Sunlight through the trees on a morning walk at Los Padres National Forest.
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Author: Angelgrrl
My dog Loki splashing around at Los Padres National Forest.
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Sunlight Through the Trees
Nature is magical to me and I find myself entranced by it every day regardless of whether I’m camping or not. The next few posts will be pictures from my week at Los Padres National Forest.
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Campfire Chicken
This is one of the few times I’ve ever been camping in an RV and it is pleasantly strange to have things like a microwave and a fridge. However, the fire pit on the site had a grill rack on it and I was excited to do something with it. Enter campfire chicken. Once I had a decent fire going (and I felt the rack in the pit was sterilized enough) I seasoned my chicken breast with mesquite seasoning (just used a packet I brought) and put it over the fire. Luckily, the rack was adjustable so I could ensure that the chicken was far away enough from the fire so that it cooked and did not burn. Also, the chicken needed to be close enough to the fire to get some char and cook in a reasonable time frame so that it did not just taste like smoke. If the rack were not adjustable, I just would have had to be really thoughtful about where and how I built the fire in the pit so that the rack was in the right place.
I don’t remember how long the chicken cooked for, I didn’t really keep track. I just flipped it a few times and took it off when it was the proper firmness. I believe the cooking time was something like 15-20 minutes. The chicken had a great smoke flavor from the oak wood we were burning and it was perfectly crispy. It was also a nice break from eating burgers. I lost count on how many burgers Gar and I grilled up and ate with our small propane BBQ.
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The White Tree of Gondor
You know you’re a dork when you go on a stroll in the woods and you stop, gasp, and say, “I’ve found an ancestor of the White Tree of Gondor.” For those of you who don’t know, the White Tree of Gondor (I’m sure it has another name, I just don’t feel like getting out my books and looking it up) is a thing in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-Earth and Lord of the Rings books. Now the cat is out of the box or hat or however that saying goes. I am a BIG Tolkien fan.
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Our Campsite
We made it to our campsite… and it was underwhelming. We had to reserve a spot because we’re in an RV this time. The site we picked looked great on the map but not so much in real life. I could have been happy there, but as soon as we parked I went on a walk to scope out other sites. That’s the beauty of off-season camping, the camp isn’t crowded and you can basically choose any site you want. Sure enough, two sites down the road I found this beauty. It was entirely secluded, all you can see are trees in all directions. Also, it was right above the creek and you could hear running water no matter where you were standing on the site. I LOVE woodsy camping.
The time finally came to go on a camping vacation! I went to a creek-side, woodsy area in the Los Padres National Forest and this time took all three dogs. To prepare for the trip I decided that I should organize everything I could and put it in small plastic bins. This would make loading and unloading extremely easy. I realized how crazy I am and how crazy about the dogs I am when I began to pack their things. I made a bin that was devoted to bandaging and also contained clotting gauze packs. This bin is separate from the bin that includes the general, human first aid. I made a dog medication bin.
When I put together a doggie first-aid kit for camping, it got me thinking about what a basic kit for dogs should be. Each kit would vary depending upon the individual needs of your dog and your destination. However, I think there a few things that are essential for any kit.
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Thin Crust Pizza
I had such a good time eating and making my Margherita pizza, I decided to make another pizza the next night. This time, I wanted a pizza with a really thin crust so I used about ¼ less dough than I did for the Margherita pizza. I also found that hand stretching the ball of dough initially, then hand-tossing is the quickest and easiest way to stretch it out. Also, don’t forget to continue to lightly flour your working surface and your pizza pan. The dough is more likely to tear or stick to your working surface the thinner it is. I topped this pizza with diced mushroom and onions, it was really good. If you want the best thin crust pizza, just make it. No one can make a pizza exactly the way you want it like you can.
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Parrot Kittens
How can you not love kittens?!? I understand if you are not a cat person, but kittens man, kittens are too cute. Parrot kittens are especially cute. Parrot kittens are the ones that just sit and chill out on your shoulder while you take a break at work and snap off a selfie.
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Margherita Pizza
Margherita-style is one of my favorite pizzas, especially when it’s home made. I started by picking up plain pizza dough from one of my favorite stores. I haven’t really had much desire to make my own pizza dough when I can buy a bag of it for a little over a dollar and it always comes out perfect.
Make your pizza after the jump …
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Antipasto Salad
Here’s another great application for pickled onions! Antipasto salad can have many things in it, I used the ingredients I found in my fridge. I started by chopping red leaf lettuce and putting it in a bowl. Then I added pickled onion and thin strips of havarti cheese and italian dry salame. While Gar and I were waiting for our dinner to cook, I grabbed some tongs and filled up some small bowls with salad. Finally, I drizzled some of our favorite Italian dressing on top and stored the rest of the salad in the fridge until lunch the next day. If I had some good ham in the house, I would have used that for the salad as well. Although mozzarella or even provolone would have been a more common choice, the havarti worked incredibly well. Other great options to add to this salad includes tomato, olives, peperoncinis, roasted red bell peppers, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, basil, and parsley.
