The young 'un

The young 'un got a mite riled when she heard about the old dog's blog post. She told me all about it.



So this is Portia, all of two years old.





She doesn't look ill, does she? But she is. Last summer, we learned that Portia has congenital malformed kidneys. They filter very poorly so toxins end up in her system. Plus she has to drink a lot. Which means she has to visit the doggy w.c. a lot. Last summer, the vet thought she may have about a year to live. Portia doesn't know this.

She loves to run. And bark. And snuggle. And give big doggy smooches. Full of doggy breath because we're bad pup parents and don't brush her teeth. She once stole an entire tray of Trader Joe's croissants left to thaw on the counter. She felt very, very bad that day. It doesn't stop her from trying that again.



Her best frend is our postman. He slides her a doggy treat every day through our mail slot. When she sees him coming, she races to the front door and bounces as high as she can so he can see her.

I hope your weekend is filled with treats (though maybe not the doggy kind).

Whole wheat banana muffins

Recently I saw this recipe from fellow Boston-area blogger, Michele at FoodieMommy. She inspired me to take a leap of faith and incorporate whole wheat into my baking. (I've been wanting to do this for ages, but had always been afraid of clunky unkid-friendly results.)

My sous chefs loved helping me with this recipe. Especially the banana mashing. My little hooligans appreciate the art of destruction in culinary preparation.



The recipe was very easy to follow. The results? I baked 12 muffins. Less than 1.5 hours and a playdate later, only 3 muffins remained. Not one child questioned the muffins. Mr. Picky loves, loves, loves them. So do I. They are lightly sweet. Fairly moist. Not chewy or gluey or heavy. Just right.





Whole wheat banana muffins
(From FoodieMommy)

Ingredients:
3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed (or frozen bananas, defrosted)
1/3 cup melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tbsp espresso or strong coffee (optional)
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
2 1/2 cups of King Arthur's White Whole Wheat Flour (I used this) OR 1 1/2 cups of white flour and 1 cup of wheat flour, mixed.)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, espresso and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour, mix until it is just incorporated.

Pour mixture into a prepared muffin tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin. If it comes out clean, it's done. Cool on a rack.

This old (leaky) house

A sight no one wants to see.





Which inexorably led to this.



Which (resignedly) led to a call to a general contractor. What happens next? Tune in to the next episode of This Old (Leaky) House.

Kitchen sink

What's in a name? That which we call a sink
By any other name would clean as well.

And not get chipped.
Or spotty.
Or be too loud.
And fits in a 36" cabinet.
And is large enough so I can soak my biggest pan flat.
And fits accessories like a colander so I never have to worry about putting clean pasta in a sink with dirty dishes.
And looks appropriate in a vintage English Colonial with a dash of industrial kitchen.
And doesn't cost a blipping fortune.

That's not too much to ask, is it?

Dijon vinaigrette salad dressing

All this talk of lettuces reminds me that we have some fresh baby spinach in the fridge. Spinach salad with bacon and Great Hill Dairy blue cheese tossed in this dressing might be my idea of a perfect spring meal. It inspires me to scale the highest heights of sheer gluttony. By the way, Great Hill Dairy's raw, unhomogenized blue cheese made in Marion, MA, 50 miles south of Boston, is an incredibly fruity, flavorful, palate-delighting blue cheese. You can buy Great Hill blue at Russo's.




Will's Dijon vinaigrette salad dressing
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
3/4 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 pinch salt
1 pinch black pepper
4 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Whisk the mustard, red wine vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl. Whisk in the oil in a slow, steady stream to make an emulsion. Whisk in the balsamic vinegar. Can be made ahead and refrigerated until needed.

Note: If the garlic cloves are large, use a half clove.