Wordless Wednesday

Mason Jar Smoothies

Friends, I have exciting news. Did you know that the blades of most standard blenders will fit on mason jars?! I saw it on Pinterest over a month ago, and finally tested the theory this week. 

I love smoothies, but considering the mess I usually make, it was never a practical option to make one for breakfast during the week. This is a game changer. Now not only is there no pitcher to wash, the smoothie is already in the perfect to-go cup! 

In an attempt to jumpstart Spring in Vermont, I've been treating myself to a different fruit smoothie variety every morning this week!  

The possibilities are endless. Strawberry-watermelon-spinach smoothie, anyone? 

Breakfast is served!

Birthday Treats: Deep Dish Cookies Pies

Had a lovely dinner with Erin and her family to celebrate her birthday! We finished the evening with these amazing creations, Deep Dish Cookie Pies.

The original recipe calls for homemade cookie dough, but trust me, the pre-made dough from the grocery is just as good when it's all gooey-melty-delicious with ice cream on top! The trick is to pull them out when they're still a little under-baked. When Meg & I made them for my birthday, we left them in a little too long and lost the soft, gooey quality that makes these so fantastic. 

Deep Dish Cookie Pies: Smoosh cookie dough into ramekins, bake at 375F for about 15min. Top with ice cream, and dig in!!

Weekend Scenes

We got a dusting of snow Friday night, so first thing Saturday morning we headed to the pier to play before it all blew away. The rest of the weekend has been filled with laundry, taxes, paying bills, writing valentines, and trying to sort the clutter that has accumulated over the last month.  

 

Valentine Tree! (That's a thing, right?) 

Roger is Awesome.

So, I adopted Roger when he was a year and a half. He had been in Vermont for 6mo, transferred up from a shelter in Florida. Other than a couple vaccination records I was able to hunt down, I knew pretty much nothing about his life up to that point. He was sort of a nervous fella, but we took to each other right away and the rest is history.

Recently, we've become mayor of our vet's office trying to figure out why Roger needs to pee 10x a night. Urine tests, blood tests, and this morning: x-rays. We still don't know why he's peeing so much. But we do know a little bit more about his life B.V. (before Vermont).

The vet brought me back to see the x-rays. That's a lot of kidney stones, I thought to myself. "Where did you get Roger?" he asked. "Humane Society of Chittenden County," I responded. "Uh huh. Well, it appears that he's been shot, at least twice, at some point in his past." And then I realized what the x-rays were showing. That constellation of glowing dots on the left hip x-ray was bird shot! And a BB lodged directly under his spine!

To say my jaw dropped would be the only accurate description for my reaction. I stood there staring back and forth from one x-ray to the other to Roger to Dr Eustis and back. Someone shot my dog? Some asshole SHOT a PUPPY?? TWICE?!?! Well I guess that explains why he used to be a nervous dog!!

He went on to explain that since they weren't causing Roger any problems, we would just leave them in there. If the BB had been to one side or the other, it might be what's causing his current problems, but right in the middle it's just lodged in muscle.

I don't really have a good way to sum this up, other than to say hug your dog.

Sunday Scenes

Getting a little jump on the work week

Cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes

Smile turning into a yawn

Sunday bone = happy dog

Campfire Cuisine with Christie & Lou

Since our Memorial Day camping trip was four days long, we decided to get a little adventurous with our breakfast and dinner menus! 

Dinner #1: Cheddarwurst, corn on the cob, potato salad

I mean, the park was called Cobscook, we couldn't NOT have corn one night, right? 

Breakfast #1: Pancakes & Bacon (no picture)
I brought two boxes of firewood with me, but thanks to the damp chilly coastal weather, we needed more by morning. Unfortunately, we were awake and wanting coffee before the ranger station was open. Not fun. But finally we were able to get firewood, quickly followed by coffee and warmth and BREAKFAST!

Clearly, the ranger station had some pretty high-quality, dry well-seasoned wood. All firewood foams like that, right? 

Dinner #2: Boboli pizza with peppers & bacon, salad
After successfully cooking Boboli pizza on a wood stove for our Bolton hut trip last February, I couldn't resist trying it over an open campfire. It was delicious! Crispy on the bottom and toasty on the edges, all melty and gooey on the top.

