the moderate epicurean

a quest for measured pleasure...

Monday, July 10, 2006

Cheer up my friend! Suz has a terrible case of puppy fever, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy fever to be exact, and there's no solution... Viv has a known allergy to dogs, although has experienced no symptoms with regular exposure to various of her friends' dogs (like Siggy-Roo!). But after a trip to visit a Cavalier breeder yesterday, and a good long play with dogs of various ages, Vivian broke out in hives, so there's no messing around. No puppy/dog can live in their household (nor cats, nor guinea pigs; in fact, no fur at all). Of course Vivian and Sullivan love animals of all sorts, so they're bummed too. (I don't think Cory's quite as bummed, other than in kind empathy with his moping family...) Sigh. Suz needs someone to have a baby she can babysit, like the Coopster, to cheer her up. (That cured me of my brief puppy fever!) Anyone volunteering? Perhaps the Maven of Mischief should have a baby, yeah, that would do it! Get busy, Brian!

My lips are kinda smarting from a spicy shrimp gazpacho I made for dinner tonight (recipe posted in comments, below). I was in the mood for something cold, veggie, and spicy and this fit the bill quite nicely (since I made salad for lunch and dinner yesterday, I was ready for a different twist, you know?). I ate dinner alone since John is only just on his way home from work, at 8:30 p.m., after a monster day at work - some proxy fight that ate up alot of thought and time over the past couple of weeks. I'm sure he didn't eat a thing all day and is starved - we'll see if I need to enhance the quite light gazpacho with a toasted cheese sandwich or something with a bit of substance...easy enough to do. After I make him eat something healthy, he can go wild on chocolate, ice cream, and/or mini-Chiclets, his favorite sugary way to end an evening...

3 Comments:

At 5:08 PM, Blogger Suz said...

Awwww, sweetie, I can't believe you posted an entire entry dedicated to me and my puppy woes. With friends like you, who needs puppies?? :-) I can cuddle you instead--within reason of course. Ha! (but I'm not picking up your poop.)

 
At 6:28 PM, Blogger Stephanie said...

You won't pick up my poop? Hahahaha. That's pretty grody, but funny, of course, nothing funnier than poop and farts! Woo hoo! Wish I were as cute and cuddly as a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, but alas, it is not so... Have a good night!

 
At 9:32 AM, Blogger Stephanie said...

Shrimp Gazpacho
From Bon Apetit
Serves 6-8

6 large ripe tomatoes (about 2 lbs.)
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, diced (about 1 ½ cups)
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1 c. tomato juice
½ cup bottled clam juice
3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 ½ tsp. Old Bay seasoning
8 oz. cooked shrimp, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

In a food processor, blend tomatoes until coarsely pureed. Transfer tomatoes to a large bowl. Stir in all the remaining ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill until cold, about 2 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.) Serve cold.

Note: when I made this, I used a combination of canned tomatoes and fresh, which worked quite nicely. Also, I was in the mood for something a bit Mexican-ish, so I used chipotle chili powder and cumin instead of the basil and Old Bay seasoning, added 1 clove of minced garlic, and garnished with diced avocado. Served with a few tortilla chips, it made a nice, light dinner.

 

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