Booming Banter

Today I had to take a lot of boxes of supplies back to the storage unit we have for our Kairos things. As I was approaching the town where the unit is located I started to hear a rattle. It scared me as I immediately thought of that snake skin I’d found in the Halloween decorations.

When I got to the unit my friend who was there help me empty the car and we could see nothing. In one of the boxes were some utensils that very well could have caused a rattling noise! Whew!

Supplies offload off I went to load up again this time at our company store which is in the same town. Killing two birds with one stone as you do I got a trunk load of things including dog food for fluff ball.

During his entire life the dearly departed furball Dibley ate only one thing Beneful Puppy Food. When the fluffball came we still had a few bags of this and thought it would be ideal for him. The kennel had told us to feed him a grain free diet but of course we didn’t listen. We gave him the puppy food and he ate it with gusto the first night home but the next day had tummy problem.

This most likely had absolutely nothing to do with the food itself and was more likely due to stress and a sudden switch in diet. Still we put him on rice and chicken for a few days and then got a Beneful grain free diet for him.

As you know he’s been doing great on this and gaining weight well so we’ve stuck with it. Lucky boy also got two big bags of raw hide.

Now we’re not usually the sort of people to go in for « free » types of diet as we know how well all food ingredients are screened and approved but given that Wheaten Terriers are know to have some issues with protein digestion this grain free (gluten free) may be a sound strategy for the lad.

What’s amusing though is the match of the dog on the pack with the dog and his diet. Seems like one was a perfect match for the furball and the other for fluffy.

Just as I was approaching home guess what happened? The rattle returned. I searched the car all over and even asked my neighbor Mike to help me look too. Nothing to be found! The only hide to be seen in that car was raw but if it rattles one more time I just might need to look for snake food too!

Blessing # 507 – Bites and Bitefree

This morning after Zumba I went quickly to our Tuesday Morning Group before heading to the dentist for the biannual cleaning.

Having brushed the choppers more thoroughly than usual as you do when you’re going to the dentist I vowed not to eat any treats at TMG. These are always abundant and tempting but today the boat had been pushed far out as birthdays were celebrated.

The offering that proved irresistible was a huge pumpkin pie. They are not high on my list of favorite things but this one looked really appealing. It was delicious. Seems it was a Costco special and  millions are sold by the wholesaler this time of year. Seriously you couldn’t baked one as good!

I confessed to the hygienist that I’d had a piece of pie on route to see her. She asked why I didn’t bring her a piece too. Sweetheart I love her. What a job she has and does!

So for lunch I redeemed myself with a bowl of spinach and cottage cheese only to be tempted again by Krishna baking buckets of brownies for a BBQ he and Aaron are going to tomorrow!

Scooby and I then took a little siesta and had a read at People only to hit yet more pie promotion. This one being from Philadelphia. It is, at least they claim, the original 1621 cheesecake recipe.

It looks so simple that I might have a go this Thanksgiving myself.

Cheesecake always makes me think of my friend Lorraine as it was at her home I first tasted one. It was the mid seventies and cheesecakes were all the rage. Very different from the Victoria sponge or chocolate cake your mom made and in my young mind the height of sophistication.

Lorraine is a great baker pity her talents never rubbed off on me. I’ve been known to make some horrendous things.  The one Aaron reminds me off regularly is a steamed pudding using a WWII recipe. It was truly like a piece of putty but has left a long lasting impression on my son! I’m sharing the recipe only so you know never to try it!

Should you, like me, be in need of something idiot proof either get yourself to Costco or try this Pavlova. It works every time provided you don’t get any egg yolk in your egg whites for the meringue. Even the tiniest bit spells disaster so start again.

Finally if you are at a loss to know what to do with the egg yolks try this crème brûlée.

Its not too hard at all. It delivers about your entire calorie requirement in one serving though so better not have it till you’re diets done!

Blessing # 506 – Sweet dreams

We knew for sure we were doomed to fail when we hit the weigh in this morning. It’s like Monopoly. We have gone back to GO! Fortunately not to jail!

