Categories
Life

Lunch Breaks

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I would be incredibly content with taking two hour lunch breaks everyday so that I can have plenty of time to walk and/or run. However, two hour lunch breaks just aren’t possible. I usually work out in the morning but most days I seize the opportunity to take a slightly longer lunch so that I can completely separate myself from my job and be active and daydream and lay in the grass at a nearby park. My foot was bothering me last week so this was a day that I was walking… and I couldn’t stop staring at the sky.

Categories
Life

White Elephant Poop

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Every year at my work holiday party we play White Elephant. I always get a gift card for the event because I’ve been stuck with a mug and hot cocoa mix before and I can’t say that I was thrilled… not to offend anyone who loves mugs and hot cocoa. So, this year baby Jesus was smiling down upon me and I will tell you why. I happened to be in the lobby a few weeks ago when a client brought in a fecal sample from her pet for testing and she had put the sample inside Tupperware inside a bag inside of this lovely Christmas bag with tissue paper and all.

This was hardly the first time that a client has told me that they brought us a “present” when bringing in their pet’s shit. In fact, every time I hear that phrase in that situation I’m mildly annoyed because everyone seems to think that it is such a funny joke that they themselves came up with. This time however, I was amused. The thought sprung forth into my mind so suddenly, “I must use this bag to put my White Elephant gift in and not tell anyone it’s a poopy bag until the very end.”

I would just like to say at this point that the bag was completely clean and not compromised in any way. However, there is one person I work with that I knew would totally be disgusted by the poopy bag revelation and I also knew she likes Amazon a lot… you can imagine where I bought my gift card to this year. Still, there is so much chance involved in White Elephant, it was a long shot that she would end up with my gift… but she did… and that is the story of my best White Elephant experience to date. Merry Christmas everyone!

Categories
Animals

Stitch’s First Christmas

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This is Stitch Murphy’s first holiday season and, shockingly, he is not terrorizing the Christmas tree or decorations. However, let me take this opportunity to tell you what he is doing. He is obsessing over q-tips. If he sees a q-tip he will manically try to eat it. The last time he got a hold of a q-tip I accidentally left the bathroom drawer open for a moment and he dove into the q-tip box. I chased him around the house, pulled him out of the closet, and grabbed half of a q-tip out of his throat… I never found the other half. He is also chewing cords of all kind. Finally, and this one is my favorite, he is obsessing over Mr. Kitty’s food which is located up high on top of a cabinet in the bathroom where Stitch’s uncoordinated derpy ass cannot get to. He obsesses over it so much that the other morning while I was getting dressed he tried to jump on me and climb me like a tree to get to the food bowl. My stomach looks like I got slashed by Wolverine. On the bright side, I’ve heard of people with cats who can open cabinets and/or fridge doors… glad that’s not happening.

Categories
Cooking

Spicy Pesto

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(Serves 2 to 3)
1/2 cup lightly packed basil
1/4 cup mint leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/2 serrano chile, stems and seeds removed
1 dash red pepper flakes
1/2 cup raw sliced almonds, unsalted
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, add more if needed
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan or pecorino, half to mix into pesto and half for serving

Place the basil, mint, garlic, chiles, red pepper flakes, almonds, and oil into a food processor and pulse 4 to 5 times. You want a thick paste, not a thin sauce. If you are not using this immediately, pour some more olive oil over the pesto to seal out the air and cover with a tight lid. This can be stored for up to 2 weeks. If you have a blender but not a food processor you just want to be very careful not to over-mix and you’ll likely need to shake the entire thing in between pulses.

This is an alteration of one of my favorite recipes from Mario Batali’s latest cookbook. The original recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds but I’m really not a big fan of fennel. Also, I decreased the amount of serrano chile and removed the seeds the second time a made it. My first pass at this was just too spicy which is really saying something because I am a big fan of spicy. I just felt that the spice overshadowed the rest of the ingredients. I also added just a little more garlic.

I really love this pesto. It’s fresh, nutty, and has a great kick.

Categories
Animals

Creeper Cats

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Every morning when I work out the cats are super creepers. Kitty sits by the tv staring and Stitch sits on the coffee table staring… Just staring.

