Gourmet or Gourmand?

I looked it up. My dictionary defines gourmet as "a person who knows a lot about food and drink and is good at choosing what should be combined together" and a gourmand as "a person who eats too much, esp. one who is more interested in the quantity of food than its quality".

I asked a very smart TT over in England named Mo Mo (www.tibetanterrier.me.uk ) and she explained gourmand as "greedy feeder, glutton" and gourmet as "connoisseur of table delicacies; judge of good food."

Well my question is is it possible to be both a gourmet and a gourmand? I guess it is. I mean I know it is because I love delicacies, but lots of them. When it come to my pups I only want the best. I guess I'm thinking about this because it's getting time for me to think about weening the pups. I mean "the girls" can only take so much. For about a week now, my parents have been giving the pups plain whole fat yogurt on the tips of their fingers and they have been lapping it up. I mean really lapping it up. And today, we tried just a little bit of a puppy formula that is used to transition the pups to a more solid puppy food. Again, my parents put the puppy formula on the tips of their fingers and the pups seemed to enjoy it. I got the leftovers and I REALLY like it. Gourmand? We will give them a little more each day until they are ready for puppy food.

The pups will be raised on the dry (moistened, at first) and can formulas of Holistic Select for puppies. Holistic Select wet is chicken based. The dry is an anchovy, sardine, and chicken meal recipe. It is protein rich and contains probiotics, digestive enzymes and Omega 6:3’s. It is a high quality food that my puppies deserve. I believe it promotes superior brain and body development. Visit www.holisticselect.com to find a supplier near you. By the time they are ready to go to their new homes, we will be feeding the pups three times a day, at 6 AM, noon, and 6 PM, usually feeding the can variety at one feeding time daily. Keeping the pups on a schedule helps with housetraining. Angus, Roxie, and I prefer Wellness Core over other brands such as Eukanuba, Iams, and Innova. Wellness Core and Holistic Select are both made in the USA by WellPet.

If you ever decide to transition your puppy or dog to a new food at any time, please do so gradually. At first add just a small amount of the new food to the existing diet and over at least a seven-day period slowly increase the proportion of the new food included in their daily diet. I don't recommend that you change a puppy’s food in the initial transition period when they are introduced to their new home.

Since I am going on about food today, I guess it's as good a time as any to share my dad's oven roasted tomatoes recipe. They are great as a side with eggs or anything for that matter. Sometimes my dad spoons the tomatoes over pasta when he's craving a healthy and easy meal.

Dad's Oven Roasted Tomatoes

2 28 oz cans of whole plum tomatoes
1 tablesoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine sugar, salt and pepper in a small bowl and set aside. Lightly coat the bottom of a large baking dish with olive oil. Drain the tomatoes in a collander and discard the juice. Cut the tomatoes in half and and place cut side up in a single layer in the baking dish. Sprinkle evenly all over with the sugar-salt-pepper mixture. Cook for 1 to 2 hours or more until the tomatoes are well cooked and a bit carmelized. Remove from oven and cool. Dad likes them best at room temperature.

Oh, dad just reminded me, after sprinkling the sugar-salt-pepper mixture on top some people like to dab just a teeny tiny dob of butter on top of each tomato before placing in the oven. Gourmands I would guess.

Autumn Leaves

Toby, I was listening to Pandora (www.pandora.com) today. Do you ever do that? You know the internet radio station. It's kinda cool cause based on your listening and song preferences it will suggest and play other songs that it thinks you will enjoy. You probably think I'm so lame. I mean you're a Cali boy. Always one step ahead.

Well, I was listening earlier today and they played this song called Autumn Leaves. Do you know it? I have heard it before but it really hit me today. Maybe because it's full-on Autumn here. Falling leaves everywhere. The song is so lovely. I couldn't help thinking of you. You're lovely too. I know we may see each other at the Nationals in the spring, but I miss you so much today. I don't mean to complain. Really. I just want you to know how much I think of you and if I can't share my time with you right now, at least I can share this song with you.

