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Flips (46) Picks (42) Clicks (28) Chicks (19) Digs (19) Trips (18)

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Friends at Last and Puppy Pounce Video, ya!

They have finally come to an agreement.
The dogs can live in the same house.
I was wondering there for a while.
I'm not sure who is the alpha girl, but Rhubarb lets Blu Belle have her way most of the time.
Surprising!

Exhausted Puppy
 Friendly game of tug-of-war.
So, you are seeing it here first.
2Hipchick's very 1st posted video
Puppy Pounce
Rhubarb was also going to be in the video, but she ran off the see the neighbor dogs.
2Groovydude makes an appearance along with the voices of 2Hipchick and Daddio.
Do you ever listen to your recorded voice?
It's just not right.


FUN NUGGET:

Maybe this is a little freaky, but I love stuff like this!
Bodies: The Exhibition
is coming to Tulsa
October 29th
Waahh!
Very educational!

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Anthropologie Update

Well, I was curious about when the Tulsa Anthropologie store was opening, so I went on-line and the store locator said, "No stores in your area".
Being curious and needing to do some shopping, I drove by the location.
It's OPEN!
Utica Square, Tulsa, OK
I went straight to the sale room (yes, not a rack, a room, very cool) and found this little sweater.
Is it sooo cute?!
On sale, oh yeah!
Supposed to be cool here tomorrow, so I'm wearing it.
Fun!
The leafy parts are beaded and I love it. 
Go check it out!

Summer Beauty Remembered

Summer has come and gone.
I love fall...it's my favorite season, but gosh, summer is so pretty.
Wanted to share some clicks that never got published.
Or if they did, I forgot.
2Groovydude says I forget a lot!

I think this is a fuzzy caterpillar.
Outer space alien?
 2Groovydude checked it out.
He doesn't know.
Very interesting.
Day Lily
Oh, beauty!
 Another flavor of Day Lily
 Oak Leaf Hydrangea
Mmmm...pretty.
Crazy dog relaxation pose.
Yoga?
Rocket Dog?
Cracking me up?
Yes.
 Closer view.
Me, laughing out loud!
Rabbit's feet?
It's killing me.
 That little pooper.
She is just gorgeous!
 Shhhh...she's sleeping.
Thank goodness she sleeps, because when she's awake she's a holy terror.
(That's not really true, she has been pretty good, but she has her moments.)
She has the ability to escape a pen that Rhubarb has never escaped.
Tricky.
Plus, she actually has some legs, for jumping and climbing, unlike the Rubes.
(Refer to rocket dog photo above.)
Back to beauty...take a few deep breaths.
Hydrangea bliss.
Fuzzy, but great color, don't you think?
Oh, my!
Really!?
How can something be so perfectly, perfect?
  Wow, I feel much better now...and we had a puppy poop incident during my blogging.
But, I still feel better just getting in some nature.

FUN NUGGET:

Okay, I'm sure I've mentioned Anthropologie before, but we are getting a store close to where I live!
Yaaaa!
I am very excited about shopping their sale racks.
Let me share my shopping philosophy:
Just head straight for the sale rack and don't look anywhere else.
Keeps me out of trouble.
Yikes...I can't wait!

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Wholatta Frittata

Let's talk about Frittatas!
They are so easy to make and they taste so good.
It is kind of like an omelet, but even easier because you don't have to worry about the flip.
Never could get that flip just right.
You omelet makers know what I mean.
You can put anything on a frittata that you can an omelet.
We usually make one when the left-overs pile up and we can't think of anything else to cook.
(And we seem to have a lot of eggs lately.)
You know, my breakfast for dinner philosophy?
When you can't thing of anything else for dinner.
There's always breakfast stuff available.

Frittata Asparagus

2 eggs, per person
Left over cooked asparagus, chopped
tomato, chopped
onion, chopped (green, white, purple, whatever)
Cheddar-jack cheese, shredded
Parmesan cheese, grated
salt and pepper

There are no measurements, because you just have to use what's in the fridge.  Really, anything.  Mushrooms, green beans, grilled chicken, roast beef w/carrots, onion & potatoes...seriously use the left-overs.
First beat the eggs and add cheddar-jack cheese and salt & pepper.  Pour into a heated non-stick skillet (that is also oven-safe) and cook until the edges begin to look solid.  Add all the other toppings, (kind of like pizza) and grate Parmesan over top.  Don't stir or flip anything.  Just stick the skillet in the oven under the broiler until the cheese melts and the eggs are cooked to your taste.
Easy!  I'm telling you, how easy can you get?!
Remove from broiler and slide the fritatta onto a cutting board and cut with a pizza cutter.  Yum!

FUN NUGGET:



This site has some more frittata ideas that sound really good.  I want to try the banana one that uses a pancake batter base.  Yum!

