Adventures in Dogdom

Well, that's the hardest I've laughed in a while. Dante is currently reaping the benefits of being a good dog and so sweetly bringing us what was obviously a HUGE prize.

A dead frog.

Picture it: Mike and I were on the couch watching The House Bunny. At first he was watching reluctantly, but once he realized it was about Playboy bunnies, he quickly changed his tune. It's actually a cute silly movie. Cipranis were involved. We were having a grand old time. Dante wanted to go out, and after a while Mike had to call him back in, which is unusual. I was too engrossed in the movie to notice when Dante slinked in the house and went straight back to our bedroom. Mike was too busy watching the T&A.

Neither of us noticed when Dante emerged from our bedroom and jumped on the couch to put his paws on Mike's lap, as usual. After a couple of minutes, I NOTICED THERE WAS A DEAD FROG IN MIKE'S LAP.

I think the funniest part of the evening was our collective reaction. Roughly half my drink launched as I followed suit off the couch. I hate to admit I was screaming, which made Mike launch too. But Mike requests that I note that he didn't scream. Dante figured he'd just join the celebration with all this launching, screaming, and dancing, so add incessant barking to the mix.

Mike came to the rescue and disposed of the body while I tried to catch my breath from laughing. Poor dog didn't understand why we threw away such a grand prize, so the peanut butter kong is his distraction.

Note the stifled indignance that we didn't appropriately appreciate his frawg.

They don't make 'em like they used to.

Do you remember the time when we fell in love? Do you remember the time when we first met?

Michael Jackson's music is so pervasive, I can't even remember the time when I first heard one of his songs. I was a little girl when he made his legendary performance of Billie Jean, deubting the Moonwalk on MTV in 1983. We were still perfecting our moonwalks in Junior High, a decade later.

My mom was a college kid at Auburn University when she saw the Jackson 5 live. They brought out their baby sister Janet, who toddled and bounced on the stage in her poofy little girl dress. I was 17 when Michael and Janet's Scream came out; we watched the video debut on MTV.

I never considered myself a fan: for my generation, he's always been around, and we couldn't help but tap our toes and try to moonwalk to his and his family's work that helped to shape our lives. And as a music lover with a collegiate minor in performance, I believe it was for the better.

Sure he had problems. Sure he was eccentric, a nutcase, in desperate need of therapy and deprogramming. Sure my mom HATED when he grabbed his crotch. I wasn't a big fan of that either. Who would ever want to shake his hand? Maybe the glove was disposable. But his was the kind of persona who could put such off the wall thoughts in our heads.

Highly intelligent and talented people are very often highly crazy. It doesn't forgive whatever his personal transgressions were, but I'm sure you can think of a few other examples.

The cold hard truth is this: in his professional capacity, Michael Jackson had more talent in his little finger than any of the Britneys, Ushers, Amy Winehouses, and most musicians of the next generation combined. They are pale in comparison. He was a savant, and I feel sorry for today's generation who will grow up not knowing his genius and believing that the latest American idol has an ounce of his musicality.

Photo courtesy of sing365.com.

Welcome!

I'm still relatively new to blogging, and I just realized that I have followers! Wow! That is such a compliment - thank you.

My dear cousin Katy was my first - you get the prize darlin'.

And now I have new friends! Finsmom, Rinx, Nina, and HannahBanana, welcome. Your blogs are all simply gorgeous, creative, wonderful, and marvelous.

If I didn't link to your blog, I'm sorry - I couldn't figure out how to find it! Send me a link in a comment, and I'll correct. Now if I can just figure out how to add the Followers gadget.......

Photo courtesy of Butterfly062985.

Wireless Meat Thermometer

Now that we're in the middle of grill season, I figured it's a good time to divulge one of our secrets. I know the finest of chefs can determine the donness of their steaks just by gently squeezing them with their tongs. I'm getting there, but very slowly. The point is to not puncture the meat because that gives juices an excellent escape route.

But we don't mess around much with chicken or pork. Not because we're terrified of salmonella or trichinosis, but because it just ruins the meat to take it off the fire, slice it, notice that it's underdone, then put it back on. Again, the juices get to escape. I have actually tried both rare chicken and pork, and I'm not dead. Unless it's smoked through or fixed up in a fancy-pants tartare or ceviche (in which you would find neither), it's just not good. The flavors are completely absent, unlike how steak and tuna have different flavors are different doneness.