Autumn Leaves

The falling leaves drift by the window
The autumn leaves of red and gold
I see your lips, the summer kisses
The sun-burned hands I used to hold

Since you went away the days grow long
And soon I'll hear old winter's song
But I miss you most of all my darling
When autumn leaves start to fall

I think I'm heading the way of Grammy Jill's sister, Aunt Joan. You see Aunt Joan just LOVES to watch and order baubles and trinkets and warm fuzzy slippers off of HSN, the Home Shopping Network. Well, I don't actually watch HSN, but I did buy something on ebay today. You see there was this listing RARE TIBETAN TERRIER BOOK. How could I not be interested?

The book was described as follows:

THIS IS A RARE "HOW TO RAISE AND TRAIN A TIBETAN TERRIER" PAPER BOOK WRITTEN BY ALICE W. MURPHY. IT CONSISTS OF 64 PAGES. THE BOOK IS IN GOOD SHAPE FOR ITS AGE NO PAGES MISSING. WE OWNED TWO TIBETAN TERRIERS FOR ABOUT 14 YEARS AND FOUND THIS BOOK USEFUL. THE BOOK IS PROBABLY ABOUT 35 YEARS OLD.

I know they say you can't judge a book by its cover, but it's the cover of the book that I fell in love with. So with 21 seconds left in the auction I bid $9.99 and now the book is mine. No one else even bid. Can you imagine? I am really curious to see what's beneath that cover. I can't wait until it arrives. It shouldn't be long. Joan, the original owner sent me the dearest email. I want to share it with you.

Joan's email:

Dear Suddie,

I can tell from your blog that you have a houseful right now. Our first Tibetan Terrier we purchased at a pet store about 35 years ago for $35.00. The owner had died and his TT ended up in this pet store. Unfortunately, he was killed in the road in front of our house. We were heartbroken and immediately found a breeder and she suggested we purchase two. We had a black and white female and a golden male. We had them fixed so we never had any puppies. Since we owned our own business, they went to work with us every day. They lived to be 14 and 15 years old. Oh, we had a fence put around our property this time. We are too old to have dogs now, but they remain dear to our hearts. They were both put to sleep together in 1992 or 93. Enjoy your new puppies. I am starting to read your blog, but it is hard to look at the dogs as they look like ours. They had a wonderful life as we had no children so they were spoiled. It sounds like you and your pups are spoiled too with all those hand made treats.

Regards, Joan.

Let them Eat Biscuits

So my dad made me another batch of Dog Bones with the recipe from the Four Seasons Boston. This time instead of using the rim of a small round glass to cut out circle shapes, he used some bone-shaped cookie cutters that he purchased online. While he was online he also purchased the You Bake'Em Dog Biscuits Cookbook. The book has recipes for all sorts of yummy treats from simple cheddar biscuits to meatballs to fancy liver puree. All the recipes are relatively simple and the author's husband is a pastry chef-instructor at the Institute for Culinary Education in New York City. I would guess she consulted with him on some of the recipes. I think the pumpkin pie biscuits sound so good. I love pumpkin. And I think around the holidays I will definitely volunteer for a little taste testing if my parents make the red and green christmas cookies for our doggie friends. I don't think we will be making any for Wink (remember, the one-eyed Chihuahua) though. You see, we were on our daily walk up the hill the other day, on Halloween, when we ran into Wink's mom Martha. My parents said hello and exchanged pleasantries. I don't know where Wink was. He is usually out running back and forth along the fenceline barking his fool head off. Not today though. Anyway, during their brief conversation my parents asked Martha if she was ready for Halloween and Martha kinda sheepishly replied that she had a few treats that she could scrounge up for the kids (I, of course, think she was referring to the dog treats my parents made for Wink way last Christmas). Well my parents being the anti-social beings they are laughed and said they were going to leave all the lights off and read by candlelight to discourage little ghosts and goblins from visiting. It was only then that Martha admitted that she was planning to do the same. Not a very friendly or festive street I thought. Martha (needlessly) went on to explain that she had the "dog people" over the night before and that was her Halloween celebration. Well! Excuse me Martha! First of all, I'm a little confused as to what dog people are exactly. I think I do remember an episode of Bewitched where a spell was cast that turned Darren into a cocker spaniel. I may, however, be confusing this with a similar plotline from Lost in Space. In any case, if there were ever dog people it would have to be my parents. Thanks for inviting us said dad. And that's why I think Wink is not going to be on our Christmas list this year.