Categories
Cooking

Spice up your Tomato Soup

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Popular canned tomato soup is good, but I’m not convinced that its that good. So if I’m eating it, I’m usually adding something. I’ve decided my favorite thing to do is roast a red bell pepper over the stove until the skin is blackened and can be easily peeled once cooled. Next I put the bell pepper, a little bit of the soup, and a little bit of a chipotle pepper in adobo sauce in the blender and blend until smooth. Finally, the blended mixture gets added to the soup and heat it up and you’re done. This whole process really doesn’t take too much time and you’re left with a kick-ass tomato soup. I topped the soup with some parmesan and parsley. If I had basil in the house it would have been basil. Try pairing the soup with grilled cheese.

Categories
Life

Fantasy Football Playoffs

I’m in the playoffs in my fantasy football league and my team has been killing it. I won last week and I’m in the finals this week but I’m really nervous because I’m playing a great team. I would just like to take this moment to thank Jamaal Charles, DeMarco Murray, A.J. Green, Randall Cobb, Julio Jones, Andrew Luck, and Adam Vinatieri for all of my-I mean your-accomplishments this season. Murray, in particular, was one of the best pics for me this year. He wasn’t ranked incredibly high but I had heard a little bit of buzz about him and he’s had an incredible season. I hope my desperate dreams of success and glory (and money) aren’t crushed by a loss this week… fingers crossed.

Categories
Animals

One of my favorite patients EVER

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This is Odin and if his people were struck by lightning I would take him in a heartbeat. He is a Bengal but he acts more like a Labrador. He is very relaxed and friendly. He plays fetch. He is one of my absolute favorites.

Continue reading “One of my favorite patients EVER”
Categories
Cooking

Arugula Obsession

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Arugula is one of my favorite greens. I especially love the slight pepper flavor of it and lately I’ve been eating so much of it. One thing you have to try is stuffing grilled cheese with Arugula. Don’t be shy, add a nice bundle of it in the middle of two layers of cheese and pan fry with some butter. Havarti dill cheese is really good for this preparation. When I make grilled cheese I like to cook it a little bit slower on a medium low heat to avoid burning. Finally, before I flip the grilled cheese I’ll put down another small pad of butter so that both sides toast evenly. When I was thinking about making this it sounded good but, admittedly, not super great to me. However, once I tried it I fell head over heels in love with this grilled cheese that is a little bit more complex in flavor and texture.

Categories
Life

Coconut Milk

I love a can of coconut milk for a lot of reasons but one of my favorite things to do with it is add a can to my turkey or chicken noodle soup. I’ve already made soup this way about three times in the past few months because I just cannot get enough of it. Homemade soup is the best. Just put your leftover chicken or turkey carcass in a large pot, fill with water, add a fair amount of salt, and boil to make your stock. Strain out your stock and pick off all the meat from the bones and return it to the stock. At this point I’ll check the salt content and I usually add a can of chicken broth or possibly some bullion to round out my stock. Finally your mirepoix and whatever else you want in your soup goes in. I love making a traditional noodle soup and adding the can of coconut milk and a few spicy dried thai chilies for some heat. The coconut milk provides a unique flavor that blends perfectly with the flavor of a traditional noodle soup and it is not too sweet. SO GOOD!

Categories
Animals

Bubba and Chokolate

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This is Bubba and he looks like a giant boy version of Freya. I’m not sure that I’ve ever mentioned this before but Freya’s former name was Chokolate… yes amazing isn’t it… Chocolate with a “k.” In my mind, one pronounces her former name like Choc-o-latte. Well, clearly, Bubba and Chokolate were acquainted at some point in the past. I’m pretty sure Bubba was Chokolate’s pimp.