The Sunday evening buffet at Saffron Grill made no profits. We ate all of them.

Anything you can possibly imagine when it comes to Indian food is available a go go. This includes a Chaat bar where my dear husband could eat his favorites masala dosa, samosas and bhelpuri.

For the meat eating China man there was lots of tandoori not to mention lamb and goat and fish too. We all tasted everything, ate plenty of veggies, good fresh made naans and sweets too and we all enjoyed. That’s the main thing!

One person who did have great success with his weight goals was the fluff ball. He is the only one targeting upward movement and gained 2.5 lbs. No doubt due in part to tucking into trouble.

He has discovered the deer cross our back yard at dawn and dusk and now has a place where he can watch them. Wonder what he’s thinking? Play pal or dinner dish!

Blessing # 505 – Poised and Progressing

As we’re going out tonight to Krishna’s favorite Indian restaurant Aaron and I decided we’d give Dad his birthday cake last night.

He is particularly partial to a little chocolate number from Aldi making life easy for us all. So we stuck three candles on it, put it on a nice glass plate and hid it on the second shelf from the bottom in the pantry ready to light when it got dark.

Being Saturday evening I was engrossed as always in the Great British Bake-off while the men of the house were silenced and doing their own things out of earshot.

When the sun set and dinner was over Aaron and I went about turning off the lights and lighting the candles only to discover that Scooby has been busy with baked goods himself.

He had managed who knows how to get into the pantry and eat a good third of the cake! There was not a single crumb on the floor! He hadn’t pulled the plate down either. The only trace he left was a chewed up candle on the floor!

Panic then set in rather than celebration. The cake was dark chocolate. It had chocolate frosting and chocolate chips in it too. Chocolate kills dogs! Had he eaten enough to do himself harm? Aaron and I both started googling and Aaron found an app that concluded we should get him straight to the vet.

Krishna meanwhile got out GBBOs Mary Berry’s Baking Bible and calculates the typical dry matter of chocolate cake, the usual cocoa content and the theobromine content.

He concluded that given Scooby’s weight of 30lb and the fact he ate about 7 oz of a cake with cocoa as the fourth ingredient we should monitor him for signs and symptoms.

He wasn’t sick or shaky before bedtime but he did do a pee inside which he hadn’t done since we first got him! Could be the diuretic effect of the cocoa powder.

During the night he did seem to be panting a bit or was that just my imagination? Anyway it kept me awake for sometime worrying until he was calm and sound asleep. Fortunately today was the day when the clocks fall back so we got an extra snooze to recover.

Today he is fine. No tummy troubles at all just a little more energetic than usual. Yet another lesson learned; nothing unwrapped within reachable height of  this boy even if you think it’s behind closed doors!

Helped with the diet though!

Blessing # 504 – Feeling Frisky

My Dad ate an apple every day at lunchtime. He was particularly partial to a Golden Delicious. They are my least favorite variety. Maybe because that’s what we always had and it got boring.

My Mum would often buy sour cooking apples called Bramblys and stew them with a mountain of sugar or bake them in pies. They were so good and sort of dissolved when cooked. We don’t have them here and other apples don’t stew nearly as well so I miss them.

When I was dieting as a youngster I would substitute a meal with three Bramblys. I’d be fit to burst with all the pectin and the sourness. It would cut any appetite for a few hours and almost stopped the skin of the roof of the mouth!

Apart from the Bramblys the local apples of Ireland are Coxes Orange Pippins. Don’t you just love that name! They are the best with a little rough skin, a sweet and sour taste and a great bite. Never mealy always yummy.

Recently a new variety from Australia has hit the market here. It’s called a Pink Lady which is also a great name. There much more attractive than the Pippin shiny not rough. They really pack that same great flavor and texture punch. Got a big bag of them today to keep me virtuous on the old diet at least till evening comes. Just could wait to have one as soon as I got home didn’t even take time to get the coat off!

