There IS a Santa Claus!!

It's been a busy week here in Alloway...Drew has officially graduated from the police academy as of Wednesday December 12th, and is a real, live New Jersey game warden.  I am extremely proud of the commitment he made, and the effort he put in the last 5 months.  I certainly would not have been able to do what he did...I would have run for the door after the first push-up!  He has a nice, long vacation (off until January 7th) as a reward for all of his hard work.  I'm sure I will be leaving him some to-do lists and ideas for Murphy adventures, muahahaha!

Drew's family was nice enough to drive the 4 hours down here to attend the graduation, and we  were all able to squeeze in lunch at Bull on the 19th over at the golf course in Woodstown before the ceremony.  Once again, I was not impressed with the waitstaff (never got the appetizers we ordered), but my pulled pork grilled cheese sandwich was cheesy and delicious. It was great to spend time with his family, whom I have not seen since we moved.  His boss Ian and fiancee Michele met us at the ceremony as well, and BearFace and I went out to dinner at Terra Nova in Sewell with them afterwards.  Again, it was great to spend time with some Connecticutians!  It was a late night for us old folks (went to bed at nearly MIDNIGHT!), but we had a lot of fun, and I know Drew was glad to celebrate his achievement.

Thursday was another late night for us...after a long day of work (for me), we headed to the Phily Diner in Runnemede for an open bar/graduation party with the rest of his class.  It was good to finally meet his classmates and put faces to the names I have been hearing about.  The Phily Diner was pretty neat too... it's a huge 50's themed diner/bar with multiple bar and eating areas.  Although I did have hypothermia by the time we left...I guess they put space heaters in there for a reason!

So, two nights out in a row?  Crazy, right?  At least for us...but this time, it wasn't enough!  Out again on Friday for my work Christmas dinner at Filomena Lakeview in Deptford.  Can't say I saw the lake, but the food was excellent, the restaurant was beautiful, and the waiters remembered our appetizers (I must say, I was rather concerned that our waiter was about to pass out or vomit from the looks of his ghastly pale face and the fact that he was sweating bullets.  Either that or he just snorted some cocaine.  I'm not really sure).  I ordered the Almond Crusted Tiramisu for dessert...doesn't really compare to classic tiramisu, but I absolutely love almond flavoring, so it was a real winner (I've been known to get high off almond extract.  Just kidding.  But seriously, it smells sooooo good!).

BUT that's not all (I saved the best news for last)!  ROOMDOG MOVED OUT.  That's right; as of Friday at noon, we no longer have a parasite residing in our second bedroom.  How do we feel about this?  ECSTATIC, ABSOLUTELY ECSTATIC.  I was at work when he left, and coming home to a quiet house was so wonderful.  It's amazing how much tension his presence caused, and now that it is gone, our little house feels quite homey!

And finally Saturday...we crashed!  Three late nights took their toll and we are both exhausted and sick (something of the sinus pressure/chest congestion variety).  Of course, we still had to celebrate RD's absence, so what did I do to celebrate his departure?  Cleaned.  Obviously (Don't you know me by now??).  We managed to summon up enough energy to move some of the things in our bedroom into the now empty bedroom and closet, including Murphy's crate (He's all grown up now...time for his own room).  It will probably take a few days to get the stink out of there (Smells like an old man.  Maybe because he didn't shower daily...), but that's what we have candles for!  I also disinfected the shower, which is finally completely free of oatmeal, boogers, and toenails.  Yup, I found a toenail graveyard on the top ledge of the shower.

Murphy was feeling pretty spiteful after being left home alone for three nights in a row, so BearFace and I were nice enough to take him for a short walk at the golf course near our house.  He got out all his crazies, and we took in some of the warm winter air (another 50 degree day).          

                                      

  

BearFace really enjoys it when I interrupt our walks for 

the sake of photography.

Today is a day dedicated to relaxation, movie watching, and getting better!  We rented Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter (Drew loves Abe.  What can I say)  and Moonrise Kingdom from Redbox, got a couple cans of soup and some break and bake cookies, and will be planting ourselves (yes, all 3 of us), on the couch for the rest of the day.  Cooking didn't really happen this week, but I'll be back in the swing of things next week!

One final picture to leave you with:

Proof.  BearFace actually DOES love Murphy.

P.S. I finally figured out how to allow comments from all readers, without having to create an account.  I know, I'm a little slow. But comment away!  Please.  Pretty please.  

Numbers

Before I get to my adventures from today, a bit of recipe catch-up from last week.  My delicious chicken and black bean soup made enough for us each to eat two bowls that night, lunch for me the next day, and dinner for Drew the next night.  Plus I had about half of my whole chicken and 6 cups of chicken stock left for further cooking.  So, what to do with all these leftovers?  Use them to make more mouth-watering dishes, of course!

