The World According to Bella

Lake Life

This was a 10+ week for me. Mrs.S  returned from the cities so we put the boat in. I was so excited for my first boat ride that I  jumped on board just as Mr. C pushed the boat off the trailer into water. It was a warm day perfect for a ride. Mr.C did not disappoint and remembered my usual milk bone treat for boat rides.

I think I got this trading stuff nailed down. I find something. I drag it home. Mr.  C or Mrs. S or both want me to drop it. I refuse to drop it until I see what kind of treat they are offering. This is my stash for just this week. Look at the size of these deer parts. And the week isn't even over.  

What a find today. A deer leg that still had its fur on. I dragged it home, ever hopeful for a good trade. 

Mrs S did not disappoint. She came up with a very fine piece of chicken from last night's dinner.  
So I saved my best news to last. Next month the lake becomes my permanent home. Oh, what adventures lie ahead for me. How exciting! The only things I 'll miss about the city life are Mr. C and I going to the dog park and seeing Mulligan.  Maybe someone at the dog park will have a going away party for me. I have made lots of friends there. 
Mr. C had a birthday recently. We had a small party for him. 

Happy Birthday Mr. C and thanks for taking such good care of me.  

Love, Bella 
P.S. I forgot to mention I've already had 3 swims of the season and water wasn't too cold for me.

Asian Salad with Thai Peanut Dressing

Figuring out what to do with all your stuff  is a challenge when you decide to merge two households to one. It is at that very moment in time when you realize just how emotionally attached you have become to your stuff and need to make decisions to sell, give away or keep. Next month the lake becomes our permanent home. Right now this could be me on the floor 

so when I found a way to shortcut my Asian Salad with Thai Peanut Dressing with a little different planning I knew this was just the supper I needed to replenish my stamina.

Cook's Notes: The ingredients listed for the salad can be increased or decreased depending on how many servings you need. The dressing is enough for 3 salads. It's a thick dressing so use immediately rather than refrigerating. Creamy peanut butter works better as crunchy gives it a different texture. Thai Peanut Dressing is just amazing with a wonderful blend of sweetness, saltiness, sourness and heat with red pepper flakes. Add in cooked chicken or pork and the salad becomes a main meal. 

   Asian Salad with Thai Peanut Dressing

Salad Ingredients:

• 1/2 bag of chopped Asian Salad Mix (discard the dressing packet)
• Snow peas, diced diagonally
• Thinly sliced cucumbers
• Mini sweet red and yellow peppers, diced
• Red onion, diced
• Peanuts, coarsely chopped 
• Optional cooked chicken or pork 

Thai Peanut Dressing Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 TB. rice vinegar
• 2 TB. fresh lime juice, from one lime
• 3 TB. vegetable oil
• 1 TB. soy sauce
• 2 TB. honey
• 2-tsp. sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1-inch square piece fresh ginger, peeled, minced about 1 TB.
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8-1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• Optional 2 TB. fresh cilantro leaves

Salad and Dressing Directions:

• Mix the salad ingredients in a bowl.
• Mix dressing ingredients in a blender. Use a spatula to remove all the dressing from the blender. Blend with  salad ingredients. 

 

Crispy Coconut Chocolate Chip Nut Cookies

And Food Network Magazine really listened to their readers with their recent May issue featuring a variety of 50 chocolate chip cookies divided into 3 batter categories: chewy, crispy, and cakey.   

So thinking a bit outside of the box of your basic Nestles Chocolate Chip Cookies consider the following recipe Crispy Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

 Cook's Notes: Since I am a devoted fan of crispy cookies I had some tough decisions which of the 12 should I try. The coconut recipe won me over and better yet I even had all the ingredients.
The basic crispy cookie batter makes about 32-34 cookies. I adapted the oven temperature from 350 to 375 degrees and baked them 11 minutes, cooled on cookie sheet 3 minutes and then transferred to a wire cooling rack. They turned out perfect!  
I did find the batter very soft so put it in freezer for 30-40 minutes to firm it up.  
Basic Crispy Cookie Batter
Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 stick of butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp. water
•  1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
•  2 large eggs, room temperature 
• 1-1/2 cups semi- sweet or bittersweet chips (I used semi- sweet) 

Directions:

• Chill batter until firm so easier to work with. 
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone pad. In a small bowl whisk flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. 
• Cream butter,sugars and oil until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
• Beat in water and vanilla until smooth. 
• Beat in eggs one at a time. Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips. 
• Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto the parchment paper. Bake 11-12 minutes. Cool 3 minutes on baking sheet and transfer to wire rack. 

