Or so Toby thinks as he rolls around in the hot Louisiana sun.

And to paraphrase ol’ Charlie Brown: “Stinkiness is also a warm puppy.”

I have no bento today as I am meeting a friend for lunch.  But I wanted to let everyone know of a little excitement in my photographic life.  Do you remember this picture of Gabby, taken in February 2008?  I took it on Mardi Gras day that year.  And posted about the picture session the next day.  It is hands down one of my favorite pictures I’ve taken of my dogs two date.  I have two or three others that I think came out really well too.

Currently, the Pioneer Woman is hosting a photography assignment theme of dogs on her site at the moment.  And I decided to be brave and submit this picture of the Gabs.  She was picked as one of the Group 1 contestants.  Too cool right?  If you compare this pick to the one I posted about, you’ll see it seems a bit better.  Thank you lightroom and Matt K for such great presets.  It helpe punch up the color of the picture a bit.  Otherwise, it is all Gabby in her “queen of the world” best.

If you have a chance, go by and take a look at the other photos in Group 1.  There are two that just tug at my heart strings: this gorgeous portrait and this chocolate lab.

I’ll be back tomorrow with a packed lunch and more food fun.

I was asked by my mother and a cousin to bring cookies for the various family Christmas shindigs. Of course, I said yes. And not just due to the huge sweet tooth I have, which has presented itself more than once on this blog. No, my excitement at holiday baking, and in particular baking cookies, had to do with my Kitchen Aid stand mixer. If you remember, one of the last bento box giveaways centered around what should be the first recipe I tried out with the stand mixer. I have a huge amount of really tasty and great sounding suggestions. However, fate tends to like to have its own way, and the first use of the stand mixer was to make batches of cookie dough for various Christmas dinners.

I mixed up two types of cookie dough. The first was my 2nd attempt at sand tarts. I made sand tarts last year as well. These were tasty and such, but NOT what I was hoping they would be. Why is that you ask? It all has to do with a local bakery named Cake Palace.

Cake Palace has a cookie I want to replicate so badly I can nearly taste it (pun intended). They call the cookie I am stalking a sand tart; however, it is unlike any of the sand tart recipes I have read or tried to date. Most of the recipes I’ve come across all resemble a shortbread cookie in a way. Not overly sweet but delicious.

However, Cake Palace’s sand tart has a distinct difference. It is a melt-in-your-mouth goodness. The cookie is nearly all white, making me think there is a fair amount of powdered sugar in the batter. As well, it has a pronounced buttery flavor, which I think lends to the melt-in-your-mouth sensation. I have yet to find a recipe that seems like it will work.

These sand tarts didn’t turn out too badly. My mother loved them, and so did most of my family. My father stated he could sit down and easily eat a dozen with a cup of coffee and his big screen TV. To me, they were only alright. Their wonderfulness was spoiled to me since (1) I didn’t care for the chocolate I used and (2) they weren’t quite what I was shooting for by way of a sand tart. I will admit they were a most excellent cookie otherwise and plan to remake them minus the chocolate.

The cookies that stole the show were these Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies. Aren’t they gorgeous? They are every bit as good as they look. And came from the most unsuspecting place.

I’m a reader, and it’s not because I work in a library. I’ve always loved to read and mysteries are some of my favorites, both the scary and the sweet (so to speak). There is a type of mystery story called “cozy mysteries.” Do you know what I’m talking about? It’s that series of mystery books with the contemporary cover and the main character is an amateur sleuth with a hobby/business/interest that is the main focus of their life: quilting, knitting, wine, cooking, baking, etc. I’ve recently started reading a series featuring a character named Hannah Swensen, a cookie shop owner who happens to solve murders in her spare time.

Every few chapters, there are recipes for cookies that are mentioned in the course of the storyline. The first book in the series is the first one I happened to read: The Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder. Hannah’s Old Fashioned Sugar Cookie recipe was given. It seemed simple and tasty.

I decided sugar cookies were a great idea for family Christmas get togethers, so I made a batch of the dough. Well, more like the batter. I was worried at first there wasn’t enough flour in the mixture. This looked more like cake batter than cookie dough. I wasn’t too sure that chilling the mixture overnight was going to do me any good. Mixing up the dough on Dec. 23 with plans to bake the next day was starting to look like a bad idea. The timeline did not leave me any leeway in the event these cookies didn’t turn out well. I was going to be in big trouble if this didn’t work out. Choosing to use a recipe from a mystery novel was starting to seem like an extremely bad idea.

However, chilling overnight gave the batter a dough-like consistency, much more so that I expected. And I then understood why the directions said to put the dough back in the fridge for a little while in the event it became too warm while scooping to cookie pans. The result…phenomenal. Some were baked plain and some, with sugar star sprinkles (not shown).  Some were drizzled with chocolate after baking and coolong.