Well, as I see it, Wink's loss is Suddie's gain. You see I can't get enough of biscuits and treats and don't really get the point of sharing. Except maybe with Toby. Wink looks a bit bloated in my opinion. Simultaneously tiny and bloated. Which reminds me that the cookbook has a chapter for pudgy pooches with items like Herbalicious Biscuits and Oatmeal Garlic Cookies. After throwing the Dog Bone Biscuits in the oven my dad decided to try the Cheddar Biscuits from the new cookbook too. The recipe calls for a food processor, but my dad just kneaded everything together by hand and they came out just great. We also changed the name to Parmesan Cheddar Biscuits because they contain Parmesan as well as cheddar and it just sounds fancier. That's important in case my parents decide to serve them at a little impromptu cocktail party or what not. And they just might. They sure ate enough of this batch. You know. If there aren't any crackers in the cupboard why not just eat Suddie's Parmesan Cheddar Biscuits (I just decided to add my name to the recipe title too). Well, I guess they really are just crackers shaped like dog bones, but, I mean, haven't you guys ever heard of Triscuits?

Here's the recipe.

Suddie's Parmesan Cheddar Biscuits

Dogs love cheese. Any type of cheese will do for this recipe, so if you don't have cheddar on hand, try mozarella, Swiss, or any other cheese you have in the refrigerator. People love crackers. So if an unexpected guest arrives with a bottle of wine and the cupboard is bare, let them eat biscuits.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup milk
Grated Parmesan cheese for topping

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Put flour and cheese into food processor. Pulse to mix. (My dad skips the food processor and just mixes and kneads everything together). Add butter and milk. Mix well. Turn out onto a floured surface and roll out to a 1/4- to 1/2- inch thickness. Poke with tines of fork and sprinkle with finely grated Parmesan cheese. Cut into shapes with cookie cutter. Place on baking sheet covered with greased or non-stick foil ( I didn't know there is such a thing as non-stick foil, but my dad skipped this part too. He did lightly oil the baking sheet with canola oil). Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

On second thought, let them eat crackers. I'm saving these biscuits for myself. They're cheesilicious.

Toby

Did you see the sweet note from Toby? Still not mushy enough for me, but a note all the same. It's not that being a mommy 24/7 is making me question my allure, but right about now I could benefit from a few sweet nothings.

He did send some pics. But that just made me miss him even more. I mean, isn't he adorable. I love the one where his cute little face is resting on his paws. But hasn't he heard of quid pro quo? I post bathtub pics, but not one pic of him in the shower? Oh no! Maybe he's getting shy on me? Maybe he's pissed that I'm posting bathtub pics on my blog? Maybe he's too busy lounging by the pool to give a rip?

Well, at least, I got to see him getting toweled off.

But seriously Toby, you would be so proud of our kids. They are getting quite active and moving around, albeit a little tentatively. And their little personalities are starting to show. They are adorable, sweet and sassy. Sometimes I see myself and sometimes they remind me of you. I know that you miss sharing all this with me, but I am fine... and oh so busy.

