls and receive 1 Litre of General Paint Interior Trim Paint at ro charge!” 133 West 16th St. 988-0141 (one block west of Lonsdale) § 7 WOODCRAFT STAIN Choose trom Solid Color of Semi-Transparent Regular $30.98 (3.78 Litre can} BONUS - $7” Value Buy 3 or mor e - 3.76 L cans of Woodcraft Stains and receive a Woodcraft Stain brush at no charge!" NEIGHBORHOOD... iene . GENERAL PAINT STORE Se we, THE RAINBOW, WE KNOW OUR COLORS. BREEZE ACRYLIC LATEX EGGSHELL OR SEMI-GLOSS interior Finishes Reg. $28.48 (3.78 Litre can} BONUS » $16 Value Buy 2 or more - 3.78 L cans of Interior Broeze and receive a Paint Roller Kit at no charge!* Mary 3151, 1992 Soles tax extra, *iook for Barus Details ot Shore. West Vancouver Park Royal South Mall 922-7389