Life With Paisley...

Life with a 5 1/2 month old Harlequin Great Dane female has been an interesting ride so far. Besides the obvious- being tall and strong and majestic- she's also silly and sweet and beautiful-- and ALL DANE. So this is what I've learned from my beautiful sweet girl...

1. She leans- which all Danes do, it's a sign of affection. She especially does this when you pat her side. And if you move when she is leaning, she will stumble over.

2. She hates her vet. All dogs are a great judge of character, and if they don't like you- they're not going to give you the time of day and they're especially not going to let you touch them. Paisley sees whoever is available at her vet, and we have found that there is one vet she really doesn't like. The vet was trying to exam her and give her a shot, and Paisley was unruly and squirmy. They vet proceeded to lecture us for ten minutes about socializing her with other people and messing with her ears and nose and mouth and feet. Josh wanted to say, "Maybe she just doesn't like you." We exam her nose and ears and teeth, as well as her paws when Josh is clipping her nails-- and she gives us no problems. We socialize her as much as we can and does well with other people and dogs, so maybe it's the vet she doesn't like. There is one other vet that Paisley likes b/c the vet gets down on her level and plays with her and loves on her. PLUS if she's getting a shot, do you really think she's going to just sit there and let you do it? She's just like a human child in that aspect.

3. She loves to be in competition with herself. Give her a toy and watch as she picks it up, lays in the middle of the floor, and runs back and forth as hard as she can to pick it up. Sometimes she succeeds and sometimes she doesn't. It's the funniest thing to watch her do.

4. She LOVES to be scratched behind her ears. Scratch back there and watch the eyes get sleepier and sleepier.

5. She can sit and stay before feeding or while getting weighed. She can give you High Five, and she's learning not to bark at other people (which is a process). We're trying to teach her not to pull, which again is a process when she sees something she wants, but we're getting there.

6. If she sits on it, it's hers. This can range from her chair, to the couch, to me or Josh. She's so tall that it's nothing for her to walk by something and sit her on a chair or the couch while her front paws are still on the floor. Josh was winding down, getting ready to go to sleep. Paisley was on the bed and down went her butt on top of Josh, totally oblivious that he was laying there. Yesterday she plopped down on Branson, as if to say, "I want to sit here, so you can move or I can sit on you."

7. She gets really silly when it snows or when the weather is warm outside-- self explanatory.

8. She gives the greatest hugs and kisses.

9. When she sits down, her head is at my hip bone. I still realize that I'm vertically challenged so everything is bigger to me than it really is, but still I love that she's so tall. And yes I realize she will be bigger than me and will feel the need to pull me everywhere, but that's why we're teaching her the things we're teaching her.

10. And last but not least, she was destined to be our dog. Getting Paisley has been an issue with certain people ever since we got her. They think we're not fit or responsible or "rich" enough to have her. Here's my issue with that.. while we may live in an apartment and not be as well-off as others, there is nothing we wouldn't do for any of our dogs. We do whatever it takes to make sure our dogs are happy and healthy. And most importantly, we love our dogs unconditionally.. so with all due respect, if THAT makes us unfit as parents, then maybe that's your own insecurity and not ours. And again with all due respect while we may not have human children, we do have four-legged children, and we worry about them and love them just the same. We raise them to be decent adult dogs in public and at home. We worry when they get sick or have surgery. We have to potty-train them and teach them manners.

I'm So Silly..

Shows how silly I really am...

Josh, "How do they build a snow pipe?"

Me, "I don't know... I've always wondered how they build a Luger."

Josh, "You mean an ice luge?"

Me, "Oh yeah.. a Luger is one of those people in New Orleans that steal stuff after it floods."

Josh, "No those are looters."

A brief moment of silence, and then Josh, "A Luger is a pistol."

LOL!!!!!

Creamy Tomato Crockpot Italian Chicken

I don't know if I have ever mentioned this before, but I love trying new recipes ESPECIALLY when mushrooms are involved. So in an effort to eat semi-healthy, I searched through Sparkpeople's website and came across an interesting recipe that I had to try. While this recipe came from Spark, I had to add my own flare to it and found some stuff out while trying this recipe that, in the future, will make this recipe mine.

