Tag Archives: weather

Jan30

Rascal’s 9th birthday!

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Tomorrow is Rascal’s unofficial 9th birthday (based on the date of birth they entered at the shelter), so we celebrated yesterday. We went to the Ocean Trails by Trump National Golf Course in Palos Verdes.

They have picnic tables overlooking the ocean, so Paco and I had lunch while the dogs anxiously sniffed around and waited to begin their adventure.

It was almost 80 degrees out, and we spent about an hour hiking around the (mostly paved) trails. This is an example of a trail I would not climb down. The views are spectacular.

Rascal was exhausted by the end, so he and I sat on the lawn while Paco and Lando hiked down to the water.

Paco took a quick swim while Lando sat with his new friends, three teenage girls with three chihuahuas!  Lando is such a ladies’ man.

Jan2

New Year’s Day at the Huntington Dog Beach

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Happy New Year!

Yesterday was a beautiful day in L.A., so after sleeping in, Paco and I took the dogs to the Huntington Dog Beach. Although we’ve been to quite a few dog-friendly beaches, we were not mentally prepared for the volume of people and dogs that would be there. (Foolish, I know, considering it was a Sunday, a holiday, and a beautiful day in January.)  We brought a blanket, food, and books, thinking that we could sit and relax, but it turned out to be more of a walk-around-with-your-dog beach, at least when it’s crowded.  This is a relatively uncrowded portion of the beach.  Look how many dogs there are!

The dogs had a great time, and it was definitely worth the 45-minute drive.  Lando loves to sniff and explore.

Rascal didn’t seem to get it at first, but by the end he was checking things out.

Afterwards, since we were already in Orange County, we ventured to Westminster for Vietnamese food, which was as Vietnamese as promised.  Two excellent firsts, what a great way to kick off 2012!

Dec12

Lunch on a rainy day

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Since it’s cold and wet outside, and the doggies won’t leave their blankets, I thought I’d make wonton soup for lunch.  It’s really fast and warming on a cold day.

I had already made pork and crab wontons from the Steamy Kitchen cookbook, so those were ready and waiting in my freezer.  You could also use frozen wontons.

Heat chicken broth with a few dried shitake mushrooms, garlic, ginger, and fish sauce, to give the broth an Asian flavor.  Let it simmer for about 20 minutes, so that the flavors infuse into the broth.

Simmer the wontons until the float to the top. Remove them from the broth using a slotted spoon.

Slice up some baby bok choy.

bok_choy

Add it to the broth, along with spinach (because I throw spinach into everything), glass noodles, and a few frozen shrimp.  You could add any other ingredients that you like here–mushrooms, tofu, frozen peas, etc.

Once the noodles are rehydrated and the veggies and shrimp are cooked, ladle the soup over the wontons.

Ta-da!  Perfect for a cold day.