THE TENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS WITH DANTE & SASCHA

On the Tenth Day of Christmas, Dante's true love gave to him ...

"TEN LORDS A-LEAPING"

When Dante saw all these grown men leaping towards him he was a little taken aback to say the least.  "Oh Lord", he said "What have I done to deserve this?"  He wanted to tell them to take a 'flying leap', but it was a little redundant.

He rushed to protect Sascha from getting struck by flying feet, and asked her what she could possibly be thinking.  These lordly lunatics just couldn't stand still.  They were beginning to make him feel dizzy.

"I know", said Sascha.  "Maybe we could lasso them like cattle and then hog-tie 'em!"  Indeed these ten not-so-little piggies required something to bring them down to earth.  "It sure would be great to harness all that energy!"

"Actually, that's not such a bad idea", said Dante.  "Let them leap, I say!  It's better than locking them up and only bringing them out every Leap Year.  But if they're going to leap, they shall leap with a PURRpose.  I think they are PURRfectly suited to the stageshow "Riverdance".  I can be their agent, and make a little money on the side.  It's a win-win situation!"

So Dante booked the ten lords with the "Riverdance" company that very day.  They were so happy to have them, they didn't even ask them to audition.  "It certainly has improved our show by leaps and bounds", said they.

Dante and Sascha attended the evening PURRformance.  It was so much better when the leaping was contained just to the stage.  It didn't feel so out-of control anymore.  And the lords were all very happy, and thrilled to have Dante as their agent, because now they would get paid for doing what they loved to do best.

Dante was proud when he saw HIS ten lords on stage.  Never mind the moon landing -- this was TEN giant leaps for mankind!

And they fit right in with all of the other PURRformers.  See!

So, once again everything has worked out marvelously.  Sascha and Dante have opened their own theatrical agency.  They named it after their Elizabethan ancestors, SimaCATTA and DemoCOÖN, by combining parts of both names.  And here is their business card.

They wanted to come off as snazzy and sophistiCATed.  Do you think they have succeeded?

So what started off as being something rather frightening, actually turned into something quite intriguing.  Not to mention that Sascha and Dante both scored new jobs as entrePURRneurs!

Things just seem to be getting better and better for these two.  Will the trend continue?  You'll have to return for "The Eleventh Day of Christmas with Dante & Sascha" tomorrow, if you want to find out.

THE NINTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS WITH DANTE & SASCHA

On the Ninth Day of Christmas, Dante's true love gave to him ...

"NINE LADIES DANCING"

These ladies were all young and very hip.  Dante knew he couldn't keep them, but he thought they could give he and Sascha dance lessons.  Why not?

In fact there was a "Ball" that very night, but Dante didn't really know how to dance, and he didn't want to step on poor Sascha's toesies.  So, the nine ladies all gathered round them and they danced from morning till early evening -- taking a break here or there for some snacks and the call of nature, if you know what I mean.  They were also sure to keep well hydrated, so it was a good thing he had plenty of cold milk in the fridge.

It sure was nice to share the product of yesterday's gift with this group of young ladies -- and, Sascha, too, of course!  She's his number one lady.

So, after a nice supper of leftovers from all their recent meals, Dante and Sascha felt well-fortified and were both keen to 'rock the night away' at "The Snow Ball".  They sure had some interesting moves!

Dante, who before hadn't been too confident in his dancing abilities, now threw caution to the wind (as well as a snowball or two) and boogied down with a flourish while Sascha kept rhythm with the beat, and really got into the groove.

Sascha and Dante are getting down to the tune of "Jingle Bell Rock"

Here are the lyrics in case you want to sing along.

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock
Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring
Snowin' and blowin' up bushels of fun
Now, the jingle hop has begun

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell twist
Jingle bells chime in jingle bell time
Dancin' and prancin' in Jingle Bell Square
In the frosty air

What a bright time, it's the right time
To rock the night away
Jingle bell time is a swell time
To go glidin' in a one-horse sleigh

Giddy-up jingle horse, pick up your feet
Jingle around the clock
Mix and a-mingle in the jinglin' feet
That's the jingle bell rock, yeah!

