Tag Archives: Zoe

Working at the Car Wash, Yeah

Posted on January 6, 2010 | 1 comment

Do the words “undercarriage blast” mean anything to you? Up here it doesn’t matter if your car is red, green or blue, it’s covered in salt. Every week one must drive through a car wash to eliminate the salt before the next onslaught of snow and salt to melt the snow and eat your paint and undercarriage.

A few months ago I went through one car wash with Zoe the dog in the way back of the SUV on a tie-down and behind a cargo screen. She jumped around the screen onto the back seat and nearly hanged herself. Today we went through the car wash across the street and I talked to her the entire time and she was cool about it. I was very proud of her.

Patriotic Zoe

Togetherness and food are the motivations. She didn’t get any food for this but she got to come with me in the car and for a herder that beats a treat and being left alone at home. And I spent half a day yesterday going downtown to get her frozen raw lamb for dinner. I am a fan of the BARF diet (Bones And Raw Food) for dogs. She loves it, is regular like clockwork and her coat is so soft it’s like human hair. Everyone comments on the quality of her fur. If I do take up knitting, I should keep dog fur for a year or two and have someone spin it into yarn. It would make a great sweater.

My leaving the dog at home in her crate secret is very simple. Take a Kong (a spherical device, we get the black ones that are nearly indestructible as Zoe can eat raw meat totally frozen) and put in some peanut butter. Freeze it solid. We have six of them and rotate them from dishwasher to filling to freezer, and she runs into her crate and sometimes pesters us to leave on a Saturday for lunch and a movie because she knows she’s going to get the PBK (peanut butter Kong). We can’t even call it that anymore because she knows the term and is even understanding “spherical device.” Well, she’s in the home of a Physics guy. Hopefully after 10 p.m. he’s finally on his way home. It’s been a stressful day. Cheers, Dee

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For the Dog Who Has Everything…

Posted on November 16, 2009 | Leave a comment

Do you remember your grandmother’s ice cream machine? A big wooden tub that encased a small can, which was hand-cranked (the kids lined up for that one) or electric. She placed ice and rock salt around the metal can inside the wooden enclosure. Why salt? To make the ice colder and freeze the delicious blueberry (or whatever) ice cream was inside.

As we settle into our first long winter of deep snows, one ski resort is already open. We anticipate much plowing will be done and also, the HOA here is salt-happy. What happens when your dog goes out on ice and snow saturated with rock salt? Her paws freeze and she limps until the hurt is gone, then when she arrives home, even after toweling off she licks her paws.

There are two solutions: booties, which most dogs hate and I can’t imagine doing that first thing in the morning; and a new trick we’ve found out from neighbors, paw wax. We can’t find it at the local pet stores so had to get it online, it should arrive later this week. Looks like it’s going to be a very cold but sunny, snow-free week so if we stick to the trails instead of driveways and roads, she should be OK.

So, what do you get for the pup in northern climes? Try paw wax. We ordered a brand called Mushers and will let you know how it works. Zoe didn’t understand why it took me so long to get ready this morning in 13 degree Farenheit weather. It was the boots! Coat, hat, gloves, but my feet were protected by socks and boots and hers aren’t, at least until later this week. Oh, I gave away her grosgrain ribbon jingle bell collar to a pup last year, so we got her a green velvet one with golden bells. She has to be bathed and groomed before we take her photo with that collar!

I’m still trying to find a capon. There’s a new farmers’ market in walking distance, indoors. I bought a “culotte” of lamb, that is frozen. I’m going to thaw it out later in the week, marinate it in good olive oil, garlic, rosemary and perhaps some balsamic vinegar and we’ll grill it. It’s local lamb. I also bought a fresh loaf of artisan cranberry-orange bread that I immediately wrapped and froze for either cranberry trifle or bread pudding. It may become the base of a Thanksgiving dessert.

I made pizza last night, from scratch of course. It was very good and we still have an entire pizza left over to heat up another night. I wanted to make roasted winter squash soup today but may run out of time as I’ve been cleaning and doing loads and loads of laundry, winter jackets and all. Fabric softener in the wash seems to make a difference. Right now inside is 23% humidity, a desert-like environment in which skin dries and cracks and electricity crackles every time I touch something or take off a sweater. Let’s hope this helps.

