Sachertorte!

So, I went to Vienna.  I went for a conference, which was lovely, and got to enjoy the city around me while I was there.  Ever since I was quite young, I have always had this grand image of enjoying breakfast in a cafe in Vienna.  Why Vienna? my mother once asked me.  But why not Vienna? was all I could think.  The answer, as pictured above, was quite clear to me.  The pastries, the ambiance, a marble table, Vienna itself, really what other reasons does one need?  I realize some things you imagine while young don't turn out to be quite like you expected when you actually do them.  This, however, was just like I imagined, and I have quite an imagination.  Sitting in Cafe Sacher, there I was, many years after the notion first struck me, having my Sachertorte and sipping a wonderful Viennese coffee creation at a little marble table.  Some things you imagine turn out just as you expected.

When cats hunt

Do your cats ever hunt for you?  Sure, maybe it's just that tattered little mouse toy they've had for years, but doesn't it make you feel special, nonetheless, to be so dutifully presented with such a prize?  My personal favorite is the deep throaty yowling in the middle of the night, as the cat comes to the bedroom carrying its prey (aka toy mouse) in its mouth.  Waking up to a pile of little toys next to the bed in the morning or in front of the door when I get home at night lets me know I am very loved.   To think I deserve the fruits of their labor.  Thank you cats for your random displays of affection.

Oh Bordeaux

So one of my recent food explorations has been in Bordeaux wines.  I'm a red wine lover, and have long enjoyed the big, bold cabernets from the West coast.  Sure I had tried Bordeaux (you know, the French stuff) now and then, but had never really taken the time to learn about it, compare it, taste it, think about it, and discover just how miraculous this stuff really is.  Through a series of recent Bordeaux tastings, I feel like I'm getting there.  If you like wine, you know that moment when you pick up a glass, give it a swirl, take a sniff and are lured into a secret world of ecstasy by the aroma alone.  To then take a sip and feel that delight of so many flavors harmoniously dancing in your mouth just seals the deal.  These are the wines I am constantly in search of.  I drink many I consider to be nice "table wines", inexpensive, fine for sipping on a random evening, but every now and then I need something to just wow me.  One that did this for me recently was a 2005 La Fleur de Bouard Lalande-de-Pomerol, Chateau La Fleur Saint Georges.  Amazing. That's all I can say.

Why do cats vomit anyway?

Why do they vomit?  This is an eternal question that I think every cat owner must ask at one time or another.  Cats vomit.  That's just how it is.  While I can certainly think of plenty of perfectly good physiologically sound medical reasons for a cat to vomit, which certainly do happen and should be taken seriously, sometimes it seems like physiology has nothing to do with it.  For instance, one of my favorites is the vomit placed strategically just inside the doorway to my bedroom in the evening.  Of course I won't see it entering the dark room, and I will be sure to step in it with my stocking feet, or worse yet, a bare foot.  Yuck.  You can't tell me the cat didn't get some strange pleasure out of that.  There's also the vomiting on any available soft fabric.  I have hardwood floors, no carpeting, and as few rugs as possible.  Yet, with vast expanses of hard, easy to clean surface, the cats will inevitably vomit just on the edge of whatever rug is handy.  They could  have moved over just two inches and avoided the rug, but no, that would be too easy.  But nothing, and I mean nothing, is as bad as the strategically placed vomit on the bed.  Preferably on top of as many layers of bedding as possible so that you need to wash everything.  Of course, you won't discover said present until actually getting into bed to cuddle in for sleep, making the event all the more fun (for the cat who is probably curled up as cute and innocent as can be on a clean blanket somewhere.)  Alas, once they're curled up next to me, purring contentedly, I always forgive them, and think of vomit duty as one of the occasional annoyances one must endure for the privilege of living with such creatures.

Birthday Cake

Few occasions warrant a gratuitous amount of cake like a birthday, and this is the cake from my day.  There is something so special about a homemade birthday cake.  This year it was a luscious moist chocolate cake with an orange cream cheese frosting so nicely made by my roommate, decorated beautifully by my other roommate who is getting into cake decorating.  It was truly delicious and such a treat.

Sleeping Beauty

Few things are as calming as a sleeping cat. The cats are asleep, all is right with the world.

La Reine de Saba

So, this is where my night wound up.  It all ended in chocolate cake.  Not just any cake, mind you, but the queen of cakes.  Isn't it lovely?  Here I sit at 11:30 pm, savoring my just finished creation, as I took the notion to make this at about 8:30.  Not bad considering it had to cool before I could ice it.  A little impromptu cake baking never hurt anyone, and I did have a rather large block of Callebaut chocolate staring me in the face every time I walked into the kitchen pantry.

This is quite possibly my favorite cake, and that is saying something.  I love to make it and I really love to eat it.  Tonight just seemed like a great night for a Reine de Saba (Queen of Sheba) cake, since I was feeling especially domestic goddessy.  (Then again, wouldn't any night be a great night for Reine de Saba?) Since I had already made a pan roasted pork loin for dinner and indulged in my roommate's fabulous chocolate orange muffins, it didn't seem right to stop the evening short of a little more decadence.  Do I feel a bit like the Queen of Sheba?  Eating this cake, why yes I do.