My Dog is a Creep

Murphy and I have been spending a lot of time together.  A lot.  Of time.  Other than the fact that he is extremely lazy, I have also noticed that he is a creep.  Some might call him a stalker.  

He creeps on me while I'm brushing my teeth...

And while I'm blowdrying my hair.

While I'm eating lunch...

And while I'm blogging!

He creeps on me when I'm in my car...

And when I'm watching TV.

When I'm in the kitchen cooking dinner...

He EVEN creeps on other dogs in our yard!

Sometimes I have to leave the house just to get away from his unwavering stare. 

In other news, last night I almost burned the house down.  Well, not really.  But it did get pretty smoky while I was cooking dinner!  Oops.

Grilled Sausages and Polenta

1 pound sweet Italian sausage

1 tube prepared polenta sliced into 1/2 inch rounds, or 1/2 cup quick-cooking polenta (recipe follows)

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 garlic clove, minced

Salt and pepper

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

1 bag baby arugula

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1. Whisk oil, vinegar, rosemary, and garlic together in small bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.  
2. Place polenta rounds in another small bowl and cover with 3 tbsp dressing.  
3. Grill sausages over medium-high heat, turning frequently, until brown on all sides and cooked through, about 7-9 minutes.  
4. Grill polenta until charred and heated through, about 3 minutes on each side.  
5. When polenta is done grilling, transfer to plate or serving platter and drizzle with 2 tbsp dressing.  
6. Combine arugula, tomatoes, red onions, and remaining dressing in a large bowl.  

Ok, so the dressing, sausage, and polenta all tasted amazing.  However, the polenta did not quite grill the way I hoped.  They kind of fell apart on my grill pan, I think due to the grease leftover from the cooking the sausages.  Sometimes, the grill pan just doesn't do the job of a real grill.  Still, it was a delicious meal!

I could not find a tube of precooked polenta in the grocery store, nor have I ever been able to find one, so I had to resort to making my own (if anyone has ever seen these in the grocery store, let me know!  I'm starting to doubt their existence...).  

1. Bring 1 1/2 cups water to boil in a small saucepan.
2. Season with 1 tsp salt.
3. Slowly stir in 1/2 cup polenta.  Continue stirring about 3 minutes or until it reaches a smooth consistency and all water is absorbed.
4. Stir in about 1/2 tsp black pepper and 1 tsp olive oil.
5. Transfer to 8x8 glass baking pan and spread in a thin, even layer.  Allow to cool for about 5 minutes, then refrigerate for 1-2 hours. 
6. Using a glass, cut out circles from polenta sheet.  

This sounds like a lot of work, but polenta is pretty much the easiest thing to make (Besides maybe oatmeal).  And it's awesome!  I love the taste alone, but there are so many different ways to make polenta that I never get bored with it.  Nom Nom Nom.  

Umm yah.  I need to work on my grill marks.  Or get a real grill...

The Time We Ate Two Desserts

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend as much as we did here in New Jersey!  Friday wasn't really anything special...just our usual dinner and relaxing on the couch.  BearFace had to work for a few hours on Saturday morning, so Murphy and I spent the drizzly and dreary day back on the couch blogging, weekly menu planning, and crafting.

Canvas Mounted Photos

This is a simple project that replaces the need for frames (which can be expensive!)  I had a few 8x10 photos that I wanted to mount, and I was really pleased with the way they turned out.

After an energetic workout at the gym, BearFace and I decided to check out the restaurant scene in Warwick, NY.  We settled on Fetch Bar and Grill (maybe because the walls were adorned with puppy pictures?)  I wasn't overwhelmed with the experience.  It was crowded and loud, although the Thanksgiving Eggrolls we ordered as an appetizer were delicious.  I ordered the veggie burger for dinner just because I have been wanting to try one.  Drew tried to warn me that I would be disappointed, but I refused to listen.  Turns out he was right.  Oh well!

So then, we had dessert.  Twice.  Let me preface this by explaining that I have been craving gooey, chocolatey cake allllll week (I think every woman out there can relate to this).  Nothing on the dessert menu jumped out at us, so we walked down the street to Noble Pies.  Our thought was to pop in, see what they had to offer (ahem chocolate cake ahem), and if nothing looked good, on to the next stop!  As soon as we walked in, there was no leaving.  We were immediately greeted by a friendly worker who suggested several different kinds of pies, none of which were chocolate.  At that point we felt stuck and reluctantly agreed to share a slice of blueberry...which was quite excellent.  However, due to the awkward silence in the cafe and lack of other patrons, we gobbled our pie and peaced out as soon as possible.