Thanks for tuning in to the early winter edition of Dee’s mountain cooking blog! Cheers, Dee

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The Neighbors

Posted on June 1, 2009 | 2 comments

Yesterday morning, before a huge thunderstorm, I ran into a nature guide and 20 willing students while walking Zoe.  I’d been looking at the nature preserve through binoculars and knew a solitary Greater Sandhill Crane was feeding on the site.  I mentioned the bird’s location to the guide and participants and let it slip that “Han” was out there.

Han Solo

Han Solo

Sandhills pair up at age two and mate for life.  This bird is alone, and picked on by the little blackbirds, who peck at him.  We nicknamed him Han Solo.

The barn swallows are another story, nesting in our dryer vent and their bathroom habits are far from neat.  They’ve taken over the latest Olympic venue.  You won’t see Michael Phelps here, but this is what the barn swallows are protecting now, and heaven forbid a human walk anywhere near, even though it’s adjacent to the driveway:

Olympic Lap Pool, Park City

Olympic Lap Pool, Park City

So these are some of the avian neighbors.  The geese seem to have mostly found their way back home to Canada.  Cheers! Dee

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Bolognese

Posted on May 18, 2009 | 3 comments

I made a ton of it yesterday. Enough for 3-5 meals for the two of us. I started with onions and garlic and took out the meat, 1.5 lbs lean ground beef (turned on me) and five mild Italian sausage links that I took out of the casings and crumbled. I stopped everything and went and bought more ground beef. Two 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes, 2/3 of a 6 oz can of tomato paste, salt, pepper, peperoncino, oregano and basil went in.

You know by now that I’m not using my own pots and pans, only the 3-4 I bought for ourselves but I sauteed everything in a pan we bought, then had to move it to the pasta pan, which had so many hot spots I had to stir this sauce every couple of minutes on as low as a gas stove would go.

Jim was working on a long-term project all day yesterday and I was making sauce so we ordered pizza. Good pizza from down the path. So our sauce is in thirds: frig, out already; and two quart baggies in the freezer for lasagne or other dishes. The flavors should have melded by now and it’ll be a great dinner, fusilli with bolognese and parmigiano reggiano. I’ve organic baby greens and Tuscan ciabatta bread.

Now all we need is Jim. “We” meaning Zoe and I, had a productive day today, not as productive as we would have liked. Right now she needs dinner, out and one more outing before our bedtime. I need to make her that meal, make ours, take her out and have a few more items on my to-do list before Jim comes home.

We’ve been in UT less than two months and there was much snow and a lot of clouds. Lately the moon has been so bright it looks like morning in our bedroom. Now that the moon is waning when we look out at night it looks as if we’re in a planetarium, the stars are so bright. If I had my way, I’d come out here for a week’s visit at this very time of year.

Yes, I know there are more seasons to come. It’s very warm this afternoon but will probably go back to the 40’s at night. Jim insists on taking his severe weather coat to work every day. In Girl Scouts I endured the torture for four months before recanting my oath The leader not only failed me for my first badge, she had all the girls come over while she laughed at my work.

The point is that Jim was never a Boy Scout, he didn’t need to be. He lived on a working dairy farm where cows were milked twice a day, even on Christmas. He knew what to do if a bull came at him, or a snake. He freaks me out building hurricane kits for us but he’s right. I’ve never felt safer in a crisis than when I’m with my husband.

Enjoy your dinner. I know we’ll enjoy ours. Cheers. Dee

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Summit

Posted on May 14, 2009 | Leave a comment

When a business uses the term “Summit” up here, they mean it. I took Zoe to a “kennel” today and had to park the car in a small lot, head-in, that would have tumbled down a 200′ ravine if I went an inch too far. I erred on the side of caution. There isn’t even a curb!

But we liked the place and at first she was afraid it was a vet or that I was going to leave her there, then she didn’t want to leave! Always a good sign. The dogs play during the day, and eat meals and sleep in kennels at night.

As to dinner I’m going to try my own Bolognese sauce, cook some farfalle, mix in some fresh mozz and top with parmesan and bake it. Will let you know how it goes. Perhaps I should cook the pasta and sauce a la minute and put the leftovers in an 8″X8″ baking pan to heat up for dinner over the weekend.

