Midnight Reads Kitchens are Monkey Business

I am still in the process of transferring everything over to my new computer and today I found this photo from late 2007. 

In it, my dearly departed cat, Midnight, is sitting on the desk looking intently at my old computer.  What is that up on the screen?  Why, it's my dear friend's blog, Kitchens are Monkey Business.

Rosie Hawthorne, here is one of your very first fans!

The Cat's in the Bag

The Foodie Daughter ordered a new

bag to replace one that had broken

and Minx immediately had to check it out.

 "Hmm, it's spacious..."

 "Lots of inside pockets..."

 "Comfy, and..."

 "Hey, why you looking at me?"

Gotta love those curious kitties.

Photo credit goes to the Foodie Daughter
and her iPhone.  Mwah!

More Minx High Jinx

Cats are curious creatures

by natures

and Minx is no exception.

This often leads him into some 

interesting situations.

 This morning as the Foodie Daughter was

putting dishes into the dishwasher,

Minx decided to investigate.

 He has been intrigued by this dishwasher 

ever since we got it this past summer.

 He's checking things out.

 Now he's posing for the Foodie Daughter 

who is also taking pictures of him.

It's a curious world to a cat.

More Minx

Sorry, but with heat indices in the 100's,

I don't feel like talking about food at the moment.

Instead, I've been snapping shots of things around me.

Minx is a curious cat.

You know what they say about curious cats.

While out in the garden the other evening,

I plucked a few sprigs of lemon catnip.

Our last cat, Midnight, eschewed this treat.

Minx, however, loves lemon catnip.

The Foodie Daughter plays with Minx.

Go, Minx, go.

Minx is happy.

Minx has a busy tail.

I will have to get a video of this sometime for you.

This cat's tail simply cannot stay still.

We often say that Minx should be hung on a wall like a clock.

Lovely, adorable, patient Minx.

He brings much joy to our world.

Minx Strikes Again

The Foodie Daughter was recently able to catch a rare sight:

that of the felinus sinkoritus.

Or cat in sink.

This rare and elusive creature shows no fear

when confronted with his natural enemy - water.

"What, I'm happy here."

Let's just let this creature be, shall we?

All of you parents out there know what it is like,

trying to deal with sibling rivalry and all.

Apparently, the Foodie Daughter had too much time

on her hands and decided to play a trick on poor Minx.

Aha!

Minx finally freed himself of that annoying bell and the feathers!

Kids.

What are you gonna do with them?

Cat-tastrophies

You never know what goes through the mind of a cat.

By the way, scientists have learned

that our "meek" (snerk) domestic feline companions

boast a large brain to body ratio,

meaning that these are some smart animals.

Cat "owners" beware.

Be very aware.

Minx has stolen my "Happy Bunny™" stress ball.

So why doesn't he seemed stressed?

Minx wonders, "What is this thing?"

" Hm, wonder if I can fit in?"

"Is there a problem here?"

Minx has found a new plaything.

Now, why does this remind me of this classic scene from

the old sitcom, Third Rock from the Sun?

Snowed In

"Hot" on the heels of the last little snow storm,

we received another of winter's little presents.

This time the NWS promised us 4 to 7 inches of snow.

At least they got it right this time

as we did end up with at least 4 inches of the white fluffy stuff.

There's "my" barn again.

Snow.

And more snow.

*

Little Minx has been very anxious to go out in the snow

and has tried several times to sneak out of the house.

I decided to indulge him today and let him out

- on a leash.

Surprisingly, he didn't even balk this time at having the harness put on him.

Minx seemed to enjoy the cold, wet stuff.

Me? Not so much.

After all, it was cold and windy out there.

Minx reluctantly let me drag him back inside.

*

A cold, snowy winter's day deserves some hearty food.

I decided to make Anne Burrell's Pasta Bolognese.

But first, here is a tip for those of you who need a way to display a recipe so that it can easily be read during the cooking process.

I put a small binder clip on a large spatula that sits in a container on my counter...

Then the recipe attaches to that, holding it in place while I cook.

Easy peasy and didn't cost me a dime

(and that makes my accountant/banker husband very happy).

*

Now, on to the recipe.

As the recipe makes enough for six to eight people,

I decided to halve the recipe this time out.

My mise en place consisted of:

1/3 cup onion, cut into 1 inch dice

1 large carrot, cut into 1/2 inch dice

1-1/2 ribs celery, cut into 1 inch dice

2 cloves garlic

extra virgin olive oil, for the pan

kosher salt

1-1/2 lbs. ground chuck

1 cup (12 oz.) tomato paste

1-1/2 cups hearty red wine

water

1-1/2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 pound spaghetti

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

High quality extra virgin olive oil, for finishing

After tasting, I did end up adding about 1/4 cup of sugar to the sauce.*

*Yes, I know that adding sugar to a tomato sauce

is sacrilegious to Italians, but I'm not Italian, so there.

The directions said to pulse the onion, carrot, celery and garlic in a food processor

until they became a coarse paste.

Done.

Next, I was to saute the veggies in some olive oil

until the liquid is evaporated and the veggies start to brown.

Then the ground beef was added in and allowed to brown.

Looking good.

Next it was time to add the tomato paste in the pan to allow that to caramelize a bit.

Red wine was added to the pan and allowed to reduce by half.

Can I just tell you that I can see all the flavor?

No, I didn't think so.
I think Sandra Lee is crazy for seeing flavor all the time.

Finally it was time to add enough water to cover the beef by one inch.

The bay leaves and the thyme were also added at this point.

After allowing the sauce to come to a brief boil,

the heat was reduced to a simmer.

I then let this simmer happily away for three and a half hours,

adding more water if needed.



At the end, I tasted, and added more salt to season.

Then, as the sauce still seemed to need something,

I added the sugar.

Yep, that was it.

Luckily, this makes enough sauce for two dishes,
so I was able to save half the sauce for another time.

Following the directions,

I added the cooked pasta and some of the pasta water to the remaining sauce.

Then the Parmesan cheese was added to the dish.

More Parmesan cheese and some garlic bread add to the dish.

What can I say?

We all loved this dish,

despite the fact that it is somewhat time-consuming to make.

But I guess that's a personal problem, right?

Christmas Wishes Do Come True - Eventually

Do you recall my Christmas wish?

Here's a little reminder for you.

Bags and bags of football uniforms sitting in my dining room.

Ta da!

They are gone.

And it only took until January 20th for it to happen.

*

But, I wonder where they went?

Oh, that's where they went.

To the great room.

I guess that's an improvement?

*

But what's that black lump in the back of the piles?

Ah, it's a sleeping kitty.

Cute little Minx.

*

And - finally - on January 21st, those pesky uniforms left my house.

At least until next season...