How Many Points in Breaded Cat?

So... apprently, this is a thing. A friend of mine sent me a link this morning for BreadedCats.com -- yet another in a long line of animal-related memes.  My first instinct was to go, "Poor kitties!  They can't possibly like that!" 

But then I saw this one and couldn't help but laugh.  I still can't imagine they enjoy that -- I wouldn't like someone wrapping bread around my head on a whim, but it's soft and, as long as it's done gently, it's not hurting anyone.

But Tortilla Cat is unamused.

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Can we make Champagne Thursday into Champagne and Delicious Treats Thursday?

I have mentioned before I am somewhat of a whore for Champagne.  I do love a good perfectly made martini too, of course.  I'm an equal opportunity drinker.  But Champagne is just so... wonderful.  *sigh*  

Anyway, whenever I hear the word, my attention is diverted immediately.  So when our good friend from Craving Chronicles posted a gorgeous photo and recipe for Champagne Cream Puffs I squealed so loud my kids thought I stepped on the dog. On top of being a pretty awesome dessert maker, Theresa is an aaaamaaaaazing photographer.  So if the recipe alone didn't make you happy, just looking at those little chocolate ganached puffs of champagne cream perfection is enough to make you just faint a little.  I mean, just look at those! They're beautiful.

What would some Champagne Cream Puffs be without some Champagne to go with it?  I am not an expert on pairing food with wines but a little research turned up that a sparkling rose tends to go well with profiteroles (which is basically what these are, just filled with more awesome).  One of my basic go-to Champagnes are the Korbels.  They are reasonably priced and come in several types that fit any occasion.  They're also rather good.  You can of course go the fancy route and do a Veuve Cliquot (which I won't argue with... I do love Veuve).  

Korbel has a Brut Rose that pairs well with chocolate or fruit and has a really pretty pink hue in the glass.   My favorite, which is also somewhat versatille is their Blanc de Noirs. It's light, beautiful, and pairs perfectly with desserts, especially ones featuring chocolate. You may gift this to me at any time if you like. 

Check out the talents of Theresa Sullivan at The Craving Chronicles to see the recipe for these Champagne Cream Puffs and all her oher delicious creations! 

 

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Nancy Drew and the Mystery of the Featured Work

Ok, so there's not that much intrigue, but since we brought our site back online (quietly, oh so quietly) in the New Year, our portfolio has been "hidey", as we like to say.  I thought it would only take a week or so to get it back online, but then it was two and I was busy and now here we are in February... so I decided to wait until our anniversary which is coming up "right quick", as they say in Texas.

We recently ran some upgrades and a teeny, weensy bug was causing the "Featured Work" page to display nothing but a blank white page. I'm guessing it's been like that for a few days, so our apologies if you happen to land there and get bupkis. The quirk has been abolished and the page is serving up... well, not our portfolio yet, but a lovely splash page, which is better than blank in my book.

The moral of this story is to always check all the major pages of your site after an upgrade, kids. 

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Cheers to Pawcurious with the Italian Greyhound!

We're super excited for our client, Pawcurious, is nominated for a Weblog Award (or a Bloggie, as they are also known) for Best Pet or Animal Blog. If you haven't a favorite, you should definitely vote for Pawcurious. I'm not biased at all or anything. No, but seriously, Dr. V's site is chock full of great information and animal antics.

For this week's Champagne Thursday, we'd like to honor Dr. V and Pawcurious with a pet-themed beverage: The Italian Greyhound.  (I couldn't find a Labrador cocktail, sorry, Koa and Brody!)

 

 

You can find the original recipe for this beautiful Italian Greyhound with Rosemary Sugar, along with other delicious looking recipes on FamilyStyleFood.com.

Congrats again, Pawcurious. We hope you win! 

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Shaken, Not Stirred

Kathy re-kicked off our Champagne Thursdays last week with her favorite adult beverage and the namesake of this (hopefully, weekly) feature, but now it's time for me to bring you an example of my kind of drink -- one with booze, like nature intended.

I do like champagne, but I don't drink it that often. It gives me a wicked headache.  When I choose to libate, 95% of the time, I choose an old school classic -- a vodka martini, preferably made with Grey Goose, but I'm open to most top shelf vodkas.  I've never been one for sweet drinks and always preferred the retro cool factor that a classic martini offers. It's a slow sipper (at least the first one) and isn't full of sugary fruit juices or creamy milky whatnot.

Plus, olives. Mmm... I prefer mine stuffed with blue cheese, if the establishment has them lying about. Ultimately, the olives should be plump (but not huge) and firm, not tiny, hard, speckled or pruned up or that weird shade of green-yellow that happens to olives that sit in a garnish tray too long.  If you're going to indulge in what is basically straight, expensive vodka, please -- for the love of all that is decent and holy -- don't use crapola olives. Do it for the children!

I like my martinis very light on the vermouth. Like, light -- a mere suggestion, a hint, a whisper. So I prefer to use a martini mister for the addition of the vermouth to the shaker. Others prefer to add the vermouth, swirl to coat the shaker and then dump it out (which is my second-most preferred method).  And yet others feel vermouth should be heavy, as once upon a time a classic martini was almost half vermouth.  To that I say, bleh. Also, yuck.  

I also am not one of those girls who seductively asks the bartender to "make it dirty".  I like a little "dirty" (meaning, a bit of olive juice) in my martini, but very, very little and find most bartenders tend to be heavy-handed here, so I end up with a murky drink that looks and tastes like seamonkeys. So I just skip it and let my olive garnish add the "dirty" for me.

Anyway, I picked up this recipe from the website of my favorite vodka, Grey Goose. They include orange bitters, which I've never tried, but am intrigued about, so I may ask for that next time!

The Classic Vodka Martini

Ingredients

• 2 parts Grey Goose vodka (or the vodka of your choice)
• 1/2 part Dry Vermouth
• 1 Dash orange bitters

Instructions

• Fill a shaker with ice.
• Add vermouth. Stir to coat ice and strain out.
• Add  Vodka and bitters, if desired, and stir well. (I shake, not stir. I know some people say that "bruises the vodka", to which I say ,"whatever!".)
• Strain into a chilled martini glass.
• Present with an olive or lemon twist. (Olives! Three for me, please.)

Feel free to experiment with garnishes. Mix olives and lemon twists or use a fresh bay leaf instead. These additions will give subtle yet unique changes to the cocktail.

You can view a video on the Grey Goose website of their mixologists whipping one up if that blows your dress up. 

Finally, please, please drink responsibly -- this is straight-up booze, my friends. Have a snack with it or something so you don't make an ass of yourself. Not that I've ever done that. *cough*

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