The longer we’re here the more things I need and don’t want to buy duplicates or they’re irreplaceable. Such as files. Something comes up and I need a file. It’s halfway across the country buried in a storage unit. Luckily when I gave away my Dell to my b-i-l, Jim took all the files off the hard drive and moved them to the new (now old) Mac.

I hope all is going well for you in life and in the kitchen. We’re doing just fine in the mountains, enjoying the scenery and wildlife. Cheers! Dee

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A Wolf At Our Door

Posted on April 29, 2009 | 1 comment

Yesterday I saw my first wolf, stalking the nesting cranes. Again yesterday, then today. If he comes too close they might just kick the heck out of him! I hear there are three pair but only see five with binoculars and it’s been stalking the one that might be single.

That said, I’m going to make a Whole Foods roast 4# chicken surrounded with onions, potatoes and carrots tossed in olive oil, thyme and whatever else I feel like adding. That reminds me I have to turn on the oven as it takes forever for it to heat up at this altitude.

Yesterday I finally received my inexpensive electric hot water kettle, as the one here is leaking onto the gas stove and he doesn’t want to spend $18 on a new one. So I put it up in the cupboard and had to fill this thing to maximum four times to a full boil (also to check if the automatic shutoff works) in order to get rid of any residue from manufacturing.

It took five minutes, again at 7,500 feet above sea level, to come to a boil with maximum water capacity. I didn’t time the other but with perhaps four cups of water in it, the regular kettle took 12-15 minutes to “sing.” Normally in the electric we’ll make 2-3 cups of tea worth in the morning so even way up here it should be fast.

We met a lady and her dog from the Dog Nazi compound next door. They don’t allow dog walking on the premises and forbid folks from walking their dogs on public streets and pedestrian paths they do not own. She set me straight on that. At least we pick up after Zoe. Some folks don’t.

I must get started on dinner. Hope yours is going well, too. Cheers, Dee

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World Travelers

Posted on April 6, 2009 | 1 comment

My Dad and Stepmom had a tough 2008, healthwise. A few months ago when their doctors gave them the “all clear” to travel, they embarked upon a nearly three-month cruise around the world, from which they returned last weekend.

We’re looking forward to stories and photographs of glorious islands Jim and I may never get to see. I finally got to talk to Dad for a few moments from our new digs in Utah. He told me he talked with Andre Soltner (formerly of Lutece) and got something signed for me (exciting!) but hasn’t come upon it yet while unpacking. Apparently Chef Soltner is running a cooking school north of NYC. He said he used to teach at Peter Kump’s, from which I graduated. I’m sure a chef of his stature wasn’t on staff but came in on a Monday in the “star chef” role, as did Daniel Boulud and Patrick Clark while I was in attendance.

It’s ironic that they took eleven bags with them. We took a suiter, two suitcases and a flat wardrobe box for six months. Granted our ambitions were different. We took a dog, files, electronics (yes, Val, the PSIII had to come with us), my knives, utensils, foodstuffs and spices, tea towels and my KitchenAid food processor.

Last time here, a few years ago in a smaller non-vacation town, we had to cobble together our own corporate apartment. Now we’re in a lovely home with way more than four plates and four forks and two towels. We’re in a lovely home and could conceivably entertain here, if I hadn’t chosen the dining room table for my desk. A MacBook can be moved easily, but not with papers, a 24″ monitor, trackball, headphones for Skype, modem and a wireless keyboard. Oh well, we’ll work it out.

Family and friends do want to come visit, and I think a guest-free weekend will become an anomaly over the summer. By then the farmers’ markets will have opened up, the snow will have melted and the grasses and mountains will be verdant. Today is so nice I’ve opened the doors in the master bedroom and shut the screens as we have streams a few feet away and the bugs that live around water love my blood. Always have. Since I was a kid I’ve always had bees, gnats, mosquitos and no-see-ums around. The no-see-ums are the worst. Let’s not go there.

I made the bed this morning watching hot air balloons come over the Preserve from Park City. Luckily the camera was a few feet away from yesterday’s birdwatching shots so I’ll see how those came out.