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Turkey & Bacon with Pickled Onions
Here’s one of the sandwiches I made with my pickled onions. First, I applied a thin layer of mayo on one side of my sourdough wheat bread and a thin layer of plain yellow mustard on the other. Beginning from the bottom up I used turkey breast, pickled onions, tomato, red leaf lettuce, and bacon. Also, I cracked some black pepper on top of the turkey. I think that lightly seasoning your sandwich with salt and pepper is extremely important for delicious sandwiches. I did not, however, apply salt this time because of the saltiness of the bacon… mmm bacon.
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Quick Pickled Onion
I’ve been wanting to pickle some red onion for a while now and finally got around to doing it. Pickled red onion is incredible on sandwiches, burgers, and many other things. They’re great for onion-lovers and even better for those who aren’t crazy about onions because they are so mild and sweet. Once pickled, the strong, eye-tearing, overwhelming after-taste is completely gone and you’re left with a sweet and somewhat acidic mild onion flavor.
To make some quick pickled onion, combine ½ cup apple cider vinegar, 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 tablespoon of white granulated sugar in a medium bowl. Stir the mixture until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Next, add ½ of a red onion that has been thinly sliced, stir, and cover. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for a few hours before serving. The mixture can be stored in the fridge.
I’m not sure exactly how long it lasts, since I pretty much finished mine four days after I made it. Three hours after pickling the onions they were excellent on top of a burger with some shredded lettuce, mayo and pickles cubed into small pieces. The next few days I tried them on a sandwich and bagel and they were even better. If you would like to make a not as quick but still somewhat quick pickled onion, thinly slice one whole red onion and add one cup of water to the liquid mixture before stirring in the onion. Pour this mixture into a jar, chill, and enjoy as early as the next day and as late as who knows when… maybe someone can figure that out for me.
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Another Day at the Office
We have this white board near one of our treatment and kennel areas that lists the patients who are staying with us for surgery or treatment for some or all of the day. In the afternoon my co-workers and I realized how strangely funny the board was looking with our two hospitalized patients listed on it.
One very small Chihuahua puppy was unfortunate enough to have a table fall over on her head but was fortunate enough to receive immediate treatment and live with a very strong likelihood of having a completely normal life despite suffering from a fractured skull. Another small and very cute chihuahua terrier mix ate a marijuana brownie and was as high as a kite. In all seriousness, marijuana toxicity can be very dangerous and potentially life-threatening so keep your pot away from your pets people.
Of course, chocolate can be toxic as well… so this little girl hit a double whammy. Despite being stoned out of her mind for about a half day, little “Boo” fully recovered after a number of treatments. It was just another day at the office.
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Peed On Again
Every time Loki pees Rowan either pees on Loki’s pee after he’s done or pees on Loki while he’s peeing. There’s really not much more to say except that Rowan is a crazy little dog. If you’ve seen Despicable Me 2, Rowan reminds me of the minions when they’re injected with that weird shit and they turn purple and act all crazy. If you don’t get that reference, Rowan is just a very hyper, happy little dog with attention deficit disorder who makes weird gremlin noises a lot.
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Julie’s Pasta Sauce
When you make your own pasta sauce, a simple spaghetti dinner night is transformed into something far more appealing. This sauce is so simple and so tasty: bright, sweet, and with a lovely toasted earthy flavor. I also love that the sauce remains bright red in color.
Usually when I make my own sauce it’s a simple Marinara. I sweat out garlic and onions with some Italian herbs, then, I reduce a little red wine and add peeled, crushed tomatoes with salt and sugar. However, this week when I decided to make spaghetti for dinner, I called my fiancé’s mom Julie, to find out how she makes her amazing sauce. I love Julie’s sauce for many reasons but what really stands out is it’s brightness in flavor. The sauce has a tang similar to the brightness of citrus but without the sourness. I was surprised to find out how incredibly simple it is to make it.
Start by toasting 8 or 9 cloves of garlic, as described in my Toasted Garlic post. After your garlic is toasted, add a large can of peeled, crushed tomatoes (Julie recommends Hunt’s) and a pinch of salt. This sauce does not need to be simmered over time, just warmed. After everything is stirred together it is as good as it will be the next day.
It was funny to think back to when I didn’t know what was in Julie’s sauce, because I would have guessed it was more complex than it is. However, the toasted garlic and the olive oil give it a perfect complexity of flavor. For those of you who are not the biggest garlic fans, I would still try this sauce. The garlic flavor is very present, but it’s not overwhelming.
