Kat

( Also, I read a book: Witch and Wizard by James Patterson. )

Yet another pic from my old computer. This is from 2009, the first time in a while it snowed here. I took a ton of photos, but these are the ones I'm posting now :) I put mom's cat, Emma, outside to see how she'd react to snow. And this is how, lololol. She stopped dead in her tracks, turned around, shaking off her paws after each step, and started scratching at the door. This cat is so prissy, she comes in from outside to use the litterbox, and then goes back out again.

( kitty )

Welp, my laptop is almost totally dead. I've been getting blue screens a lot more frequently, so I finally broke down and ordered a refurbished laptop, which I'll use until I can get a good deal on a brand new one. As I was sorting through all my files deciding what's worth saving, I found a bunch of pictures I took when I was in culinary school. Like this one:



And also lots of kitty pictures.



Aw, smoosh face.

I found my camera, so I have a slightly better picture this time.



I flipped through one of my favorite cookbooks looking at all the chicken recipes, but I couldn't make up my mind which one to go with. So I used several at once. :D

First, I decided to spatchcock the chicken. It makes the bird cook faster and promotes even cooking, so it's less likely to dry out. Then, after rinsing and patting it dry, I rubbed it with a tablespoon of kosher salt, and let it sit in the fridge for two days. (this was from the "Salt Marinated Chicken" recipe)

Second, I made the marinade (I cherry picked ingredients from the "Brick Chicken" and the "Lebanese Grilled Chicken" recipes), which consisted of

-one cup of olive oil
-juice and zest of one lemon
-one tablespoon each of finely chopped rosemary and parsley
-four large garlic cloves, smashed
-three tablespoons of hot sauce--the "Brick Chicken" recipe called for crushed red pepper, which I was out of
-sprinkle of salt and black pepper

After the two day salt treatment, I marinated the chicken in the lemon/olive oil mixture for about four hours, then roasted it at 450°F for twenty minutes, so the skin got good and crisp, then dropped it down to 350° and let it cook for another twemty-five minutes or so.

Then I made the salad dressing--and this is my new favorite thing, I swear: caramelized onion and goat cheese dressing; it is so delicious, and a 100% Kat Original.

While the chicken was roasting, I caramelized a cup of diced onions in olive oil. While that was cooking, I made a vinaigrette with the tarragon vinegar I had left from making the Bèarnaise; I also added two teaspoons of honey for a little sweetness to balance the acidity, a tiny pinch of salt, and two ounces of goat cheese. When the onions were done, I whisked them in while they were still hot so it would melt the cheese a little, and then cooled it completely, because DNW wilted leaf lettuce.

The whole meal was so, so good--"I would serve it to company" good. "I would run this as a special if my job appreciated my skills enough to let me make specials" good. The chicken was so moist, even the breast meat, and it had good flavor throughout, not just on the skin. Salting a chicken for two days seems like a lot of effort, but it is so worth it. And the dressing was so good I didn't even put anything else on the salad, except a little extra cheese crumbled on top. It had a perfect balance of acidity and creaminess, and the honey evened everything out, but the caramelized onions are what took it from being just a good salad dressing to pure awesome.

Terrible phone pics of the Assorted Felines, because I am all out of batteries for my camera and I keep forgetting to buy them when I am shopping.


Mica, who upon joining this family weighed a pathetic 6 pounds, 8 ounces. I have no idea how much she weighs now, but it is safe to say, more. I don't free feed; she gets exactly a half cup of food a day. If I don't watch her, she'll push the other two out of the way and steal their food. Girl has no home training.


Toby, aka Butthead, aka Will-You-Fucking-Get-Out-Of-The-Way, is practically joined at my hip. He is probably half dog. He destroyed a pair of my favorite flip flops, drinks out of the toilet, and has a kind of bark-like meow that he mostly uses when he is trying to boss me around. He is the squishiest cat-teddy bear hybrid ever.


Oz. The fluffy. Believes me to be his personal divan/sofa/bed/IDK, if I stop moving long enough he will sit on me. Loves to have his tummy rubbed.




The cat pole I dragged in from the dumpster...! These things cost around $80, therefore I am excite to have a free one. They are lined up in order of age, awe.

And also for better quality pics, see here and here, posts I made to the Livejournal comm cf_pets about Mica, when I first adopted her.