Domestic stuff
Gah, I had a shitty night. First, Lucius and Rambo engaged in some epic sparring, which of course had to take place on top of me, or at least on the bed, and later Lola woke me up my meowing -- nothing wrong with her, I think she just decided that it was time to exercise her voice.
That's not the domestic stuff, however, that's just whining.
More in keeping with the subject line, the Critters are doing well.
I've decided to try something new: it's pretty obvious that Lola, antisocial bitch extraordinaire, has claimed the kitchen and entrance for her very own territory. That's not a problem per se -- on the contrary, if she has a safe space that's hers, I think it's good for her -- but the cat buffet is in the kitchen. This means a) that sometimes Lucius and Rambo are a bit reluctant to go near the food bowls, if Lola is blocking the access, and b) that Lola has unlimited food access and keeps eating too much. Now, I can't put her on a diet as long as everybody is eating in the kitchen, but what I can do is put the bowls containing the kibbles for Siamese and kittens in a different room. I just have to figure out which one, but probably the living room. That way, if things play out as I expect them to, the two boys will be able to eat whenever they want, and Lola will have to make do with the calorie-reduced kibbles.
Of course there is also a possibility that she'll try to expand her territory so that it includes both food areas, but I'll have to wait and see how that goes. Crossing the bridge and all that.
In other domestic news, Janine got me a Dyson vacuum cleaner for Christmas.
For those -- dickgloucester among them, if I remember correctly -- who are contemplating buying one, here's my two cents: it's a fantastic device, but I wouldn't want it to be my only vacuum cleaner. For one, the noise is truly horrible, and it also consumes a lot of energy. Besides, the sort of pore-deep cleaning you can do with a Dyson isn't necessary every day. So I use my Miele every day, and the Dyson on Serious Cleaning Days. I have yet to see its equal for vacuuming rugs and upholstery. A word of warning: the machine comes equipped with a variety of brushes; the standard brush (i.e. the one shown in the picture on the box) rotates at high speed, but there's a button for switching it off, so there's merely suction. While the brush is rotating, never ever get close to the fringes of a rug. You can't ruin the brush but the rug might sustain some damage.
All in all, though, it's a really great household device that helps reduce dust, better than any traditional vacuum cleaner I've tried.
And for even more domesticity: if you like cabbage, have you ever made cabbage soup?
I'm a cabbage junkie -- it's a typical winter vegetable, its dirt cheap, retains its considerable vitamin C content even if cooked, and it's equally good raw (salad) and cooked.
The soup is easy to make, light and very tasty.
The only caveat: the carrots you use need to be julienned, i.e. either you can buy them that way, or you have a special cutter. It just isn't as nice if you slice or dice the carrots.
So:
Wide, not too high pot, put in a bit of olive oil, put on medium heat. Add sliced cabbage (doesn't have to be too thinly sliced) and carrots, let fry for about five minutes, stirring every now and then. If you like fennel, add two or three heads of fennel, also sliced medium-thin. The veggies shouldn't turn brown, just glassy and soft. Add roughly-diced tomatoes and one or two cloves of garlic (sliced), then pour in a glass of white wine (optional) and as much vegetable stock as is needed, so that you can see the liquid but the veggies aren't covered. Add a bay leaf, a soup spoon full of roughly ground caraway, a few dried juniper berries, paprika powder both sweet and hot (to taste), stir well, cover pot, let simmer for 30 to 40 minutes on minimum temperature. When that's done, add a tin of chickpeas and let simmer for another five minutes. If you think there's too little liquid, add some more stock. Right before serving, mix in a bunch of coriander, roughly chopped.
It's absolute heaven.
You can also add very little stock and serve the stewed cabbage (with or without chickpeas) as a side dish -- I'd say with pork chops or roast, maybe lamb.
That's not the domestic stuff, however, that's just whining.
More in keeping with the subject line, the Critters are doing well.
I've decided to try something new: it's pretty obvious that Lola, antisocial bitch extraordinaire, has claimed the kitchen and entrance for her very own territory. That's not a problem per se -- on the contrary, if she has a safe space that's hers, I think it's good for her -- but the cat buffet is in the kitchen. This means a) that sometimes Lucius and Rambo are a bit reluctant to go near the food bowls, if Lola is blocking the access, and b) that Lola has unlimited food access and keeps eating too much. Now, I can't put her on a diet as long as everybody is eating in the kitchen, but what I can do is put the bowls containing the kibbles for Siamese and kittens in a different room. I just have to figure out which one, but probably the living room. That way, if things play out as I expect them to, the two boys will be able to eat whenever they want, and Lola will have to make do with the calorie-reduced kibbles.
Of course there is also a possibility that she'll try to expand her territory so that it includes both food areas, but I'll have to wait and see how that goes. Crossing the bridge and all that.
In other domestic news, Janine got me a Dyson vacuum cleaner for Christmas.
For those -- dickgloucester among them, if I remember correctly -- who are contemplating buying one, here's my two cents: it's a fantastic device, but I wouldn't want it to be my only vacuum cleaner. For one, the noise is truly horrible, and it also consumes a lot of energy. Besides, the sort of pore-deep cleaning you can do with a Dyson isn't necessary every day. So I use my Miele every day, and the Dyson on Serious Cleaning Days. I have yet to see its equal for vacuuming rugs and upholstery. A word of warning: the machine comes equipped with a variety of brushes; the standard brush (i.e. the one shown in the picture on the box) rotates at high speed, but there's a button for switching it off, so there's merely suction. While the brush is rotating, never ever get close to the fringes of a rug. You can't ruin the brush but the rug might sustain some damage.
All in all, though, it's a really great household device that helps reduce dust, better than any traditional vacuum cleaner I've tried.
And for even more domesticity: if you like cabbage, have you ever made cabbage soup?
I'm a cabbage junkie -- it's a typical winter vegetable, its dirt cheap, retains its considerable vitamin C content even if cooked, and it's equally good raw (salad) and cooked.
The soup is easy to make, light and very tasty.
The only caveat: the carrots you use need to be julienned, i.e. either you can buy them that way, or you have a special cutter. It just isn't as nice if you slice or dice the carrots.
So:
Wide, not too high pot, put in a bit of olive oil, put on medium heat. Add sliced cabbage (doesn't have to be too thinly sliced) and carrots, let fry for about five minutes, stirring every now and then. If you like fennel, add two or three heads of fennel, also sliced medium-thin. The veggies shouldn't turn brown, just glassy and soft. Add roughly-diced tomatoes and one or two cloves of garlic (sliced), then pour in a glass of white wine (optional) and as much vegetable stock as is needed, so that you can see the liquid but the veggies aren't covered. Add a bay leaf, a soup spoon full of roughly ground caraway, a few dried juniper berries, paprika powder both sweet and hot (to taste), stir well, cover pot, let simmer for 30 to 40 minutes on minimum temperature. When that's done, add a tin of chickpeas and let simmer for another five minutes. If you think there's too little liquid, add some more stock. Right before serving, mix in a bunch of coriander, roughly chopped.
It's absolute heaven.
You can also add very little stock and serve the stewed cabbage (with or without chickpeas) as a side dish -- I'd say with pork chops or roast, maybe lamb.