Crazy Critters

We have been taking some great photos of our animals we just must share with everyone. Our cats Fergus (the orange one) and Lulu (the calico) have been bringing us joy for 14 years now. They really are our children and we cherish the love and companionship they give us. Not to mention they are a  continuous source of entertainment.
Fergus will let you do just about anything to him, including putting his mole toy on top of his head like a hat.

Can you see the family resemblance? :o) 

Lulu is engaged in everything. Definitely the curious cat. As soon as anything hits the floor, the bed, just about any surface, she is there to investigate and usually makes a fast nest.

A few boxes were delivered to us over the holidays and Lulu made quick work of claiming them as her fort as soon as they hit the floor.

The dirty laundry isn't even safe. She especially loves the underwear pile. Just how did she get her head through the leg hole?

What she sees in this belt laying on the bed, we just have to wonder.

Here is our new fish, Frederick (named after my great, great grandfather). He is a male beta fish. We will see if we can get him to live over 5 years like our last one did. He is now an endless source of cat television for Fergus and Lulu.

Holiday Cheer

We have been blessed with good cheer and fellowship with good friends over the holiday break. This years holiday season has seen much less snow than last year - getting around town much easier - so we decided to have a  couple of gatherings of friends to our place to celebrate. We also got a chance to get out for a couple of hikes in the woods to enjoy the crisp air and plentiful sunshine.

One of our favorite places to go for hikes is out to Ogle Lake. To find a pristine day like this in December is usually difficult, so we gathered some friends and went for a hike. The temps were still in the 30's and the ground very frozen, but it was just a gorgeous day.

It has been so cold that the water just under the surface of the ground has become frozen and has squeezed itself up and out of the ground. Almost like something one would find on the moon.

We found this on top of a puddle of water......

Our good friends Bob, Kris, Sally and Wayne joined us for some holiday cheer.

Christmas dinner was a very simple relaxed event. Here we are preparing the pears for our poached pear in dark chocolate sauce dessert.

 We shared our dinner with our neighbors Jane and Werner. Roast duck on arugula with wine sauce, lemon potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans and home made bread were on the menu.

Rowan's bread making just keeps getting better and better.....YUM!

We wanted to start the new year with a bang, so we invited a group of our favorite neighbors to come over and start the year with a toast on new years day. We spent the afternoon imagining what good things the new year might bring and hoping we would all survive the impending doom of an election year. Oh....and of course there was some college football thrown in there too. Here are photos of some of the group:

Ellen and Jenni

 Bob and Kris (lovely photo of Rowan too :o)

Doug and Patty

 Jeannine and her daughter Ella

 Carol and her son Steve

 .....and of course, there was food!

We had one final gathering of friends on Jan. 7th. We decided we would create a Julia Child dinner for this group of friends. I grew up watching The French Chef on TV and just love everything Julia. We picked dishes from Julia's most famous cookbook,  Mastering The Art Of French Cooking. We started the evening with champagne and cured meats and bruschetta then moved right on to the Salad Nicoise (a meal in itself). The main course was delicious Poulet Saute aux Herbes de Provence, Ratatouille and crusty french bread. We followed all of that with a cheese and fruit course and finished everything off with the ultra delicious poached pears and chocolate sauce. Chefs Note: If you want to try these dishes you must try them the first time by following Julia's recipes. Don't be afraid of the butter (if you must cut down on it, use 1/2 olive oil and 1/2 butter), etc. They are extremely delicious and meant to be cooked the way they are. You will LOVE them! You just may not want to eat this way every day :o)  I only took a few photos as we were having so much fun, I totally forgot about the camera. What a way to start the year :o)

The ultimate su chef's, Sally and Rowan, working on the salad nicoise.

 The chicken is in the pot. Go here for the recipe: http://oneperfectbite.blogspot.com/2011/06/poulet-saute-aux-herbes-de-provence.html

 The FABULOUS Ratatouille. Eggplant, zucchini, onions, olive oil, bell peppers, garlic, chopped tomatoes, parsley. Easy and extremely delicious as a side dish and goes with just about anything. Go here for the recipe: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1029169

You should hear me talk like Julia. It's hysterical :o)

 Nowana, Rowan and Sally giving us their best Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil...........hmmmmmmm, they almost look as good as the monkeys!

 From left, Charlie, Sandy, Mark, Rowan and Chris

 The most incredible salad you will ever eat........Nicoise. Go to this video and watch Julia make the salad. It will bring a smile to your face just to see her as The French Chef. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94UfxllZuVE

The only thing I would change about the salad is using Spanish White Anchovies, if you can find them.
Extremely light and delicate anchovies. Not ultra salty like the canned variety. You can find them at a really good international deli or Whole Foods. They usually don't come in a can, but by the pound or in a  plastic carton in the cold case. Don't skimp on anything. Make her french potato salad, don't buy something from the deli to substitute, and make her dressing. You won't be sorry.

Bon Appetite!