Bosco's Boo-Boo

and the Power of Grilled Cheese

Bosco at the emergency vet, asking ‘Who among us wouldn’t have chased that cat?’

I’ve been back from England for a week now. Most of the Cadbury’s we hefted home has been eaten or given as gifts. I’m back drinking coffee for breakfast instead of tea. The cats like us again. All things are back to relative normalcy (or at least Marissa levels of normal).

My big Substack plan for the week was to finish tweaking a lemon-y zucchini cake recipe to send out.

Unfortunately, our dog Bosco had other thoughts. Yesterday afternoon that big, fluffy beast bolted across the street after a neighbor’s cat and hit a moving car. I know good storytelling technique is to leave you wondering if he’s okay until a reveal at the end, but that’s mean. Bosco is basically okay. Only soft tissue damage to his front leg and a small wound. THANKS BE. And thank you to my amazing neighbor Melanie, who carried Bosco to the car and drove us to the vet, while I sobbed in the back of her car. I had a sense then Bosco would be ok, because he spent the trip licking my tears away.

Much of yesterday afternoon and evening was spent at the emergency vet, because of course the accident happened outside normal business hours. Bosco was x-rayed, sonogrammed, and otherwise generally doted upon by the energetic and kind staff at the Veterinary Emergency Group nearby. We were able to take him home, limping and dopey from painkillers, around 10.

With Bosco resting his head comfortably on a pillow and finally getting to sleep, I did the only reasonable thing, which was to soothe myself with a grilled cheese sandwich. The bread was fancy (sourdough rye boule from Balthazar bakery), the cheese was not (just a plain ol’ cheddar), and there was mayo involved. If you don’t already make your grilled cheese by spreading a thin layer of mayo on the pan-facing sides of the bread, do so at once. There is no need to add any other fat to the pan. Just put the sandwich, mayo side down in a hot pan, press, let brown, flip, etc.

And, of course, serve it with ketchup.

Now that I’ve certainly raised the hackles of grilled cheese purists out there, please let me know:

*What’s your tried-and-true method for making grilled cheese?

*What would you have made yourself after a night like mine?

I’m sorry I don’t have a proper new recipe for you today. Believe me, both Bosco and I wish we had spent time baking instead.

More soon. Be kind. And for Bosco, scratch your favorite pet (or human) behind the ear.