Results - not a pretty picture but they taste okay

OK, both of the cheesecakes have had time to cool and set, and I've tasted both.  
Now to analyze what happened. 

The watermelon cheesecakes over cooked for one, and the white chocolate managed to separate and melt into the cupcake liner. 
Note to self, monitor cooking time better. Also, ginger snaps not a good idea for crusts. 

The creamsicle are too heavily orange, in flavor and color. Better control on the pastry bag should cover one issue, the flavoring issue should work itself out in larger batches. 

Now I have to create a new batch for the holiday dinner at work - I think I'm going to go back to my basics, except that I'm using a shortbread for the crusts this time. I don't foresee doing more than 24 this time, which means basically a half batch. 

A little less muss and fuss, but it also means just one batch in the oven instead of multiples. 
Yay. 

Rainy Monday Cheesecake Experiment

So I've been kicking a couple of cheesecake concepts around in my head for a couple of weeks now.
Watermelon white chocolate chip and orange creamsicle. 
This was only because I came across some old flavorings I  bought a couple of years ago - but it did get me to thinking about cheesecake variations. 
So, I'm whipping up experimental batches today. 
By that, I mean that I'm doing a limited run of these to determine if the recipe is valid. 
I plan to dye the batter red/pink for the watermelon, and orange for the creamsicle. 

Since I'm doing the Paula Deen adaptation, (i.e. mini cheesecakes) instead of a full spring-form pan version, I'll have results in under an hour. 

For posterity's sake, here's my basic 1/4 batch recipe: 

1 brick cream cheese, room temperature
1 large egg
1/4 - 1/3 cup sugar
vanilla extract 
1/4 - 1/3 cup sour cream or
1 tbs whipping cream 

Cream all ingredients together until they become a batter. 
At this point, for the watermelon, I plan to add the flavoring and the food dye, mixing until incorporated and I'm satisfied. Then fold in the white chocolate chips, portion into already prepared muffin tin, bake at 350 until set and voila. 

For the creamsicle, I'll split the batter and add flavoring and dye to one half and massively up the vanilla for the plain part. 
Prepped muffin tins will get a layer of the "plain" batter then the orange batter, swirl with a butter knife, again baking at 350 until set and voila. 

Conceptually, I'm putting lemon crisps instead of vanilla wafers in the creamsicle, and debating gingersnaps vs vanilla wafers in the watermelon. 

I like the idea of the ginger and watermelon and white chocolate together.  

Okay, I have the creamsicle flavor in the oven even as I type. 
Short break to clean up and get ready for the big experiment, watermelon cheesecake. 
Discovered that the Orange extract may not be the way to go for the creamsicle, only baking will tell conclusively though. 
Also for the crusts I went with a mini vanilla wafer on top of a lemon crisp. 

So now for the watermelon, I plan on dyeing the batter pink/red and the white chocolate chips will represent the seeds. Thought about dark chocolate, but think better match with white. 

I'm going with the ginger snap crust on the watermelon. I think it'll meld well. 

The creamsicles are out of the oven and the watermelon are in. 
They'll be ready for taste testing in about an hour. 
Unexpected issues with the extract though. It didn't want to combine with the batter. 
Well, got that problem solved by kicking up the mixer a few notches. 
Tasted okay as a batter, but again, the proof is in the baking. 

Halfway point. 
A little more rise than I'd expected, however that may be due to the amount of whipping I did to get the extract incorporated. 
Wait and see. 

Okay, they're out of the oven now. 
Smell fantastic. However, they have to set and cool. 
More after taste test. 

Name change

OK, I've given this a lot of thought, and I've decided what the former Shakira will be called. 
Shakir, Ah! (And the comma and exclamation point are part of his name.) 
Because for one, that's the name he's been called for 4 months. And if I slip and call him Shakira, no biggie. 
And two, it's a pun. Because suddenly, he's Shakir, Ah! ... 
On the bright side, neutering is cheaper than a spay. And less recovery time and dangers from the anesthesia. 

Major news flash

This is big. This is REALLY big. 
Took Shakira in for the 3rd round of shots today - and then when I went to get her, the vet comes out and says "I have a big surprise for you ... you're going to need to change Shakira's name..." 
I immediately went "NO!" ... because I knew that meant both the vet and I had mistakenly sexed Shakira as female ... and he's actually a male. And for 4 months too.  
Not that I'll love him any less - but now I've got to figure out what his name is. 
Because Shakira isn't going to work. 