Oh, and did I mention I went all out for these cookies and made my own butter for them? A carton of heavy whipping cream, a food processor, and some patience was all that was needed. It tasted amazing, and made the cookie edges crisp to crumbling. Oh, I miss these cookies already.

Christmas dinner was just wonderful. And one of my favorite, and unexpected, presents came from my brother. Every few years, he cooks something for my freezer as part of my present. This year was a cooking year. The dish? Crabmeat au gratin.

Now if my brother or his girlfriend float by here (which they seldom do) this is going to come as a shock to them. In all honesty, I’m not much on seafood au gratin. I don’t find that mixing seafood and cheese is such a great idea.

Knowing this, why would he make me that dish? Well, it all stems back to a dinner I had with my mother and father many moons ago at a fancy restaurant in Biloxi, Missippi: Mary Mahoney’s. On the menu was a crabmeat au gratin appetizer. My parents ordered it and insisted I try some. I think they were suprised I had refused since anything crab I love. However, the thought of crab and cheese together…well, it just wasn’t something I thought I’d like. My parents insisted I give it a try, and I ended up eating nearly the whole appetizer by myself.  It was that good!  I’ve never found another seafood au gratin that I liked.

When my brother talked to my mom about wanting to make me a dish for Christmas featuring crab, she suggested an au gratin.  Christmas Eve, I was presented the gift. It looked good. It smelled good. But that old latent “it’s different so therefore I won’t like it” feeling surfaced. I brought it home and told myself to get over myself. It’s odd how old tendencies crop up still.

Verdict? Along with Mary Mahoney’s, I will say that the only other seafood au gratin I like is my brother’s crabmeat au gratin. EESH! That boy can cook. He got the cooking gene. You know, that natural cooking gene. The one where he needs no cookbook and just seems to know what goes together. For our family shindig (mom, dad, Jason, Cree, and I), he made the seafood gumbo for that night: crabmeat and shrimp. I don’t even want to think about how much they spent on crabmeat to make the dish. There was SO MUCH in there. Anyhow, his gumbo is hands down the best I’ve ever had, including my mom’s. Which is her opinion too. And I’m not that big of a fan of gumbo. But the next time I hear he’s making one, I’m calling his house for reservations. The dude can cook, and cook well.

If you’re wondering how the dogs did this Christmas, I’ll say, “Very well.” They were given probably too many doggie treats, lots of hugs, and new items for their household. Of note were the blankets my mother gave them for Christmas. Each year, she always gives them a present; this year was a nice fleece blanket for each dog.

Toby thought the blanket was wonderful. He immediately began to sniff his, burrow under it, scratch at it, and play hide-and-seek as he likes to do.

Gabby loved hers too. Her tail was wagging under the cover and she was grinning…until I took out the camera. Then, she did the whole misunderstood soul face as I tried to snap a picture. Foiled again!

Happy Holidays everyone! I hope each of you had a lovely holiday and are looking forward to the new year!

This weekend, has been wonderful. Finally, it has stopped raining. You don’t know what kind of havoc it wrecks on my delicate paws. The girl that feeds me is finally home for more than 30 minutes at a time. We’ve had the opportunity to hang out a bit outside and enjoy the chilly weather. Though she’s not so keen on it. It is a lazy weekend like this that I like to hang out on the back porch and survey my domain.

While up on my stately perch, I must be sure to look both ways. To the right of me, I have a clear view into the yard 2 lots over. There is a trampoline with happy, shrieking children there often. I like to bark to say Hi. No children today though. Too cold.

On the other side is our neighbor who has dogs of his own. They like to howl at any type of siren they hear: ambulances, police cars, or even the whistle that blows at the chemical plants miles away. Toby likes to howl along with them. He sounds like a dying frog.

Below me, is the silly girl taking pictures on this chilly morning. I always look down there and think, “What are you doing human?” She squats and shoots and repositions and plays with camera dials. Whatever.

Me, I just like to stand here and gaze out at my domain. Because little does she know, it’s really mine, all mine.

Well, his too I suppose. He was here first. But he has his nose stuck in something all the time lately. Sniffing….

and exploring… He just doesn’t understand what it takes to run things around here. But that’s okay. I don’t mind being the one in control. Mwhahahahahahahahahaha.

There is something about my dog's paws that fascinate me. Not sure what it is. But I'm always taking pictures of them.

Hello all! I hope this post finds each of you doing really well after an enjoyable and fulfilling Thanksgiving Day. I’m just sitting around here enjoying a few days off from work with the dogs and family. For most of Thanksgiving Day, I sat around in my backyard enjoying a most enjoyable (though slightly chilly) day in Louisiana, letting the dogs roam the backyard, and snapping pictures.

