Finals Mode

We are officially entering Finals.  Jim sent a brief off into the night for his NYC competition (in February), so he is now focusing on Finals.  His first finals is Mon. Dec. 5 and I believe his last is Wednesday, Dec. 14.  Let the countdown begin. 
Tomorrow night I am hosting Book Club.  We read The Snitch, Houdini, and Me, which were short stories about a boy growing up.  I can't lie, I'm still on the last Book Club book.  I made the mini mac n cheese's again as they were such a hit last month.  Poor Jim is getting kicked out of the house for a few hours, but that's the way it goes sometimes.

Adventures in Granola Making

I realized that I never posted about making granola!  We've recently discovered the joy and savings of the bulk section at the grocery store.  It's especially nice for things like granola or trail mix (a good Jim snack lately) or baking needs.  I googled and read in my Martha cookbook about how to make granola and it's really easy.  The first time I made it it did burn as I took a long shower and didn't check on it.  To make granola, you can throw together any ingredients you like: rolled oats, flax seeds, nuts (I like walnuts and pecans), coconut flakes, dried berries, etc.  I mixed in a tiny bit of vanilla extract and cinnamon.  You can sweeten it with brown sugar or use honey or maple syrup like I did.  I placed parchment paper on a cookie sheet and baked it for a half hour at 300 degrees, turning it every ten minutes.  My second batch came out so well that Jim said, "Tastes like granola."  I use it as a topping on Greek yogurt and pack a little parfait snack in a reusable bowl to take to work.  You can cover it with honey and add fresh fruit if you want.  I tried to read on wikipedia why granola is associated with hippies but it wasn't clear to me. 

Thanksgiving Feast

 Do you know about home made gingersnaps?  They are Jim's fave cookie.  Moist and chewy and snappy.

 I love making pies for holidays.  This Dutch Apple pie is from the BH&G cookbook, a good cb to have around the house.

 We made a feast!  I made homemade cranberry sauce (even used Willamette Valley cranberries.)  It makes you wonder, why do people eat the canned "sauce?"  I also made these awesome smoked scalloped sweet potatoes, Trader Joe's green bean casserole, and Jim made Ina's sausage and herb stuffing.  Our friends brought over a giant free range, organic turkey (I think it was 20 lbs or so!) and a hashbrown casserole.  It was a nice dinner with nice friends. 

 Trooper LOVES when company comes over.  He cuddled with them and played with them.  These are the "can you just drop a little?" eyes.  I did cook him an unflavored sweet potato chunk, and he loved it.

I really wanted a Thanksgiving tablecloth, but could only find paper ones.  It seems like Thanksgiving decor was swallowed up by Christmas.  I did look on Martha Stewart for table ideas.  And I printed out Thanksgiving trivia to read after dinner.  I think it was a hit.

Turkey Prep

In good news, Jim is feeling a bit better today.  Poor guy was really hurting yesterday.  Hopefully he'll feel better by the holiday. 
After work I am going to start on my holiday baking.  I use the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook for my apple pie, but instead of shortening I use butter.  Pure butter.  Same thing with my ginger snaps.  All butter.  It's so worth it.  I am also going to chop my veggies and try to do some other prep to make our day easier tomorrow.  I hope everyone has a lovely Thanksgiving weekend and has a lot to be thankful for. 

Pre Turkey Day

Everyone's favorite Legal Beagle is down for the day.  He's been feeling sick and today he's stuck on the couch with a bad cold.  Poor guy is so busy and rides his bike in the cold rain all of the time, it's no wonder he's sick.  Hopefully he'll be better by Turkey Day.  The only good thing is that lil Trooper has a friend to hang out with on the couch all day.  (Jim is taking Trooper to the vet this afternoon for one last hot spot that is not going away.)
Tomorrow night I am going to start my Turkey Day prep and bake my apple pie and ginger snaps as well as chop my veggies and get ready to cook the sides on Thursday morning.  We're pretty excited to eat!

Bowling

Today was the BBBS Annual bowling party.  My LS and I have now been together for a year!  In the car I broached the topic of us taking part in a community service activity together.  I explained what "volunteering" is and asked her if she'd be interested.  She said, "Nah, it's not my thing."  I asked her to think about it.  Hopefully she'll come around.  Other than that, it was a fun day together.  She had $8 with her and she spent it all on one of those claw games just to win a plastic ball that she didn't even want to take home.  To be a kid!
Tomorrow while the Legal Beagle studies, Trooper and I are going to get a hike in with friends and then go out for a burger and brew.  Sorry, Legal Beagle, we aren't going to sit at home until Dec. 15! :)
I started our Thanksgiving shopping.  We are having another couple over for dinner.  Looks like we'll be having a turkey, sausage and apple stuffing, hashbrown casserole, green bean casserole, scalloped chipotle sweet potatoes, and an apple pie (and maybe a few extras.)  I am running in the 4 mile Turkey Trot on Thursday morning, so I'm planning to eat a LOT.  Sadly, I have to work on the Friday after the holiday, but c'est la vie. 