Do you have a favorite apple? Wonder what variety Eve ate, or William Tell shot with the arrow or that evil queen used when she tried to kill poor Snow White. Anyone care to speculate?

Blessing #503 – Crisp and Clean and Crunchy

Friday’s pizza day for us. We get ours fresh in Aldi it takes up the full rack of the oven and it’s meant to serve eight!

Not exactly the best diet dinner especially when Krishna has doctored the already lavish topping with more mozzarella and pepperoni as well as his blend of herbs and spices!

I always wash mine down with a little fizz and light a few candles to get the weekend off to a sparkling start. Did you know you can make it extra specially fizzy by adding ice cubes?

Its the one day in the week when I watch TV while eating while Krishna still sits at the table with his book. Aaron fluctuates or has flown out with his girlie if she’s not working.

Today we have something to celebrate. Being Krishna’s birthday weekend he gets to do his favorite things. Today he wanted to explore the thrift stores . He didn’t find a single book but I found a treasure. Well maybe!

Who knows this mark? Is it KPM? If so we struck gold.

If not the plate is still lovely and ideal for a few naughty nibbles!

Blessing # 502 – Finger Food

We have had the most beautiful fall ever with great colors and warm weather. Until today that is! The weather has definitely taken a turn for the worse for Halloween.

First it poured and Scooby and I got soaked to the skin. Now a gale has come in so by tomorrow there will be no leaves left on the trees. The forecast says frost maybe even snow tonight. Result the bucket loads of candy that we have purchased for trick or treaters are likely to be left here to tempt me!

In Ireland our Halloween parties involved a lot of apples. We dunked for them, we made them into candy apples and we baked them in potato bread in a heavenly combination that kept you warm even on the wettest windiest weather.

We made our Jack-O-Lanterns from turnips not pumpkins and trust me it was a LOT easier! Here what the Irish call turnips are known as Rutabaga and what we called white turnips are turnips. Regardless of name I absolutely love them and Krishna hates them.

My Mom made turnip every week when they were in season. Sounds healthy right and good for the diet. Well they might be with just a little salt and pepper but that’s not the way to turn them into food for the Gods. You must drown them in butter or fry them till they are sticking to the pan with a load of good crispy bacon. So yummy!

Since I thought of them all day and didn’t have any and since I had no desire to get soaked again I did the next best thing and made a good drop of lentil soup.

It will stick to the Irish Superman’s bones as he heads out with Wonder Woman to trick or treat while any sane person might sit at home and help his Mom eat all that candy!

Blessing # 501 – Timeless Tradition

Today is trash collection. Krishna gets everything ready the night before and then either Aaron or I take it down to the road in the morning. We keep a small plastic bag in the kitchen bin to put last minute things like the coffee filter into before putting it in the trash.

This morning when I woke up, thinking as you do of food, it came to me that I should portion out the huge family pack of chicken that was in the fridge so I could through out the packaging rather than have it lying around getting smelly for a week.

So when I’d walked Scooby round the yard for his urgent needs, given him his breakfast, made Aarons lunch and taken out the recycling bins I hit the chicken.

I labeled up three boxes for the freezer and another for tonight’s chicken pot pie and crumpled up the packaging.

Off to the road then as proud as punch with the big bag of trash thinking how much had been done in just a few minutes. On the return first stop would be coffee right? Wrong!

The bold Scooby had a surprise waiting! We’d all been remarking that he was getting taller. Who knew dogs of one year could exhibit catch up growth but seems they can. Anyway he’d put the paw up and pulled one of the boxes off the counter. One big piece of raw bird was lying on the floor and he was merrily munching away not on it as you’d expect but the box itself! It had cracked when it hit the floor and he had one of the broken bits in his mouth. Could I get it off him? Of course not. He swallowed it!

The remaining piece was sharp and so the googling began as to what to do if your dog eats a sharp object and of course the answer was the one we all know. Take him to the vet!

