Spay Day 2010 Photo Contest

"The Reigning Knight"

"Tucker"

"Lucy"

Okay, I'm really not one for shameless self-promotion, and really I'm not even sure this entirely qualifies, but at any rate it is for a good cause. If you want to vote for one of the above photos for the Humane Society's Spay Day 2010 Photo Contest, just click on the link above. A $1 donation buys you one vote for your favorite photo, and the proceeds go to raise funds for spaying and neutering.

So if you feel so inclined, I'd be honored if you voted for one of my 3 favorite pets (or all three, far be it from me to deter you!). Or vote for another photo you like. I won't be offended. Promise. Though I can't say the same for the animals above. They might be. You have until March 4, 2010 to vote for my, I mean, your favorite photos.

Succulent Art

I took these pictures a while back when I went to visit The Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College in El Cajon, CA.

But going through my folders of pictures, I was reminded of how I have been wanting to do a similar project for a while, and I figured if I post some pictures I might be inspired to follow through on it.

Sunset magazine published a great how-to article on how to make your own succulent art in the style of these framed pieces. Click here for the nine easy steps.

I just love how easy succulents are to propagate. For most types, you can just take some cuttings, stick them in water, and wait for the roots to grow. For the living art, you just need to pluck a few budding stems from your established plants and set them aside for a few days to dry out the root as Sunset suggests. Doesn't get much easier than that.

I also think it would be fun to plant succulents in random containers not traditionally used in the garden, just to create some additional whimsy. I will have to work on this soon. Check back later for updates, and if you have any experience with creating such living art, please feel free to share in the comments!

Reflection

"The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows brave by reflection."

-Thomas Paine (1737-1809)

Going, Going...and Going, Gone

Last night I drove to the top of the hill near my house to capture these images as the sun slipped away behind the horizon, or more specifically, behind San Clemente Island (or SCI) off the coast of California.

A little bit of trivia about SCI: It is the southernmost of Channel Islands of California, and it is owned and operated by the U.S. Navy.

The last sliver of sun before the onset of twilight...

Good night, sun. See you in the morning.

Fuzzy Wuzzy Was a Kaknight

I love this guy. I just had to show you some pictures of him today, because, well, it seems like a good day for some entertaining pictures.

This horse cracks me up; he really does. This is just the start of one of his inevitable funny faces. See that lower lip starting to move?

The faces he makes, oh, the faces.

Knight, this may not be your best look. But hey, I can relate to feeling like that about things sometimes.

When all is not right with the world, though, I never cease to be amused by this 1,000 pound creature. And you can never have too much laughter.

Happy Presidents' Day, everyone!

Chicken with Cranberry Sauce

So the other night I whipped up this quick meal using a recipe from "Easy Dinners Healthy Recipes" by Carrie Holcomb (click here to see the book on Amazon). I am quickly becoming a fan of this book, as the recipes are quick and simple, and modifications are a snap.

Since I didn't have some of the ingredients, I made a few substitutions. The original recipe is given below, with my changes in blue.

Chicken with Cherry Sauce

Ingredients:

• 4 small skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 12 oz. total)
• Ground nutmeg (used freshly grated nutmeg)
• 1/3 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup unsweetened pineapple juice (used orange juice, though juice from canned pineapple should work as well here)
• 2 tsp. cornstarch
• 1 tsp. brown sugar
• Dash ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup dried tart red cherries or golden raisins, coarsely chopped (didn't have these on hand, so used dried cranberries instead, but I guess I missed the chopping step again)
• Hot cooked long grain and wild rice mix (optional) (didn't have the wild rice mix, so just added some summer savory spice to the rice that I heated on the stove in a pan with a little butter)

Directions:

1. Sprinkle chicken lightly with nutmeg. Place chicken, boned side up, on the unheated rack of a broiler pan. Broil 4 to 5 inches from the heat for 7 minutes. Turn chicken; broil for 5 to 8 minutes more or until chicken is tender and no longer pink.
2. Meanwhile, for sauce, in a small saucepan combine broth, pineapple juice, cornstarch, brown sugar, and pepper. Mix well. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Stir in cherries or raisins. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more.
3. To serve, spoon sauce over chicken. If desired, serve with hot cooked rice mix. Also, blanched green beans are a great complement to this dish.

Nutrition Facts per serving: 137 calories, 2 g total fat, 45 mg cholesterol, 74 mg sodium, 11 g carbohydrate, 17 g protein.

Quick and easy, just the way I like my recipes.

By the way, if you ever get a chance to try one of the recipes I post here, please let me know what you think in the comments!

For Tucker

Tucker
2002-February 10, 2010

Tucker, it was exactly 6 years ago today that you came into my life. Six years seems far too short, but I know I am so blessed to have had that time at all.

There are no words to describe how greatly you will be missed.

Peek-A-Boo

Fuzzy ponies with fuzzy ears and out-of-control forelocks make braving the rain and cold to go to the barn all worthwhile.

From the Loldogs chronicles

moar funny pictures

Check out Tucker! He has been captioned on Loldogs. If you'd like to see the page (and also where you can recaption the photo), click here. Be sure to vote for him so he can be featured on the main page. It's a perfect way to while away those final work hours on a Friday. TGIF!

Adorableness, Thy Name is Ripley

Recently, I went out-of-town to visit a friend. And I met her oh-so-sweet French Bulldog for the first time. So without further adieu, let me introduce Ripley.