Toby wrote:

Hi Suddie,
Great getting the news from you this way. I liked getting the pictures of you, Angus and Roxie in the tub. Strange as it may seem, today was my day in the shower. They seem to like to give me a shower, rather than a bath, don't know why. But I don't like either that much. But, I do enjoy the activity after they get me all clean. First I have a good time rolling on the nice warm towels and play tug of war with the towels between me and my Dad. I never seem to win. I would love to run all over the house shaking the water on everything, but they keep me confined to the deck or other small area until I am almost dry. Then comes the blow dryer treatment. On cool days it feels so good, but in Palm Springs it gets so hot I don't like the hot air blowing on me.Today, after the bath/shower and drying I got loose and found a lawn sprinkler going, and I love to drink from the sprinklers. They seem like a special drinking fountain for dogs. Well my Dads didn't much like that because I got all wet in my face. I have some pictures of the before, after and, during the bathing procedure, but I don't think I can send them with this comment. Maybe I will have my Dad sent them by email. You sure are cute when you are all wet in the tub. Do you have any new pics of the pups? They must have their eyes open now and getting more active. The third week birthday is coming up soon. Sometimes I get very sad thinking of you there with all the pups and my not being able to be by your side to help. You take care and hopefully I may be able to see you next year at the Nationals.
Love TOBY

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Presenting my pups at 2 1/2 weeks.

For Whom is That Little Fur Cap?

Now you are going to think I'm crazy but I really want a little knit cap and I need one for Angus and Roxie too. You see, yesterday Grammy Jill (that's Grammy who sent me the sprayer thingy) told me about this book that she thinks has a Tibetan Terrier on the cover. I also think it may be a TT because he/she is shaggy and so very cute. But the subject of the book is what really caught my attention. It's called Pet Projects, The Animal Knits Bible and it has all these cool things that you can knit for me. Does anyone out there knit? I asked Dara and she told me that she is still traumatized from when as a child an unnamed right-handed person tried to teach her to knit right handed. You see she's left handed. She says she still stutters from it a bit. Anyway she said she's busy making teeny tiny silk bags for her Yoga teacher to put seeds from India in or something like that. I wonder what kind of seeds. I don't like seeds much. Are they edible seeds Dara? Or seeds to plant or seeds to smoke? I once got a seed caught in my throat and I didn't like it. Dara says the wee bags are really cute but that they are making her crazier than usual. But, in any case, she doesn't knit.

So what I am really coveting are the knit caps with the knobby ears. They are so darn cute. And you may say that I don't need a hat. That I am furry enough. But when has that ever been a good reason. A girl wants what a girl wants. Plus it gets darn cold here in the Happy Valley. And I know I told you us moms blow our coats after we deliver our pups. I'm afraid that I AM beginning to look like one of those hairless Mexican dogs or this friend of MeeMaw's whose eyebrows fell out. I can be quite single minded when I find something I like. And I like these hats. Toby you would look quite handsome in one too. According to this book, there are lots of wonderful things to knit for a gal like me. I could really use this puppy pouch right about now. You don't know how may times I have trudged up and down these stairs.

The doggy collar is quite fetching too. I think they call things like that that you wear around your neck a ruff. Don't they? Or maybe it's just a collar. It kinda reminds me of these necklaces that Grammy bought when she came to visit us in Harbor Springs last summer. They were made of pounded felt and they had these really cool felt flowers on them. Definitely cool weather necklaces. Did I mention that my daughter Sadie lives with Grammy? Sadie came up to Harbor Springs with Grammy. I hardly recognized her because the groomer gave her a buzzcut. Grammy was so mad about that haircut. I think it bothered Grammy that Angus wasn't as interested in Sadie as he usually is. I don't think it was the haircut. I think it was because Roxie was in season. Men are dogs. And dogs are men.

