WTF, OMG, can't you update?!

Or, why the Kitteh hasn't made a post since Thanksgiving...

Wow, so much has happened since I mentioned Thanksgiving.  Christmas has come and past, and was wonderful.  My birthday has also come and past, which was interesting.  I saw Repo! the Genetic Opera in Cincinnati with TechBear, as his birthday is a mere two days after mine.  We had a wonderful time and had dinner at Dave and Busters beforehand, I had never been so that was a cool experience.  My steak was still raw, though, much to the shock of our very new waitress.  She had it fixed and all was well.  The games were fun too... :)

Christmas meal was phenominal, we really outdid ourselves.  But realistically I will not make the full post any time soon, because things are too hectic around here.

To explain...let me tell you a story.

Back in Febuary 2008 water came in through the roof of our side room upstairs.  The insurance company sent someone out who quoted us $800 to essentially repaint the room, and specifically stated in all caps that no roof damage was found.  We elected to make the repairs ourselves (and by ourselves I mean, the Kitteh) and so the room was patched.  All was well until we fast forward to September 14, 2008.  Some of you may recall our old friend Ike...as in Hurricane Ike.  See, Ike mistook my house for Tina, and beat on a bitch some.  The roof over the side room and our upstairs bathroom was torn completely off, leaving only exposed plywood as a surface.  This would not have been so bad, but unfortunately we didn't find out until it rained on September 29, 2008.  And then it was messed up.  So the insurance tells me to pay out of pocket for a tarp to be put on the flat dormor roof, which I do.  Then they send a person out to look at it, confirm the roof is gone, and then of all things cut us a check for less than $200 to fix everything and never return our calls...until TechBear got fed up with the Kitteh going crazy each time it rained and took the fight to the insurance company.  A conversation with our contractor and TechBear later, the company sent out a new person who cut us a check on the spot for quite a bit more than the original amount.  For those keeping track during the story...the good check arrived January 12, 2009.  Yes, they dropped the ball.

That's a nice story, but that doesn't explain why you aren't posting, you say.  Well, that's because since January 14, 2009 we've been renovating/repair and generally destroying part of our house.  And it's eating my soul.  I have been without running water in my bedroom for over two weeks now.  It will be another week before the new toilet arrives, ditto on sinks.  Really, it's not fun being me, I promise.  However, the changes are going to be extraordinary.

Chicken Curry Pasta

We had Chicken Curry Pasta last night as planned. Unfortunately, it was so good that I forgot to take pictures of it before scarfing down the entire plate. So you'll just have to imagine, if you can, how incredibly good chicken curry masala is when served over wheat pasta. Mmmm...

Long time, no see

Well, it's been a while. Long story short, there's been some writer and cooking block. This is not to say that I have not been cooking, just that I haven't felt like putting it into words.

Lately I have been working on some ideas for a restaurant of some persuasion. I haven't gotten beyond the nebulous "I have several ideas". This blog has received a facelift, to match my new look too. It's going to become my sounding block for different culinary ideas, as well as a place to test out the recipes I develop. Who knows, maybe some day I'll make it big.

So, bare bones ideas.

• Good food, good price, good atmosphere
• New takes on old favorites (chocolate chip cookie creme brulee)
• Sustainable, renewable sources for food and energy
• Organic, healthy treats that still leave you satisfied

So, lots of things to focus on - including a dish I didn't develop myself, but helped with. I like to call it Chicken Curry Pasta - it's a cream-based pasta sauce made with Garam Masala curry powder and served with organic whole wheat pasta (trust me, the wheat texture blends perfectly with the sauce in a way bleached pasta could not). Maybe some garlic naan bread with it to give it an Indian touch with a hint of Italian influence. Keep your attention here, because there will be photos, a recipe, and a description all coming soon.

Pie, part one

I made a pie earlier. I'm still not too happy with the amount of filling it produces, so I'm considering how to scale up the recipe. It tastes fine, it just is less than I wanted in the pie. *sigh* That's what I get for being a perfectionist, I suppose.

Expect photos with the recipe later...probably tomorrow. I've been horribly sick lately so I haven't really had time to cook or update. Bad Kitteh.

what to make...

I just had a trip to the Fresh Market here in Louisville, and now my kitchen is fully stocked again. But unfortunately, I don't know what I'm going to make. I have everything save one ingredient necessary for a cheesecake...which I will make eventually because a friend asked for one for a birthday gift. I'm consider white chocolate with strawberry sauce. Mmm...cheesecake.

I also need to start working on yeast breads. I've been slowing down on them lately mostly because they're so damn much work most of the time. However, I have gotten some pretty incredible tips from some magazines I picked up, and I really should try them.

List of things to make:

• white chocolate cheesecake
• key lime pie (I just bought some edible flowers I'm going to use to decorate this...it will be awesome)
• strawberry shortcake
• ciabatta
• brioche
• challah
• chicken sausage muffins with spicy sausage and mozzarella
  
• cinnamon rolls

Wow...I have a very ambitious list. Unfortunately as well most of those are not particularly healthy. Though I believe my muffins are as a meal. I need to figure out a way to incorporate in some veggies to make them a viable option for a meal. Perhaps some diced mushrooms or onions would work.

Best Pizza EVAR...

While in Canada I decided to try pizza. As background, I have a deep loathing of red sauce. Mainly, I hate tomatoes, having tried them multiple times in various incarnations and other than buried as an ingredient in a meal I don't like them. So when the idea of pizza was pitched my first response was "I don't like pizza". But then it was pointed out to me that there was a Chicken Tikka Masala pizza. My ears immediately perked, for Masala is my favorite Indian food.

The pizza, from what I recall, had the following statistics:
Crust: Wheat, very fluffy and thick with a balanced flavor of not "I taste like wheat flour".
Sauce: Tikka Masala sauce...made of yummy and win.
Toppings: Cheese (Mozzarella I think), grilled strips of chicken (mesquite grilled), red onions, green chilies, roma tomatoes.

It is worth noting that we ordered the pizza without the last three toppings, but I include them for the sake of seeing how awesome this pizza was. I plan on working on pizza dough ASAP, so that I can try to recreate this delectable dinner.

Vacation

The Kitchen Kitteh and TechBear are going to Canada for a few days. This means, sadly for you, that there will be no delicious treats made for a few more days. But when we return you can look forward to more cookies, some cakes (mmm...cheesecake) and maybe my recipe for berry cobbler. So stay tuned.

Introduction to the Intarwebs

First post, new blog. The purpose behind this is to chronicle my culinary experiments. After I perfect the recipe I'll post it here and hopefully even include some pictures.

About Me:
I am complete nutjob that manages to find some semblance of peace in cooking. The order of it appeals to my Obsessive-Compulsive side. This is my record, shared with you so that you can enjoy the trials I go through to craft glorious foods. Oh yes, there will be glory.