Lars Leber ends the night with beauty, as always!
Category Archives: TaMara
Bixby Diaries: Four Years and Counting
Working hard from the boss’ chair.
Facebook popped the top picture up this a.m. and started a flood of memories. I picked him up four years ago yesterday. Crazy. This was his first day at work with me, before I went full-time with my own business.
This was the car ride home that first day. You can see why it was love at first sight. He still loves a squirt bottle and thwarts any effort to use it as a deterrent.
Those wrinkles (he’s kept many of them).
Tired puppy. He kept that dog until he was much, much bigger than it. We still have a few unstuffed pieces for tug.
Just…aaaawwww.
And I walked into the living room this morning to see this. ❤ ❤ That’s his new baby.
I couldn’t do that for very long. LOL
For more Bixby Diaries, click here.
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Wood Grilled Pizza For The Win
Little D wanted pizza tonight and I asked if it would be all right if we tried cooking it on the wood pellet grill. Since the answer was yes and it was an inexpensive Red Barron frozen, I felt we had nothing to lose.
It was delicious. Like the best frozen pizza I’ve ever made. Can’t imagine I’ll ever make it any other way. Can’t wait to try it on a fresh, homemade one next.
I followed the directions on the box for oven baking it. The crust was nicely browned without burning, but I think it could have been crisper. I think the only thing I would change would be to preheat the grill to 500 degree F, add the pizza and reduce to about 375. That should crisp the crust without burning.
Multi-Pot Electric Pressure Cooker: 4-Minute Potato Salad
Photo of yummy potato salad by JeffreyW, of course
At the last-minute yesterday, I decided we needed potato salad at our cookout. Luckily, electric pressure cooker to the rescue. Four minutes cooking time, about 10 minutes prep. I left potatoes and eggs in the fridge to cool while we ran around. Added mayo, mustard, some dill pickle juice just before dinner and served with grilled hamburgers and corn. Yum.
Perfect Picnic Potato Salad
- 6 large potatoes, peeled, cubed
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 small yellow onion, finely diced
- mayo and yellow mustard to taste – I used less than a cup of mayo and about 1/4 cup mustard – but I know some people like a lot more. I added a 1/4 cup of dill pickle juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Add the steaming basket to the pressure cooker. Add cubed potatoes (and you don’t need to be too fancy with cutting the pieces – just relatively same size for uniform cooking). Place washed eggs on top of the potatoes. Close the unit, set to steam for 4 minutes. When finished, use the rapid release method to ensure eggs don’t over cook and potatoes stay firm.
Add eggs to a cold water ice bath. Remove potatoes and drain excess water. Add to large serving bowl. Peel eggs, wash and cube. Add to potatoes. Let cool completely before mixing so as not to turn the potatoes into mush.
Once cooled, add remaining ingredients and fold until well mixed. Let sit for about 10 minutes before serving.
Serves 6 easily
So Here’s Why I’ve Been So Scarce
I’ve been working on this:
I just finished my novel Run Aground, it’s the first book in a trilogy. I was up against a tight deadline and had to focus. It is official tomorrow – but you’re special, so you get the sneak peek tonight.
You can read chapter one (chapter two will be available this weekend) at AnnieDeMoranville:
I bet you’re wondering what I’m doing standing in the dark with my ear pressed against this door. Fair question. I’m afraid the answers are more complicated than I have time for right now, considering I’m running for my life at this precise moment. But, I’ll give you the highlights. Continue reading
Available on Amazon in ebook this week. And next week, the paperback!
You can follow my author page (or even friend “her”) at www.facebook.com/AnnieDeMoranville and of course Twitter, @AnnDeMoranville
Hope you’ll make it one of your summer beach reads. ❤
And not totally unrelated – there are two recipes in the book from this website! See, I can make anything about cooking. – TaMara
Bixby and Scout: Sunday Puppehs
Here is Scout doing her best Nala impression and Bixby his best, “I’m not here” pose.
This is how Scout likes to sit. It was cute as a little thing, not so much now that she can flatten the cushions to pancakes. I’m working on discouraging it. And yes, that is her handiwork on the windowsill. Luckily I’m in the middle of painting, so the repairs should be relatively easy.
I have no idea why Bixby has recently become camera-shy. Big goof.
New Smoker/Grill
I’ve been wanting one for a while. This week seemed like a good time (why, how would you celebrate your new book?).
It was easy to put together and a breeze to operate. It is electric and uses wood pellets. It has a flame feature so when you want to sear that steak, you can do so easily. It has temperature settings and a great meat probe.
I’m not sure Bixby approves. He’s suspicious of anything bigger than him.
I’ve grilled chicken, hot dogs and Italian sausage. Tomorrow I’m having a get together and I’m doing Chicken Kebabs.
Looking forward to a lot of summer grilling and I might even try to smoke a brisket.
I’m going to have a house-full all next week and then I’ll be on the road for a while, but I’ll have my computer with me, so I’ll try and do a few posts. I’m sure there will be a lot of good food. I’m wanting to try and create a strawberry-lemonade cake.
Until then…
Proof of Life
Here we are. I have neglected you…but I have a kinda big announcement Thursday that might clarify my absence.
More later…