Check out that nose, those ears and her buttercream coat. And that expression. She says so much with that look. I can just hear her now.

What's that? I think I hear the distant rumblings of someone preparing food in the kitchen.

I was right! There is food...And here it comes now.

Can someone help a girl out here? Can't. Quite. Reach.

Just a leeeee-tle bit closer, and this 7-layer dip could be mine.

(Little Miss This and That in: If you'd like to make a 7-layer dip for Super Bowl Sunday, check out an AllRecipes.com version here. No cooking required! Though if you don't like your refried beans cold, you could certainly make a hot version too. Just add the cheddar cheese on top of the refried beans for added melted goodness.)

Fine, I guess I'll just have to settle for watching the football game with you humans if you're not going to share any of your food. But I'm totally going to take up a spot on the couch.

Have a great Super Bowl Sunday!

Afternoon Drive: Campo

It's the middle of the week, so I think it's time for some daydreaming about fresh air and open spaces to stave off any work week ruts. Today we are heading off to Campo, CA.

Some days are just meant for a drive out into the country, and such drives seem to be the perfect antidote for a week spent in an office. Not to mention the break in routine and the possibilities of seeing new landscapes.

(Okay, so this is almost the same landscape as the first picture, and not very new at all, but I liked it as well so I'm just going to post it.)

And when hunger calls, your best bet is to stop by a local cafe. I've found them to have perfectly satisfying burgers and fries. Burgers and fries are the quintessential road trip food, at least for me. Nothing like sitting in the passenger's seat to work up your appetite.

Next time, I will have to try the fish & chips at the Campo Diner to see if they really are "San Diego's Best."

Back on Highway 94, there was time for one more parting shot featuring the landscape of the day's drive.

And yes, the sky really was this blue.

I hope you get a chance to get out on the road and take in some new sights soon. Happy Trails!

Two Girls Cook

I know I have been a bit remiss (okay, who are we kidding, a LOT remiss) in my blog postings as of late, so I am trying to get back on track and share with you some of the things I have been doing while I have been away.

I went over to my friend's house a couple of weekends ago, and we decided to make this Balsamic Glazed Chicken Breast Recipe from FoodNetwork.com. We modified it a bit since we just used about half the chicken (4 breasts prepackaged from the store), so we consequently halved the rest of the ingredients. I am giving the original version here.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 stick butter
• 12 (6 oz.) boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 Spanish onion, thinly sliced
• 4 gloves garlic, chopped
• 2 pints cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 cups red wine
• 2 teaspoons salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons parsley, chopped for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Put the vegetable oil and butter into a large skillet and place over high heat. Once the butter and oil are bubbling, add the chicken breasts to the skillet 4 at a time. Sear on each side until the chicken is golden, about 1 minute per side. Remove to a large baking dish. Repeat with the remaining breasts and set aside.
3. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, toss to combine and then follow with the balsamic vinegar and red wine and season with salt and pepper. Bring up to a bubble then reduce the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. [Simmering the wine in this mixture does not reduce the alcohol content substantially. Little Miss This and That in: Yay!]
4. Pour the balsamic mixture over the chicken and place the pan in the top half of the oven for 10 minutes, or until the chicken has just cooked through. Remove from the oven, garnish with freshly chopped parsley and set into a prepared chafer.

And now the pictures from our dinner...

This recipe was extremely simple to make. I mean, it only has 9 ingredients: chicken breasts, vegetable oil, butter, onion, tomatoes, garlic, parsley, balsamic vinegar and red wine. And the wine wasn't just for drinking! Though having a glass while cooking with a very dear friend is one of life's greatest pleasures.

First, we pan-fried the chicken breasts in the oil and butter (butter...mmmm), then removed them after they turned a nice golden color.

I forgot to take a picture of the onions and garlic sauteing (I blame the wine for my forgetfulness), but here you can see that we (and by we, I am referring to myself) forgot to quarter the tomatoes when creating the sauce, but I'm telling you, they came out soft and delicious regardless.

We placed everything in a baking dish and popped it in the oven for oh, about 15-20 minutes, for our 4 breasts of chicken. Then we pulled that sucker out and topped it with the chopped parsley. We skipped putting it all out on a chafer (I actually don't even know what that is) and just dug right into the baking dish. Oh, and it was perfect with the wine, in case you had any doubts.

This recipe was so easy to make, which is nice when you are cooking with someone else because it allows you to concentrate on conversation as well. That being said, I think there are a few things that could be done to spruce this recipe up, like adding a few more spices such as oregano, thyme, basil or even a summer savory.

Jewels

Okay, so these aren't really jewels, they are actually fused glass pieces that I have made into necklace pendants. Some of these pieces are simple tack fuses, which means the glass is fused until it just sticks together, and each piece of glass in the design usually retains its individual characteristic. Others are considered full-fused pieces. Full fusing occurs when you cap the design with a clear piece of glass, which can create some cool features in the finished pieces, such as the air bubbles that sometimes change the shape of the entire design.

I really enjoy taking the classes with Cherrie La Porte at her Glass Ranch to make them. I get to work with dichroic glass (the metallic, shiny pieces) and frit, which is a fused ceramic composition that comes in granular form. Hence, you are left with like the ones in the bottom left when you sprinkle it on another piece of glass.

So, what do you think? Post a comment as to which one is your favorite!