When I was cruising around the internet looking at knits for dogs, I found this other book called Knitting with Dog Hair. You might know that most everyone says that us Tibetan Terriers are non-shedding, but we lose our hair just like you do. And when you groom us (and you better groom us) you will find lots of hair in that brush. If my parents were just a bit more industrious they could have outfitted a small village in knitwear. This a real book with 4 1/2 stars (out of five) on Amazon. One reviewer was mad though cause there's a Basset Hound on the cover of the book and she bought the book for that reason only to learn that you can't spin basset fur. I guess that is a bit misleading but what was she thinking? I mean a Basset Hound's coat is quite short. But what do I know? Another woman indicated that she just pulls the book out when she needs to get her dogs to mind. As in "You quiet down or I'll make a sweater out of you." Harsh! The whole thing seems a bit nutty to me, but, then again,why wouldn't you humans want to be outfitted in a lovely coat like mine. I scouted around and found some pics of some of my furry friends with their dog-hair-wearing parents. If you ask me it looks better on the dogs. But did you know back in the old days there was something called a hairshirt that was made out of course animal hair? I hear tell that hairshirts were used by some religions to induce some degree of pain or discomfort as a sign of repentance or atonement for some evil deed. Doesn't sound like something my friend the Dalai Lama would go in for. But I digress. These dog hair sweaters do look quite comfy, but the dogs and their owners are a bit too "matchy matchy" for my taste. But who am I to judge? You probably don't think I need a hat.

Grandma's Balls

Do you remember the other day when it was rumored that Roxie and Angus were going to get baths? Well they did. Roxie had her bath that day. I think it was Monday. Angus had his turn on Tuesday. A bath creates a kind of adrenaline rush in all of us. By the time the bath is over we are just aching to get out of that tub. We really don't even want to be toweled off. All we want is to tear around the house shaking the water out as we go. Rubbing up against couches and rolling around like crazy in every bed in the house. I don't know why but it feels amazing. And as soon as we get outside, we are going to try to flip over on our backs and roll around in a big pile of leaves or, better yet, some deer poop or bear poop if we can find some. I don't really see many deer around these parts and I have never seen a bear. But one of our neighbors, Wink, had a mama bear and 3 cubs right in his backyard. Now Wink is a one-eyed Chihuahua and I don't think he sees all that well out of the one eye that he does have, but I do believe that he saw the bears. We sometimes go up to Wink and Martha's (that's his mom) and run around together. They have about 3 fenced-in acres and we love to run on the lawn and through the woods and especially to muck around in the seasonal creek. Last Christmas my dad made Martha a loaf of challah and some of my favorite treats (Dara's recipe). I don't know why but my parents seem to think Martha might have eaten the dog treats by mistake. They seem to chuckle about that a lot.

You may recall that I thought that I had a reprieve from taking a bath due to my busy schedule with the pups and all. You may or may not know that a reprieve is a TEMPORARY relief from harm or discomfort. That's why I used that word. I knew my day was coming soon. I think the last straw was when I got organic chicken juice all over my face during breakfast this morning. You see my parents have been feeding me organic chicken patties from Nature's Variety ever since I got pregnant. They are delicious. One patty is the normal daily meal for a gal my size, but ever since the last few weeks of my pregnancy I have been eating at least two a day along with lots of other highly nutritious stuff. They are delicious, but they are more than a little bit messy. I think my folks just couldn't bear the thought of me nuzzling up to the pups all covered in organic chicken juice. I guess they're right. It was good timing too cause just yesterday Grandma sent us a spray thingy that attaches to the bathtub faucet. Well it's supposed to attach to the bathtub faucet. We have this old-fashioned clawfoot tub and I think the faucet must be old-fashioned too cause after dad got it all attached and turned on the water the force of the water sent the sprayer flying halfway across the room and shot water everywhere. It actually kinda scared me. I may like water but I don't like water shooting at me from all directions. The problem seems to be that the faucet itself is quite small so the sprayer thingy just slips right off. I bet you don't have these sorts of problems Toby.

Grandma also sent some really cute puppy-sized balls for the kids. My parents have been laughing and calling them Grandma's balls. I don't see what's so funny about that. Grandma thank you for the sprayer attachment. I am sure we will figure out a way to use it. It does look a bit like it came right out of the 1950's or 40's or 30's doesn't it? When I first saw it I was afraid I might be in for a high colonic.