Banana Frittata

Some of the recipes are total oven baked, if you want to skip the stove-top and even a frittata muffin.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Dog Gush and New Puppy

If you are not a dog lover, then you might just want to turn away.
Rhubarb is the cutest dog, ever!
She is here to be served...Queen Rhubarb, her highness.
Cuddler for the cutest boy.
Ever ready for a scratch behind the ears.
She looks really freaked out here.  I'm not sure what was going on.
Have I mentioned she has the cutest Corgi butt?
Oh yeah, I've mentioned it.   But really, take a look.
Cute, huh?
The nubbin tail is really the cute part.  Especially when she wags it.
Okay, all this gushing over Rhubarb to also let you know we have a new family member.
I didn't want the Rubes to feel left out.
Because we went totally crazy and got one of these!
A new puppy...Blu Belle.
Oh, my! She is beautiful.
Belle...that's what we call her...is a Miniature Australian Shepard.
She's a Blue Merle with two blue eyes.
Just what Daddio has always wanted.
She is a great leaf mulcher.  I'm not sure why? 
Sounds dry and tasteless to me.
This is the pre-pouncing look. 
 I've seen it before and it is always followed by a pouncing.
Beautiful Belle.
Meet our newest family member or critter?
She's a keeper.
She only kept us up for four nights.
Welcome to the chicken ranch, Belle.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Chickens...the Good, the Bad, the Ugly

The Good...our little Miss Chuckles is laying eggs.
I'm so proud of her.
She's such a little skinny thing. 
She is one of the bantams and her eggs are so little.
Actually, not as small as I thought they would be considering she is so small.
Chuckle's egg preparing to be eaten.
Comparison to our other chickie egg. 
Just a little puny, not too bad.

The Bad...chickens have lots of issues.
Raccoons eat their feed.
Snakes eat their eggs.
Major snake kill last week when 2hipchick opened the nesting box and found him.
Daddio took care of the situation. 
Mr. snake was getting a couple of eggs a day.

Hawks kill my babies.
The Ugly....we lost some chickens this week to a murderous hawk.
A real serial killer.
Three of my babies in two days.
2Groovydude and I are on hawk patrol.
We know when he strikes and we are armed with our BB gun.
We actually did scare him off on the third day when we were determined not to lose another chick.
Now we have a totally enclosed pen to prevent a total massacre.

So we have to say good-bye to Ms. Copper
Miss Rosie
And Miss Gracie, on the right.
Wow, this is too sad!
Mean old hawk.
Just another week in the lives of some chicken farmers.


FUN NUGGET:


Tulsans Raise Urban Chickens

When you have some time, check out this news video clip.
You will have to search "Urban Chickens" on the site.
I could not download video or link for you for some reason.
Very informative about us city slickers trying to raise chicks.
Select - 1. Tulsans Raise Urban Chickens
under search results
That will take you straight to video.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Fiddler's Salad


I have been fiddling with this recipe, hence the name, Fiddler's Salad.
Okay, so I was giving salads a hard time in my last blog for Sharp Cheddar Cheese Soup.
I thought I should give the salad a fair shake.
Daddio and I really love this tiny little restaurant in Tulsa, OK.
It is located in the Brookside area and we go there every time we can think of an excuse.
The Garlic Rose
I have now begun to salivate.
They have a salad there that I was craving, but couldn't think of a reason to go there.
Warmed Spinach and Mozzarella Salad
Mmmmmmm.
Spinach based with the real deal fresh mozzarella.
So, here's how my fiddling has gone so far.
Oven proof plate smeared with herb mix and olive oil.
Then pile on the spinach (it shrinks, so I really mean pile it on).
Sliced fresh mozzarella.
I really don't remember if the salad has onion, but I love the green onion.
Tomatoes from Whole Foods (Where else?) that had the best flavor.
Chop everything up.
Sprinkle it all over.
So now, I have to say the first salad was not that great.
I put it under the broiler and the cheese melted and the spinach shrank,
 it really didn't have much flavor, and it was dry.
So in the middle of the night, when I do my best thinking, I figured out it needed a dressing.
Oil and vinegar, of course!
And the first time I forgot to photo the plate after it came out of the broiler, so I had to whip up another batch just for you guys to see.
So now, with vinaigrette applied all over before broiling, much tastier.
We have a winner!
I'm not sure how Garlic Rose does it, but we are good with this one.
If they ever read my blog (ha, ha!) I would be glad to be corrected.
Remember the Farmer's Market blog?
(Under Trips/4-13-10/Next Stop, Cherry St. Market)
Cute little spice table.
This is the seasoning mix I used for the plate base and in the vinaigrette.
Love it.  Put it on everything. Made in Jenks, America.
Just the usually 2-to-1 olive oil and red wine vinegar with
however much spice mix you can handle.
This blogging makes me hungry.
Give it a try, I know you will like it.

Fiddler's Salad
3 cups fresh spinach
1/2 cup slices fresh mozzarella cheese
3 green onions, chopped
10-15 small tomatoes, halved
2 T. olive oil

Herb vinaigrette:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 T. red wine vinegar or Balsamic vinegar
1 T. herb mix (or any dried herbs, w/salt & pepper, to taste)

Using oven proof plate, smear with olive oil and sprinkle with herbs.  Toss spinach with vinaigrette and add to plate.  Arrange cheese slices over spinach and sprinkle onions and tomatoes over all.  Place plate in oven under broiler and watch until cheese melts.


Duh, I just checked out this site for you and it says right there that it is tossed in basil vinaigrette.
(Would have saved me a dry salad.) 
(Guess I will have to try the basil version now.)


Okay, they have the cutest website.
And look, you can order on-line!
I love that!

FUN NUGGET:
Is this the cutest thing?
If I had a little girl, I would make her wear it.
2Groovydude says he won't wear it.
I don't blame him, but seriously, could someone order this
and have their little girl wear it and send me a picture?
I can't stand it, it is soooo cute!