Being as it was only six fifteen this was not helpful! So I consulted the oracle when he deigned to descend for his breakfast. Of course he too then starts to google and so we agree that the vets it must be. He had no sooner left for school than Scooby emits a massive grunt and out pops the chewed up piece of plastic!

Fortunately the other piece was in the totally empty trash bag in the kitchen so it was relatively easy to play Sherlock and put the puzzle of pieces back together.

I got so flustered though that instead of putting my porridge into my milk and water mix I tossed in Aarons coco pops instead.

A bit of a treat to compensate for a stressful morning. Not diet food and not sure the water with the milk is ideal either but I ate it nonetheless while a certain person sat beside me looking contrite!

Blessing # 500 – Coughs & Sugar

Today is National Cats Day. Fun for feline fans!

We’re definitely doggie people as Aaron is allergic to cats and Krishna just doesn’t get them. I can take cats or leave them but would never want to own one although many dear friends are kitty crazy.

Not sure why they don’t do it for me but I suspect it’s because they are so aloof and being the Alpha type I need lots of attention.

They also have a great ability to control their food intake and most seem to remain slender and youthful for eternity. So truth be told maybe I’m also a tad jealous.

There are exceptions though one being the only cat that I ever really grew so fond of as to say I loved him. He was called JuJu and lived a long and highly indulged life with my friend Patrica.

We were living in Switzerland when we first met him as a kitten. As we moved we didn’t see him so regularly but each time I went alone to Switzerland I stayed with Patrica and he always made a point of snuggling up with me and even shared my bedroom.

He was HUGE all muscle of course! With beautiful markings and a little half moustache. He enjoyed his food so much and wasn’t bad at devouring the odd mouse either. So bottom line is he was a rare breed not a picky puss at all.

Why though don’t most cats overeat? Is it because they are true carnivores driven to eat meat and not the least interested in sweets? Does that really keep you feeling fuller forever?

Maybe it’s a hormonal thing after all look what that Cushings did to dear Dibley. Maybe it’s just the boredom of eating when they could be out prowling instead.

This past weekend I was charged with preparing breakfast for the volunteers staying at the Church before we left for prison each morning. We had the usual array of cereal, fruit, bagels, cream cheese, sliced cheese, raisin bread, yogurts and just in case that wouldn’t be enough a gazillion hard boiled eggs.

Well you can guess what’s left. So it is that I’ve been on the Humpty Dumpty lunch yesterday and today and am set to continue for the foreseeable future.

There is just something about this food that sure does keep the hunger at bay.

Maybe I’ll just have to « crack » and share with a certain person or just slather them in mayo and onions and stick them between two big bits of bread and be done with it!

Blessing # 499 – Satiating Snacks

We has a really good weekend at the Reformatory. Great teamwork with our Kairos graduates that we call our Angels in making this a once in a lifetime experience for our new participants.

As expected we ate huge amounts of delicious food so I stepped on the scale with trepidation this morning. Believe it or not I shed a pound since last week. Just goes to show that I did good before going inside or maybe cutting out the old alcohol while I was there did the trick.

The bold Scooby gained a pound so we are on the road to success. He’s nearly 30lbs. His Dad fed him well while I was away but he didn’t walk him the miles I do so no wonder he’s moving up. I gave him a bath just to check on the state of his musculature and he looks great. Don’t tell him but he also looks funny with his hair all fluffed up.

Speaking of fluffy things brings me to cupcakes. On the weekend we have lots of sweet treats: cookies, pies, ice cream that I can resist. Cupcakes that’s another story especially when they come with maple syrup frosting. This is pure unadulterated temptation. There’s something about that mix of sugar and cream cheese that is irresistible.

Think then what might happen if a little alcohol was mingled with that magic. Well that’s exactly what a ninety three year old man in New Jersey has done.

He was on TV this morning explaining that when he stopped work a few years ago he felt bored so decided to keep his mind and body active by baking. He’s come up with some great combinations like tequila sunrises and coffee caramel caluah. Funniest thing of all he doesn’t drink a drop!

Blessing # 498 – Heavenly Combinations