Pringle of Scotland Animation by David Shrigley - Life Behind The Scenes

This morning I was checking out a (new to me) knitter's blog, Eskimimi Knits and found this delightful animated short on Pringle of Scotland.


Pringle of Scotland Animation by David Shrigley - Life Behind The Scenes



Funny, right?

One of the reasons I found it interesting is that we are going to Scotland in July for the British Open, which it is only called outside of the US. There it is known as The Open. I'll be attending one day of The Open because I am a good wifey. The rest of the time I will be exploring the Kingdom of Fife in search of all things woolly while the hubby plays golf and drinks Scotch. I wonder how much yarn can fit in his golf bag to bring home? Hmmmm, some testing may be in order. With the extra padding for the clubs I am sure he won't mind one bit if they are encased in skeins of wool. Yes, the wheels are churning and I am dreaming of chasing down sheep through the heather.

Spot of Sunshine

Here is Tank enjoying some morning sunshine. She is doing very well. Slippery surfaces are a challenge, like linoleum and wooden floors. When she drinks from the water bowl (which is on linoleum) she moon walks backward to the safety of the carpet. It's really damned cute. Right now she is barking at me because the sun has moved on and she knocked her pal Ducky off her snoozer lounger. Both were gifts that really helped with her recovery. She is loved.

I hope you all find a moment today to soak up a little sunshine.


-- Post From My iPhone

Strawberries

The beginning of strawberry season is here in California. Last night we had a friend over for dinner. For dessert I wanted to make something with strawberries. Something kind of light and bright after having a ricotta & Swiss chard tart, grilled rib eye and asparagus on arugula with shaved Parmesan.

Now what should I call this...Strawberry Shortcake with Brown Sugar Biscuits and Lemon Curd.
So I whipped up some Brown Sugar Biscuits that I found on Epicurious. The original recipe made 8 servings but I cut it in half. Even after cutting the recipe in half I got 6 biscuits.

Brown Sugar Biscuits

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes, chilled
1/2 cup whipping cream, plus additional for brushing biscuits
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt in large bowl; whisk to blend. Add butter. Using fingertips, rub in until coarse meal forms. Gradually add 1/2 cup cream, tossing until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; shape into 4 1/2-inch round on parchment or foil. Chill 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut dough into four 3-inch rounds, gathering scraps and reshaping as needed. Place rounds on prepared sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Brush tops with cream and sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool completely. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. If desired, rewarm in 350°F oven 5 minutes before using.)

Strawberries

1 container of strawberries, hulled and quartered
a sprinkle of sugar
lemon zest of whole or half a lemon
The juice of half a lemon

Mix all in a bowl and wait for biscuits.

Lemon Curd
Bought it. I would love to tell you that I made my own lemon curd, but I did not. Fresh lemon curd is a lovely thing indeed. I have made it in the past, but it was not in the cards yesterday. The other thing that made this dessert come together was Creme Fraiche.

Assembly of dessert
Cut a biscuit in half and spread a dollop of lemon curd onto bottom half of biscuit. Spoon strawberries on top. Add a dollop of creme fraiche and crown all this goodness with the top half of the biscuit. Serve extra strawberries on the side. Just in case everyone needs more and they will.

The biscuits are buttery and slightly sweet from the brown sugar. The lemon curd adds sweetness and a burst of flavor. The fresh strawberries love them some lemon curd and they both play nicely together. The creme fraiche adds a tang that counter balances the sweetness of the whole dessert. This dessert was a success in my mind. I love the biscuit as opposed to short cake or angel food cake. The biscuit is not as sweet and lets the fruit bring the sweetness. Serve this at a brunch because this would be fabulous with a mimosa.

I know, I know...no pictures. All I can offer is that my computer is media challenged at this time. There is no joy in my technology. The Mac, Ipod, and Iphone are not speaking to each other right now. This means I have to make an appointment with the MacIdiots at the Apple store. Have you ever dealt with these so called geniuses? Phooey...I haven't met a genius yet and after every visit the problem gets worse. The frustration is too much, but I am going to have to make an appointment. Pure dread, but it has to be done. This poor blog has been languishing the past few months because of it. Of course there is part of me that believes that Apple just wants you to buy a bigger, stronger, faster computer when your hard drive fills up. It's an evil plot I say! That's my rant for the day. Now I am going to enjoy a little reprise of last night's dessert. That will make the day right for sure. Now if I only had Orange Juice I would make me a mimosa too. Yeah Monday morning take that!

Two Rascals

These two scamps got their picture taken in the post office before being put in a box bound for my two favorite babies in Texas.














Yes, the Easter basket is arriving a little bit late. Luckily, Cookie and Kiss don't really know Easter from any other day of the week and I am taking advantage of that fact. They are growing up so fast, it won't be long before I have to get my act together and mail in a timely fashion. The word on the street is they are still coming off a major sugar high incurred last Sunday when they gorged on all the yumyums found in the Easter egg hunt.



