Toby and Gabby enjoyed the hours of unfettered freedom in the backyard. I must admit that I did too. Work has been super busy lately. I’m not one much to talk about my work life online. It’s just not smart or too appropriate in most cases. But in some cases, it is okay to mention a few things. Work has kept me away from this blog in November. And while super busy, it is nothing to complain about. It is all in preparation for a new position I’m taking in January, and part of the time has been training my replacement. It’s an exciting, busy time, and I’m enjoying every second of it. So to those of you I owe prizes to from the October giveaway I apologize. Prizes are going out on Monday! I promise! (Or immediately following on Tuesday!) LOL!

Toby showed his appreciation for the day by offering up this most amazing picture to me. I remember taking it. I remember he was doing something (yawning possibly, I don’t remember now) I was trying to capture. But I missed it, and instead got the tail end of his motion. And when I saw the resulting picture, I cracked up and give him lots of praise and a big ol’ head rub (which Toby loves). Maybe he meant to make that face…I don’t know. If he did, he is certainly enjoying some sort of hilarious private joke…most likely at my expense (and most likely one told to him by Gabby).

And speaking of the blonde-haired diva…

For a dog whose sole occupation is deciding if she would prefer to laze around on the couch or on my bed, she was decidedly mobile and fast Thanksgiving Day. Cool weather does that to her every year. If I had to bet for her, I would say that the months of late October through early April are some of her favorites. Cooler weather in Louisiana makes her happy (though decidely more likely to burrow under lots of covers in the house).

Anyhow, the weather made her decidedly frisky and wanting to play. She and Toby did laps around the yard. They tried to chew each other’s faces off (typical daily warfare). And then, she repeatedly tried to stampede me. I warned her Santa would only bring her coal for Christmas. But she ignored me. I think she plans to give the coal to my mother’s new dog, Dodger. You could probably eat through a sack of coal, or diamonds, if you gave it to him. That dog has a serious set of jaws.

After spending a fun morning with the dogs, I went off to my cousin’s house for the family feast. I didn’t take pictures of the food. It’s just too difficult with the amount of people in my family. And not everyone was there! What I should have done was taken a picture of a few plates. Ah well, notes for next year. There was a plethora of food though: turkey, roast beef, ham, cranberry salad, strawberry salad, fruit salad, a fruit turkey (made of melon, strawberry, grapes and cheese), cornbread dressing (which some cousins wait all year for), green beans, deviled eggs, and a lot more I can’t remember. The highlight for me was the ham my mother made. Deliciousness. I wish I had some leftovers of that.

Since it was such a pretty day outside, my cousin had made a lovely place for us to eat outside. Many of us trooped out there to enjoy the day and talk while we ate. I took the opportunity to snap a few family pics and this is one I wanted to share. Please say hello to Cree, my brother’s significant other. She’s my camera buddy, has an amazing Flickr photostream, and is all around interesting.

Interesting despite the fact she shoots with the other team: Canon. LOL! That should get a rise out of a few Canon folks that might read my blog. LOL! I’m a Nikon girl. Love my Nikon. But in all honesty, I was almost a Canon girl. Cree has one of the Digital Rebels, and it takes some amazing pictures. That and she’s better at Photoshop than I am.

Thanksgiving Day is over. It was a ton of fun. In two days, I have to go back to work and get back to the grindstone. In the meantime, I am overly enjoying these few days off. They are giving me time to contemplate who gets what for Christmas this year. Gabby is helping me. See her intent stare? Though I can’t say she’s made any viable suggestions other than: More Milkbones!

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend everyone! I hope your weekends are as fabulously relaxing and that you get done everything you want to accomplish this weekend. Feel free to tell me how things are going for you in the comments section.

Please welcome Dodger to my little extended family.  In May of this year, I dedicated a post to my mom’s dog Marble, who after 16 years had to leave us.  Over the past few months, my mom has been ready to bring another dog in her life.  She knew she wanted a smaller dog, and one that she could keep in the house.  After a few months of looking and searching, she found this small bit of fur at East Baton Rouge Parish’s Animal Control.

My mom is a big believer in adopting a dog (as am I) to save a life.  In this instance, it was a two-fer.  Unfortunately at this time EBR’s shelter is a kill shelter, and if an animal isn’t adopted in an allotted amount of time, they must be put down regardless of health.  Not only does adopting Dodger save his life, it gave another dog a reprieve to have another day to be adopted.  EBR is working on changing this, and I hope they are able to soon.  If I lived in the parish, I would vote to make that change.  Unfortunately, we don’t.  So this is a way that we can help make a difference for the time being.

Anyhow, back to Dodger.  He met Mom’s wishes, small (only 15 pounds), young (about a year), and adorable (just look at that face!).  He met my one requirement as well (not that it really matters): he’s big enough to hold his own against Sal, my mom’s big, all black, inside tom cat.

