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Weekend Cat Blogging: Chat Noir et Fromage

Our friends at the House of the (Mostly) Black Cats are hosting a special food edition of Weekend Cat Blogging, in honor of Sher.

Luna inspects the new poster for our kitchen area:

What could be more appropriate for the kitchen of CatSynth HQ than a chat noir and fromage. Luna certainly bares quite a resemblance to the cat in the poster, including the green eyes. And we have some fromage for today’s post:

The hard cheese on the left from Wensleydale Dairy in the town of Hawes in Yorkshire, UK. The round is a California Crottin, an artisan goat cheese, from Redwood Hill Farm in Sonoma County, just an hour or so up the coast from us.

I did offer Luna a small piece of the Crottin, as she occasionally likes cheese, but more to sniff than to eat. She was far more interested in the wrapping paper from the poster than the fine selection of cheeses:

Check out the other cats and food at Weekend Cat Blogging. Lots of fish for the enjoyment of humans and cats alike.

The Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos is being hosted at The Tuxedo Gang Hideout.

The Carnival of Cats will be hosted this evening by Miz. Mog and Kitties.

And of course the Friday Ark is at the modulator.


Weekend Cat Blogging: Snuggle

We recently received our “snuggle” from DKM (“Diva Kitty Mom”). It is black-and-white, perfect colors for both Luna and CatSynth HQ.

In addition to being a comfy place to sit, it comes with a special “treat”. The astute observer may see the catnip scattered on the surface of the yarn.

Luna took to this right away.

and seemed to quite enjoy herself. Indeed, she is quite fond of catnip. You can watch this video of the usually dignified Luna “nipped out” on her snuggle:

Weekend Cat Blogging #165 is being hosted by Pet and the Bengal Brats.

The Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos is Sunday at Mind of Mog.

The Carnival of the Cats will be hosted by Samantha and Tigger (I believe Samantha just had a birthday).

And of course the Friday Ark is at the modulator.


CatSynth pic: Tali and Serge

From Carbon111, via matrixsynth:

There is also a wallpaper-sized version on SYNTHWIRE.

For those who may not know, the Serge Modular Synthesizers are kits that can be assembled to build large custom analog synthesizers. There are classic editions, and new editions. You can visit matrixsynth for more images and info, or visit the unofficial fan site.

You also check out more Cats on Tuesday


Weekend Cat Blogging: What Did You Eat?

Our friends Kashim, Othello and Astrid are dedicating Weekend Cat Blogging to our fellow cat blogger Sherry “Sher” Cermak of What Did You Eat?. She passed away suddenly last Sunday.

Sher was also an accomplished food blogger, and we have made some her recipes before. So in addition to Weekend Cat Blogging, we are also participating a tribute hosted by the “Bread Baking Babes” this weekend and preparing her last recipe.

So let us move to the kitchen and dining area of CatSynth HQ:

And with Luna ready to supervise, let us begin:

Angel Hair Pasta With Red Pepper Pesto

[Adapted from Food and Wine.]

3 medium red bell peppers or bottled roasted red peppers
1 tablespoon pine nuts
1 small garlic clove, smashed
1/4 cup basil leaves, plus 2 tablespoons chopped basil
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 pound angel hair pasta
1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese

Roast the red peppers over a gas flame or under the broiler, turning occasionally, until charred all over. Transfer the peppers to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let cool. Peel, core and chop the peppers. (We opted for the bottled peppers here at CatSynth.)

In a small skillet, toast the pine nuts over moderate heat until golden, about 4 minutes. Let cool.

Transfer the peppers and pine nuts to a blender or food processor (If your food processor has been sitting in a box at the bottom of a kitchen cabinet since moving, make sure to clean it first.) Add the garlic and whole basil leaves and blend until coarsely chopped. Add the olive oil and cheese and puree to a chunky pesto. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and cool slightly under running water. Transfer the pasta to a bowl and toss with the pesto. Season the pasta with salt and pepper. Top with the chopped basil and pecorino and serve at room temperature.

Now let us raise a glass and toast…

More tributes can be found at Weekend Cat Blogging, hosted at Astrid’s food blog. I’m sure the boys won’t mind too much.

The Carnival of the Cats will be hosted here at CatSynth tomorrow. Click here to submit your entry.

The Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos will be hosted this week at Pet’s Garden Blog.

And of course the Friday Ark is at the modulator.