We use our thermometer mostly for a pork tenderloin or chicken breasts. Insert it at least one inch into the thickest part of your biggest piece of meat. But remember that if you're doing steak, more thin pieces will be cooked more thoroughly.

And with this heat, there's no point in investing in a grill thermometer if it's not wireless. Let your hot Grill Master clip it to his belt and come in the air conditioning for a cold beer.

Usually I'd do my gadget shopping at Williams-Sonoma, and they used to have a thermometer like this one, but alas, it's not on the website anymore. AND between you and me, I think the WS one was TOO fancy. Apparently it had some sort of creepy voice instead of a good old, standard beep. I'm fairly certain ours came from Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and it's very much like this model. I don't know how Mike grilled without it!

Photo courtesy of PartShelf.

New Apron

My dear friend Leslie made this precious apron for me. Made it! With a pattern and a sewing machine and everything! I will answer the door in it when Mike comes home, and oh yes, his eyebrows will go up.

Dante completely digs it too.

Thank you Leslie - it's my new favorite treasure!

Father's Day Supper

One of my favorite parts of this past weekend was having Dad, CA, and AW over for supper. It's always great to see them; we really enjoy their company.

We had grilled mesquite cheriyaki chicken, grilled squash grown by Cindy, salad grown by Cindy (I didn't know you could grow lettuce down here!), bruschetta from our backyard with grilled toast, and cherry upside down cake, key lime icebox pie, or lemon bars with blueberries for dessert.

We didn't realize how distinctly hot it would be this weekend, and I felt bad when Mike went out to work on the grill. I went out before everyone arrived to grill toast for the bruschetta. When I fired up the grill, the thermometer was already reading over 100, without the fire!

Dad reminded me that if you plant hot and mild peppers close to each other, their flavors will blend together. So we harvested our first bell pepper to see how it would taste. I had planted them next to the jalapenos in the hopes of getting a spicy bell. Dad said it was completely mild, but I tasted a little kick! How neat is that?!?

Crawfish Stuffed Tomatoes

Or how to get Mike to eat a tomato...

Why did I plant tomato plants? In the words of his grandmother with marshmallows, Mike doesn't even LIKE tomatoes! I love them any way I can get them - right off the vine and a little basil, and I'm good to go.

Anyway, I'm bending over backwards to find new improved tomato recipes for the latest harvest. Dad, Carrie Ann, and Ann Walt came over for Father's Day, and CA and I brainstormed. I've been excited about trying this one ever since. When Mike came home, he wanted to know where I found this recipe. I'm proud to say it came completely off the top of my head.

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 Tablespoons onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 medium tomatoes

a handful of fresh herbs - I used basil and oregano

1/4 cup white wine

12 ounces cooked crawfish tails, cleaned and peeled (You can either use frozen leftovers from a boil or chicken out and buy Bernard's at the Kroger)

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

3/4 cup mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup stilton

salt & pepper to taste

Chipotle Tabasco to taste

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees or broil. (350 degrees cooks them more slowly, so the tomato gets hotter. Broil just sears the tops and leaves most of the tomato meat alone.)
• In a medium saucepan, combine olive oil, onion, and garlic and gently cook until translucent.
• While cooking, core tomatoes and scoop out the inside, leaving a half to a quarter inch rind. I put the meat into some leftover bruschetta, but you can chop the insides and include them in the crawfish mixture if you'd prefer. Or make salsa.
• With a sharp knife, slice off the very bottom of the tomatoes so they'll sit up straight on the plate.
• Salt and pepper the insides of the tomatoes and turn upside down to drain.
• Add the herbs, wine, breadcrumbs, cheeses, salt, pepper, and Tabasco to the olive oil mixture in the pan. Stir until heated through.
• Stuff the mushrooms and top with cheese or panko breadcrumbs of your choice.
• Cook on 350 for 25-30 minutes or broil and watch until cheese is slightly melted and brown.
• I bet this would be damn good on the grill, but after today's heat escapades, I think I'll stay inside tonight.