Thanks again for visiting! I may be able to get in a couple more winter stews as I hear there are two or more snowstorms on the way. Tonight it’s homemade hamburgers with avocado and Australian cheddar. Oh my, I don’t have ketchup. Jim’ll have to stop at the store because he can’t have frozen waffle fries without it. Heaven help me, what was I thinking???

Certain foods are very expensive here (pasta) and others are much less than in Texas (eggs, orange juice). Utah is growing more artisanal foods such as cheeses, breads, even salt. I read about it in Park City Magazine, “Utah On The Plate.” For the first time, local restaurants are using local produce when they can, including lamb, ice cream and other products. That’s always good to hear. At least up north, it’s not really cattle or corn country. It would be a shame if tourism was the only thing Utah excelled at, because ski season is nearly over and there aren’t many people living in our community right now.

We bought Zoe a nylon zip-up “playpen” yesterday, but it was 4′ X 4′ X 28″ high and without adding the top or bottom we realized we didn’t really have a place to put it, so I took it back. I’ll find another. Unfortunately she has a huge (Rottweiler size) metal crate and the 2nd largest airline crate that fits on all planes, but they’re in storage 1,500 miles away. Zoe weighs 40 lbs but we like her to have an orthopedic mattress underneath for her non-hips and give her plenty of room to move around.

I’ll keep writing if you keep reading. It still doesn’t feel like Spring up here but I hope you’re enjoying asparagus, fresh peas, ramps and fiddleheads. In a month I may be able to plant a few herbs in a container, maybe a tomato plant. Home Depot had a great deal this weekend. Bring in your own container or buy one there, buy your plants. They’ll plant them for you and give you the potting soil for free! The catch is that there are no outdoor plants to purchase because it’s too darned cold! Cheers, Dee

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Big, Fat Snow

Posted on April 3, 2009 | Leave a comment

The bike trail is already clear from last night’s snow, and no-one shoveled or plowed it. It’s a wet one because it even sticks on branches of trees with no leaves. Cold snows are different. Ice storms are another animal altogether.

It’s supposed to be in the 60’s next week after it gets colder and another snowstorm comes in tomorrow. Dear God, Please turn off the snow, keep it for the skiers until April 12 then let us Texans have Spring, please. Thank you.

Hates it here

Hates it here

As you can see from above, Zoe is very frightened here and follows me around everywhere. I have not left her alone yet, she goes with me to the drycleaner, mailbox, grocery et al.

I didn’t get good photos this morning because of the snow but apparently we look over the 2002 Olympic ski jumping, luge (and other events) site, The Canyons, front side of Park City, and the bald mountain that is Deer Valley. Right now we can’t see a thing because of the snow.

Sorry, I couldn’t nix a 2nd pix of Zoe and don’t know the others until I see them published. Apparently we WordPress freebies only get one crack at a preview.

I’ve been unpacking boxes and have a few more to do so we can have a first semi-normal weekend in weeks. Financing our lives and a significant move without a paycheck for three months has taken a toll on both of us financially, emotionally and physically. Luckily the stock market is inching up, even though unemployment is extraordinarily high.

I’ve been looking for work around here but there are no prospects I’ve found so far. We’re about to be in the off-season, ski-wise so the young, fit kids will leave town and few will remain. Jobs and people.

What I’ve learned so far is that a lot of people have given up serious careers to do menial jobs up here just so they can ski. A lot of other people fly in and have huge ski-in, ski-out estates and they’re building more even in this economy. Others with second homes here are renting and selling off properties they can no longer afford.

We can walk to a movie theatre and shops. The preserve is right out back and I love looking at the ducks. I may go to their museum next week. I did meet an interesting young man with a 2/2 condo downtown who is thinking of going the “corporate housing” route and I think he’s a nice guy so will help him learn from our expertise living in Scotland, London, Orem and here.

Next thing you know I’ll be teaching cooking classes! Cheers! Dee

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Texas

Posted on March 6, 2009 | 2 comments

Dee’s Texas Journal
Sunday, May 09, 2004

Happy Mother’s Day!

It’s funny how someone gets married, or has a baby, or gets a dog, and everything changes. Well we’ve now done the married and puppy things and life is really different.