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Cooking

Great Balls of Stuffing

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Thanksgiving leftovers! There’s the usual suspects… traditional turkey soup, sandwiches, and whatevers. This year, I came across a small article about using leftover stuffing and I was from then on committed to making epic leftover stuffing. This is where fried stuffing balls come in. First, I tested frying stuffing balls without a binder… didn’t work too well. Stuffing without a binder fried ok but not great. Next, I tried using egg as a binder… PERFECT. Now for the cheese, I tried stuffing the stuffing balls with Havarti, Mozarella, and Gruyere because it just so happened that I had those cheeses in fridge. The Gruyere kicked the other cheeses asses which is what I expected. It was perfectly stringy and flavorful.

If you want to make fried stuffing balls at home you can heat your deep fryer to 375F or heat 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium high heat until smoking. I mixed about a cup and a half to two cups of stuffing with one egg for three stuffing balls. Once I had my stuffing balls rolled out with a 1/2 inch cube of cheese in the center I rolled them in panko bread crumbs and fried them. They will only take about 5 minutes or less and you will want to turn them a few times if you’re frying in a pan. Finally, I recommend using some leftover gravy as a dipping sauce. A good stuffing by itself prepared this way is good but not terribly flavorful. The Gruyere helps a lot but some gravy to dip the whole thing in really makes this an extremely pleasing, decadent dish.

Categories
Life

Happy Thanksgiving

There is so much to be thankful for everyday. I’m not even going to try to list the things that I am thankful for. Instead, I will just say this… I love food. I don’t just love to eat although eating is pretty awesome. I love food and I am amazed by it. Most days, when I conceive of meals I want to cook and eat I am amazed by the possibilities. My amazement is somewhat akin to returning to civilization after being stranded on a desert island for awhile and, for the first time, being in a grocery store with a substantial budget. I have a great respect and concern for the food we consume. Happy Thanksgiving everyone, I hope your day is/was safe and joyous.

Categories
Cooking

Quick Brine

I’m not the biggest brining spokesperson in the world. I feel that the most important thing about cooking a tender, juicy bird is the cooking of it, not the brining of it. However, this brine recipe I found from Mario Batali actually does make a difference and it adds a subtle flavor that reminds me of meat roasting in the oven and fall.

1 cup kosher salt
1 stick cinnamon
1 bunch fresh rosemary
1/2 cup apple cider
2 quarts boiling water
2 quarts ice

In a container large enough to hold your chicken or turkey, combine the salt, cinnamon, rosemary, and cider. Pour in the boiling water and stir to dissolve. Next, stir in the ice and add your bird which should be completely submerged (you may need to put a plate on top of it) in the brine and refrigerated for 1-4 hours. I ended up adding a tbsp. of apple cider vinegar to the brine and I only used a little more than a quart of ice and let the brine sit in the fridge briefly to make up for the lost ice. When your bird is done in the brine, pat it dry and only add about 1/3 of the salt that you would normally apply to the outside.

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Cooking

Pumpkin Seeds

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I didn’t carve any pumpkins this year… but I did buy a few and I felt that it was their time to be repurposed before they start to rot. So, what I did was cut my pumpkins in half with a machete, removed the seeds, and baked the pumpkin in the oven at 350F for the dogs. Once the pumpkin was tender, I scooped out the flesh and mixed it with boiled potato. For dinner the dogs got (unseasoned of course) pumpkin, potato, and boiled chicken… lucky dogs. Pumpkin is high in fiber and generally ok for dogs but some could have a sensitivity to it.

I soaked the pumpkin seeds overnight in saltwater then let them air dry for a few hours the next day. Finally, I put them on a baking sheet in a single layer, seasoned them with my favorite seasoned salt, and put them in the oven at 350F for about 10 minutes or until most of the seeds are lightly browned. Hit your seeds with a little more seasoning once they are done. Spicy seasonings are great seasoning alternatives to just simply salting. This year I used a habenero lime chilli seasoning. Cinnamon and sugar is another great alternative.

Categories
Cooking

More Simple Fun… Strawberry Edition

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I just cannot get enough of dipping food in chocolate. After the apples I couldn’t wait to get more chocolate to melt. I could’ve made tuxedo strawberries since I had the white chocolate bar and the semi-sweet chips but that would require more work and I try to be nice to my dishwasher since it’s always so nice to me.

