Bad Puppy Again

So, we lost another chair pad to the ravages of puppy teeth. This particular chair pad had not even fallen to its death. This one was maliciously pulled from the chair and gutted. Now, I have to make a choice. Buy new ones now or wait until all the existing chair pads become puppy fodder. I could try to find puppy proof chair pads if there is such a thing. Though, I doubt they would be very attractive or comfortable probably something along the lines of stainless steel. Not that anything I own was purchased for its aesthetic appeal. Mostly I go for function, price, and feeling. Maybe that is why a friend once told me that I had an eccentric style. This necessitated a conversation about the difference between eccentric and eclectic. I believe that now I am eclectic but am working towards eccentric. It is kind of like a goal for me without the 30 cats.

I hope you can tell from the photo that Tripper has lost a few pounds since Nessa came to live with us. Like most guys he lost it in his face and tummy. All you women out there know what I'm talking about:-)

Pizza Crust

I make pizza dough that is quick, easy, and best of all cheap. It can to me through The Tightwad Gazette. In 1990, a woman by the name of Amy Dacycsyn started the Tightwad Gazette newsletter, that as she puts it “promoted thrift as a viable alternative lifestyle”. She got it from a cookbook called “The Food Processor Bread Book” by the editors of Consumer Guide. At the time I followed the newsletter pretty closely and still today use some of the basic tenets. We hang our clothes to dry, make most if not all of our food from scratch, go to garage sales, and remake/reuse most things. This pizza dough recipe is one of the best take-away things from the newsletter. I, of course, can’t leave anything alone so I’ve included my changes as options.

Thick and Chewy Pizza Dough

½ to ¾ cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees F.)
1 package (1 tablespoon) dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar (I like mine a little more sweet so I add a little more to the dry ingredients)
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (I use olive oil)
½ teaspoon salt.
Optional: teaspoon dried rosemary, minced garlic, dried basil, roasted garlic, etc

Combine ¼ cup of the water with the yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar. Stir to dissolve the yeast, and let stand until bubbly, about five minutes.

Put the flour, oil, salt (and/or extra sugar and optional ingredients) into a food processor, and process about five seconds with a steel blade.

Add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture, and process about 10 seconds, or until blended.

Turn on the processor and drizzle just enough of the remaining water through the feed tube so the dough forms a ball that cleans the sides of the bowl. Process so that the ball turns around about 25 times.

Put the dough ball onto a 14-inch greased pizza pan or large cookie sheet. Cover with plastic wrap or a bowl, and let stand 10 minutes. Here’s where you can get creative*.

Pat the dough out so that it covers the pan, leaving a ridge on the edges. (Or, if you’re feeling really adventurous, spin the dough in the air a few times.) Spread with pizza sauce, and add cheese and toppings.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly.

*I have used this dough recipe for calzones, for baguettes, for dinner rolls, etc. It is very versatile.

Now, a dog update. Tripper has lost 4 pounds in the last 2 weeks and it shows. He feels good too. My family asks me how I know how he feels. I just say that we have a transcendental bond that they could never understand. Nessa is growing like a weed. I liken her to a cross between a fluffy bear cub and a shag rug. When is she going to lose those razor sharp puppy teeth? I’m losing blood here!

Last lighthouse

This is the last of my lighthouse phase. I'm sure I could draw more but I promised my family that I would move on. I've gotten really tired of the whining and begging. You would think that I had done a hundred of the little buggers the way that they carry on. Also, the walls of the house are getting pretty full. Time to start inflicting these things on my friends because the family has had enough. I could start sending them to the out-of-town folks. Now, there's an idea! They are far enough away that I wouldn't have to listen to the complaining. Sweet:-)
As I said before I'm going on to sunflowers or maybe my favorite flower, Black Eyed Susan's. I love the sturdy way that they stand along side the road. Here in Arizona the wildflowers should start to bloom soon. Great time to start a new series. I'm watching the State Parks website for updates. http://www.pr.state.az.us/Parks/park_info/rangercam.html