Leftover Night #1:

Michelle's Semi-Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

2 cups cooked chicken, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 refrigerated pie crusts (I do not find making my own pie crust worth the time and effort that goes into 
        it, but if you disagree, be my guest!)
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 cup frozen broccoli
2 cans Campbell's cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup flour
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Saute onions, carrots, celery, and broccoli until slightly softened, about 5-10 minutes.
3. Mix vegetables, cooked chicken, and 1 1/2 cans cream of chicken soup in a large mixing bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.
4. Mix in 1/2 cup flour.  Mixture should be only slightly loose. You may need to add more flour. 
5. Line bottom of pie plate with 1st pie crust.  Add mixture to pie plate, then top with 2nd pie crust.
6. Cut holes in center of top crust to allow pie to vent.
7. Bake for 45 minutes.  Let cool 10-15 minutes before slicing.  

Not too bad for Semi-Homemade.

Leftover Night #2:

Michelle's Homemade Chicken Soup

1-2 cups cooked chicken, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 cups homemade chicken stock
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1/2 medium onion, diced
Salt and pepper
1 cup pearled barley

1. Bring 6 cups of chicken stock to a boil.
2. Add onions, carrots, celery, and barley to stock.  Turn down heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until vegetables are soft and barley is cooked through.
3. Add cooked chicken, and season with salt and pepper.  Simmer another 5 minutes. 

Considering the fact that I only spent about $35 on all of the ingredients for my soup, I'd say getting 3 meals out if it was a bargain!

Moving on to Tuesday: Today was a day of numbers.

• Number of gunshots I heard in the woods while trail riding today: 4
• Number of times Chubbles bucked while trail riding: 3
• Number of miles Chubbles wanted to walk, trot, or do anything besides gallop (He apparently did not appreciate having 2 weeks off from his bi-weekly trail gallop): 0  
• Number of hours spent Christmas shopping today (...with poor Murphy in tow.  At least he got to accompany me into PetSmart!): 2 1/2 
• Number of times Murphy tried to eat trash in my car while I was in a store: ~ 5
• Number of empty Wawa quesadilla containers that were slipped through my cracked car window by a random asshole while I was shopping (No joke, this really happened): 1 
• Number of times Murphy protected the car from random assholes: 0

Seriously though, who does that?!  If I hadn't known for a fact that RD was in Gloucester County at the time, and nowhere near my car, I would have bet a million dollars that it was him.  On the plus side, I had an awesome trail ride this morning (minus almost being shot by deer hunters and thrown off by my energetic horse), and only have one more Christmas present left to get! 

What I imagine Murphy to be thinking: How many times do I have to

 tell her, I am a DOG, not a darn HORSE.  She better not put this picture 

on her stupid blog.  This is humiliating, just humiliating.

What Murphy is really thinking: Squirrel?!?!? Shadow?!?! 

SQUIRREL SHADOW?!?!

Chubbles: Hey.  I see that carrot in your bag.  Yeah, that big one 

right on top.  I definitely deserve it after carrying you around

 for an hour.  Come on, just give it to me...you know you want to.

I made it home around 4:30 after a thoroughly exhausting day of riding and errands, and settled in to whip up this quick and yummy dinner:

Shrimp Fried Rice

~20 raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (if using frozen shrimp, defrost first)

1 cup cooked brown rice

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups frozen broccoli

Red pepper flakes

Garlic salt

Sesame oil

Soy sauce

1. Cook rice according to package instructions.
2. Heat about 1 tbsp sesame oil in pan over medium heat.  Saute shrimp until pink, about 5 minutes.  Season with red pepper and garlic salt and remove from pan.
3. Heat another 1 tbsp sesame oil in same pan over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic and saute about 5 minutes.
4. Add cooked rice and toss with onions and garlic.
5. Spread rice to edges of pan so there is an opening in the center of the pan.  Add eggs to opening and cook, mixing with rice. 
6. Add broccoli and cook about 5 minutes until defrosted.  Season rice with more red pepper.  
7. Return shrimp to pan and add soy sauce to taste. 

Easy peasy weeknight meal!

And now off to do some reading and relax a bit.  I am currently reading Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything, by Joshua Foer.  It is a non-fiction book written by a journalist who set out to compete in the American Memory Championships after reporting on the event.  I am not usually one to read non-fiction, but this book is fascinating.  The author writes about how the memory works by detailing many studies done by psychologists, most of which revolve around people with abnormal memories.   He also explains the process by which he learned to "remember everything".  The most fascinating part is that he and everyone else who competes in the championships claim to have just an average memory.  They only had to teach themselves to use it properly.  For someone who used to have an amazing memory (I don't think I ever studied more than a night in advance for any test in high school or college), and now can hardly remember what I did last weekend, I was quickly drawn in.  I will let you know if I uncover any Earth-shattering secrets as to the human mind!