I knew instantly that the pie would not do.  I NEEDED chocolate cake.  I certainly wasn't going to bake one at 8 pm on a Saturday night, so what was the next best option?  Stop at the grocery store and pick up a microwaveable molten chocolate lava cake, of course!  I was slightly embarrassed during check out, but it was worth every bite.  BearFace also thoroughly enjoyed his microwaveable chocolate chip cookie.

I can't speak for Drew, but I was definitely feeling the second dessert Sunday morning.  But it didn't last long.  We headed out early for a swim at the Y, and after a solid 45 minutes of laps, I worked off about 1/2 of the 1/2 of the pie I consumed.

Workout done, we did some grocery shopping on the way home and then spent a few hours relaxing before taking Murphster out for a hike on the boardwalk.  It was packed with people today, so pictures were barely an afterthought.  I spent most of the time on the boardwalk keeping Murphy under control on the leash and trying to avoid oncoming dogs and people!  The poor guy just wanted to be friends with everyone, and he doesn't seem to understand that not everyone wants to be friends with him.  He did get some attention from a wobbling toddler out for a Sunday stroll.  Murphy bestowed him with some gentle kisses and snuffles, and was greeted with wild giggling in return.

[Side note: One of my BIGGEST pet peeves is people who are irresponsible with their dogs.  I will admit, I do let Murphy off leash when we are hiking, but only when there are no other hikers around and only because I know that he actually listens to me (ok, so maybe he occasionally ignores me for a piece of poop, or a chocolate lab puppy...).  If I do happen to spot a hiker, I immediately put him on the leash and get out of the way.  It is rude to assume that someone wants your dog in their face.  I expect the same courtesy in return.  So when I am walking on the crowded boardwalk with my leashed dog and step to the side to let a German Shepherd and his owner pass, this is NOT an invitation for said owner to let his dog run up to mine and say hello without asking.  Was I rude when I informed you that my dog is not always friendly when he's on a leash?  Maybe a little, but perhaps it will teach you a lesson!  How do I know your dog won't bite mine?  How do you know my dog won't bite yours?  (Alright, Murphy is the friendliest fellow there is, but he definitely gets tense with new dogs since he was attacked by the husky last year.  Probably just Mom being paranoid, but I don't like taking chances with strange dogs.)]  I apologize for the rant...clearly I am still annoyed.  So, when you're out walking with your dog, remember to be respectful of others!

Our daily dose of fresh air taken in, we threw on our chef hats and put together a fabulous dinner.

Thai Turkey Sliders with Creamy Peanut Sauce

I got this recipe from an issue of America's Test Kitchen 30 Minute Suppers, but this appears to be the same recipe.  These turned out fantastic!  Drew and I were both a little skeptical, and he admitted that it was the first dish I have prepared that he was nervous to eat!  But in the end, we both really enjoyed the burgers.  The combination of cilantro, lime, and chili-garlic sauce was just perfect (Just be warned: fish sauce smells downright nasty).

I could not find slider buns, so we used toasted whole wheat English muffins instead.  I also had to add about 2 tablespoons of water to the creamy peanut sauce.  Not sure what happened, but it ended up too thick.  The water did the trick and didn't take anything away from the taste.  We served the burgers with a side of:

Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes

BearFace actually made these himself!  He found a recipe online and everything!  Unfortunately, he has blatantly refused to share the measurements with me.  But basically, it's pretty simple:

2 sweet potatoes (or however many people you are feeding)
Butter
Milk
Cinnamon
Black pepper
Parsley

1. Poke the potatoes liberally with a fork, then bake at 375 degrees for about 1 hour.
2. Remove the top of the skin from the potatoes and scoop out insides into a bowl (They should resemble a canoe!)
3. Add milk and butter and mix until smooth.
4. Add cinnamon and black pepper to taste.
5. Scoop mashed potato mixture back into potato skins, and bake for another 20 minutes.
6. Sprinkle with some dried parsley as a garnish.

Although BearFace in the kitchen makes me quite nervous on occasion, I did my best to keep my mouth shut and stay out of his way.  And he proved to be quite the chef!  (Watch out for a blog from him coming soon...A Bear in the Kitchen: How to Cook When You Have Claws For Hands).  Seriously though, those were some tasty potatoes.