Tuesday, July 31, 2012

I'm not done talking about ice cream

Hey everybody! Get super excited! I found that Jeni has released several ice cream recipes, which I didn't want to post when I talked about over in this post, because when I say I link with love, by God, I mean it.

So, here it is. My beloved Salty Caramel recipe. Enjoy :)

Make sure and follow the directions exactly. They might seem a little daunting, and it is a few hour investment, but you won't be disappointed!

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Nothing says good morning like a puppy in your face

Dogs, even more so than people, get settled into their routine. Dillan is absolutely no exception. Every morning I wake up to the sounds of a puppy stirring in the little space right beside our bed. He's stretching and yawning, and I'm lying perfectly still so that maybe he'll leave me alone for the next 10 minutes. Or at least until my alarm officially sounds off. No luck. He knows.
And with that suddenly a wet nose is in my eye sniffing. I don't know if he thinks somehow we morphed into other beings with different smells overnight but it never fails, he's sniffing with fury. I think he aims for the eyes because he knows that means I have to open them and stir to wipe the fresh puppy juice that is now in my face.
My eyes are now officially open, and I can no longer fake any sort of sleep. His tail is spinning in a circle and he's taking anticipatory steps backwards, so as to be closer to the door of course.
If I choose to roll over and close my eyes, he whines. Not begging whines of a normal dog, but "you are literally ruining my life" whines. If he's really upset, he will even bark. I think the total barks tallies about 5 now. Usually I'm not lucky enough to get to the "roll back over stage."
Now my feet are on the floor, and Dillan's front ones are lifting about 2 inches into the air.
I'm finding my glasses and sweater and he's rearing back, ready to race to the door.
I'm unlocking the dead bolt and he's jumping in the air.
The door is open.
He bolts outside.
And stands.
Sniffs some grass.
-business-
Sniffs the air.
Sniffs the grass.
Walks.
Tries to go back inside and I won't let him.
Sniffs the grass.
-business-
Then I'm pretty sure he smiles at me and races back inside.
Where I hear my alarm going off.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

The basket

I had this idea in my head.


source via Dillan's pinboard
The sleek greyhound resting in a wicker basket straight out of some LL Bean catalog. So, when a friend's parents gave me their dog's old wicker basket. I couldn't resist.


I got the bed all prepared. I didn't have an oval pillow but I figured the rectangular one would do and might even give Dillan that extra bit of neck cushion I know he loves.




This is my result. My dreams are shattered.




My dog is afraid of his bed.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Whilst living in a Basement, you might need Raid

Remember over here, where I babbled about Dillan and his tick issues?

Well, this is the part when I babble about myself and my mosquito issues. And spiders. But not house centipedes. I refuse to go to that dark place.

Mosquitos are by far the worst. They are tricksy. You might say to yourself, "self, you've got on jeans, sneaks, and a t-shirt. There's no way a bug could get to your belly button." Think again. I am currently battling about 5 mosquito bites. Bites I can only suppose came from my few minutes out with Dillan during the day. I shudder to think of any other time I could have gotten a mosquito bite in the exact location some might refer to as the spot of the "tramp stamp."

There's also the spiders. I know it comes with living in a basement. I knew there'd be spiders. And I'm sure about 80% of them are brown recluses. But I'm always finding new little webs or smashing something on the floor. And I've gotten into the very normal habit of checking the bed for spideys before getting in. Nathan has taken to shaking his shoes out in the morning as well. I'm not sure if that helps. Spiders have mad gripping skills. <see photo below>

This guy greeted me home last evening.



Hey fella! Thanks for holding down the fort, while we were out. Good to know we can count on you when Dillan is just snoozing in his crate.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

It's my Birthday gift to Me!

I might have mentioned that my birthday was a few weeks ago. And for most of it I felt like this:




I felt even more like this when my mother in law asked what I wanted for my birthday. Easy question, I want an ice cream maker! Otherwise what would this pinboard by good for?


Exactly, not good for very much at all. And furthermore, what good would an ice cream maker be good for if I didn't have the Jeni's splendid ice cream at home recipe book!!!?


Exactly, not good for anything.


So, I asked for both. And I am not ashamed to admit that I cheered and danced and leapt in joy when said gifts arrived. For a week I contemplated the very difficult decision of what would be my first homemade ice cream. I ended up choosing this one.


A little sneak peek of the recipe! pick up a copy!
Yes, yes. Salty caramel. And it turned out perfectly. Rich and smooth and creamy. The cool thing about this cookbook is that the first chapter gives the cook a foundation for developing ice cream flavors on their own and the science behind the ingredients. Which is complicated and essentially comes down to water content of the ice cream...Anyway...


Ice cream getting a chill before going in the machine.
Ice cream making is not to be taken lightly. It's kind of a several hour investment. None of it is difficult, but you will have a sink full of dirty dishes by the time you're done. And patience is essential, in fact I have a bag full of backyard mint ice cream steeping in my fridge as we speak.


But all that waiting is well worth it because in about 45 minutes you'll go from soupy mix to...




super mix.




Oh yum. I'm so excited to try the mint ice-cream with a bunch of added dark chocolate chips - my favorite flavor :)


So I want to know, what's your favorite flavor of ice cream?

Friday, July 6, 2012

Today

hello.  I just wanted to say, that I've really missed being able to share much about our new life in Nashville over the last few weeks. I started a new job last monday and have been trying to adjust since. I hope to share with you soon!

I hope you have a lovely weekend! I am hoping to give the famous farmer's market a try and make some mint ice cream!

Monday, July 2, 2012

The way the Dill Pico Lies

Here's Dillan. Comfy in his new little corner of the apartment, wedged between our bed and the closet.

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...