Dutch vs The Ducks

We love our house and we love the atmosphere that comes with it. We love that our house backs-up to a creek...until recently. We have never had issues with Dutch and the creek (except we had a small episode the first day we brought him home) but that was 3 years ago. This summer however is a different story. Dutch has discovered the ducks...

Brian and I have spent lots of hours now yelling at Dutch while he romps and plays up and down the creek chasing ducks. He has no idea how to catch a duck and I must say it is hilarious watching him make the fearless attempt over and over again, of course being unsuccessful. If you have never watched a duck be "hunted" in the water, they swim away as they are being chased and right when the "hunter" (a.k.a. Dutch) goes for the attack, they dive under the water so the "hunter" (a.k.a. Dutch) has no idea where they went. They end up coming out of the water at the complete other end of the creek and the process starts all over again. Dutch sprinting after the duck, finally catching up to it, then swimming behind it, then diving for it, and then being left dumbfounded by the duck's disappearance. Also, 10 minutes in to the chase, he is panting from exerting so much energy, however he is completely clueless that he doesn't have the stamina to continue chasing duck after duck. It is quite humorous most of the time, however I am getting extremely tired of this process. This happened twice today. Dutch can no longer be trusted to be outside with us...I am convinced he will take off into the creek.

Also, Dutch apparently goes deaf when he goes into "duck chasing" mode. It is like Brian and I don't even exist. When Brian and I realize that our yelling is not going to be enough, Brian goes to the garage...puts on his waders...heads into the creek...and pulls Dutch out of the water. Dutch of course is soaking wet, so he then gets to spend some time tied to the pole outside in order to dry off.

You think Dutch would learn...the ducks are going to win every time.

New Staple Side Dish...Pureed Cauliflower with Goat Cheese

Where has the time gone? I realized today that it is September 19th. I swear just the other day it was July...what happened? I was making my way through a blistering summer, and unfortunately I am still making my way through the blistering heat. I am totally ready for Fall and I hope it stays for a while. I am ready for cooler weather, but nothing that requires a coat. Just nice, cool weather that can be enjoyed without sweating your make-up off, without having flat hair, without having to think about which outfit won't stick to my sweltering skin, and without wanting to jump into an ice bath after every moment I spend outside. It's hot out there people...

I also realized today that I have been on the road for 5 weeks since July, so that is where my time has gone...it has literally flown by.

Anyway, on to more interesting things. With all my time on the road, I have definitely gone on a binge fest, eating whatever I want whenever I want. (By the way, that is one of the problems with traveling for work...you constantly eat...all day every day. I still don't really know why.) So that means, when I am home I gotta be more aware. Since we are spending our Saturdays tailgating, and Friday nights are spent having a Mexican feast at our favorite spot, that leaves about 5 days to be more conscious of what we eat...which actually means that if I aim for 5 then I might do 3...

Tonight we had Bison Tenderloin with a Shallot Marmalade, Sauteed Garlic Spinach, and Pureed Cauliflower with Goat Cheese. Unfortunately, the battery in the camera was dead tonight when I went to take a picture of this feast, which believe it or not was healthy. (At least to me since our typical Sunday night meals are packed full of unhealthiness...)

I really want to emphasize how AH-MAZING the pureed cauliflower was. Please try it the next time you want something different. I was leaning towards grits, polenta, mashed potatoes, and all the other usual suspects for something rich and creamy to go with our filets, however I really didn't want a high calorie dinner. Bison by the way is great for you. Our 8oz filets had only 4.8 grams of fat, 50 grams of protein and only 260 calories.

Pureed Cauliflower with Goat Cheese (recipe by me)

1 head cauliflower

4 cloves garlic, smashed

1/3 cup buttermilk

1 tsp butter

1 tsp olive oil

3 oz goat cheese, cut into small pieces or crumbled

Salt and Pepper to taste

Simply core the cauliflower and cut into florets. Place a steamer basket over boiling water and steam the cauliflower with the smashed garlic until tender and done, about 12-15 minutes. Once the cauliflower is cooked through, place them in a food processor and add the buttermilk, butter, olive oil, goat cheese, and salt & pepper to taste. Puree the mixture until the cauliflower is completely smooth and all the ingredients are well incorporated. If the mixture is too think, add a little more buttermilk. Taste the mixture for appropriate seasoning and serve hot.

Roasted Shrimp with Orzo and Feta

The other night I tried this recipe for dinner. It was one of the last nights of the dead heat of summer (so I think as of right now) and I thought we needed a nice cool summer dinner. I stumbled across this recipe from Ina Garten and was quite impressed with the way it turned out. I even spent some extra time peeling and deveining the shrimp because I still can't understand why it is so much more expensive to buy them this way at the store. For my 2 lbs of shrimp I could have spent an extra $15 to be lazy...tempting, but ridiculous. Anyway, this recipe for dinner was great, but what I really want to suggest for this recipe is to pack this goodness in your lunchbox. We were too hungry to wait the the suggested hour at the end and I didn't plan ahead to refrigerate it overnight, so it is fair to say that it's our own fault we weren't wowed the first night. Pleased, but not wowed. The next morning I packed up some leftovers and took it to work the to enjoy for lunch, and enjoy did I. It was fabulous. The flavors had really come together and I was super glad I had made such a big batch so I could enjoy it all week. I think it will definitely become a lunchbox staple. I served mine with some toasted bread rubbed with fresh garlic.

Roasted Shrimp and Orzo (recipe by Ina Garten) Serves 6

kosher salt

good olive oil

3/4 lb orzo

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3 lemons)

freshly ground black pepper

2 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts

1 cup chopped fresh dill

1 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded and medium-diced

1/2 cup small-diced red onion

3/4 lb good feta cheese, large diced

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and a splash of oil, and bring the water to a boil. Add the orzo and simmer for 9 to 11 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it's cooked al dente. Drain and pour into a large bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Pour over the hot pasta and stir well.

Meanwhile, place the shrimp on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and spread out in a single layer. Roast for 5 to 6 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through. Don't overcook!

Add the shrimp to the orzo and then add the scallions, dill, parsley, cucumber, onion, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Toss well. Add the feta and stir carefully. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend, or refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated, taste again for seasonings and bring back to room temperature before serving.