Wow. Took a female kitty in for shots and get a male kitty back. That doesn't happen every day. 

Shakira's accomplishment

Shakira has learned to climb the cat tree by herself. 
I regularly pick her up and put her on the top shelf so she can eat her wet food in peace, however she doesn't really do the tree beyond eating. 
So imagine my surprise today when I found her on the top shelf. 
She climbed up by herself! 
Alrighty then enough babbling. 

Relevant to absolutely nothing

At this point in time (2012) there's a TV show on called "Once" - it's in its second season, and it's very watchable. 
Look it up, you'll love it. 
However, here's what my rant is about. 
The chain of ownership as it were, goes something like this... the TV show is produced under the auspices of the network, in this case ABC. 
Well, ABC is owned by Disney. 
And Disney, being the power that they are, have invested heavily in this production. 
To the point that you can play a game in spotting the Disney 'easter egg" in a scene. 
Honestly, that doesn't bother me, it simply demonstrates the power of the Rat. 

However. 
The premise of the show is that in another dimension/reality, all the stories we grew up hearing, (and coincidentally watching, courtesy of Disney Studios) Snow White, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, etc. actually happened. 
And because Snow White's Evil Stepmother was a Wicked Queen, she cast a Curse that brought everyone in the land from that world into ours. With one exception...no one knew who they were before. 
Okay, I'm really glossing over the finer points, however think of it as learning the back story for all the childhood stories you heard, like Little Red Riding Hood. (Trust me, you'll never think of her the same way again after you see her episode.) All were plausible because they were the stories you grew up with. 
Well, Disney has managed to jump the shark in the second season. 
And on the first episode as well. 

So, just for the record, two things.
1. Mulan is a Disney creation. Her character may have been an amalgamation of a number of Oriental legends, however the character itself is a Disney property. 
2. Mulan had no part in the legend of Sleeping Beauty. 

Okay, off my soapbox however I will continue to watch this show. It's wonderful and I advise you to dust off the DVD's and find my copies. 

Love you Andrea & Aiden 

Her Royal Highness, Cleopatra Scarlett, Queen of Denial

Since I haven't put a recent picture of Her Royal Highness up in a while, here we go. 

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you 

Her Royal Highness, Cleopatra Scarlett, Queen of Denial: 

1st shots today

Shakira went in for her first shots today - she's not scheduled for another series for a month, then she gets her final kitten series a month after that. 

Here she is just before the shot: 

She's still so tiny! And such a hellion! She loves to be held and loves to fight. 

Here she is getting her first shot: 

Now for a day of the groggies. I don't know what it is or how it's caused, but it seems that whenever an infant (human or animal) gets their first vaccination, mind you completely sedative free, simply an anti-viral, they get an overwhelming urge to sleep. 
Thus, the groggies. 

And I managed to find another premium brand of canned kitten food, Fancy Feast, so I got a couple of cans for a degree of variety. 
Unless of course I find that I'm happier with the Iams. 
In which case, I'm sorry, health overrules variety. Iams exclusively. Stable stomach, regular healthy diet, and all is right with the world. 

I also bought a new cat tree today - it's been years since I've had one, because I got rid of the last one because Cleo got too big for it.  

Seriously, as stable as that thing is, she can manage to rock it if she runs up it full tilt. 
Of course, she's now 10 so I don't exactly think running up the cat tree full tilt is exactly an option.

Introduction

Well, it happened. 
Cleo got within 2 feet of Shakira. 
There was no hissing, no spitting, no threat display. 

From either of them. 

It's definitely an encouraging start. 

Milestone #2

Shakira has graduated to dry food. She's still getting wet twice a day, even though the dry is also Iams (I'm a pet food snob). 

I'm still feeding her separately from Cleo for a couple of reasons. 

First and foremost, they haven't formally met yet. 

I'm edging closer and closer to the time when that's going to have to be the reality, however I'm trying to delay it as long as I can because Shakira's still so tiny. 

I'm also beginning to wonder what kind of coat she'll have as an adult.  Based on her markings, there just might have been a Maine Coon in the family tree. If so, she's going to be a longhair instead of a short hair. But that'll be at least a year before I find out conclusively. 

She's scheduled for her first round of shots next week, then she gets 2 more series a month apart, and just as she's getting her last shots, she's going to be spayed. 

Yeah, this has just become the annoying pet parent blog. 

Sorry guys. 

It's distracting me from thinking about your Mom's issues that I can't do shit about. 