These two are super sweet and without the sugar crash. I hope they like them.

You can find the pattern for these cuties here and here (on Rav). They are called Bunny Nuggets. Adorable!

Happy Easter

I know it is soooo wrong.

Here is something a little more tasteful.






















What am I saying....it's all tasty.

Enjoy the day!

How to boil an egg

The Easter Egg is a symbol of spring's renewal and the resurrection, if you lean that way. Tomorrow is Easter and therefore eggs have been boiled and dyed in preparation for the hunt. Charissa called me this week to ask me how I boil my eggs.

This is how I boil my eggs (this information was given to me by my Aunt Mary Lynne who makes a mean deviled egg).

Boiled eggs
Put eggs in cold water.
Bring to boil.
Boil for 6 minutes.
Turn off heat and let sit in water for six minutes.

According to Cook's Illustrated for Fool Proof Boiled Eggs
Makes 6 eggs. Published March 1, 1999.

You may double or triple this recipe as long as you use a pot large enough to hold the eggs in a single layer, covered by an inch of water.

Ingredients

6	large eggs

Instructions

1. Place eggs in medium saucepan, cover with 1 inch of water, and bring to boil over high heat. Remove pan from heat, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, fill a medium bowl with 1 quart water and 1 tray of ice cubes (or equivalent). Transfer eggs to ice water bath with slotted spoon; let sit 5 minutes. Peel and use as desired.

Of course, I have to ask - How do you boil your eggs and who taught you to boil an egg?

Beware of cats!

Never leave your knitting unattended.









It's the perfect place for a cat nap. But if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Heehee.

-- Post From My iPhone

2 + 2 = FUN

Today is Cookie & Kiss' Birthday and they have come to town to celebrate! The request for dinner was Uncle Joe's pizza. Pizza is Kiss' favorite food and Uncle Joe was happy to oblige the birthday girl.



















She is all smiles while eating her pizza. Lovin' it!








































For dessert, chocolate cup cakes with marshmallow icing






































Cookie wasn't so sure about the marshmallow icing, but loved the cake. Kiss was another story. She loved everything about these cupcakes, especially the icing.
























































Best cupcakes ever!



















The Chocolate Cupcake recipe comes from A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg. The cake was moist, tender, and delicious. Molly makes a chocolate glaze for her cupcakes, but I wanted to please a younger palate. Recently, I was cleaning out the cookbook shelf and came across a recipe I had clipped from Food & Wine, September 2003 for Marshmallow Icing. As soon as I saw it I knew this was the topping for the babies' birthday cake.


Chocolate Cupcakes
makes 12 cupcakes

1 ounce semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup hot brewed coffee
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup well stirred plain whole-milk yogurt (not low fat or nonfat)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line the wells of a standard-sized muffin tin with paper liners.

Put the semisweet chocolate in a medium bowl with the hot coffee. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth and opaque.

In another medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the egg on medium speed until it is pale yellow, about 1 minute. Add the oil, yogurt, and vanilla, beating well. Gradually pour in the melted chocolate mixture, and beat to thoroughly combine. Add the dry ingredients all at once, and beat on low speed until the batter is just combined. With spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl and briefly stir to make sure that all the dry ingredients are absorbed.

Spoon the batter into the wells of the muffin tin, making sure that it is evenly distributed. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack, and cool for 20 minutes. And then very carefully remove the cupcakes and allow to cool completely before icing.


Marshmallow Icing

5 large egg whites
1 2/3 cups sugar
2 tablespoons cold water
1 1/2 cup light corn syrup
Pinch of cream tartar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Bring 1-inch of water to boil in a wide saucepan. In a large stainless steel bowl, whisk the egg whites with the sugar, water, and corn syrup until blended. Set the bowl over the saucepan and whisk the whites until the sugar is completely melted, 4 to 5 minutes. Rub some of the mixture between your fingers to be sure it's not gritty.

Remove the bowl from the saucepan and add the cream of tartar to the whites. Using a stand mixer, beat the egg whites at medium speed for 1 minute to break them up. Gradually increase the speed to high and beat until until the icing is fluffy, firm, and no longer warm to the touch, about 1 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. Use right away.

Makes 6 1/2 cups of icing.

This last little note about the amount. Guess what? I didn't really see it until I was typing up the recipe. Of course, an abundance of icing was made. Way too much icing for a 12 cupcakes. I could have iced at least 3 dozen cupcakes, maybe 4. The icing is deliciously sweet. Cookie didn't really like the stickiness, but I got a big ole seal of approval from Kiss, as the pictures attest. Totally worth every sticky, sweet moment of pleasure. BTW, there were no complaints from the adults either. A crowd pleaser all the way around.

