2. Clover and I had a lovely morning. First, we ran in the wash for two miles and then we just kept going--we ended up covering seven miles, two running, five walking. We shared a granola bar picnic around mile four. We managed to choose a shady path for the last couple of miles, it's already getting hot by 8am now!
Okay, now it's Sunday. I didn't finish this post last night.
4. E and I went grocery shopping and the kitchen is full of our favorite stuff! Blueberries, blackberries, cherries, apricots, watermelon, pineapple, spinach, portobello mushrooms, bell peppers, tomatoes, and on and on. Yesterday I realized how much Eric likes it when I make cookies. How cute is that? Looks like I'll be making some cookies again sometime soon.
5. We watched the first half of Broken Trail last night. I love good cowboy movies. The beginning of this one takes place in Eastern Oregon, how cool is that?! Mmm, Oregon, I love you.
6. I am just about to finish Cesar's Way by Cesar Millan (the dog whisperer). It's the second dog psychology type book I've read in the last week. The other one was Through a Dog's Eyes by Jennifer Arnold. I have learned so much about how to provide a good life for Clover and also how dogs communicate and interpret the world. Usually Eric is the walking encyclopedia in our relationship but all week I have been sharing random dog facts with him. It's really fun and I'm excited to help Clover have a more fulfilling life too.
7. My mom is such a good friend. She understands me so well and is really helping me grow in a difficult situation I'm having. I am so grateful to have her close to me, in spirit. Tomorrow is her birthday, I wish we were closer so I could spoil her.
8. I'm going to make some fruit salad. Summer produce is so wonderful. It makes the heat a little less irritating knowing that there are some trade offs. I hope we going swimming today, by the way.
9. I am on a hot sauce kick. Arizona, I think you have so much to offer in so many ways. I loved Sri Racha before I left Oregon but thanks to my friends here and just watching how other people eat so many chiles, salsas and different hot sauces my mind is opening up to the possibilities. Heidi Swanson who writes 101cookbooks.com (one of my top five favorite food blogs) uses harissa in her recipes. I just bought some the other day and am excited to try it. And last night I bought one called "sweet heat". I even put sri racha on a turkey dog the other day, go figure.
10. Have you ever tried this dip by Ina Garten? I first had it at my sister's house on Christmas eve last year. I made a great effort not to inhale the entire bowl and decided that I would go home and learn to make it myself. It is incredibly easy and tastes so delicious even when you make it in a much lighter version. See, I must make it in a light version because I like to eat it for breakfast. And lunch. And snacks. I try to make it nice and strong so you don't have to put all that much on each veggie stick. I eliminate the cream cheese altogether, use very low fat mayo and light sour cream. I've also exchanged greek yogurt for the sour cream. It's still indulgent with the changes but I figure it's okay because I eat it with carrots, celery, cucumber slices (OH MY GOD, IT'S SO GOOD ON CUCUMBER SLICES) and bell pepper slices. It's also really good on baked chips or pita chips. I've shared it with a couple of friends and they've had the same reaction on wanting to inhale it. It's not just me! Last night Eric and I bought some nice veggies with the plan to eat fruit salad and veggies and dip this weekend. HECK YEAH. This is our plan to stay cool. Though he is defrosting some chicken breasts so I bet there's some grilled goodness in our future too.
11. I found Heidi Swanson's first cookbook at the library last week. Yay!
Mental note: I like this dip better when I don't put all of the ingredients in the food processor. I like it just stirred around and chunky.
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