Whiskey & Slaw

Whiskey cracks me up! Every day he does something new and funny. Each time one of you talks about your child, I swear Whiskey has done it as well, except for the cute talking part :) . Here are a few things we love(sometimes) about Whiskey:

-he eats rocks
-he eats dirt
-he actually will eat anything
-he always licks the dishwasher when I am filling and emptying it
-he always stands on the dishwasher whenever it's open
-he LOVES the taste of pledge (we cannot dust anywhere near him or he will run toward you and lick all of the furniture)
-he always sits under each fuschia when I water so that it drips on him
-he licks cracks (i.e. sidewalks, patios, fireplace stone, etc...)
-he LOVES cucumbers (I usually give him the end and he will play with it for 15 mins and then eat it right up!)
-he picks toys out of his kennel one at a time when we are getting ready for bed
-he protests when it's time to go for a walk (usually 3-4 times)
-he eats dried slugs
-in the morning on his way downstairs for the first time, he usually stretches causing him to slide down the first flight on his belly
-he loves a windy day because he gets to chase the leaves
-he likes to put his top half on the bathtub and drink water from the faucet
-he loves the hose, especially when on
-if I am trying to sleep in on my day off, he sits on the floor at the bottom of the bed and watches me quietly for any little move. If I move even an inch he runs over and barks at me to get up!
-he always stands on our hillside in the backyard and causes an avalanche so he can chase the rocks down the hill




Last night I made "Santa Fe Slaw" from Sunset magazine
In a large bowl, combine 4 cups shredded green cabbage, 2 cups torn spinach, 1.5 cups shredded jicama, 2 chopped green onions, 1 cup cooked corn, 1 cup finely chopped tomatoes, and 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup each mayo and sour cream, 2 tbsp finely chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, and 2 tbsp fresh lime juice. Pour dressing over slaw mixture and stir until combined. Season to taste with salt.
Delicious!!

Weekend Update

The weekend included a nice dinner at Jak's in Issaquah with the in-laws to celebrate our anniversary (late). Sunday we did some landscaping and planting in the front yard then ate dinner at my aunt and uncle's house to celebrate my meeting up with my Dad after 17+ years! Yes, I did it and have no pictures to prove it. Things are good and will no longer be awkward for us. It's so funny how throughout the years I thought about what that moment would be like, and it was SO much different, and so much better than it could have been. Thanks for having us over guys!!

Matt and Whiskey planting

Whiskey likes dirt and must lay by anything dirt

He is so darn cute

Posing

Matt shoveling up the grass

Whiskey playing with Kona, Val & Rod's new puppy

The amazing view of Mt. Rainier at their house

Kona and the back half of Malibu

The three playing ever so nicely

My new garden gnome sitting on a mushroom

Busy Busy Bee

I was very busy today! It is my one day off between sets of three days and I felt like I used my time wisely. I took Whiskey to the vet for some vaccinations, went grocery shopping, went to Costco, did two loads of laundry, took Whiskey for a walk, hung a bunch of pictures frames on my loft wall, cleaned all of the bathrooms, cleaned the mirrors, vaccuumed the downstairs, chopped up veggies for dinner tomorrow, made veggie ranch dip, made "Chicken Carbonara" a la http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/ (recipe at that link) at the same time I made gingersnap cookies, and picked some tomatoes off the vine! Whew! I guess I am ready to go back to work again. The dinner and cookies were DELICIOUS! I used a Gingersnap recipe from http://southernfood.about.com/od/molassescookies/r/blcookies9o.htm It seemed like that was a pretty generic way of making them. I had to add a little bit of flour for them to be less sticky.


Do you like my messy presentation?? :)

Lazy days of summer

Last week we enjoyed our last few lazy days of summer. Here are a few pics of Whiskey sleeping. He always sleeps in the funniest positions.

E:

I DO remember going to Dash Point and playing Gin Rummy! Too fun!

Butternut, Chicken & Lentil Stew

Matt and I had this for dinner last night, and it was delicious!
[picture and recipe courtesy of Hallmark Magazine]

2lbs skinless, boneless chicken (the recipe calls for thighs-I used tenderloins)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons EVOO
2 cups coarsely chopped sweet onion
2 carrots, cut into pieces
1 large stalk celery, with leaves, chopped
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup red lentils ( I couldn't find these, so I used plain lentils)
4 cups peeled, cubed butternut squash ( I used two large squash)
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
The following spices to be added later:
--2 TBS savory
--2 TBS thyme
--1 TBS sage
--2 tsp garlic powder
--1/2 tsp pepper

1. cut chicken into pieces and dredge into flour, salt and pepper until coated.
2. heat 1 TBS EVOO, add chicken, cook until golden on all sides, about 5-8 mins
3. transfer chicken to a plate and keep warm
4. add rest of EVOO to pan, add carrots, onion, and cook about 3-5 mins
5. Add celery and cook about 1 min until softened
6. add the broth, lentils, and all the spices. Bring to boil over high heat.
7. Reduce to simmer, cover and cook 5 mins
8. Add the squash and cook covered about 20-25 mins or until all are tender.
9. Add S&P to taste if needed. Recipe called for slivered toasted almonds on top-I did not use.

Makes 6 servings
Each serving has: 493 calories, 19 g fat (4 g saturated), 40 g protein, 42 g carbohydrates (8.8 g fiber), 99 mg cholesterol, 779 mg sodium. Good source of: beta-carotene, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, potassium, selenium, zinc.

It's A Great Day To Be Alive

Today was an emotionally charged day for me today. It just hit me, and I am not even PMSing. Two things I did right today: 1. went grocery shopping 2. Worked out at 6am.

A song that always seems to cheer me up, but make me cry at the same time is Travis Tritt's "It's A Great Day To Be Alive". It's really cowpoke but I like it.

[sorry no pics, my computer can't figure out how to find my camera]

Relaxing

I am relaxing in the sun with my puppy today. What a glorious day! Now all I need is my husband to be home from work.

Herron Island

Labor Day weekend was spent at Herron Island. Katie and I went early, ate geoduck and lamb, played nertz, fished for oysters, looked at baby raccoons, and went kayaking. Then the rest of the fam showed up and we partied, laughed, played volleyball, dug for geoducks, had a fire, BBQed, rode around the island in the back of the truck, ran away from bees, watched the deer, and laughed some more. I had a blast, and hope to do it again very soon!

Just one funny pic from the ever important Volleyball Game

The fam

Katie and Jess



The ladies

Bry is gooey-duck hunting

The pups playing

Whiskey swimming!

Katie posing

My two boys

A stag

A baby

Baby and Daddy

3 babies and Daddy

Katie and I preparing to kayak