Missing Miss Puppy

A Secret

We have a secret, you and I

that no one else shall know,

for who but I can see you lie

each night in fire glow?

And who but I can reach my hand

before we go to bed

and feel the living warmth of you

and touch your silken head?

And only I walk woodland paths

and see ahead of me,

your small form racing with the wind

so young again, and free.

And only I can see you swim

in every brook I pass

and when I call, no one but I

can see the bending grass. 

Author Unknown

My crockpot. I think I'll Keep It.

There's roasted chicken under
that tatziki

Today I tried a couple of recipes I found on Pinterest: crockpot rotisserie chicken and naan-like flatbreads.

The chicken is so easy, and comes out amazingly tender.  The only differences from the store-bought kind are the lack of chemicals ( a plus) and the skin doesn't get crispy. I don't eat the skin anyway, so no problem. Just blend some spices, add a bit of water to make a paste, and rub it outside and inside a chicken. Spray the inside of the crockpot, plop the chicken inside, put on the lid and turn on the heat. I put it on the low 8-hour setting.

The naan recipe comes from Chewoutloud.com and is also easy to make. It's probably as close to real naan as you can get without a 900 degree tandoori oven.  The author has a chicken tikka masala recipe that sounds super tasty. I may have to have a dinner party someday soon :)

Stuffed peppers:). The stuffing is wild rice, chicken-apple sausage, mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic, rosemary, thyme, a splash of sherry, and asiago.    Really tasty, and just one half is very filling, which  helps with that portion control thing I'm working on this year.

Banana oat muffins, based on this recipe, which called for strawberries which I didn't have. So I used bananas, and added vanilla and cinnamon.  These are delightful, and as a plus, they're gluten free.

This was my first time using silicone cups. They work really well, and are recommended for flour-free recipes. I can see these working with all sorts of fruit, and I may try some savory adaptations too.