Adaptations to make Crispy Coconut Chocolate Chip Nut Cookies 
Replace 1/4 cup vegetable oil with 1/4 cup melted coconut oil.
Add 1/4 -1/2 tsp, coconut extract to vanilla extract.
Stir in 3/4 cup toasted coconut and 1 cup chopped walnuts .

You'll have to check out the magazine for other recipes but some other chewy chocolate chip cookie ingredients included adding Chai, Maple, Toffee or Mint.

Happy Mother's Day

Today, take time to thank your mom for her influence on your life's journey.
If you are a motherless daughter today there are some ways to keep your mother's memory alive.
Share stories and anecdotes about your mother.
Wear your mother's favorite color -- piece of clothing, nail polish, etc.
Remember your mother's best advice and wisest sayings, follow and share.
Prepare your mother's favorite recipes, and keep her in your head and your heart as you are making the dishes and serving them.
Write something -- a poem, a song, a recollection -- about your mother.
Perform an act of kindness to honor your mother.
Give to a charity in memory of your mother.

My mother liked to cook, try new recipes and with eight of us she got in lots of practice. She always liked to try out some of her recipes in advance for upcoming bridge groups. One of her signature dishes was Chicken Pot Pie in Puff Pastry Shells.

We were always fascinated watching these shells puff up in the oven and then watch mom carefully remove the gooey circle from the center marked T for top and set aside.

In honor of my mother I am reposting her signature recipe with a few tweaks of my own.
Chicken Pot Pie in Puff Pastry Shells
Ingredients:

• 4 cups cooked chicken or turkey chopped
• 1 small sweet onion chopped
• (8 oz.) package of white mushrooms
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup low sodium chicken broth 
• 1 cup frozen baby peas thawed
• 1 cup matchstick carrots
• ½ cup flour
• 1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
• ¾ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp. pepper
• ½ tsp. dried tarragon
• 1 TB. parsley
• 1 TB. chives
• ¼ tsp. dry mustard
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese grated
• 1-1/2 cups light cream
• 2 TB. butter
• a1 (17.2 oz.) package frozen puff pastry shells

Directions:

• In a large skillet melt butter and sauté mushrooms, onions, pepper and carrots till tender.
• Stir flour into chicken broth, whisk to blend, then add to mushroom mixture with cream, peas, spices and Parmesan cheese. 
• Cook on low heat till thick and bubbly.
• Stir in wine, turkey or chicken and peas-keep mixture warm while preparing pastry. 
• Follow directions for prepared puff pastry shells, remove circle marked top.
• Spoon chicken mixture into shells.
  

And there wasn't a dessert she didn't like especially anything with chocolate and her favorite carrot cake.

Link to carrot cake recipe
http://sockfairies.blogspot.com/2016/04/can-you-guess.html

A Nail Biter

With little time to spare ICE OUT for most of Minnesota lakes answered the prayers of
anglers, bait shop owners and resorters this weekend in time for Saturday’s walleye and northern pike fishing opener.

The last-minute ice-outs on Leech Lake, Kabetogama, Winnibigoshish, Pokegama, Upper Red Lake and Lake Vermilion — to name just a few — provided a turnaround that was in serious doubt two weeks ago. My husband always remains hopeful to bring in his allotted amount.
This was one of his most impressive catches ever from 2015 that I have yet to see repeated. 

But I am on alert and ready with a fish foil recipe that proves to be a winner. 
Provencal Shrimp and Fish Foil Packet with Creamy Saffron Orzo. 