After the ball, Dante and Sascha were absolutely exhausted, but it was the good kind of tired.  Needless to say they both fell asleep as soon as their heads hit their cat beds, but even in their sleep they still couldn't stop  dancing.  Ah, life is but a dream, or at least it seems so with these two!

How on earth can Sascha top this gift?  You'll have to come back tomorrow for "The Tenth Day of Christmas with Dante Sascha" to see what she gives him next.

THE EIGHTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS WITH DANTE & SASCHA

On the Eighth Day of Christmas, Dante's true love gave to him ...

 "EIGHT MAIDS A-MILKING"

Now we all know that you can't really give human beings as gifts, so it was the services of the eight maids a-milking that Sascha was giving to Dante.  And he was absolutely thrilled!  After all, milk is one of his very favourite things, and it's so very versatile, too, when it comes to cooking.

So the eight maids milked and milked, until each had filled up one large can of milk.  Dante had to find room in his refrigerator to keep all that milk cold.  He had plenty to share with family and friends and wanted to make sure that none of it went to waste.

"Yup! We've got milk, all right!", exclaimed Dante.  Anybody out there want milk?"  They even went around town advertising "free milk".  Man, they were milking it for all it was worth!

Of course, Dante kept enough for his own purposes, and made one of his favourite desserts for dinner that night.  And here's what they had ...

CLASSIC CRÈME CARAMEL

Ingredients:

1/3 cup sugar

3 tablespoons water

Cooking spray

3 large eggs

1 large egg white

2 cups milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

Fresh raspberries (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325°.

 Combine 1/3 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons water in a small, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat; cook until sugar dissolves, stirring frequently. Continue cooking an additional 4 minutes or until golden. Immediately pour into 6 (6-ounce) ramekins or custard cups coated with cooking spray, tilting each cup quickly until caramelized sugar coats bottom of cup. Set aside.

 Beat eggs and egg white in a medium bowl with a whisk. Stir in milk, vanilla, 2/3 cup sugar, and salt. Divide the mixture evenly among prepared custard cups. Place cups in a 13 x 9-inch baking pan, and add hot water to pan to a depth of 1 inch. Bake at 325° for 50 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remove cups from pan. Cover and chill at least 4 hours.

Loosen edges of custards with a knife or rubber spatula. Place a dessert plate, upside down, on top of each cup; invert onto plates. Drizzle any remaining caramelized syrup over custards. Garnish with raspberries, if desired.

Dante felt very pleased that he'd made some sweets for his sweetheart, and they both fell asleep that night with very full tummies and smiles on their faces.

Tomorrow is the "Ninth Day of Christmas with Dante & Sascha", so come on back, willya?

THE SEVENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS WITH DANTE & SASCHA

NOTE:  Today's post contains another history lesson, so if you find such things interesting, please take a close look.

On the Seventh Day of Christmas, Dante's true love gave to him ...

 "SEVEN SWANS A-SWIMMING"

Dante was truly overwhelmed by this gift, and once again, wasn't quite sure what to do with them.  He had never even heard of anyone cooking a swan!  Somehow, it didn't seem quite right.

So he did some more investiCATing on the internet, and it turns out that it was quite common in Medieval times.  He even found copies of old Elizabethan recipes, crude though they may be.

While he was at it, he did a little geneological research, and dug up some information on one of his medieval ancestors, and one of Sascha's as well.  He was beginning to think that he and Sascha had been together in previous lives because several of their respective ancestors seemed to know each other!

PURRhaps they belonged together for all time.  It sure was starting to look that way.

Dante found likenesses of his and Sascha's medieval ancestors in an early Elizabethan engraving.  (Note:  Their names are 100 purr cent authentic to the times.  Rather ironic, I think.)

                

 DEMOCOÖN and SIMACATTA 

  

It really makes you wonder if their ancestors actually swanned around together, and maybe even partook of a little roasted swan for dinner.

Hereunder is a representation of a roast swan and an authentic Medieval Swan Recipe.  The Old English word for recipe is "receipt".  The receipt itself is written in Medieval English and is followed by a translation in modern English.