1 package of mushrooms, sliced

1 6 ounce bag of baby spinach

3 chicken breasts

1 8 ounce package of cream cheese (full fat, 1/3 less fat, or no fat is fine), cubed

1/2 red onion, sliced or chopped

1 package of Slow Cooker Chicken Italian Seasoning (I could not find it, so I used a package of Grill Mates Garlic and Basil for chicken)

2 cans of tomatoes

You're going to layer everything in the crockpot- so layer your mushrooms, spinach, chicken, red onion, and cream cheese. In a bowl mix the tomatoes and the seasoning packet together-- now I used 1 complete can of tomatoes and drained the other one, so the sauce itself wouldn't be too thin, but do it however you like. Put the tomato mixture on top of everything in the crock pot.

Cook on low heat for about 6 hours or on high heat for 4 hours. After an hour or so has passed, mix everything together and continue to let it cook. One thing I did find out with this recipe, after cooking the chicken for this long in the crockpot, it turned out dry. So a suggestion would be to broil or fry the chicken, and add it at the last minute to prevent it from drying out.

Serve it over pasta and b/c I'm such a cheese over pasta person, I sprinkled some Parmesan over it. Surprisingly, this was a really good recipe and is definitely one that I'll be trying and eating again.

Homemade Pizza

There is something so enticing and welcoming about homemade meal. First I think it means more to people and to yourself to put the thought and effort into a homemade meal. Second you know what exactly goes into your food. And third it's cheaper.

Josh and I made homemade pizza for supper-- our one of many that we have made in the past, and that meal is honestly one that never gets old. You can anything, and I mean anything, on a pizza. However much sauce, whatever kind of sauce, toppings, cheese, herbs, sweet, savory, doughy crust, crispy crust-- it really doesn't matter.

One pizza that we do is-

1 pizza crust- pricked and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil or canola oil, sprinkled with salt or oregano.

1 jar of pizza sauce- I use about 1/4 of the jar while Josh uses 1/2 of the jar (a small jar that is)

Pepperoni-- we used turkey pepperoni (pause for shock.. me eating turkey anything)

Italian Sausage (we didn't use it tonight but have in the past, and it's awesome)

1/2 red onion, diced

4 mushrooms, sliced

6 Italian blend Sargentos bag of cheese

Bake your crust first, 350 degrees for 7-8 minutes. Layer everything and set back in the oven for about 10-12 minutes. If you want your crust browner, turn the broiler on.

And of course we pair it up with $0.75 macaroni and cheese-- but again, it's such a great meal, who needs to spend $30 on pizza?

A friend of mine makes a veggie pizza for a night she calls Meatless Monday-- she puts kale, peppers, tomatoes, onion, and broccoli on hers. You could make your own Chicken Florentine pizza that I'm sure would be out of this world. You could even make a dessert pizza that a chocolate hazelnut pizza with Nutella or a breakfast pizza or even a fruit pizza.

The possibilities are endless-- but given the choice between restaurant pizza versus homemade pizza-- homemade trumps the restaurants any day.

Start of a New Year...

Say good-bye to 2009 and hello to 2010-- only is it two-thousand ten or twenty-ten?! A very good point was made yesterday-- all the good things happen when the year is pronounced in the latter. For instance the Constitution was signed in Seventeen Seventy Six- Prince's song was Party Like It's Nineteen Ninety-Nine.. so I guess it's only fitting to say the year is Twenty-Ten.

So it's been a LONG, LONG time since I've blogged-- I think maybe around my 30th birthday. A lot has changed and happened since that blog. For one I've figured out that there are some people that are willing to and will stand by you and some that will dispose of you at the drop of a hat. Turning 30 was just like any other ordinary day- I don't and still don't feel any different as I did a year ago (although my hair doesn't hold the natural waviness it once did.. an early aging sign maybe?)

The holidays were different but also the very same. Good and new memories were made-- great food, full and deep laughs made from Pictionary (check out my FB Christmas album to understand), wonderful presents (again check the album out to understand), and some much needed time off.