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Toasted Garlic
I’ve toasted so much garlic, usually in butter for my mashed potatoes, that I am well aware of the dangers of burning it. Here’s my number one tip: don’t walk away from the garlic as it cooks, and stir it almost constantly. To get started for a Marinara sauce, put about 3 healthy tablespoons of a good extra virgin olive oil into a skillet on medium to medium-low heat, depending on the stove. Next, add enough finely chopped garlic to mostly cover the bottom of the skillet. I used about 8 or 9 cloves of garlic, which is good for a large pot of pasta sauce or a family-sized serving of mashed potatoes. I was using kind of a large skillet in this picture, so my garlic didn’t completely cover the bottom. Just be sure to spread your garlic out on the bottom of the skillet, so that it all cooks evenly. The garlic needs to be toasted until it is a light golden brown, as shown in this picture. It’s very easy to burn your garlic, and once it turns a medium to dark brown it becomes bitter and will ruin your meal.
Check back tomorrow for a simple pasta sauce recipe using toasted garlic, it’s one of my favorites!
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Vegan Chili Palmer
I just realized that I had to let you know one way to make your chili (or my chili) super awesomely vegan! All you have to do is replace the ground beef with Garbanzo beans that have been mashed into very small pieces. The garbanzo beans are great, they keep the chili hearty and add a great texture to the dish. I think masa is especially good to add into vegan chili. If you are buying your masa, just make sure you get the good old fashioned corn, water, lime stuff and not some strange kind of tamale masa with lard in it to almost kill your vegan mother on her birthday like I did. Enjoy!
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Chili Palmer
I named this chili “Chili Palmer” because I like the movie “Get Shorty” a lot. It’s based on one of Elmore Leonard’s best stories and I never get tired of watching it.
4 dried guajillo chilis, stems removed
4 dried arbol chilis, stems removed
1 chipotle pepper (optional)
4 garlic cloves
1 15oz. can of sloppy Joe sauce
1 28oz. can of whole tomatoes
1 lb. ground beef
Salt to taste
This bright red chili is very easy and very tasty. This recipe will make a medium to hot chili. If you prefer a milder chili, don’t add the chipotle and replace a few of the arbol chilis with red bell pepper.
Boil all of your chilies and garlic in about 4 cups of water until the dried chilies are completely softened. Put all the chilies and garlic into a blender or food processor with a few cups of the water and blend until smooth. Combine the chili mixture, sloppy Joe sauce, can of tomatoes with juice (smash the tomatoes into pieces with your hands or cut them into pieces on cutting board if you don’t like smashing things with your hands) into a large pot and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add the ground beef. I prefer to use a ground beef mixture that is 10% fat although 20% fat would work as well. Occasionally stir until ground beef is fully cooked and salt your chili to taste. If you like beans in your chili go ahead and add some cooked or canned beans at the start. Allow the chili to lightly simmer on a very low heat for at least an hour.
I used this chili mixture on Super Bowl Sunday to put on top of Frito corn chips, cheese, diced white onion, and bacon. In the past when serving the chili on its own I’ve added about ¾ of a cup of masa (I buy my masa from a hispanic bakery mostly for making corn tortillas) to add another layer of flavor to the chili. I’m also a big fan of experimenting with different chilis from time to time. Finally, to use up my left over chili the next day, I put it over black beans beans and brown rice.
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National Pet Dental Month
February is National Pet Dental Month. I spent a good amount of time researching and writing a pretty awesome article for work about some important things that everyone needs to know about pet dental health. I would like to share some things about your pet’s teeth that I think are important.
If you want your dog or cat to live a long, healthy, and happy life you must be aware of and address their dental health. Most pets over the age of three suffer from painful and inflamed gums due to infection. Infection under the gumline can spread to the liver, kidneys, and heart. Pets mouths should not smell like they just got done eating all the poop out of the litter box or something worse. Daily teeth brushing is freaking awesome for your pet and it can end up saving you A LOT of money.
Not all people can brush their pet’s teeth, I totally get that. Ask your veterinarian about other options like oral rinses, special foods, and treats. Not all treats, especially dental health related ones, are created equal. Animal bones can can splinter and cause tears in the stomach or intestines and possibly cause intestinal blockages. I’m not even going to go into why I think non-anesthetic dentals suck (and are often illegal) because there are so many reasons. Finally, I am not a veterinarian and will not and cannot offer medical advice for your pet.
Anywho, happy National Pet Dental Month! I hope you found this helpful or interesting. Some days I get too busy or forget to brush my dog’s teeth. I can’t brush my cats’ teeth, they try to shred my face. My goal for this month is to not miss one day of brushing… starting tomorrow. Enjoy this picture of Loki loving on his poultry flavored toothpaste.