Soul Consoling Tower

Monument in Manzanar Cemetary.

On the road home from Mammoth we stopped at Manzanar. We thought it important to share with our nephew, as it is part of our family history. My father was born in an interment camp in Arizona and visiting Manzanar touches a place deep in my soul that aches at the injustice perpetuated on the Japanese and my family.

From an editorial in the LA Times, July 10, 1998

"The nation has recognized that the forced relocation of the internees was a colossal blunder, the result of panic, fear and blantant prejudice. It's too easy to say, as many do, 'It can't happen again.' Manzanar should stand as a solemn reminder that liberty always is a precious and vulnerable thing."
- Keeping Manzanar's Message

At dinner my nephew asked why they don't teach important stuff like this in history class. We really didn't have a good answer to this question. All I can say now, is if you are on the road it is worth the stop to learn about and embrace a moment in our own country's history and the treatment of it's own citizens. It is worth it even though it makes me weep every time.


-- Post From My iPh

Keep your tips up

The family is hanging out in Mammoth. Just Stopped for lunch after a morning of skiing. We have worked up a powerful hunger. It's snowing and the wind is blowing on the top of the mtn. Awesome.

Tank is doing well. She is trying to walk. It's scary & exhilarating at the same time. Kind of like skiing.








-- Post From My iPhone

Good Wishes

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!














This picture is of my Mom and my Aunt.
















I absolutely love this picture. My mom has such a playful and joyous spirit. These are two of her best qualities. She's always a HOOT!

I love you, Mom!
Enjoy your weekend celebrations.

Life has gone to the dogs

Did anyone notice the full moon this past weekend? We did at our house. We called it bad moon arisin'.

Let me tell you why...

The short story...the hubby punched a pit bull & saved a woman.

The long story...We went to LACMA to kill some time and on the way back to our parked car we heard screaming. From across the street we could see legs and a dog in the bushes across the street. Both Joe and I ran across the street. I started calling 911, while the hubby grabbed the pit bull off of the woman. When the pit bull came back for more, he kicked it. That got the pit bull's attention and it came for him and he punched it in the face and got bit in the process. After that, the owner of the pit bull was able to take hold of her dog.

What happened was that the pit bull attacked the other woman's dog. That woman protected her dog and got attacked in the process. The woman had bites to both forearms and if the hub's hadn't pulled the dog off her it probably would have been worse because she was on the ground. The owner had part of her finger bit off in the fray. It was a messy, bloody, and scary scene.

The fire department and police showed up and started patching up Joe and the woman that was attacked. She was taken away in an ambulance. During that time, the owner and the pit bull were given a wide berth while everyone was patched up. After everyone was taken care of, the firemen threw the owner a lasso to put on her dog, which had gotten out of collar and leash during the fracas. Then a policeman aimed a shotgun at the dog while the owner let it go and they got the dog into the back of the squad car. The EMT's were then able to take care of the owner.

This was the point that we left for the doctor's office. Luckily, our physician was in his office and gave the hubby a tetanus shot, antibiotics, a better patch up, and a referral to the plastic surgeon for stitches. Joe got a couple of stitches in two places and is going to live to punch another dog.

And when the full moon came out later that night...he did not transform.

I am really proud of him for helping a stranger, especially when such a formidable animal was involved. He's my very own Hasselhoff.




































Nice picture...right?! Needs a bikini wax from where I'm standing.

More about dogs...

On Sunday, Tank went to get a recheck and got her stitches out. She is definitely doing better. The bowels are finally moving. No need for more details about that, but all you mama's know what I am talking about. Poop becomes way too interesting. She is trying to stand, but her front left leg is very limp and so she falls over. That leg is going to be the slowest to recover. Hopefully the right front leg will become strong enough and she can start walking on three legs. We went to the doctor's today because her appetite and thirst were really low. Now she is eating some anorexic dog food. Seriously, dog food for dogs with eating disorders. She loves it. I am glad she is eating something. When you can't even entice a dog to eat a hot dog or Pirate's booty you know you got some trouble.

This has been an really exhausting period of recovery. Not much sleep at night. Loads of worry. Constant monitoring. Big LOVE to all the mama's out there. Really... BIG love to you!

Tank update

Never in a millions years did I think I would ever purchase one of these for myself.





















Nope, no baby on the way. We just needed a safe contained place for Tank. She is not doing as well as we would like. She still cannot stand or pee on her own. To encourage movement, but not be stepped on by us or the other four legged critters in the house, we bought the playpen. We do physical therapy 5 times a day. The back legs are weight bearing but the front legs are floppy. When we do our exercises I have us running in green fields with the wind whipping through our ears.