Work is the same-- working with a new doctor and a new team is always an interesting experience, trying to figure them out while they're trying to figure you out. And while Josh and I have decided to stay in NC until April 2011, I have often wondered if it was the right decision. Either way, it's only for a year.. and then we'll be out of NC (yes it will happen). We're paying a lot of stuff off so when we officially move, we don't have a lot of crap hanging over our heads that don't need to be.

I still have dreams of being a writer-- still desire to write for a living, but I guess I've taken a break from it (unfortunately). I have been toying with the idea of writing a blog or a piece called Life with a Great Dane or Life with Paisley (that's my Paisley, not Brad Paisley.. LOL). I've also been dabbling with photography, although, I will NEVER be as good as my husband.. would love to do something with food photography b/c I'm such a foodie. Been thinking about doing a baking blog which could combine the 3 things I love- food, writing, and photography-- but again I don't know. Of course there is no better time than the present to do it, and the best way to get into it, is just to do it--- we'll see I guess.

Life with the dogs is always interesting... I learn something new about Paisley everyday (if I choose to blog about her, you'll find out). Shadow and Branson are still getting used to her, even though we've had her for a little over 2 mos.

So that's the past 2 mos of Vittitow life... so good-bye 2009, hello 2010.. let's see what you hold for me this year. :) I am hoping to blog more, regardless of what it's about. Au Revoir!!!!

Poundcake.

The baking season continues for me... you would think that I would be going through cheesecake mania, but nope- I'm still going and discovering new recipes.

This past week at work, we've been served Red Radish- this awesome catering company out of Asheville and Charlotte- and twice now they've served us Porkloin with Grainy Mustard Rosemary sauce. So I was going to try and copy the recipe but they didn't have it, BUT they did have a recipe for a white chocolate poundcake with lemon icing.

Ooooo, I thought. Might have to make that, so I did.

The recipe called for lemon zest and lemon juice AND the lemon icing.. I love sweet-and-savory lemony things, but I felt the need to do something different.. and the end result was yummified to say the least. I substituted white chocolate chips with milk chocolate chips, the lemon zest and juice with vanilla, and lemon icing with cream cheese icing.

Tomorrow I'm going to try and make the grainy mustard sauce from scratch.. we'll see.

Do I really have to keep working in eyes? Can't I just quit and go into the baking business?!

Tis the Season

So this year I'm getting ready to hit a mile marker in my life-- hitting the big 3-0 in November (eesh)-- and while I'm very much looking forward to celebrating my bday at Kobes (yes I have already put my request in)- there's something else I'm looking forward to-- COOKING AND BAKING!! Oh I Love this time of year. Now this year will be very different from any other for more than one reason- one being that I will be 30, two I'm going to try and experiment with different dessert recipes, and third-- this year will be the first year that we will be without our beloved Cindy-- how weird it will be without her there to celebrate and eat with us and have her say, "Hhhmm Mandy that is sooooo good." (BTW, she is the ONLY one allowed to call me Mandy). She will definitely be there in spirit but still will NOT be the same.

When September rolls around, I honestly feel the seasons change- from Pina Colada cheesecake, grilled steaks, salad, and Iced *Bux coffee to pecan-caramel cheesecake, White chocolate peppermint cheesecake, chili, spaghetti, Thanksgiving and Christmas food, and nice hot *Bux coffee. Now I haven't made my fall/winter cheesecakes yet, but I have made an apple tart and a chocolate cake made from scratch. I'm hoping to master an apple pie this year, as well as make my yummy cheesecakes. There is something so hearty and comforting in cooking and/or baking... maybe it's the end result or seeing the expressions on people's faces and hearing people say, "Oh my god Amanda that was heavenly." (yes it's the Monica in me).

And I swear- if I knew I wouldn't sink to the bottom, I would say "Screw it," and go into business for myself.. but it costs a lot of money to go into the restaurant business and statistics say the businesses fail in first 5 years. Then where would I be? Back to eyes??!!! No thanks- if I'm going to be done with eyes, I need to be completely done with eyes-- I can't backtrack.. once the bridge is burned, it's burned.