cheese for chestnuts

I traded some cheese for Chinese chestnuts at the farmer's market - not sure what I am going to do with so many... 

They are such a beautiful thing

meet Rudy

Newly adopted house cat Rudy!  Check out her mustache.

Rudy is a senior cat (13 years old) and came from the same shelter as Max & Cozy.  She is super, super affectionate, purrs constantly and walked right into the house like she's lived here for years.  She's been getting along with the dogs just fine and even nuzzling and cuddling with Cozy.  She came with the name Rudy, which I love.  

My best winter boots, or dog chew toy?

My newly customized heel-less Ugg boots, compliments of cobbler Cozy.  Max checks out her handiwork. 

Christmas joy

A beautiful white Christmas morning

my tree

My favorite gift: a wheelbarrow!

Maybe they named the wheelbarrow for the Abba song.  

Su-pa-pa, trou-pa-pa...

My sister in law Janet's delicious fruitcake

Comfy Cozy is she

Max's Christmas gift was flopping down on everyone's feet

Beautiful vintage needlepoint from Brooklyn sister Amy

Chestnuts roasting

2 month old wheel of Little Piros - stinky yum

An English trifle for dessert!

'Twas the night before Christmas...

Hang your stocking for Saint Nick
And he will fill it up
Don't forget to leave some cookies
And a Christmas cup
Leave some food for all his reindeer
And the Christmas mouse
Leave a little bit of cheese

Somewhere around the house

From Christmas Carousel by Peggy Lee

what snow?

A beautiful bovine friend at Moomer's dairy, who supply Boss Mouse milk

hey cookie

Potter's in Traverse City is an old fashioned bakery with a great logo

I brought a box of Christmas cookies to work on Thursday - I love how they decorated them

oh Barry

http://phillucas.wordpress.com/category/bad-portraits-of-barry-gibb/

on the left hand side

At Christmas I like to pass the Dutchie, but this year I'm gonna pass the Deutsche Küche!

the beauty of the barter

traded veg from 12/15 farmers market:

golden carrots, beets. onions, squash, potatoes, parsley, bok choy, purple kohlrabi, and radish

left overs

what do you do with a bunch of leftover cheese samples?

make super amazing macaroni & cheese!  The smoked mozzarella kicked it over the edge - OMG

sky study #81

sunrise December 13, 2012

Mother Mouse

Packaging cheese takes many hours and is hard work.  There's cutting the cheese (I'm a professional), vacuum sealing, weighing and pricing/stickering, and separating out the orders.  Mom & Dad Mouse generously spent Thursday night out in the cheese room with me until 11:00PM getting together Christmas orders.  Mom showed up with a Santa apron and her positive attitude, and Dad hand-priced all the cheese in his cool drafting handwriting.  What would I do without them?

bunny scare

This past weekend the rabbits vanished.  I was so worried - no sign of either of them Saturday afternoon, Sunday, or Monday morning.  Did an owl or hawk get them?  How could they both be missing?  They've stayed down in their rabbit holes overnight before, but never for more than a day.  I left for work this morning thinking they might be goners, but tonight when I got home I found their tracks emerging from one of their burrows in the hen yard, and both Bunny Lee & Blackie hopping around inside the hen house, just fine.  Thank goodness. I was so relieved.

I believe

If you haven't revisited the original 1947 film 'Miracle on 34th Street', try to see it this Christmastime - it's such a beautiful movie, from the style and costumes, the old New York City scenes, the set decor, that old fashioned way people spoke in the movies from that era, and the all around glamour of it.  It won 4 Academy Awards that year, too

"Some day you're going to find that your way of facing the realistic world just doesn't work.  And when you do, don't overlook those lovely intangibles.  You'll discover those are the only things that are worthwhile."  - from Miracle on 34th Street

they killed Iron Man

I bought the dogs some Iron Man toys that were on sale, which they immediately tore to pieces

they ate his brain

the beauty of the barter: triamble squash

Triamble squash has dense orange flesh and is ultra delicious - I traded some cheese for this beauty at the farmer's market this weekend

new roomates

My neighbors asked if I would adopt their three hens, and here they are - a Silver Laced Wyandotte and two Auracanas - the one above has a beautiful mix of brown and blue-grey feathers 

Welcome ladies!

whatcha smokin'?

 

My new and improved cold smoker, compliments of smoke Daddy Mike Kurta

the unit in action - it worked great

Boss Mouse smoked fresh mozzarella

Boss Mouse smoked butter - yes you can

Swiss beer cheese family

The finished beer brined Swiss wheels - sometimes if there's a little extra curd, you can make a mini wheel, as I did here.  What beautiful color - the one on the left has caraway seed

The blue cheddar truckles getting good and moldy

Right Brain Brine

Two wheels of Swiss taking a therapeutic soak in a Right Brain beer bath

the beauty of the barter

1 piece of cheese for 1 pound of chestnuts from Mike the forager guy

who are you

 

Actual exchange I had at the farmer's market yesterday - I was wearing a Who t-shirt

Amish man from behind his produce stand: "Hey, do you like The Who?"

Sue: "Yes."

Amish man: "I do too, but only the old Keith Moon stuff."

Right Mouse, Boss Brain

The Right Brain Brewery in Traverse City is the best microbrewery in town.  They make excellent beer and have a big bar in a warehouse space.  They are going to serve plates of local cold cuts, nibbles and...cheese.  Boss Mouse landed the account, and I am also going to work on a beer cheese for them.  Here is a 3 gallon batch of brine I made from Right Brain beer

Big pot 'o suds to which I added…forgive me…lots of salt

The beer is RBs Flying Squirrel Nut Brown Ale, one of their many brews - I love all the names

THE BEER MENU

CLASSIC TAPS (ALWAYS ON)

BLACK EYE PA / DEAD KETTLE IPA / FLYING SQUIRREL BROWN ALE / SHADOW WATCHER STOUT / NORTHERN HAWK OWL / WILLPOWER PALE ALE / CEO STOUT / SATISFACTION ESB

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SIGNATURE TAPS (ROTATING)

MIDNIGHT RENDEZVOUS / IRISH GOODBYE / NAUGHTY GIRL STOUT / THAI PEANUT / BIG MEECH IPA / FIRESTARTER CHIPOTLE PORTER / CHERRY BRULEE/ VAN GOGH CREAM ALE/ CAN I GET "WHEAT" YA? / VANILLA CREAM ALE

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PREMIUM TAPS (ROTATING)

LOOPING OWL / DEBAUCHERY WHEAT WINE / SOUR OWL / MANGALITSA PIG PORTER

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ALSO

CAT SCRATCH FEVER CIDER / MOULIN ROUGE RED WINE / BETTY 

sky study #80

Sunrise over the farm November 24, 2012

truckle

A truckle is a small cylindrical wheel of cheese - here is a batch of blue cheddar on the draining table

I wonder if Butch likes truckles?