Categories
Life

God Made Girls… Rowan’s Song

Have you heard that country song, “God Made Girls?” Well if you haven’t, the verses essentially state that God made girls to keep boys in check and they list all of these random reasons like, “somebody’s gotta be the one to flirt, somebody’s gotta wear a pretty skirt” and so on. My hands down favorite insight into God’s reasoning for making girls is to “give him a reason to wash that truck.”

So this song inspired a bizarre fantasy story in my mind about Rowan. I made up a story (that in my head should be the next Pixar flick) where Rowan is a famous agility dog but he pretends to be a girl because he feels that it makes people more likely to worship him as the rising superstar that he is but all the other agility dogs who are normal and grounded know that Rowan or “Rowena” is a fake. Rowan wears skirts and tutus to hide his penis on and off of the agility course. Every time “Rowena” starts his agility runs he requires his song to be played, which is “God Made Girls.” I like to picture Rowan jumping over a hurdle and right when the chorus of his song plays, “God made girls” especially when the “girls” is sung, Rowan is in mid-air over the jump and is in slow motion while his fluffy mane pulses in the wind… amazing.

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Cooking

Simple Fun With Apples

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Dipping fruit in chocolate is just fun all around. Since it’s still technically fall I decided to go with apples. Granny Smith apples are great and they don’t brown as easily as other varieties. The best part about making these is searching your pantry for random stuff to put on them. I found some almonds, sprinkles, and a coconut crunch topping to put on them. Gar made some with sea salt and some with chilli powder. They all turned out great! ps. the one’s that don’t look pretty were made by Gar… just saying.

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Cooking

Twice Baked Potato: Why I Love Crispy Prosciutto

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I’m very particular about my twice baked potatoes. I guess I’m that way about a lot of things in the kitchen. The other day Gar was grilling steak and I kept hovering and staring until he said, “What?” and I said (mildly accusingly), “How many times have you flipped that?” he said “once” and I said “good.” Back to the potatoes, once they are baked I like to make a couple slits, open them, and let them cool slightly before scooping out as much of the potato as possible. A handful of pulses in a food processor works great to mix all of your ingredients. The potato you see in the picture was 369 calories (including the prosciutto) and very filling. I combined my potato with 2 tbsp. of fat free half and half, 1/8 cup of 2% shredded sharp cheddar cheese, 3/4 of a cup of broccoli, a few mushrooms that I sautéed with a little margarine (I had some mushrooms I needed to use), salt, and freshly cracked black pepper. Once everything was combined I stuffed the mixture back into the potato, topped it with just under 1/4 cup of the cheddar, and baked it in a 425 degree oven for another 10-15 minutes. In the meantime, I put some left over prosciutto in the toaster oven at 400 degrees and cooked it for about 10 minutes on each side until it was dried out and crumbly and used it as the final topping on my potato.

Now, let’s talk about crispy prosciutto for a moment. I bought some prosciutto for a chicken saltimboca recipe I wanted to try out from my new Batali cookbook. I wasn’t too impressed with the recipe (I’ll post about it next week) but I had a decent amount of prosciutto left over that I needed to use.  Topping things with dried, crispy prosciutto is a great way to use leftovers. It is so easy to make and it provides the great smoky pork flavor without bringing along the grease that bacon usually does. Finally, it is so incredibly crispy without tasting burnt or being difficult to chew. I highly recommend using prosciutto in this way. On this potato, small paper thin crispy pieces of yummy flavorful pork permeated every bite, I was loving it.

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Cooking

Sweet Corn Parmigiano Budino

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1 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 ears of corn
1/2 tbsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 cup heavy cream
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper

When we were driving home from Monterey, I had Gar read me most of Chef Batali’s new cookbook “America: Farm to Table.” When we got home, I was cooking this recipe before I had unpacked. The recipe in the book is double what I have listed and it was baked in six 8-ounce ramekins. I cut the recipe in half and placed the mixture in two larger ramekins (because that’s what I have at home). I was very pleased with the way this recipe turned out. I’ll quote the description from the book, “This is simply the finest, creamiest, richest, and most decadent appetizer pudding you will ever taste.” I’m not sure about the “I will ever taste” part but it was pretty effing good.

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