2nd lighthouse and the dogs

Here is the second drawing in my lighthouse series. All and all, I’m pretty happy with it. With the exception that it turn out to be an odd size. I usually plan this better. I always try to make them stock frame sizes, it’s the tightwad in me. I’m not sure what happened. I just started in and this is what came out. Oh well! I did start a third one this weekend but got caught up cleaning the carpets. With a puppy in the house I fear that carpet cleaning will become a ritual. It is not so much that she has accidents anymore but that she brings in all kinds on dirt from outside. Her favorite activity is digging in my flower pots and playing in my fountain. Two pursuits that spell muddy paws!
Back to the lighthouse phase, I think I can safely say that after the third one I’ll move on to something else. Sunflowers are becoming appealing.

I was going to do two different blogs today. One on my drawing and another on the dogs. Then, I thought "Why do two?" Lazy as I am you would think that doing two would never occur to me.

As you can see Nessa is now bigger size-wise than Tripper and at 24 pounds she is catching up weight-wise. I will not mention how much Tripper (so as to not embarrass him) weighs but I will say that he has lost some poundage since Nessa came to live with us. Aren't the first few pounds the easiest? He has absolutely no self-control and very little manners. He will eat his treat then try to grab Nessa's right out of her mouth. Bad dog!!

I tried to get a picture of her bear-like paws but she wouldn't have it. If it is true that puppies grow into their paws we're in big trouble:-)

P.S. Here is the long-suffering cat who lets the dogs chew on his head. You can't tell from this picture but usually his head is wet with dog slobber.

Puppy alarm clock

Here is a picture of my getting bigger every day alarm clock. Every morning this is the little darling that wakes me up. She has figured out that if she jumps onto the bench at the foot of my bed then onto the bed she can get to me. I, of course, promptly cover head head with the blankets. This is a survival act on my part. I have learned that she will nibble and lick me until I get up. It would be cute and sweet if she didn't have those needle sharp puppy teeth. Using her huge paws and usually wet and frequently dirty muzzle she tries to dig and snuggle her way under the covers. Bless her sweet little heart she thinks she's helping. I'm sure she gets this idea from my husband encouraging her to perform this daily torture.

Pseudocode for guys

My carpool partner/daughter-in-law and I were talking about how nice it would be if you could program men like you would a computer. That led us to create a few If/Then statements. The following are a few that we thought were important. I'm sure that we only hit the tip of the iceberg on this one. Feel free to add a few of your own in the comment section. I'm not the best programmer so if the syntax is not quite right I'll apologize now.

#1
If toilet seat is up Then
Put it down
Else
or I'll be screaming at you when I fall in
End If

#2
If you drink the last of anything in the refrigerator Then Throw the container away

#3
If your clothing is dirty Then
Put in laundry basket
Else they won’t get washed
End If

#4
If garbage can is full Xor smelly Then
Take out
Else I will hit you over the head with an empty egg carton
End If

#5
If you take a cap off the beer bottle Then
Throw the cap in the garbage
Else I will no longer buy beer
End If

#6
If you pass gas under the bed covers Then
Do not lift the covers
Else you will be sleeping in another room
End If

#7
If light is On Then Turn it off

#8
If you want a drink Then
Get a glass
Else I'll empty the container you just drank out of over your head
End If

#9
If I am talking to you Then
Make the effort to listen
Else I will just nag you about it later
End If

#10
If you are lost Then
ask for directions
ElseIf we are late Then I will glare at you and give you the silent treatment
End If

Lighthouse Drawing

I'm in what I call my lighthouse phase. Of course, to be completely accurate one drawing doesn't make a phase but I plan to start another one today. I'm not sure what constitutes a phase actually. Does 2 or 3? I'm way to flighty to do more than three. How many dancers did Degas do? When does the whole thing become weird?

Favorite recipe

I’m a vegetarian living in a household of omnivores. So, I spend a lot of time trying to feed my husband and sons less meat. I’ve gone on a subtle crusade of switching them over. Not because I don’t want them to eat meat, though I think it would be very good for them, but because at heart I am really lazy. Making two different meals or variations of one is really bugging me. I failed to mention I’m also cheap and a vegetarian diet is about as cheap as you can get. When chicken is over two dollars a pound for the tortured ones and over three dollars a pound for the free range treated nicely kind, a dollar for tofu looks pretty good.

