More on this tomorrow, but for now consider that sometimes the best cheeseburger is the one your dog didn’t eat.
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Old Timey School House
I’ve driven by this school house many times. Each time, I wait for that perfect moment when the building peeks through the trees and you can admire it in all its beauty. It took me a year of driving by it every month or so to finally stop and get a picture of it… I don’t know why.
I wonder what the children that attend the school think of it. I wonder if there’s some warm, older teacher in there whose idiosyncrasies match those of the school and who can tell you stories about the history of the school and the valley that it’s in.
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The Flower Within
I’m sure there are thousands of great bougainvillea pictures out there but I just could not resist. Also, besides cropping, I did not alter the picture in any way. There is a lot of bougainvillea at the beginning of my half of a mile long driveway and I am always entranced by how it looks and feels completely different depending upon what time of day it is. This is what it looks like a little after the sun has started to set. More often, it is more fuchsia or pink looking but here it is more electric purple… its hypnotizing when I see it like this.
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Pan-Fried Chicken
If you are in a hurry to make dinner and want a quick and delicious method for cooking chicken breast then you absolutely must keep reading. So often, I come home from a long and tiring day at work and I just want to make a yummy chicken dinner with salad or rice or something like that. The best way to cook chicken in a hurry is to simply season it with salt and pepper and add it to a frying pan that has either a thin layer of vegetable oil or olive oil. Pre-heat your frying pan and cook the chicken over medium high heat. Side note, I really like non-stick frying pans they just make life so much easier. If you wanted to add a little more flavor to your chicken you could use some olive oil in combination with butter as opposed to the vegetable oil.
I always know when chicken pieces are done based upon how springy they are and how they feel. Start gently poking your chicken pieces while cooking and you’ll start to get really good at telling when its done but not overcooked. Overcooked chicken is really firm. Chicken that is cooked just right is firm but still a little bit springy. Undercooked chicken is soft and springy to varying degrees. When you take your chicken out of the pan, let it rest for about 5 min.
Of course I love making chicken this way because it is fast but, ultimately, it just tastes great too and it has a great crispy exterior. If you want to cook some chicken breast more quickly, butterfly or thinly slice it. Also, you can get creative with the seasoning depending upon what you are using the chicken for.
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Labrador Train
I took Loki into work one day because he was drinking an INSANE amount of water and I wanted to make sure he wasn’t diabetic (I might be a little paranoid when it comes to the animals sometimes… just a little). Well, Loki’s blood sugar and other tests were completely normal but he got to hang out next to this adorable female lab puppy. Loki and her kept sitting in the same positions it was too cute. If I had enough property and money I would have a pack of labs. Just the thought of having my own giant pack of labs makes me smile and giggle.
If you go into a hat store… try on hats! I love this hat store because they have all sorts of hats and I really can’t help myself. I wondered if the ladies that work there are sick of people like me who just walk in there and take pictures in hats but then I remembered that I bought a knit unicorn hat from them once… so there’s that.
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Misty Mountains
I was taking the dogs for a walk at dusk… I love when the mountains look all misty… no wonder dwarves love them.
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Bacon Weave
Bacon weaves are so awesome and have become more and more popular recently. Bacon weaves are great for BLTs, burgers, or any sandwich really. You could even wrap a bacon weave around meatloaf or a pork tenderloin (just make sure the ends are well tucked in, otherwise, they curl up). I’ve cut a larger bacon weave into small squares to accompany a jalapeño tomato soup almost like crackers would. Of course you could make a bacon bowl by using an upside down oven or microwave safe bowl and placing the weave over it. I’m not a huge fan of bacon bowls because I feel like they are more for show than anything else but to each her own I guess.
I just finished taking care of my mom’s dog Darla at my house while my mom was out of town. She is on the left couch pillow above Stitch Murphy and next to Freya. Its funny how the little girl dogs do some of the same exact things. Darla can be somewhat dog-aggressive but when she is with my dogs she’s an angel and never shows aggression of any kind. I like having her over for extended visits. When you have three dogs already, throwing another little one in the mix is hardly noticeable.
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Dark Lord of the Grill
This is a t-shirt I picked up for myself in the kids section at Target. There’s actually a lot of things going on if you look closely. Love me some weird Star Wars stuff.
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Fireworks & Pet Safety
After every 4th of July I hear of dogs who escaped from their home or backyard because they were scared and/or panicked. Do not let this be your dog. You would be surprised how many dogs can find a way out of their enclosures outside or climb a high fence when they really want to. The safest place for pets during 4th of July celebrations is indoors. For pets who are properly crate trained, the crate can be really helpful as a calming tool. There are also things called thunder shirts that some pets respond pretty well to. Thunder shirts are designed to hug pets and produce a calming effect. It’s likely too late now to get but there is also a pretty effective prescription mild sedative out there called Acepromazine. Sometimes Benadryl can make pets sleepy but as long as a pet does not have any drug sensitivities I would highly favor the prescription sedative for its efficacy.
