. . .for Lando. He wakes up in the morning exclusively to see if there is food available, then goes back to sleep until it’s time for his walk. Poor guy!
May8
May6
Pre-vacation purchase – TOMS shoes
A trip to Hong Kong in 2011 for my cousin’s wedding taught me something — people in large, Asian cities do not wear sandals. No matter how all-occasion appropriate they seem in Southern California (and all of California, weather permitting), they are just not appropriate for walking around a congested, dirty, Asian city, no matter how hot it is. I bought a pair of cheap, Hong Kong flats to wear while I was there, but they were not particularly comfortable. We leave for Vietnam this week, and I refuse to make the same mistake again!
In L.A., I live in flip-flops and boots for day-to-day wear, and wear tennis shoes for working out. None of these seem appropriate for traipsing around Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, where it’s going to be 90 degrees and often wet. I just bought a pair of TOMS, and my hope is that these no-socks-required slip-on walking shoes will solve all of my travel problems!
I’ve never really jumped on the TOMS bandwagon (much like the Uggs bandwagon, I’m such a fool), but after taking a look at their website, they’ve convinced me! For anyone not familiar with their campaign, they donate one pair of shoes to a child in need for each pair purchased. What really gets me, though, is that the founder was inspired by a trip to Argentina in 2006! Paco and I lived in Buenos Aires, briefly, in 2006, and volunteered at a battered women’s shelter. Many of the children were shoeless, and Paco’s dad generously donated funds so that we could buy them all shoes. The TOMS cause is much closer to my heart than I would have suspected.
If they can get me through this trip without slipping (both of my ankles are currently injured), coming into practically barefoot contact with a rodent (happened in Kowloon), or contaminating my foot with the treacherous surroundings of the dreaded Asian squat toilet (don’t get me started), I will be a satisfied customer!
May4
Chihuahua brothers
Before we adopted Rascal, my dream was to find a friend for Lando, one who he would snuggle with. Paco said that it didn’t work like that, that two adult dogs would probably just coexist and not really hang out together.
I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Paco was totally wrong. Here are the little guys hanging out on the couch.
For more about Lando and Rascal, check out their page.
May3
Chicken salad melts
Desperation chicken became chicken salad melts for lunch! Although I love chicken salad, I haven’t had it in melt-form for years.
Chicken Salad Melts
(Makes 2 sandwiches)
1 c chicken breast, diced
2 ribs celery, diced into small pieces
1/2 red bell pepper, diced into small pieces
kosher salt
black pepper
lemon pepper
2 T mayonnaise
4 slices of bread
2-4 strips of bacon, cooked
cheese of your choice
butter, room temperature
To make the chicken salad, combine the chicken, celery, bell pepper, mayonnaise, salt, black pepper, and lemon pepper in a medium-sized bowl, then taste it to make sure that the seasoning is correct. I cut my ingredients into smaller pieces than I usually would, so that they wouldn’t fall out as I grilled the sandwich.
To assemble the sandwiches, butter one side of each slice of bread. Place two pieces buttered-side-down, then add chicken salad, cheese, and bacon. Place the other piece of bread on top, buttered-side-up.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sandwiches to the skillet, allowing the first side to brown. Flip carefully, and brown the second side. When the sandwich is ready, the cheese should be melted. (You can cover the skillet with a lid for a few seconds to help melt the cheese if it doesn’t melt on its own.)
Serve with pickles slices on the side! I am obsessed with pickles lately.
May3
Desperation chicken
Desperation Chicken is Engagement Chicken’s late night cousin. I had defrosted an entire chicken to make chicken adobo the other night, but I got side-tracked and didn’t feel like making it after all. Last night, I was concerned that the chicken would be out of the freezer too long if I waited any longer to cook it, so I decided to roast it, even though we had other plans for dinner.
Now I have an entire roasted chicken waiting in my fridge. What are your favorite ideas for leftover chicken?
Tiny Perfect Bites 