MEDIEVAL SWAN RECIPE

For to dihyte a swan

PERIOD: England, 14th century | SOURCE: Utilis Coquinario | CLASS: Authentic

DESCRIPTION: Roasted swan with Chaudon

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ORIGINAL RECEIPT:

For to dihyte a swan. Tak & vndo hym & wasch hym, & do on a spite & enarme hym fayre & roste hym wel; & dysmembre hym on þe beste manere & mak a fayre chyne, & þe sauce þerto schal be mad in þis manere, & it is clept:

Chaudon. Tak þe issu of þe swan & wasch it wel, & scoure þe guttes wel with salt, & seth þe issu al togedere til it be ynow, & þan tak it vp and wasch it wel & hew it smal, & tak bred & poudere of gyngere & of galyngale & grynde togedere & tempere it with þe broth, & coloure it with þe blood. And when it is ysothe & ygrounde & streyned, salte it, & boyle it wel togydere in a postnet & sesen it with a litel vynegre.

(FROM:  Hieatt, Constance B. and Sharon Butler. Curye on Inglish: English Culinary Manuscripts of the Fourteenth-Century (Including the Forme of Cury). New York: for The Early English Text Society by the Oxford University Press, 1985.)

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GODE COOKERY TRANSLATION:

For to prepare a swan. Take & undo him & wash him, & do on a spit & lard him fair & roast him well; & dismember him on the best manner & make a fair carving, & the sauce thereto shall be made in this manner, & it is called:

Chaudon. Take the issue of the swan & wash it well, & scour the guts well with salt, & boil the issue all together til it be enough, & then take it up and wash it well & hew it small, & take bread & powder of ginger & of galingale & grind together & temper it with the broth, & color it with the blood. And when it is boiled & ground & strained, salt it, & boil it well together in a small pot & season it with a little vinegar.

While Dante found his hiss-tory lesson very interesting (swans do hiss, after all), he wasn't exactly burning to recreate the recipe (er receipt).  But now that he was actually in receipt of the swans, he had to find something to do with them.  Then it suddenly hit him!

"I'll make a pond for them in my new garden in the Spring", he said, "but in the meantime I'll make arrangements for them to live at "Swan House" in Ottawa during the winter."

Dante lives in Ottawa which is known as 'Swan Central' by some, because in 1967, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II gifted the City of Ottawa, Canada's capital, with six pairs of Mute (Royal) swans. Her Majesty's gift was in celebration of Canada's 100th birthday.

The swans are housed in a nursery during the cold weather and released onto the Rideau River in May of each year.  We are pretty sure that it's actually illegal to eat one, so Dante made a very good decision -- again with Sascha's approval.

Join us again tomorrow for "The Eighth Day of Christmas with Dante & Sascha".  It's definitely time for something a little different.

THE SIXTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS WITH DANTE & SASCHA

On the sixth day of Christmas, Dante's true love gave to him ...

"SIX GEESE A-LAYING"

As roast goose is the centerpiece of a typical Victorian Christmas dinner, Dante and Sascha decided to have a little fun and dress up for the occasion.  To honour both past and present, they chose to go Steampunk style.

For those of you who may not know here is a brief description of Steampunk:

In general, Steampunk includes any recent science fiction that takes place in a recognizable historical period  in which the Industrial Revolution has already begun, and it places an emphasis on steam or spring-propelled gadgets. The most common historical steampunk settings are the Victorian and Edwardian eras.

Steampunk as it PURRtains to fashion comes from remixing styles from the Victorian era, classic Goth, gypsy, and industrial fetish.  It creates a unique and beautifully old-fashioned yet offbeat look. 

And who better to cook this classic Victorian feast, but one of England's foremost chefs and popular TV PURRSonality, Gordon Ramsay.

They popped over to jolly old England to eat this savoury dish at one of his London restaurants called the "York and Albany" where traditional English fare is featured.  They packed only one of the six geese into the PTU this time, and are keeping the rest for another time (and meanwhile, they'll have plenty of fresh goose eggs to harvest).