I’m really lucky, my dogs could care less when mortars or other fireworks go off near our house. I didn’t know how Freya would do with fireworks because this is my first 4th of July with her but she has done great as people (including myself) have been setting off fireworks all week. When my dogs do become frightened of something I just stay calm and assertive and try to redirect their attention with a command or a toy.
I hope everyone’s pets do well today and are safe!
PS. This is one of my co-worker’s dog, Zoey. She is an amazing Aussie and loves to do agility with her mom.
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Fresh Squeezed Lemonade
Freshly squeezed lemonade is always good especially this time of year! You don’t need a fancy juicer to make lemonade, those little hand-powered lemon juicers are so inexpensive and so worth it. Even if you don’t have that, just squeeze some lemons completely by hand… trust me the juice is worth the squeeze. Then, add water and sugar to taste and that’s it. Fresh lemonade is amazing by itself or in a mixed drink. I added some vodka and club soda to this batch for a refreshing vodka lemonade spritzer.
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I Am An Addict
Fireworks are addicting. I live in an area where some fireworks are legal and I went to get a couple things this past weekend before getting my main haul on the fourth. One trip to the fireworks stand for a couple small fountains turned into a second trip to get all of this and then we had a fun evening. All of these were gone in one night. The fiery frog was cool it’s eyes and mouth lit up different colors as the fountain emitted different colored sparks.
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Lamb Marinade
Do not, I repeat, do NOT be afraid of lamb. Yes, some lamb can be a little gamey but if you get a small rack and treat it nicely, a frenched chop can be just as good as any cut of beef. Here is a marinade that is simple, herby, and great with a lamb rack.
For the small rack I was working with I combined ¼ cup of good, flavorful olive oil with 2 tbsp. garlic oil (most food specialty stores would have this or you can just add more garlic in another form), ¼ cup of fresh rosemary off of the stem, ¼ cup of fresh thyme off of the stem, the juice of 1 lemon, 1 and ½ tbsp. kosher salt, 1 tbsp. garlic powder, 1 tbsp. onion powder, and 1 tbsp. freshly ground black pepper.
I let my lamb get acquainted with everything in the fridge for about 12 hours. I grilled the rack until the internal temperature was 130 to 135 degrees Fahrenheit for medium rare. Finally, I let the rack rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting it. These little lambsicles were so tender and flavorful and not at all gamey. Also, the lamb was so juicy and perfect I didn’t even make a sauce for it and I really didn’t miss any kind of sauce. We munched on some arugula salad before, finally, eating the lamb with some locally grown potatoes with an insane amount of butter and cream in them. What can I say, I like a little bit of potato with my butter and cream.
We took an afternoon walk and the boys found a hole and took turns digging it up some more. Upon reflection, I’m not sure if it is appropriate to allow them to be digging on someone else’s property but they are SO freakin cute when they dig.
Grilled corn on the cob is the best!
I’ve tried cooking ribs in a timely manner many different ways. Hands down, my favorite way to make some awesome, tender pork ribs is to, first, cook them in the oven in an oven bag with ¼ cup of water, then, grill them. I cook one rack of ribs in a 325 degree oven for one hour. Then, I put them on the grill in indirect heat (not directly over flame or very close to lit charcoals) for another 30 minutes, turning them a few times.
I like spending the extra time on the grill over indirect heat for some extra smoky flavor. If you’re using a propane grill you can turn one burner on medium and place the ribs over a burner that is off and next to the burner that is on. If you are using a charcoal grill arrange your charcoal so that the coals are sloped. In other words, you do not want to have one even layer of charcoal, you want to have charcoal stacked on one side of the grill which allows you to have varying temperatures on different areas of the grill. Place your ribs over an area that has little to no charcoal. Finally, grill the ribs over medium to high heat for about 10 to 15 minutes to get a little bit of char on them.
Loki and I went for a walk just before sunset and we stopped to stare at the gorgeous Jacaranda tree. The blooms on the ground are almost as beautiful as the tree itself. They just transfer their colorful, unique natural status to the otherwise ordinary pavement.
A gorgeous Jacaranda tree picture after the jump!
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We Are Siamese If You Please
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Enjoy the Ride
Everyday, I drive a windy canyon (not like the wind that blows but like a canyon that has a lot of twists and turns… blasted homonyms) to work. However, a couple days last week the canyon I normally drive was closed after 6pm and I drove a little bit out of my way to take another canyon home from work.
I love taking different routes to places that I travel to frequently, even if it means taking a baby detour through a residential neighborhood. I was happy to have an excuse to take a longer way home especially when the majority of the drive looks like this.