Take Out and Jammers

Jim is in Bend tonight, so Trooper and I are on our own.  I just went and picked up take out.  I've been kind of into fish burritos since I had one in PDX.  If you like burritos and fish tacos, why not?  Pretty delightful.  Jim said it was a snowy drive over the Cascades but he's safe and sound in his hotel and should be back by Friday afternoon/ evening.  Last night I went out for a glass of wine with one of my favorite girlfriends.  It was a good reminder that even when life gets busy I need to remember to take time to get together with girlfriends. 

Winery Fun

Jim and I went out to Sweet Cheeks winery yesterday for an Executive Wine Tasting.  (Oh la la!)  This included tasting 12 wines and a cheese platter.  We didn't get to the last two wines because the Legal Beagle had to get home to study, but we still had fun.  Now he's preparing to hunker down until mid-December.  The good thing is that when he emerges from his finals cocoon, he's a new man (butterfly?)  He also has to go to Bend for court this Thursday/ Friday.  What a busy guy!
On Friday night I tried a really tasty Emeril recipe.  As the reviews recommended, I used much less salt than he called for.  If you like pesto, this one's a good recipe to try.
Tonight I am making a pot roast.  I am basing it off of a Tyler Florence recipe (can't find it online; took it from his cookbook) and some suggestions from my favorite little friend, Vanessa.  I am going to whip up some mashed potatoes on the side.  I also tried to make pumpkin bread this afternoon, but forgot to add the baking soda (so frustrating) so it came out more like a pumpkin pound cake.  The good thing is that Jim eats like a pregnant lady, so I'm sure he'll eat it all. 
Later this week I'll post about my new adventures in granola making.  (When in Rome.)

Happy Veteran's Day!

Don't forget to remember your Veteran today.  My favorite Veteran (Legal Beagle) is leaving work early to read names at the U of O for 15 minutes to remember our Veterans. 
In Trooper news, last night we mixed a packet of Aveeno soothing bath with one gallon of water and sprayed it on his hotspots.  The vet said to leave it on and let it dry.  It seemed like there was less itching in the night.
Tomorrow we may be heading out to Sweet Cheeks winery!  We are going to get one last fun day in before the inevitable finals time arrives (first final is Dec. 5!) and use a Groupon that is about to expire. 
Happy Friday!

Poopers

The nice thing about having a blog is that you can post as many pictures of your pup as you want.  Right now he's licking his bowl (about 15 minutes til dinner time) in a funny/ pathetic way.  In a little bit we're going to take Jim his dinner at the library, then it's a mom and dog wine and crafting party.  And by party I mean turn in by 10pm.

Awesome Rigatoni

On Sunday, I made a really yummy Baked Rigatoni with Sausage and Eggplant (a la Tyler Florence).  This is a good recipe if you have a family to feed or are just two hungry people who like leftovers, like ourselves.  Jim loved it.  Generally, if something involves pasta or the has the word "Italian" in the title, he's going to like it.
Trooper and I just got home from our morning walk.  When it's not raining, we try to get in a mile before work.  It's a nice quiet time together, especially now that it's dark when I get home (ick.)  We haven't seen any head or body tremors in a few days, so hopefully the steroids are getting out of our system.  Our neighbor recommended a medicated shampoo (Evolution Renuplex), which we tried and it seemed to give him some itching relief.  We've also started the fish oil supplement again (liquid on his food) to help his skin.  He seems to be itching less, which is great. 
It's amazing how much time and energy we put into our dogs.  They really are special little animals who give a lot of love and companionship. 

Curried Chicken Salad

We generally like most things curried.  I looked up what exactly curry meant (on Wikipedia) and it said it's a generic Western term.  Jim made Giada's awesome Curried Chicken Salad Sandwiches last night.  It might sound weird, but it's a delight.  The pancetta added a nice salty, crisp addition. 

Trooper Update

Per the allergist's instructions, we have stopped giving Trooper the steroids and he is now only on his regular medicine.  We haven't seen any shaking today.  I saw some last night before our show and it was more of a whole body shaking this time.  It is very hard on me to see my poor young healthy pup go through that.  Our issue now is what do do if the itching returns.  The vet suggested a topical steroid, but some dogs can't even handle those.  We'll just have to see what happens.
Yesterday was a big day for the Legal Beagle: his first court trial!  If you call him this weekend, he'll be happy to tell you all about it.  He was all Atticus Finch up in there.
As always, TGIF!  A few beers tonight, taking my LS to see Puss in Boots tomorrow, and the usual domestics and getting cozy with my doggie and my hubby.  I love those two animals so much.

My Puppers

Trooper has been on a small dose of antihistamines/ steroids for six days.  They are really great and his itching has stopped and hot spots are all gone.  However, last night his head tremors returned and he did it again this morning.  There must be a connection.  My poor doggie is so sensitive and special needs. 

David Sedaris!

I don't think I've blogged about this: we are going to see David Sedaris read on Thursday night!  We've seen him once in Illinois and both laughed until our insides hurt.  When we saw him, we didn't know he'd be doing a book signing before the reading, and were too late to meet him.  This time we are going right after work and getting in line.  I don't think he allows pictures taken with him, but I'm hoping to at least meet him and giggle.