bubbledog blog

my little trooper

My little girl, Poppy, had a pretty large ball form under her left arm in a very short period of time.  The vet didn't like the looks of it (nor did I) and decided it needed to come out.  As soon I heard the words tumor,  biopsy, and cancer mentioned, my paranoid brain began looping the following arguement in my head:

"it couldn't be..." 
"i know it is..."
"there's no way it could be..."
"it has to be..."

Luckily, now that the surgery is done, the great news is that there wasn't any cancer.  As you might have guessed, I am relieved.  Now, she just has to deal with the evil cone-collar.  She hates it, but I have to admit that it amuses me some... especially since she has become the biggest clutz in the world with this thing on.  I don't think there is anything in my house that she hasn't walked into.  I really shouldn't enjoy that, I know I shouldn't, but I still find it cute.  She looks like something out of the Jetsons... I keep thinking of the Las Venus episode.

wishful drinking

My family came over on Friday night to visit and to celebrate the, now, 36 years I have spent on this Earth.  It was nice to catch up with everyone in between the massive amount of eating that we all did.  I got some really thoughtful gifts from everyone and though not the purpose of having them over, it was appreciated.  

Knowing my passion for all things from my childhood, my youngest brother gave me some LEGO sets that I used to have when I was a kid... I'm saving them for a day that I need a nostalgia rush and I will put them together with the same excitement as I did when I was younger.  My other half got me tickets to Carrie Fisher's one woman show Wishful Drinking which is based on her book of the same title.  I got the book last Christmas and really enjoyed reading it. I think it took me about two hours to read... not because I am a super fast reader or anything, it's an easy read with big print and not a lot of pages.  We'll be in the first row for the show and I've already started the countdown to December 30th!

back home

Today was my first day back from Florida and it was nice to get to spend some time with my dogs and visit a little with my family.  Key West was a lot of fun... the weather was beautiful (once I got used to the heat and humidity) and it was just the perfect vacation.  I got to go to a lot of different restaurants and I have to say that they were all good, but some really stood out from the rest.  If you ever go to Key West on vacation, here are my recommendations for you:

Breakfast:  Go to Blue Heaven and order some of their pancakes.  They are out of this world good... light and fluffy and served with warm (real) Maple syrup.  It was so good that I went twice.  In the outdoor seating there are a lot of animals roaming around... so roosters, chickens, chicks, and cats will be passing around your table and under your feet.  It may sound weird, but it was really quite charming.

Lunch:  I was so excited that I already blogged about it from my cell phone, but go to El Siboney Restaurant for some amazing Cuban food.

Dinner:  Seven Fish prooved to be the best dinner of my stay.  By the last night of my stay, I was starting to try and eat more salads (I ate so much in those five days), so I got their three cheese caeser... yes, when I think light, I think three cheeses.  It was so good!

Beach Time:  Higgs Beach was really nice.  The beach and parking was free, but you have to rent everything else (chairs, umbrellas, etc).  There were a good amount of people at the beach when I went, but it was still pretty calm and quiet.

Hotel:  STAY AT THE OCEAN KEYS RESORT!  I absolutely love this hotel.  It has great rooms with great views.  The service is excellent on every level and it is very friendly and professional.  The other great thing is that the hotel is right in the heart of the busy part of the town, but it is secluded enough that you don't get affected by noise.  So, if you are an old fart like me and want to be near the action, but not participate in it... it's perfect :) 

early valentine's day surprise

Though I love to make all sorts of cards, I am the absolute worst person when it comes to getting a card in the mail for a birthday, holiday, you name it....  I'm learning that my internet buddy Amy is not like me in this respect.  She's a very busy gal, but she somehow makes time to get groovy packages out to her firends.  I have to give her some credit for the "old skool" Valentine's treatment I received today.

 

Mailed out with Star Wars postage and sealed on back with some 80's stickers, I was intrigued when I found this envelope in my mailbox today.  When I opened it up, a whole bunch of little cards and envelopes fell out.  I don't think I've been given one of those since 5th grade!  Remember decorating little paper bags to stick on the front of your desk to get your Valentine's Day cards at school? 

