Learning

Weller went off to formal training.

 

 

When Weller was recalled, I was surprised that I didn’t cry as I had for the last 4 puppies I had raised. I mentioned to a friend that, maybe I’m getting hard-hearted, and she replied, “No, you’re changing your priorities,”

This was such important encouragement for me. Puppy raising is something that I truly enjoy learning about and putting my time into and I do it because I know, it’s life changing. When a dog first goes to formal training you realize just how apart of your life they are and how used to them you become. Occasionally I’ll open the door for Weller to come out, only to remember that he’s gone.

Something I’ve been trying to learn is that he’s not just gone. He hasn’t disappeared into thin air. He’s training, and he’s learning how to do his job and as Weller learned up in Oregon, I learned down in California just how amazing Guide Dog’s is.

 

Weller is now in phase 7 of 8 in his training and I am so proud of him and I pray that he will be able to bless someone as a guide.

Popsicles Three Ways

This post was really meant for summer. But, I procrastinated and it's winter. Luckily for my procrastinating self, it's pretty warm here and perfect weather for popsicles!

                 I made popsicles three ways-

Mixed berry Popsicles.

Kiwi Grapefruit Popsicles

 

And my favorite, Chocolate cake batter popsicles.

 

 

Mixed Berry Popsicles

 

Ingredients

1 bag of frozen mixed berried

 

Pour the berries into a bowl and microwave them until they are soft. Then, mash with a fork and pour into your popsicle molds.

 

Kiwi Popsicles

 

Ingredients

2 kiwis

1/3 cup grapefruit juice

3 Tablespoons Honey

 

Puree and freeze in popsicle mold



 

 

Cake Batter Popsicles

Ingredients
1/2 cup chocolate cake mix
3/4 cup milk

Mix together until it's a cake batter consistency. Freeze in molds. Be careful when taking from the mold because the bottom breaks off more easily than other popsicles.

Enjoy!

Pink or Blue?

There's going to be a new addition to the family...

My sister is going to have a baby! So, as gender reveal party's are all the rage, she asked me to make a gender reveal cake, pink or blue, so they know who.

 



 
 

We went on a Pinterest hunt for the perfect cake. I eventually decided that I loved the idea of sprinkles around the edge and my sister wanted a moustache theme. And then we found this. http://iambaker.net/heart-cake-tutorial-surprise-inside-cake/

Go ahead and look at it.

Needless to say our jaws dropped and I spent countless hours wondering how she even thought of that.

 

Then it was time to bake, then cross our fingers that it would turn out awesome.

I think it did if I do say so myself.

 

 

 

 

 

It's a boy!

Goldfish

A lot has happened since I've written a post. Carolyn had some problems so now she is with a new puppy trainer and is getting much better. After that, we got one of our previous dog's puppies, Music. 

Besides being absolutely adorable, she was somewhat conceited. She has been with 2 incredibly experienced raisers and is now with another raiser and is improving lots.

After those two puppies, we decided to get a transfer dog. He is a handsome black lab named, Weller.



Weller is seven months old now. He is a friendly, happy dog and basically loves life. 

In other news, my friends and I decided to have a food day.

Mango Lassi

Bean and Cheese Pupusas

And...

Goldfish! ...Well, gold hearts and bones. I was really excited about making these because now I can make these for my niece :)

We had a really fun time and I hope to do it again!

    Goldfish Courtesy of Smitten Kitchen:

6 ounces (1 1/2 cups coarsely grated) sharp cheddar, orange if you can find one 

you like

4 tablespoons (2 ounces or 57 grams) butter

1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces or 62 grams) whole wheat flour

1/4 cup (1 1/8 ounces or 31 grams) all-purpose flour

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon table salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine all ingredients in a food processor, running the machine until the dough forms a ball, about two minutes.

If the dough feels warm or worrisome-ly soft, wrap it in waxed paper or plastic wrap and chill it in the fridge for 30 to 45 minutes. This also makes it easier to transfer shapes once they are rolled out.

On a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out 1/8-inch thick. Form shapes with a cookie cutter, dipping it in flour from time to time to ensure a clean cut. Gently transfer crackers to an ungreased (though mine were parchment-lined, because they are in despicable shape) cookie sheet with a 1/2 inch between them. Bake the crackers on the middle rack for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they are barely browned at the edges. Remove from the oven and set the cookie sheet on a rack to cool.

More recipes to come!

Shepherd's Pie

I think of shepherd's pie as the perfect winter food. Maybe it's the potatoes or the fact that it's called a pie. 

One day, I was thinking about shepherd's pie, and I thought, What if the crust was made of scalloped potatoes. I thought about this idea for a long time but never tried it until now.

I wasn't quite sure how it would turn out, so I was really excited at the outcome!

Definitely the ultimate winter dinner.

Recipe

 Ingredients:

• 3-4 medium sized potatoes
• 1lb ground lamb
• 4 carrots
• 3/4 cup of peas (fresh or frozen)
• 1 small onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 4-5 Tablespoons butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter or oil your pan. Slice your potatoes with a mandoline (I used a peeler because I don't have a mandoline but be warned, it takes a long time.)  Line the potatoes in your pan. You may want to have several layers of potatoes. 

In a pot, melt butter and put in chopped onions and diced garlic. Cook until golden brown. Add flour and stir. Add lamb and cook until brown. Mix in peas and chopped carrots and pour into the potato crust. Top with about 2 more layers of thinly sliced potatoes. Pour some olive oil or melted butter over the top and cook for 30 minutes or until the top appears golden. Enjoy!




In other news, Carolyn is growing up and is learning lots!

Pictures from SF Adventure

So here are the pictures:

Delicious calamari at The Fish Tank

 

Amazing lamb dosa's at The Dosa Republic. Look at the salsa looking thing. It was crazy good. And you'll never guess, it had quinoa in it!

 

Falafel's at Sunrise Deli

http://www.sunrisedeli.net/truck.php

 

 These mouth-watering bundles of delicious at The Slider Shack

Belgian waffles with strawberries at the Waffle Mobile.

 

 As you can see, my sister and brother-in-law got really excited and broke their utensils. 

 

We got The Asian Asada at Kung Fu Tacos and it was really, truly incredible. We also got the Roast duck taco and that disappeared quick.

We got another one.

 

 

    My sister took some artistic shots.

                    Also something I didn't tell you about. We went to Tartine Bakery which is so crisp, fresh, and                     delicious.

 

 

 Cute little label

And La Palma! Which has handmade tortillas and the best guacamole ever.

 

 

And Bi-rite Creamery where we got a Banana Split

Dainty Genlemen 

 

 

 And Sam's Sundae

And a big surprise!!

My new Guide Dog Puppy, Caroline!

She's very cute, sweet, and spunky. Can't wait to tell more about my adventures in raising my third Guide Dog Puppy!

Horray!

Surprise! My birthday happened, so my family took me on a San Francisco adventure. I had a really great time and it was really fun. Thank you family. Here are some pictures from the trip.

We went to Soma SrEat food park http://somastreatfoodpark.com/ And the first place we checked out was...

Thefishtanktruck.com

http://www.facebook.com/TheDosaRepublic

 

http://www.facebook.com/theslidershacksf

http://www.facebook.com/TheWaffleMobile

 

And last and most defiantly my favorite...

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kung-Fu-Tacos/122815922690

 

 

I had a really great time and all the food was super incredible! I have another surprise coming and more pictures of the actual food but something is wrong with my blogging account. So, goodbye for now but I hope to post soon!