This is what they were served:

Gordon Ramsay’s Christmas Roast Goose

Ingredients

4 - 5.5kg freshgoose

4 lemons

3 limes

1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder

small handful each of parsley sprigs, thyme and sage, plus extra for garnishing

a little olive oil, for browning, optional

3 tbsp clear honey

1 tbsp thyme leaf

Method

1. Calculate the cooking time (see roasting times, below). If the goose is ready-trussed, then loosen the string and pull out the legs and wings a little – this helps the bird cook better. Check the inside of the bird and remove any giblets or pads of fat. Using the tip of a sharp knife, lightly score the breast and leg skin in a criss-cross. This helps the fat to render down more quickly during roasting.

2. Grate the zest from the lemons and limes. Mix with 2 tsp fine sea salt, the five-spice powder and pepper to taste. Season the cavity of the goose generously with salt, then rub the citrus mix well into the skin and sprinkle some inside the cavity.

3. Stuff the zested fruit and the herb sprigs inside the bird and set aside for at least 15 mins. Can be done up to a day ahead and kept refrigerated.

4. Heat oven to 240C/fan 220C/gas 9. If you want to give the bird a nice golden skin, brown in a large frying pan (or a heavy-based roasting tin), using a couple of tbsp of oil. Holding the bird by the legs (you may like to use an oven glove), press it down on the breasts to brown.

5. Once browned, place the bird in the roasting tin. Drizzle with the honey and sprinkle with thyme leaves. Roast for the calculated time, turning the heat down after 10 mins to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Cover the goose with foil if it is starting to brown too much.

6. Every 30 mins or so, baste the bird with the pan juices, then pour off the fat through a sieve into a large heatproof bowl . You will end up with at least a litre of luscious fat – save this for the potatoes and other veg. At the end of the cooking time, leave to rest for at least 30 mins, covered loosely with foil. The bird will not go cold, but will be moist and much easier to carve.

Roasting times

Cook for 10 mins at 240C/fan 220C/gas 9, then reduce to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5 and cook for 20 mins per kg for medium-rare, 32 mins per kg for more well-done, plus 30 mins resting.

So, it looks like this time Sascha really got Dante's goose!  And when it arrived at the table, he couldn't help but say "Take a GANDER at that, will you?".  It was a thing of beauty, indeed.  As was his gorgeous girlfriend, of course!

They'll be back tomorrow for "The Seventh Day of Christmas with Dante  & Sascha", so make sure you don't miss it.  I've been told there's going to be quite a bit of 'swanning around'!

THE FIFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS WITH DANTE & SASCHA

On the Fifth Day of Christmas, Dante's true love gave to him:

"FIVE GOLDEN RINGS"

This was the first time Dante couldn't give Sascha's gift a 'ringing' endorsement!  Sure, they were pretty, but he just wasn't sure what he was supposed to do with them.

I mean you couldn't cook them or eat them.  So Sascha suggested a couple of things, and Dante, always one to please, gave it a try, but ...

... the nose ring didn't prove too PURRactical and the earrings just didn't suit his PURRSonality.  He couldn't even give Sascha a kiss because that darn nose ring just got in the way.  Besides, it was turning his nose red (a PAWSible infection?).  And the earrings hurt like hell.  

Sascha agreed that Dante should take them out, and seek immediate medical attention.

Next, Sascha thought maybe a belly ring wouldn't be so bad, or a toe ring PURRhaps.  But the belly ring didn't make much sense because Dante's considerable belly furs just hid it, and the toe ring ended up giving him a blister after walking on it for just a short while.

What else are they good for they wondered.  "Hey, what about playing a game with them!" suggested Sascha. ' Ring Toss' was kind of fun, but it seemed like a big waste to just throw those expensive rings away.

So, they tried Table Shuffleboard, but it basically amounted to the same thing, and the rings got banged around a lot, too.

Finally, Dante and Sascha both got the same idea at the same time.  "Why not sell the rings and give the money to charity?"

"We are both so fortunate", said Dante.  "Yes", said Sascha, "and we should share our good fortune.  You know 'Winnie's Wish Foundation" is just starting their Christmas Fundraising.  What about we give the money to them?  It sure would help out a lot of homeless kitties.