  

Milestone achieved

Okay, this is, in my opinion, really big. 
Not only is she eating solid (wet) food by herself, but she's using the box. 
By herself. 
At 5 weeks  old. 

I am so looking forward to seeing the cat she's destined to grow into. 

Parenthood - The midlife version

Yeah yeah yeah, you don't regard raising and keeping an animal as true "parenthood". 
In some respects, you're right. But in others, you're so wrong. 
Maybe it's because I don't have biological children, however my animals have always been "my babies"... and since Polgara died, I've only had HRH Cleopatra QoD for company. 
Well, I put it out to the Universe that I wanted a companion for Cleo and for myself. 
And I got answered. 

She's about 5 weeks old, and currently residing in the bathroom. 
Why the bathroom? First and foremost, tile cleans easier than carpet does. (We're still working out the whole box issue.) - the only downside is that she apparently loves the sound of her own voice and the acoustics in the bathroom do nothing but encourage her. 
For such a tiny kitten, she's got one big mouth. 
And with that, I'm beginning to think she's named herself. 

Shakira. After the tiny Latina artiste with the big voice. 

I think I'm going to try that out for a couple of days to see if it fits. 
Anyway, back to the purported subject of this diatribe - Its been 15+ years since I've had to care for a kitten this young, and even then, Polgara was a little older when she came.

Shakira (I'm finding that I really like that name) wasn't even weaned when I got her. I'm having to handle that chore. We started with KMR, (Kitten Milk Replacement), and then I introduced her to a soft food smoothie - a teaspoon of wet food mixed with KMR, and spoon fed to her. 
Today, however, she actually ate straight wet food out of the can - well, I did spoon feed her, but the fact remains that it was wet food, not a smoothie. 
Now if I can just get her to associate the bowl with food, not the spoon. 

Now, I get to start working on toilet training. Joy. 

See why this has striking parallels to human parenthood? And sibling rivalry? You haven't experienced it until you have to deal with it from the animal kingdom. 
Cleopatra is doing her best to live up to her title, Queen of Denial - however there are some times when Shakira is doing a performance that Cleo will slink off to hide in a corner. 
All in the name of denial. 

The big issue here is that I'm introducing a 5 week old kitten to a 10 year old cat. 
In the feline world, kittens come with mother cats. And mother cats tend to be *really* nasty when it comes to protecting their own from another cat. 
So instinctively, kittens tend to be given a wide berth. 
The downside is that all the kitten wants to do is play - they're still learning and developing, so they don't know of any hazards. 

That's another reason Shakira is being kept in isolation for at least another 2 weeks - she's too small to go against Cleo for any reason. Not that 2 weeks is going to make that much of a difference, however I'm hoping by that time the two of them can be in the same room at the same time. 
Rome wasn't built in a day, you know. 

More to follow 

Greetings from the Void

Hi Andrea and Aiden... it's Grandpa Merlin.
Yeah, I'm still around, at this moment doing a whole restructuring thing. Hard to explain, you'd have to be here. But no matter what, ya'll are in my heart.

Even though I'm beyond horrible about the whole blog thing.

But right now you're up in the mid-west with your mom & dad. That's a whole other kettle of fish.
But to fill you in on what's happened, Polgara has also passed. I was too depressed at the time to even consider a blog post announcing it.
Her Royal Highness, Cleopatra, Queen of Denial, has had to deal with being a solitary cat ever since. This is an experience she's never had... her entire existence has had Polgara, her partner in crime, involved.
Needless to say, she's become my shadow while I'm in the house.
Charming, but annoying after a couple of months.
Well, into this staid existence I am about to plunk a 5 week old kitten.
Herself hasn't yet told me her name, but that's fine. I saw her and fell in love.
Right now she's at the vet, or rather, as we say here, the spa, who's given her a clean bill of health. I pick her up in the morning, and then she goes for about a week of isolation and introduction before she's allowed into the general population at large so to speak.
I'm nervous about this because this is the first animal I've introduced into the household in 9 years.
And it's a baby at that.
But oh my Goddess she's gorgeous. And if this picture I'm trying to get from my phone to the computer ever gets here, I'll have a picture to show.
And thanks to Google store, I have that picture.

I must confess that I'm giving serious thought to going back for her litter mate tomorrow. I'll let you know.
Anyway, it's 5.30 am and I need to get to bed.
I love you and I swear I'll write more.

Happy Birthday Andrea

Happy Birthday Andrea!

 I'm still around, even though you don't hear much from me and I haven't posted in almost a year.

I love you, Princess - Hugs and kisses !