From the stories my Mom has told me already and her Facebook updates, it looks like she’s going to have her hands full with this adorable bit of canine cleverness.  He’s already housebroken (hurray!), learns commands quickly, and is overly enthusiastic.  He has learned how to play by himself by throwing a favorite toy in the air and chasing it.  This makes my mom laugh.  Don’t think she doesn’t play with him.  She does.

However, much of her time is taken up with trying to make sure he doesn’t chew everything up in the house.  He is a chewer.  A prolific chewer.  He’s already ruined the plastic chew toys she’s gotten him, gone through 2 nylabones, and chewed up a plastic water dish she was using.  He’s now limited to a new, less destructible water dish and rope toys (which he doesn’t chew up quickly). Every day this week that I’ve talked to my parents on the phone, there is yet another Dodger story.  From what I can tell, there is going to be lots of fun ahead as he settles into his new home.

Well fun for my parents and Dodger.  Jack the cat still isn’t so pleased about the situation.

The side dish box that goes with my lentil soup is a bit more interesting than the soup itself.  Mainly just because it looks like a bento box rather than a bit of something throw into a lunch box.  Steamed green beans, a hard boiled egg, cheese toast, and corn fritters make an appearance as side dish.  I sampled each this morning before packing to ensure they were just right for the box.  They each passed muster. 

I found the fritters at Playing House, a blog I discovered through Photograzing.  The picture and idea of a corn fritter intrigued me, so  made some quickly this morning.  Definitely tasty.  I suggest you give them a try.  In fact, I think I’m adding this blog to my blog reader for a bit.  I like some of her other recipes as well.

On another note, how do you convince a dog she can’t use the white matelasse for a Halloween costume.  She tells me she’s going to dress up as a polar bear.  I told her she’s not.  Personally, I think she’s just being ornery and sarcastic.  It’s turned a bit chilly.  She likes everything to be a balmy 72.  Nothing lower, nothing higher.

We had quite the discussion about it this morning.  I’ll let you know who wins the argument.  I suspect it will be me since she doesn’t know how to sew.

I tried to get Toby’s opinion on the matter, but in the manner of some males, he just grunted, went about his business, and refused to let me take his picture.  Apparently, he had important things to do this morning, like monitor the back perimeter of the fence.

It has been on my mind lately that I haven’t shared any pictures of the dogs in quite some time.  For the past two weeks, I’ve stalked the dogs with the camera to no avail.  They have both been uncooperative little buggers.

This morning as toby was resting on the couch, I caught a few good pictures.  Gabby decided she wanted to be uncooperative and not participate.

And Toby being the ham that he naturally is gave me a few great shots.  I heard, as did Toby, our neighbor get into his car and start up the engine, most likely leaving for work.

However, I didn’t really think about what I was doing as I took pictures.  It never occurred to me that I might be interrupting their morning routine.  I know they have one, just as I have one.  Mainly, their morning routine is stalking me in the kitchen, hoping for handouts.  But I forgot that they have a little morning routine (and evening for that matter) that I’ve been trying, unsuccessfully, to catch on film for quite some time.

It seems it was time for the routine to get started as Toby stared beyond me to the next room.  Then, I heard it.  Gabby’s nails on the floor, approaching us.

Gabby always approached the couch on foot.  Toby sits there waiting to greet her.

She head butts the couch, he begins to gnaw on her ear.

Then, the next thing you know, the fight is on.  Toby puts his paw on Gabby.  She opens her mouth wide in reaction.  And its the next series of movement I can never seem to catch.  There is lots of growling, and playing, and nipping.

And then the next thing I know, they calm down.  And Toby ALWAYS cleans one or both of Gabby’s ears (blech).

It’s weirdness, I tell you. Complete and total weirdness. 

I wanted to thank everyone who has sent me well wishes after announcing Gabby had to have a spot of surgery for a lump found on her tail.  I thought I’d give everyone a quick update.  The results of the histopathology came back yesterday, and Gabby’s lump was a mass cell tumor, benign.  She has to have her stitches out Saturday, and I’m going to ask the vet a few questions while I’m there.  If I’m right, this is the same type of tumor that my mother’s dog had.  We’ll see what happens.  Either cutting this small one out will be it, or she’ll develop more.  Only time will tell.

In the meantime, she’s doing well after surgery and has surprised the heck  out of my by not fooling with her stitches.  Good dog!  However, today she’s feeling under the weather as she has been for the last few days.  I think the antibiotics are really upsetting her stomach, as evidenced by things I won’t discuss on a food blog.  Today is her last dosage of medication though.  Hopefully in a few days, all will straighten out.  Except for the first night I had her back after surgery, she’s been in good spirits, driving Toby and I batty as usual.

Again, thank you all for your well wishes.  I hope everyone has a great Friday.