And so they did.  They sold the rings, and dropped off an envelope full of money addressed to the Foundation.  This REALLY made them feel wonderful.

It feels a whole lot better to do something for someone else, especially at Christmas time.  If possible, this made them love each other even more.

And you can donate also, if you wish, and do it online through the "Celestial Kitties" blog.  Dante says "Even my mama did it and it sure made her happy, too!"

That night as Sascha was settling down to sleep, she felt really good how everything had turned out, all except for one thing.  She had kind of been hoping that Dante would get the hint when she gave him the rings.  After all, at least four of them were wedding rings.

Oh well, a girl can dream!

Dante and Sascha return tomorrow for "The Sixth Day of Christmas", and they're back to old tricks.  To see exactly what, you'll have to make a return visit.

THE FOURTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS WITH DANTE & SASCHA

NOTE:  There are some interesting historical facts in this post, so you may want to read it in its entirety.

On the fourth day of Christmas, Dante's true love gave to him ...

"FOUR CALLING BIRDS"

Most people have wondered "what exactly IS a Calling Bird"?  Well, here's the answer to your question.

Verse four of "The Twelve Days of Christmas referring to "Four Calling Birds" is actually a corruption of the English word 'colly' or 'collie'. So, we are referring to four colly or collie birds and not 'calling birds'.

So then, what is a colly bird?  It is a black bird.  In England a coal mine is called a colliery, and colly or collie for short, and means 'black like coal'. For a long time in England, blackbirds have been referred to as both blackbirds (as in the nursery rhyme "Sing a Song of Sixpence") and colly birds (as in The Twelve Days of Christmas) .

As to why the person in the song would give his or her true love a gift of blackbirds, the answer is that this would have been another gift of food.  Blackbirds were plentiful and were quite commonly used in cooking.

Of course in the nursery rhyme "Sing a Song of Sixpence", we see them being served as a meat pie and this may have been the way they were most often served. 

 (Dante's ancestor, Daniel, and Sascha's ancestor, Sarah, circa 1900, both enjoyed many a blackbird pie.)

So Dante decided to make a "Colly Bird" aka "Blackbird" pie for his sweetheart, but had a little trouble digging up a recipe.  "I could have used a canine Collie to help me dig up this one -- it sure wasn't easy", but finally, he struck paydirt online.  "Eureka!", he shouted.

This recipe was taken straight from the handwritten recipe book of a lady whose Great Grandmother was born and bred in the Brendon Hills of West Somerset, and is at least one hundred years old. 

Collie Bird aka Blackbird Pie   

(Traditional Blackbird Pie Recipe from Somerset, England) 

Eight Blackbirds

Half a pound of Bacon

Half a pound of Liver

One Onion

A handful of chopped field mushrooms

Pepper and Salt

One gill of Brown Sauce

Suet Paste

Grease and line a pint and a half pudding basin with good suet paste. Bone and clean the blackbirds, stuff each one with liver (of a paste-like consistency), wrap each blackbird up in a thin strip of bacon, season each piece with pepper and salt. Put some pieces of bacon in the bottom of the basin, put the rolled-up birds in neatly, sprinkle over the chopped onion and mushrooms, pour in the brown sauce, fill in with any pieces of bacon left over. Wet round the edges of the paste, put on the top crust, tie it up in a cloth tightly, plunge into boiling water and boil gently for two hours.

Of course, Dante only has four blackbirds to work with, so he made two PURRsonal-sized pies for both he and Sascha instead of one large pie.  He didn't quite know how much 'one gill of Brown Sauce' was, so again he turned to the internet.  

A "gill" is a unit of measure pertaining to volume.  A "gill" equals 1/4 of an English pint or 5 ounces.  So, Dante had to halve this amount for his PURRposes.

Once again, Dante's culinary skills rose to the four (the four blackbirds that is), and dinner that night was another smashing success!

Dante and Sascha will be back tomorrow for "The Fifth Day of Christmas", and there will be no birds to cook with this time, I tell you.  Check back to see what happens.