Breakfast #2: Trash Can Breakfast
In looking up possible dinners, I came across a bunch of "trash can" recipes. Basically, this means you throw everything into a coffee can, cover with tin foil, and stick it in or over the fire.

For our trash can breakfast, we added eggs, sausage, and veggies. Once it's all cooked, top with shredded cheese and dig in! 

Dinner #3: Leftovers
We had planned on veggie burgers for our final dinner, but unfortunately they didn't stay frozen solid enough to stay together on the grill so we ate another round of Cheddarwurst, leftover pizza, potato salad, and garden salad. We also had plenty of cheese & crackers, trail mix, and watermelon, which is what we had for lunch each day.

Breakfast #3: Orange Peel Muffins
I cooked these Sunday night as a to-go breakfast for Monday morning. I wasn't quite sure how they would turn out, but I think they were pretty good! It's a good thing, too, because we had to pack up and leave in a hurry, narrowly missing a serious downpour early Monday morning!

Desserts: Banana Boats!
Don't think we skipped dessert! Banana boats are made by slicing a banana the long way and stuffing with desired filling, wrapping it in tinfoil and cooking it a bit to soften and melt everything. Let it cool a bit, then eat with a spoon! We tried chocolate & peanut butter one night, and chocolate & marshmallows another night. Success!

Camping with Bruno & Christie!

I can't believe it's taken me this long to post about our Maine camping adventure!! Lots of dogs, lots of food, lots of firewood, and probably more than our fair share of damp weather made for the best Memorial Day Weekend camping trip ever!

We picked Cobscook Bay State Park on the Maine coast because it was about the same (sevenish hour) driving distance for both of us. We booked the last remaining oceanfront campsite for the whole holiday weekend, Friday through Monday. It was a bit of a risk, since we had to book it way in advance and could possibly have four days of lousy weather, lousy site, or worse.

But we were so lucky! The campground was beautiful, and the sites were really spread out with plenty of woods in between so we had privacy. Based on the availability when we booked, we expected the park to be jam-packed, but we lucked out there too, and only had people in the site next to us for our last night (and they slept in their van)!


Here's the crew: Bruno, Roger, Farley, Christie (and me)

Getting settled in...

Bruno and Roger played lots and lots of Table Fort.

 Heading out on our hike!

 The website described the only trail in the park as a "nature walk" so we were expecting a mellow, easy stroll. There was another park nearby that we discussed driving to, in case we were up for more of a challenge. But it was definitely enough of a hike! We ended up doing it both days, with slight variations. We never saw anyone else, so the doggies got to be off-leash the whole time. 

Back in front of the campfire, tired and happy after our hike. 

Up next: some of the great food from our trip!

Crepe-A-Week Update

Atlantic Moster (Breakfast Menu), enjoyed at home

It's probably lucky for you readers that I'm a terrible food writer. If I were a better food writer, I would be posting every week about the amazing Skinny Pancake crepes I'm eating and you would all be sick of hearing about it. Lucky for you, I usually don't even remember to take a picture before digging in!

I was sick all this past week, so I didn't get to my crepe until Saturday night. I called ahead, and arrived before it was ready so I took a seat at the bar. Watching the crepe chef at work was truly hypnotizing, and my appetite was piqued by the time mine was boxed and ready. It's still a bit chilly to dine al freso, so Roger and I walked home with it. Tonight I chose the Cannelloni Crepe, and it was fantastic! It came with a generous side salad with their house dressing. It's been rumored they were considering bottling their dressing, and if that ever happens I'll be first in line to buy a bottle.

I may not be turning into Pat Likes To Eat any time soon, but I am good at spreadsheets, so I can tell you that nine weeks into my year of crepes, I've eaten $93.35 worth (not including taxes). My favorite new discoveries are the Chicken Cordon Blue Crepe, and the Vegan Monster. Once the weather gets warm enough, I'm looking forward to enjoying some of the sweet classics on the patio!

Sunday Funday

Started with breakfast at Handy's with one of my favorite all-grown-up Gotta Campers.

Followed by a little fun at the pier, listening to the ice break up & melt, 

FURminated out Roger's winter coat on the sunny porch, 

Baked banana bread for my airbnb guest, 

Finishing up with packing my bags for St Louis!