Dog Days

Friday's Letter

Dear Mr. Veen:  the other day you got home early and inside I felt like Henry looks when he's wagging his tail furiously.  Surprises are so nice.  Dear Halloween Eve Rain:  thank you for reading my mind and STOPPING just in time for treat or treating, I appreciate it.  Dear Kit Kats, Dots, and Milky Ways:  I blame you guys for the huge zit that's emerged on my face and also for general feelings of bloatedness and mood swings.  You are pure evil.  Dear Iron and Wine and Marketa Irglova:  thank you for having gorgeous voices to sing this lovely song and also for helping me get PUMPED to see Breaking Dawn!  Dear Minutes:  there are never enough of you in the day.  That's all.  And last to Mr. Veen:  psst - it's Friday!  Whoop!

Get More: Iron & Wine, Flightless Bird, American Mouth (Wedding Version), Free Music Videos

Wordless Wednesday: Halloween 2011







Friday's Letter

Dear Mr Veen:  last night while looking at you lying on the couch I said: "You look like death warmed over"; well this may have been a slight exaggeration and I'm sorry for that.  Also, I'm sorry you have such a bad cold.  Dear New Shoes:  why couldn't you have been honest from the beginning and told me you were going to KILL my feet after an hour of wearing you?  Dear Henry:  ever since Mr. Veen was out of town overnight you've taken to sleeping on the bed.  At what point did I become such a sucker for you?  You are definitely our new baby!  Dear Trader Joes:  thank you for supplying all my fall essentials:  pumpkins, apple cider, pumpkin bread and YES pumpkin beer = delish!  Dear Mumford & Sons:  how I do love thee!  The following is the first song I ever heard of yours and I was hooked.  Bonus points for dropping the f-bomb in such an artistic sensitive way.   This song proves that sometimes there's no substitute for a well placed swear word.  And last to Mr. Veen:  this is the first weekend for awhile that we're all going to be home together - yippee!  Can't wait to spend some time with you and my favorite peeps.

HAPPY WEEKEND!!

Friday's Letter

Dear Mr. Veen:  it's fun to have another "kid" around the house and share being proud parents together.  Wasn't Henry cute the other night when he was barking in his sleep?  Dear Summer:  to quote one of my favorite books Olivia:  "You know you really wear me out, but I love you anyway!"  I hope you love me anyway too.  Dear Foster The People:  I like your sound and can relate to the lyrics in this song especially this week.  Dear Solitude:  sometimes I crave you so much and think it's incredible how truly elusive you can be in this big, loud, busy world.  Dear Grandpa:  96?!  That is amazing.  I will stop complaining now about being tired.  And last to Mr. Veen:  it's Friday - your favorite day of the week - let's do something fun tonight!

Over and out -

Raspberry Scones

One of the many things I love about summer in Oregon are all the luscious berries that are available.  Last week I was wanting and needing to bake something but not sure what.  That's when I spotted the following recipe via smitten kitchen.  It just so happens that I am fortunate enough to live in a neighborhood that has wild raspberries growing free for the picking just one block over = score!  The kids and I had fun harvesting our berries and the scones turned out moist and yummy.  They are especially good with homemade lemon curd, ( I love the whole raspberry/lemon combo) but it's not necessary.  The only drawback to these gems is that they aren't especially pretty....

But as "they" say "you can't judge a book by it's cover", or "pretty is as pretty does" , etc, etc!  Here's the recipe:

Raspberry Ricotta Scones (personal note:  I used all white flour because I didn't have any whole wheat on hand and they turned out great!)

1 cup (120 grams) whole wheat flour
1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder, preferably aluminum-free
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
6 tablespoons (85 grams) cold unsalted butter
1 cup (136 grams or 4 3/4 ounces) fresh raspberries
3/4 cup (189 grams) whole milk ricotta
1/3 cup (79 ml) heavy cream
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In the bottom of a large, wide-ish bowl, whisk flours, baking powder, sugar and salt together.
With a pastry blender: Add the butter (no need to chop it first) and use the blender to both cut the butter into the flour mixture until the biggest pieces are the size of small peas. Toss in raspberries and use the blender again to break them into halves and quarter berry sized chunks.
Without a pastry blender: Cut the butter into small pieces with a knife and work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Roughly chop the raspberries on a cutting board and stir them into the butter-flour mixture.
Both methods: Add the ricotta and heavy cream together and stir them in to form a dough with a flexible spatula.Using your hands, gently knead dough into an even mass, right in the bottom of the bowl. Don’t fret if the raspberries get muddled and smudge up the dough. This is a pretty thing.
With as few movements as possible, transfer the dough to a well-floured counter, flour the top of the dough and pat it into a 7-inch square about 1-inch tall. With a large knife, divide the dough into 9 even squares. Transfer the scones to prepared baking sheet with a spatula. Bake the scones for about 15 minutes, until lightly golden at the edges. Cool in pan for a minute, then transfer to a cooling rack. It’s best to cool them about halfway before eating them, so they can set a bit more. I know, way to be a big meanie, right?
Do ahead: Scones are always best the day they are baked. However, if you wish to get a lead on them, you can make them, arrange them on your parchment-lined sheet and freeze them. If you’re prepping just one day in advance, cover the tray with plastic wrap and bake them the day you need them. If you’re preparing them more than one day in advance, once they are frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag or container. Bring them back to a parchment-lined sheet when you’re ready to bake them. No need to defrost the froze, unbaked scones, just add 2 to 3 minutes to your baking time.



And because I feel bad about the above lack-luster scone photo, here's an extra just for you!

Happy Monday!



 



Perspective

via sfgirlbybay

After less than one week of being a dog owner it is safe to say that Henry has already made me a better person.  After all, it's hard to be grouchy when a fluffy dog with big eyes greets you with wagging tail and expectation every time you walk into the room.  I have no doubt that in Henry's eyes I am a superstar!  While my cats can take or leave me - he wants to be around me always.  As someone who has never had a dog or necessarily thought of myself as a "dog person" I am shocked at how smitten I am with this furry fellow.  And very soon I plan on getting the above print to remind myself to be the person Henry sees in me.

Puppy Love

Good morning!  I had such a fun vacation and week away and so much to share starting with (drum roll please)  I got a new dog!  We have been dreaming about and shopping for a pooch for the family for awhile now and while we were camping I kept seeing dogs everywhere and just knew that the time had come.  So upon arriving back home I checked out our local shelters website and found just what we'd been looking for   - a terrier mix with wiry hair, 20 pounds, adult, boy and cute as a button!

I decided to go visit the shelter on my own with a plan to call Mr. Veen and the kids if it seemed like a good match.  I spotted our guy right away and quickly filled out the paper work needed to visit with him.  The minute he came into the viewing room he came right up to me and cuddled up and I knew that he was the one!  It was pretty much love and first sight and I am happy to report that Henry is adapting wonderfully to our little family.  He is fully house trained, crate trained and doesn't bark or jump on people.  He doesn't care about our kitties (although they aren't thrilled with him), and he absolutely loves going in the car and on walks.  I can't say enough good things about him.  He's the bees knees!

So expect to see more of Henry in the future and get used to my mushing and gushing because I'm in full blown puppy love!