Fee, Fie, Foe, Friday: Feeding the Feline

Pretty kitty-girl, but I just vacuumed that cover
on the sofa 4 hours ago.

Most of you know we inherited an older cat. She'd never been out of her original home, and had never seen a dog before. But she's a great cat, and has adjusted to her new home beautifully, covering it thoroughly in cat hair and terrorizing the dog. Luckily we love her, as does the dog, oddly. He just keeps getting smacked every time she passes him, and puts up with it.

 On the advice of my friends who are owned by kitties, I've started giving her some wet cat food to help control the shedding. From what we can tell, she's only had dry food for her first 13 or so years. We started giving her some canned cat food a few times a week. She loves it. Adores it. Worse yet, she really loves the expensive brands. Figures, huh?

We should have guessed this; she belonged to my sister-in-law Cammi who had champagne taste. Madeleine is just like her Mom. No store brand cat food for this puss, only the little expensive brands will do. Part of this is my fault. While trying to see what she would like I bought an assortment of different little cans. It was sort of a novelty for me, since I'm used to bags of dog kibble, and just mixing in some plain old chicken for Hobbes. High-end cat food has rather dandy names, like the menu items on a good restaurant menu. So I filled up my shopping basket. We (or she) loves Fancy Feast. Oy.

I opened the first can of some sort of grilled seafood goo and I was done for from that day on. This cat is a singer and talker, and she expects her wet food now. She lets us know that it is time for her breakfast, and not the dry stuff she always has access to, Oh, no, no. The good stuff. Smelly wet cat food. And the ones that cost double the price of the store brand. I am the animal feeder in this house since my husband retches at the thought of any sort of wet pet food, let alone the sight and smell of it. The fact that I am also the litter box cleaner will remain unspoken. Yeah.

Wish I could say that I've seen a huge improvement in the shedding. But no, plenty of cat hair. The dog doesn't shed. No, it's not terrible, but vacuuming just once a week is no longer an option. What I have done is created a monster-- A cat who loves wet cat food now. And it is my own fault.

Madeleine Cookies: Cat Hair is NOT a Seasoning

Just for the record, I've never considered myself a cat-person. I've had one cat, or rather, she had me. I'm a dog person. Cats like me because they know that I'm a sucker for any small, dependent animal. Sadly, a family member passed away recently, leaving behind a cat named Madeline, who is about 9 or 10. I've been looking after her during her Mom's illness, and since the person originally designated as the cat-step-Mom can't take her, Chuck and I, and the dog are all trying to accommodate a cat who's never seen a dog or been out of her old home since she was a few weeks old.

Madeleine, aka Maddy or Madeline, is a bit mad.
No female wants her picture taken on a bad hair day.

The animals are having a Mexican Standoff. This is only my second cat, and the first one (also inherited) one liked to be outside most of the time. I, having forgotten that cats are mostly nocturnal, am not accustomed to having a cat jump on my head at 4 AM. Or cat singing. Nor am I accustomed to having an animal that can jump on to my kitchen counters or the range. I now have a spray bottle of water at hand in the kitchen at all times to  (hopefully) deter her from those places. Eeeeew. Cat hair, in my book, is NOT a seasoning. My dog doesn't shed. Madeline does. A lot.

Since the poor furry thing has come to a household where a real Francophile runs the kitchen, Madeline is now be known as Madeleine, because she really is a sweet little cookie. I started making Madeleines about a million years ago from a recipe in Marion Cunningham's " The Fannie Farmer Baking Book" for the delicate shell-shaped cookies and I still consider this recipe among the best. The do NOT have any cat hair in them, but lots of good butter, eggs and sugar. I wonder if Marcel Proust had a cat? Welcome to your new home, Madeleine!


Madeleines
Adapted from Marion Cunningham's "The Fannie Farmer Baking Book"
Makes 24


You will need to buy or borrow some Madeleine pans or molds with shell shaped indents, two would be good, since each holds 12, so you don't have to wait between batches for the pan to cool. The texture of the cookie changes as the batter stands, and the second batch will be cakier, and less crispy unless you can bake in two pans at once. If you only use one pan, let the pan cool after the first batch, wipe it out thoroughly, butter well and repeat.


2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. lemon zest, or 2 tsp. orange zest
1 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1 cup sifted AP flour
8 T (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
4 T softened butter

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Smear about 1/2 teas. of the softened butter over the inside of each shell indent in each form, no bare spots, please. Combine the eggs, sugar and lemon in a big, heat proof bowl, and set the bowl over simmering water and stir until the mixture is warm to the touch. Remove from the heat and beat with a mixer on high speed until pale and fluffy, nearly tripled in volume. May take  3-4 minutes. Add the vanilla and salt.

Sift half of the flour over the egg mixture and fold in gently Pour in the melted butter and sift the rest of the flour over the butter. Fold in until it all is just mixed. Spoon a heaping tablespoon into each shell indent, but don't level, they'll self-level in the oven. Bake about 10 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. Lift each cookie from the mold with the tines of a fork or the tip of a knife and let cook. Serve with powdered sugar sifted over them if you like. Serve the same day as baked or wrap tightly and freeze.