And so is Texas. After we went to Paris (the Texas one) for Jim’s brother John’s surprise birthday party last month we enjoyed the wildflowers everywhere, en route and here in Austin. We have walked among the infamous Texas bluebonnets, black-eyed susans, and others that were on display for all to see.

The most Texan things that come to mind over the past few weeks include music; receiving presents in the form of CD’s of Lyle Lovett and Jerry Jeff Walker. While we love them we are balancing our lives with some Cheryl Crow, Norah Jones and an old Dave Mason. I try to add to Jim’s work CD selection as needed.

We are enjoying time with our new pup, Zoe. She is growing so fast; fifteen weeks old and smart as a whip. She is selectively obedient. Indoors she fetches, sits, lies down and comes when called. Outside, we may as well forget all of it. Like a cattle dog, she lies 1/3 of the way of a Lab’s route to her ball, and chases the dog in. At least she is being socialized with other dogs and people.

This past week Zoe found the glass doors of the fireplace and, looking into them, whined to see the puppy on the other side! After weeks of going out on our patio with the bird feeder in place, she just realized that there are birds out there!

All of this makes one appreciate life. I certainly enjoy my life with Jim, and Zoe, with its inevitable ups and downs.

Next weekend Jim and I are going on a Magical Mystery Date, the first “date” of ours that I’ve engineered. All Jim knows is that we will be within a two-hour drive of Austin, for two nights, and that Zoe is going into a kennel for the first time so that we can be by ourselves. Don’t worry, dog lovers, we went there to check out the kennel and she’ll be outside on a farm for 7-8 hours per day.

Notes from today: Our magical date was a fiasco of epic proportions. It was at a downtown hotel where we ended up with a corporate party room with a Murphy bed, our car broke down en route and we were late for the boat tour and had spent all cash on the car and the boat didn’t accept credit cards, the ATM at the hotel broke, you get the idea. We went on a bat tour to see the 750,000 Mexican freetail bats head out at night for food. We only saw about 3,000. [I’m bat-cursed as we’ve done this again and no bats came out when Jim’s grandmother visited and we took her out on the paddleboat tour.]

The next morning at the hotel I heard the bats come back en masse to the Congress Street Bridge at 5:30 a.m. I didn’t have the heart to awaken Jim. Letting him sleep was the least I could do, as we still had to take a taxi to pick up our fixed car. Cheers, Dee

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My Stagiere

Posted on February 25, 2009 | Leave a comment

I just finished the finale of Top Chef and while in my heart I hoped for Carla, I’m glad Stefan didn’t win. That makes Hosea, a compromise of compromises, Top Chef. Oh, well, so Glad paid him $100K. Bully for them.

When I was in cooking school at ICE (Institute for Culinary Education, formerly Peter Kump’s NYCS) we had a stagiere, pronounced “staj” for short. He was working his way through school and while he couldn’t help us with our food, he brought in all the ingredients before we showed up, cleaned up after us and brought us certain things we needed that weren’t on the cart that morning (i.e. 2T cognac for a dessert).

Currently I have one stage, but her only job is to be the “first rinse” at the dishwasher so I’m basically alone in the kitchen. Jim’s not allowed in except to get ice, water and soda. Perhaps tortilla chips. But if he goes around the other side of the island he knocks over pots and pans and none of them are round anymore. Oh, my stage is the dog, Zoe. She can be helpful. I opened a Dr. Pepper bottle for Jim the other day and it erupted. I cleaned the counter, cupboards and floor. Later that day she was licking the floor, so I know I missed a spot!

One thinks only Texas dogs like Dr. Pepper, which one connoisseur likened to “Dallas’ answer to Beaujolais.” Well, husband and dog are Texan. I keep my Diet Coke preferences to myself. I hate it when a restaurant switches our beverages and as I am the official “taster,” take a swig of prune juice instead of DC!

Here’s to stagieres across the nation and world. If I’d known I’d have financed culinary school that way and learned even more. Plus kept a few cents in the bank.

I modified an old cucumber salad recipe tonight and baked potatoes to go along with our roasted chicken breasts. More chicken is available for tomorrow so I’ll figure out what to do with it. I also want to make French Onion Soup a la Julia Child in the next few days. No way I’m making my own beef stock. ‘Night now, Dee.

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