That’s what Cesar Millan sent via email today. I’m embarassed to say that our dog never looks up. She knew my mother-in-law was leaving for the airport. We had painters here so I planned to take her along for the ride.
Zoe (the dog) hates it when people pack, as she seems to know she’s going to be left behind. She loves the 8 year-old girl who cares for her when we’re out of town, but I try to always take her there BEFORE I start packing so she gets to see her pal and barely even looks as we drive out of the driveway.
So here we are, all packed up and I drive a SUV with a big back gate. What does Zoe do? Hurls herself against the CLOSED car gate. It had to hurt, poor thing. She was so excited to go and insecure about being left behind that she made the jump before I was able to open up to her “canine condo in back, with a 4” orthopedic bed, water bowl and secure tie-down.
Once we were on the highway, she laid down and went to sleep – she’s a great car dog. As soon as I touch the brakes in the exit lane, she pops her head up and looks around, and she always knows when we’re in the neighborhood, open windows or not.
A note on grilling. Someone asked us this week whether we grill in the rain or, heaven forbid, in the winter! Heck yeah! Shovel a path and we’ll grill burgers or steaks or kofta kebabs. Thunder and lightning? Pull the grill up to the slider, a few raindrops on a side of Sockeye Salmon won’t matter. That’s what I made for my mother-in-law last week (husband had a club steak from the Ranch).
Not only do we grill in inclement weather, we ship meat, like the Ranch steaks from Jim’s father’s spread. Also BBQ, on dry ice. We’ve even Fed Ex’d BBQ to New York from The Salt Lick south of Austin TX to feed my family on my dad’s 75th birthday. Jim didn’t mind my spending $$$ on the food, only that the Fed Ex bill was 75% extra!
Someday I’ll have my Big Green Egg – no charcoal grills or smokers are allowed here. We have a wimpy grill but it’s small and fits on the deck.
Hear me, grill wimps… you can grill any day of the year. Now if I had a smoker and had to tend brisket for 13 hours like Jim’s Uncle Bobby makes, weather might make a difference. We just like grilled food, including Steven Raichlen’s Grilled Fry Bread (check bbqu.com) which is delicious with kabobs or dipped in olive oil with salt, pepper and some red pepper flakes.
Summer may be nearly over and the kids are back in school, but there’s still time to grill, year-round even in the snow. Keep cooking and share any good recipes right here. Cheers, Dee
Cooking with Dee 