Grilled Chili Chops; toaster mouse

What is going on in the world lately?

First, a bunch of English people vote to leave the European Union on Thursday, then on Friday they try to figure out what they’d actually done.

Second, the mice are, apparently, confused about what season it is.

Maybe they’re English mice….

Okay…. that last bit wasn’t nice but I’ve put up with a lot of, er, comments about a certain excessively tanned, hair-challenged public figure lately.

But now…. These are great chops (she says, modestly). They almost taste like they’ve been marinating forever, slathered in a rich barbecue sauce and slowly cooked over coals. Instead they’re ready in 30 minutes.

As always, make the sauce as hot as you like but I was going for flavor rather than heat.

If my chops look a littler strange it’s because I hand-cut them from pork loins.

Print Recipe

About the toaster mouse…..

In my previous post I wrote about the dead mouse in my washer creating a rather unpleasant smell.

This morning I was sitting quietly at my computer, sipping my morning coffee.

I heard a noise.

Nothing unusual about that…. I share a house with another human and two big dogs. Plus it’s an old house. There are noises.

Then I remembered that mon mari was gone.

I looked up and both dogs were sleeping.

I heard the noise again.

I went into the kitchen. The sounds were coming from the toaster.

I grabbed two heavy oven mitts and covered the top of the toaster. Assuming there was a mouse in it I didn’t want it jumping out at me. I unplugged it and headed out the door.

Now, this happened once before, last winter. Mon mari was here and he carried the toaster outside.

He set it down just outside the door, tipped it over and let the mouse out.

The mouse immediately ran into the barn…. From which point I assume he made his way back to the kitchen.

I quietly and politely asked him ‘What the *%’@* are you doing?!?!?!? You don’t let the mouse escape – just to run back inside!!!!!’

This morning, I, of course, did it the right way. I carried the toaster, covered, down the lane towards the neighbor’s house.

I promptly ran into the neighbor, out for his morning walk with his dog and visiting 4 year old grandson.

He, naturally, was curious as to why I was taking our toaster for a walk.

I explained….

Then we all moved off into the field closer to some long grass.

The grandson was very excited – even though I again explained that I didn’t know for certain there was a mouse in the toaster.

I put the toaster on the ground, removed the mitts and we all peered inside.

Nothing.

Then we saw a tail twitch.

I tipped the toaster over and the mouse took off with the dog hot on his tail and the grandson running after the dog. (My dogs were in the house.)

A crazy few moments ensued with the mouse running wildly, the dog turning itself inside out trying to catch it and the kid spinning in circles laughing.

Finally, the mouse escaped into the tall grass.

Mission accomplished.

I left the toaster on mon mari‘s workbench in the barn.

Who knows what will happen tomorrow….