Wow, have I had a hectic last few days. Tuesday was a mess from almost when I got up and I got my hand closed in a door before things started to improve. Today the worst that happened was massive traffic on the way to work...until I start making rice for stir fry only to find that my rice is full of bugs. The only good thing that came out of Tuesday is that I got the Deneb bolero to the point where I could bind it off. Grumpy knitting is apparently very efficient. The bolero is currently soaking so that I can block it before I try to sew it together. Should be fun, I've never needed to block anything before and the bolero is made from alpaca yarn which I've heard can be a bit of a challenge. Unfortunately I'm still not to a place where I can start other projects. My mom is coming to visit and will be trying on said bolero and I haven't even started the edging and I'm not really wanting to take up that challenge at the moment.
Obviously, I'm still kinda grumpy. But you know what takes the grumpy away? Yarn can hold it off for a while, but the real cure for the grumpy is Halloween and the party I have.
Yes, I know it's not even September yet. The sad thing is that it isn't even September yet and I'm behind on my planning. As you may have guessed, I go a wee bit overboard for Halloween. Or so everyone tells me, I don't think I go overboard at all. I mean, I didn't go all out and get a full sized, anatomically correct, partially dissected cadaver prop that looks AWESOME. Of course, it also costs 2 grand which puts it dramatically out of my price range. My one bit of happy excitedness that I've been holding on to is a very lucky discovery. Clorox cleanup seems to be able to take out fake blood stains. If my tests prove it then my decorating is going to be substantially easier. It's not as scientific a test as I would like to do but there isn't a good way to measure out the stuff without making a huge mess. Then I have to start deciding on the other decorations. You would not believe how hard it is to find decent and affordable severed limbs. Apparently you can get them cheap if you don't want them to be realistic, which totally defeats the point if you ask me, or you can get more realistic parts for a more hefty price. This is part of why my planning takes so long. I have to find what I want and price compare it then figure out how many of what things can be fit into the budget. The menu has been a lot easier. I think I've about got it set. I have a few new dishes to test; one of them involves a mold so I have to make sure that the recipe is firm enough to hold a shape. The others are repeats of favorites that happen pretty much every year. Like my kitty poo cookies. You will not find more realistic kitty poo in food form anywhere.
When the kitty poo is made from a baked cookie I've found that they either flatten out and spread but taste good or they hold their shape and taste awful because of the amount of flour in them. Don't even get me started on the kitty poo cakes. Tootsie rolls are not convincing poo, if you ask me, and the cakes never have an authentic look. Plus, once you start eating the cake form it stops looking like a full litter box. Unfortunately I'm also really bad at taking pictures so I don't have any photos of my magnificent creation. But, since it's still well before Halloween and other people might need a better recipe, I'll share it with you. You can try it and see for yourself how much better it works out. It's really simple so it's very easy to test. I will warn you though, it is VERY realistic. I have people that won't eat the kitty poo, even if I do it first and four or five people eat some after me. The reason for this is that the cookies themselves are soft and a bit gooey. As the cookies warm up they soften. This does two things, makes them appear slightly different in color because of the coco powder on them and makes the cereal "litter" stick to them.
This recipe is best made the day before you need it.
You will need:
1 washed brand new plastic litter box pan
1 washed brand new plastic pooper scooper
Cookies
1 package oreos
1 8oz package of cream cheese, softened
coco powder
Kitty Litter
2-3 boxes of grape nuts
blue/green food coloring
water
Cookies
Line several cookie sheets with wax paper and fill a small dish with coco powder. Put the oreos and cream cheese into a food processor and blend until the mixture is smooth and has a tar like consistency. Scoop the mixture into a bowl so you can get it without risking finger cuts from the food processor blades. Break of bits of the cookie mixture and roll between your fingers until it has a poo like shape. Don't be afraid to vary the amount that you use or the shape of the poo as you make it, cats make more than just long skinny poos. Once your poo cookie is the shape you want, put it in the coco bowl and coat it all over. You don't have to do this step but I've found it adds realism and makes it easier to get the cookies off the wax paper. Place the coco coated poo cookies on the cookie sheet. Once you have a full sheet put the cookies into the fridge and let them harden until you need them.
Kitty Litter
Preheat your over to 350. Foil line a cookie sheet. Scoop about 1/2 cup of grape nuts into a small bowl. Mix food coloring into water and coat the grape nuts. You want just enough water to make the color take but not enough to turn the cereal into mush so do this part slowly, only a tablespoon at a time. Once the cereal is coated and is nicely blue or green, pour it onto the cookie sheet and spread it out as much as you can. Put it in the oven and check it every few minutes. It doesn't take long to dry the cereal out again but you don't want to burn it. I check mine every 3-5 minutes to make sure it doesn't brown or burn. Once the cereal is dry, mix it in with the rest of the grape nuts.
To serve, pour the colored grape nuts into the litter pan. Dig little spaces in the "litter" and hide poo cookies all through it. Leaving some partially uncovered on the top has a great effect. Stick the pooper scooper in the pan to serve. In the words of the Nutri-matic, "Share and enjoy!" (-;
Update: Wet alpaca smells awful, I need blocking wires, and I hate lace. That is all.
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