 

It was such a fun little treat that I had to share it.  Thanks Amy :)

pizza frita

After reading a post on my friend Maria's blog about doughnut muffins, I spent the last week gradually developing an obsession: doughnut muffins - to - doughnuts - to - homeade doughnuts - to - other desserts I could deep fry - and then eventually landing on fried pizza dough (pizza frita).  Every once and a while when I was a kid, my parents would make it and I really remember loving it.  Basically, you take bits of pizza dough, deep fry it in oil, roll it around in sugar, and then eat it while it's still nice and warm.  It's pretty simple and it's pretty amazing! 

With some phoned-in help from my father, I attempted to make some pizza frita last night.  The hardest part was getting the oil to be the right temperature.  When I started, I had the oil too hot so the first few looked like a potato, had a rock hard shell, and were still raw dough on the inside (yuck).  After allowing the oil to cool a bit, things started to come together.  When you drop the dough in the oil, it puffs up a bit and starts to float at the top.  When it turns light golden brown, you remove it and let the oil drain on some paper towels.  After a minute or so, roll it around in some sugar and eat it while it is still warm. 

We mixed it up and tried some dipped in sugar, some in powdered sugar, and some in cinnamon sugar. 

 

hill country

I met a friend of mine in New York to spend the day catching up with each while also trying to do a little post holiday shopping.  As with any day spent in my company, the priority always seems to quickly become deciding where to eat.  When it came to lunch, my friend suggested going to a barbeque restaurant called Hill Country.  It was a great little place with good food and a lot of character.  It's like a hip barbeque joint set up in cafeteria style where you go around to different stations and order your meat, sides, and drinks. 

I opted for a barbequed beef sandwich with sides of cucumber salad and macoroni and cheese.  We also decided to split a side of cornbread which was quite good.  My only regret... the ribs (which I didn't have) looked absolutely AMAZING!  

     

merry christmas

Poppy, my little Christmas helper, and I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!

the goonies are good enough

Some family and friends came over last night to celebrate my brother's 28th birthday.  I have been eagerly awaiting his birthday for the last three months because, in April, I found him the perfect gift.  My brother has loved the movie The Goonies since he was a kid and still views it on a fairly regular (though with less frequency) basis.  Unbeknownst to us in the 1980s, there was a set of promotional glasses made for the film.  They have fairly hideous artwork, but they depict various scenes from the movie... and who doesn't want to drink out of a glass with Chunk and Sloth on the front?  I think my brother will enjoy them - at least until his wife decides to lose them or break them (which I would have to understand). 

ringing rocks

Over the weekend, I have had some house guests visiting from England.  Last time I was in England, they gave quite the tour and I had a really great time... so the pressure was on!   After doing some searching for things to do in my area, I came across Ringing Rocks State Park in Upper Black Eddy, PA.  This is only about 10 minutes from my home, but I had never been there, so we decided to check it out.

Basically, it is a large (128 acre) park with various nature trails and picnic areas, but there is one unique feature... a field of large boulders that occupy a clearing towards the top of the mountain.  It looks kind of unnatural, but there is apparenly some natural reason that these rocks are located there as there are places where the rocks are piled some fourteen feet deep.  As you climb through the field and over these large boulders, you will see people banging away at them with hammers because about one third of them ring like a bell when struck.  It really is amazing - I was very doubtful until I actually experienced it.  Some of them have a gong like quality.   I can' t explain it, but this site has a lot of insightful information. 

If you are ever in Eastern PA or Western NJ, go check it out... and don't forget to bring your hammer!

pizzagaina

Once a year for Easter, my grandmother bakes everyone in the family a traditional Italian Easter pie called pizzagaina.  It is quite scrumptious and has absolutely no fat... yeah, right!  It is basically a pie with all sorts of Italian meats and cheeses baked inside.  You can see a picture on the left of my first slice for 2008 - yummy!  My parents prefer it warmed, but I like it at room temperature where it is nice and cakey solid.  I really love it, but it is SO rich that it works out perfectly as a once a year treat!