Enough said on that issue. Here is a recipe that goes over really well in my house, mostly, because it tastes like pizza. It is a depression era recipe that I got from my late mother-in-law. I’m sure it had been passed down to her. These taste great, have enough protein, make great lunches the next day, and best of all no meat. Take it from me, a lazy person, the initial investment in time is well worth it. You can also play with this recipe. Think veggie pizza!

Stuffed Buns

Buns:
These can be hard rolls, store bought or home made pizza crust, bread dough (I make my own with garlic, rosemary, oregano, and basil in the food processor), puff pastry, etc. I think that crescent dinner roll dough would make nice bite size buns. I haven’t tried it yet but I think I will soon (great party food). Anyway, you’ll need enough of whatever you choose for one dozen.

Filling:
3 eggs, hard boiled
1 to 1 ½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
¼ cup onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, chopped(I usually use 2 but I love garlic)
¼ to ½ cup tomato sauce, I like pasta sauce in a jar though anything will do.
¼ cup olives, chopped fine

Optional add ins: 1 tablespoon or so: cooked spinach, broccoli, bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, etc.

Sauté onion and garlic (and any fresh veggie add ins) in a little olive oil just to soften. Mix all the filling ingredients together to make a thick paste. You can adjust any of the ingredients to your own taste. Here comes the tricky part.

If you went with the hard rolls you have to cut the tops off the very top, retain this part. Scope out the insides. I keep this part to make stuffing, croutons, etc. later on. Fill the insides with the filling mixture, replace the tops. Wrap in waxed paper and place on a cookie sheet. Bake in 275 degree oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

If you went with any of the dough combinations: divide it up into about 8 to 12 pieces. Flatten out and place about 1 to 2 tablespoons of the filling mixture into the middle of each piece. Roll up and seal the edges. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

All the ingredients are approximate. Since this was one of those passed down recipes nothing was exact. I think I got the portions right. I just made them last week so I tried to remember how I did it. I kind of toss in a little of this and a little of that when I cook so let me know if I need to adjust something. Just remember have fun and play with it. Cooking can be tedious enough.

When puppies attack

An innocent victim of a vicious attack was found dead under my dinning room table today. The dinning room chair pad had taken a non-life threatening fall from one of the chairs. While happily residing under the dinning room table, the chair pad was assaulted by a ferocious puppy. The suspect in the crime was apprehended almost immediately and found with incriminating evidence hanging from her mouth. The trails of chair stuffing lead the investigator to the scene of the gruesome crime. Nessa, the suspect, is being held without bail pending further investigation. Investigators do not believe that her partner was involved in the attack and has been released on his own recognizance. The victim’s name is being withheld until its family can be notified.

Bored Nessa

Ever wonder what a bored nine week old puppy will do to a bathroom?

Wonder no more. Nessa was left in the bathroom while we are away today. This is what we came home to… I’ll never forget to leave her some toys again. Is it any wonder we don’t leave her to roam the house. Between her and Tripper there wouldn’t be a shoe untouched or a rug unscathed.

Visiting Friend

We had a friend visit from out of town this weekend. She and I went shopping, spent way too much money. I’ve decided that I’m going to call my lack of self control, “doing my bit for the economy”.

While she was here I drew her a little something to take home. I rather like it. It is loosely based on a post card I picked up at the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina #49776. There! I think I’ve satisfied copyright.

All Dressed Up

Tripper and Nessa are sporting red today in honor of National “Go Red for Women” day http://www.goredforwomen.org/. Tripper was going to wear a hat but Nessa wouldn’t leave it on his head. Those ears of his didn't help matters. Wearing Daddy’s tie was much better. As you can see from the picture he feels all grown up. Right afterwards Nessa decided to drag him around by his tie. If Jon (my husband) had seen it I’m sure he would have made some sexist comment just to get me going. Too many Women’s Studies courses in college I guess, I fall for it every time.

The cat watched all the tomfoolery from a safe distance with a look of disdain as cats do.