Last Friday was a gorgeous summer day to coincide with the Fourth of July. I finally talked myself into one of my overdue yard projects: trimming a bunch of limbs from the Bradford pear tree in the side yard. And from that I worked up a pretty good appetite. The holiday, the weather, the belly rumbles: I knew of no smarter option than juicy burgers on the grill, well-covered with doubled cheese, plus homemade souped-up Thousand Island dressing on the brioche buns.
When I first stepped outside to light the grill, though, I was distracted by a plaintive cry, coming from under the firewood rack behind me. I opened up the rack cover enough and spotted a poor left-behind fur-ball.
I fetched some tucked-away cat food that I have on hand, more often used when it's necessary to trap a feral cat. But it was the cool water that seemed much more appreciated by this booger with its beautiful eyes. I pulled it out just to give it a quick look-see, and it had a lame rear leg.
That's the reason the shelter took her when I bundled her up on the first Saturday of July: because she had an injury they'd try to help her recover from or heal and then put her up for adoption. I think some family could really love her, with all her sweetness and readiness for human contact. We just could not be that family.
Adapted from "Grilled Juicy Burgers," originally from Pillsbury Classic Cookbooks recipe magazine, July 2003, p. 52-53. After Pillsbury was purchased in 2001 by General Mills, home of Betty Crocker (founded in 1921, mind you!), it basically ceased to exist as a company and lives on just as a brand. I guess that's why a Pillsbury cookbook recipe from 2003 is now only found on the Betty Crocker website.
"Thousand Island Dressing," which was based on a version from Graybert on GeniusKitchen.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment