So.. all the cats are outdoor cats now.
I felt sorry for Fanari being the only cat that hadn't gotten to go outside, and I wanted to show Xiomara that being indoors doesn't mean one can't go outdoors, so I let Fanari out yesterday. After a couple of hours, while offering the girls the door, Turbo snuck up on me and darted out. This feels a lot like last summer.
I've had all of them come briefly inside again, but never more than one at a time. They all generally come when I call for them, particularly if they are hungry. I think it's all going to be okay. I just wanted them a little more tame before I let them out to make it easier to deal with ticks.
Fanari has taken to hissing at her siblings a lot, particularly her sister. Does she resent the extra freedom they took? Her behavior patterns remind me so much of her mother. Fanari also sometimes snaps at me or lightly bites me, as if to show dominance. Reminding me that she can hurt me if she so chooses. But she's also more fond of human touch than the others. She'll sometimes seek me out for pats. She purrs to me more than the other two combined.
I did a crock pot thing overnight. It turned out pretty good.
chick peas, about 150g dry, soaked for.. a couple of days. I'm sure 8 hours would be fine.
three carrots, peeled.
five shallot onions (or other mini-onions), peeled
two chicken breasts (about 340g)
chicken stock (I used a really fancy one, 250ml)
water to cover (400ml) - just putting the total liquid here because I'll probably just use bouillon cubes next time.
After 4 hours on low, I was randomly awake and checked on it. I added 50ml balsamic vinegar, a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper, and some green lentils (about 50g dry, rinsed) to try to soak up some of the excessive liquid, as it was very thin. Then it got to continue on low for another 4 hours.
I'm quite pleased with the result. I'm not sure where I would make alterations to improve it.. maybe adding the shallots and carrots later, because they were rather overcooked.. but they added much flavor to the broth.
I've seen some recipes for home-made broth say to boil vegetables for a long time and then "discard the vegetables" and I'm all NOOO, YOU DON'T THROW AWAY FOOD! Making your own broth from scratch seems tedious and sad. I'm sure it would taste great, but not so much better than store-bought broth that it would be worth the effort. Maybe once every other year or so.