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tea_and_toastArtichokes are fairly easy to cook, it turns out... we quartered it, removed spiky bits and dandelion fluff bits, and steamed until tasty. And quartering was just so it would fit in the steamer; I suppose we could have cooked it in just two pieces. Online recipes go on about lemon juice and olive oil and melting butter, but really, you can eat the leaves plain. Why obscure such a delicate taste?
Anyway....! There are now kittens. They are actually more like six months old.
Inara, the girl:
and Mal, the boy:
She is suave and poised, and sensibly cautious; he is impulsive and rash, and well, probably destined to fight on the losing side (but I won't call it the wrong one).
There was also a cupcake incident in the kitchen, in which cupcakes appeared, and many cooking implements were slain. The battle raged for several hours; the carnage was so terrible even the toaster was chocolate spattered. Note to self: half and half is not EVER an acceptable substitute for heavy cream. I tried to make a ganache; instead I got delicious chocolate milk. I thought it best not to try icing cupcakes with chocolate milk, so I added powdered sugar and butter for a buttercream. It was around then that the toaster became a casualty.
What I ended up with was not pretty. It was not elegant and pipeable. It was not in the least presentable for friends. The chocolate had crazed. It was still drippy. Refrigeration was not really going to help. But darn if it didn't taste delicious.
Pre-icing:
And then, tonight, there was orange chicken. As in I cooked, nothing blew up, and there was tastiness at the end. Broilers are scary but I have had better luck with them than chocolate. Of course, our broiler is practically on the kitchen floor, which is a bit awkward. Move the rug, broiler drawer coming out!
Yummy!
Anyway....! There are now kittens. They are actually more like six months old.
Inara, the girl:
and Mal, the boy:
She is suave and poised, and sensibly cautious; he is impulsive and rash, and well, probably destined to fight on the losing side (but I won't call it the wrong one).
There was also a cupcake incident in the kitchen, in which cupcakes appeared, and many cooking implements were slain. The battle raged for several hours; the carnage was so terrible even the toaster was chocolate spattered. Note to self: half and half is not EVER an acceptable substitute for heavy cream. I tried to make a ganache; instead I got delicious chocolate milk. I thought it best not to try icing cupcakes with chocolate milk, so I added powdered sugar and butter for a buttercream. It was around then that the toaster became a casualty.
What I ended up with was not pretty. It was not elegant and pipeable. It was not in the least presentable for friends. The chocolate had crazed. It was still drippy. Refrigeration was not really going to help. But darn if it didn't taste delicious.
Pre-icing:
And then, tonight, there was orange chicken. As in I cooked, nothing blew up, and there was tastiness at the end. Broilers are scary but I have had better luck with them than chocolate. Of course, our broiler is practically on the kitchen floor, which is a bit awkward. Move the rug, broiler drawer coming out!
Yummy!