Cook's notes: Foil packet cooking is simple-wrap food in foil and throw it on the grill. And for a bonus there's virtually no clean up. This method relies on steam to cook. It is important the food is tightly wrapped in foil. Set the packets in a disposable foil pan. Vegetables and even added liquid like wine ensures there's plenty of moisture to go around.
Be creative creating your foil packets. I used shrimp, walleye, tomatoes, broccoli, red onions and zucchini. The packet gets its French flair by using the spice herbes de Provence and lemon zest.
Recipe adapted from cuisineathome.com and serves 4.
Ingredients:

• 3 TB. olive oil or lemon olive oil
• 1 TB. fresh garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1-1/2 tsp. dried herbes de Provence
• 1 tsp. parsley flakes
• 1/2 tsp black pepper or lemon pepper
• minced zest of one lemon
• 1/2 LB. shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails left on or frozen cooked shrimp, thawed 
• 1 LB. fish fillets
• 1 cup each quartered and sliced zucchini, yellow summer squash or broccoli, cherry tomatoes, halved and red onion, diced

Directions:

• In a bowl whisk together olive oil, garlic, salt, herbes de Provence, pepper and lemon zest. 
• Add in shrimp, fish, onions and vegetables. Toss to coat. This mixture will be divided  among 4 foil packets.  
• In a foil pan add two pieces of foil one lengthwise, one horizontal, place fish, shrimp and vegetable mixture on foil. 
  

Bring foil together and fold over sealing in the packet. Repeat 3 more times. 

• Preheat grill to a temperature of 400. Grill packets until vegetables and fish are cooked through about 25 minutes. This method also works using a Weber Grill. 

Creamy Saffron Orzo
Cook's notes: Easy to prepare, this side dish is the perfect partner for shrimp, fish and summer vegetables. It can be cooked the same time as fish/shrimp packets. A time saver is to buy a prepared package of

BEST OF LUCK to all those who fish.

Chicken and Blueberry Farfalle Salad

Chicken and Blueberry Farfalle Salad

Cook's Notes: A great spring pasta salad packed with nutritious ingredients. Juicy blueberries, tender pieces of chicken, crunchy almonds. spinach greens drizzled with a light citrus dressing that boosts the flavor to the mix.  Use a precooked rotisserie chicken as a time saver. Recipe serves 4. A prepared lite vinaigrette dressing can be substitute for homemade citrus dressing. 

Salad Ingredients:  

• 2 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
• 3 cups cooked pasta al dente (about 1-3/4 cups dry pasta) 
• 1-1/2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1 cup diced mozzarella cheese or white cheddar cheese
• 2 large scallions, diced
• 1 tsp. dried parsley flakes
• 1-1/2 cups torn baby spinach leaves
• 1/3 cup toasted almonds

Citrus Dressing Ingredients:

• 2 tsp. orange zest
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 TB. fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp. honey
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced 
• 1 TB. white balsamic vinegar, good quality

Directions:

• Make dressing in a blender. Refrigerate a few hours ahead for flavors to meld.
• Toss all salad ingredients together and drizzle with dressing right before serving.

A morning glory at my window

satisfies me more than 

the metaphysics of books.

by Walt Whitman

The World According to Bella

Ice Out-Let the Good Times Roll
I've spent many days waiting for ice out

and hoping for spring to come. I didn't have much enthusiasm to even redo my hole.  I just laid around hoping it would be soon. 

Finally I heard Mr. C announce "Ice Out." I did not waste a minute for my first swim of the season. I didn't care if water was cold, Now if we only had the boat in I'd be  the happiest dog around.

 I think we are getting close. A few days ago Sadie, Luna came for a visit. We all watched Chris and Mr.C  put in the dock. 

  

Luna and Sadie always go crazy at my house. The really like my ball. 

But I do not like to share. 

With the dock in I'm waiting for Mrs. S to return from the cities. We need her help to get  the boat in. And I really want to show her some of my newest finds for the week.

When Mrs. S left I heard her say there were a bag of trades in the refrig if needed. But they did not last long as I found several more bones in the woods. Mr.C saved my newest one  in the garage. He seems to think she'll want a picture.  

I'm back to yard patrol. Even though there are no plants to protect there are lots of annoying creatures to scare away. Besides the raccoon family we've had a fox  and a porcupine come for a visit. And now the turtles are looking for a place to lay their eggs and the loons are back causing such a racket with all their calls. They always sound like  they are in pain and sad.  
But I'm happy to be at the lake with cooler weather than Arizona and my same routine.   

Love, Bella