It's been tough around here. We were up to the early hours of the monring trying to get her to go to the bathroom. We have been dead on our feet during the day. Things are getting better in terms of expressing her bladder. Thank goodness for youtube demonstrations, but still you have to feel your way around. One thing that is encouraging is her will to be next to her mommy. At night we have her in the bottom half of the crate in the bed between us. On the first night she crawled out of the crate and Joe found her spooning with me like she does every night. Unfortunately she is in a fragile state as her spine heals, plus we were so tired we were afraid something would happen and she had to be put back in the crate. In spite of this, it was a very encouraging sign.

She loves to burrow so when she goes into her Playpen I put her favorite blanket just out of reach. She definitely finds a way to burrow under it. My hubby thought I was mean but we need her to start moving around on her own. We are still hoping for more improvements in her movement. Otherwise I have to start thinking about buying her a skateboard. Maybe Tyson can come over and show her how it's done.

good, bad, and hopeful

Well life has been crazy good and then crazy bad. First off, we had a great Valentine's day in Solvang. We went to Village Spinning and Weaving and picked up my new drum carder. It's fabulous. For lunch we went to Cold Springs Tavern, which is a very rustic little oasis on an old stage coach road and frequented by bikers. Very cool. The chili there is excellent. We had a really fun day little road trip together.

Things went bad on Wednesday morning, when I returned home from yoga practice to find my lovin' spoonful, Tank, on the floor and unable to move.













Of course, I completely freaked out when I found her. After dialing the vet's office about 10 times to no avail, I was finally able to pull myself together enough and get through and tell them I was coming in. We were immediately in the car and off to the Vet. The x-rays showed that she had some compression in the neck between the C2 and C3 vertebrae. After the x-rays I had to take her to another facility to get an MRI, which showed that indeed she had a neck injury and bulging disc. She went immediately into surgery where she had a bad reaction to the drugs and they had to stop the surgery. After an EKG and getting her to wake up from anesthesia, they decided to proceed with the surgery. Wednesday was a very long day.

Tank is still in the hospital. She still does not have movement in her legs but we are hoping and praying that when the swelling goes down she will regain movement. Her prognosis was good before surgery because she still had feeling in all of her limbs. Needless to say, I am hoping for a full recovery and that she up on her legs soon.

Tonight, we are going to visit her in the hospital and bring her some treats. Apparently my finicky eater is not eating. So nothing there is as enticing, and says I love you, like hot dogs and cheese. She's not highly food motivated but I am hoping she will be tail wagging and gobbling down the goods.

Some other good news in an otherwise worrisome week is that I picked up my diploma yesterday. The last of the library books have been returned and truly I am not a grad student any more. At the student union I picked up my official UCLA frame and hung it up immediately for fear it would languish somewhere if I didn't. Honestly I never took much stock in the diploma. To illustrate my point I have no idea where my undergrad degree is and I never went to my graduation ceremony. This time there is something different. This time it is a very tangible piece of paper marking my time and hard work. The Ph.D was the hardest paper I have ever written...well maybe it was my Master's thesis that was the worst...I was practically suicidal at the end of my thesis. No the Master's thesis was the worst experience in grad school, but the Ph.D was definitely the hardest to write and the yearly struggle perpetually undermined my confidence. So, for now, not every time I pass it, but when I am paying attention and I catch a glance...I marvel at my accomplishment and it tastes sweeter for the appreciation and the experience.

So that's all the good and the bad around these parts. We are hoping for more good things for Tank, like getting back to standing, walking, and eventually a scamper or two.

Be Mine

Happy Valentine's Day!



The hubby and I are in the car driving to Solvang. We are picking up my birthday present and spending the day together.

Wishing you all a day full of LoveLoveLove.

-- Post From My iPhone

It rained and rained

And then it poured.

Yesterday a storm blew in during the wee hours of the morning. It was dark and rainy all day. Then about 2am this morning it started to pour. I could hear the heavy rains pelting the roof. I waited for it to pass. An hour went by and then another and another. It rained like no other rain storm in a long time.

This is what it looks like in front of our house.








The hubby was up a whole lot earlier and said the water was running over the red curb in the photo. Emergency vehicles and city truck keep going up the canyon and the canyon is blocked to traffic. It was one helluva a rain storm and I hope everyone weathered it well.

- Post From My iPhone

About Houston

Carla and I have been out and about. Yesterday we took a four mile walk through the green belt of downtown Houston. Today we took a two mile walk after eating cheesecake for breakfast. Very indulgent. Then we went to the Craft Museum and checked out their two exhibitions on metalworks. We are having a grande ole time together.

-- Post From My iPhone

Tuesday

Monday

Lunchtime













Play time













Almost nap time.

--
Post From My iPhone

Babes

Having a B-L-A-S-T with my babies in Texas.





-- Post From My iPhone