Three Dog Kitchen

Okay, so I’m kind of glad there’s a kid out there with enough conviction to tell the Smithsonian they’ve made a mistake.  However, this article brings up a few things I would like to point out:

• If the musuem paleobiology department knew the sign was wrong 27 years ago, why didn’t anyone at the museum listen to them?
• His last name is Stufflebeam?  Really?  Does he get ridiculed a lot considering he comes off as a nerdy kid and he has a wonky last name?
• This kid is totally going to grow up to be that guy in college who asks a bazillion questions in class and corrects the professor all the time.
• Seriously.  Stufflebeam?

I’ve noticed that people are finding my site on a weekly basis by Googling “gruesome death pics”.  I have no idea why this site would come up, especially because I can’t get here running the same Google search.  It’s very bizarre to me. [edited to add: maybe they come here because I keep putting that phrase up wondering how they're finding this site...]

Also, someone is looking for who is selling Trader Joe’s kitchen cloths.  Umm, that would be Trader Joe’s. 

To the person looking for vegetable shumai, Trader Joe’s sells one with an edamame on top and it is very tasty.  However, be forewarned that their vegetable shumai is not going to save you many calories or fat grams compared to shrimp shumai.  You’d think the vegetable version would be healthier, but it kind of isn’t.  It’s still really good, though.

If you watch American Idol (I kind of just watch the auditions and part of the Hollywood episodes), could you please vote for David Archuleta?  He’s that adorably cute (as opposed to smokin’ hot cute) 16-year old kid.  I just adore him and every time he opens his mouth on tv I go, “Aww… he’s so cute!” and T is probably getting tired of it.  Anyway, we DVR the shows, so I’m never watching when the voting window is open (I assume the voting window closes within an hour or something?) so I don’t ever vote.  But, if you vote, would you please vote for him?  I would buy his CD over that Australian guy any day (although, I’d take the Australian guy whenever).

Also, I noticed someone Googled “recipe for shoes that dogs will not take” and I have to say that no such recipe exists.  If you have a shoe-taking dog, that dog will take any shoe it sees.  It doesn’t matter if you mix pleather with metal grommets and add a splash of rubber.  The dog will still take the shoe and chew on it.  Trust me.  The only true shoe protection is a cabinet or a closet.  I cleaned out half the closet in the dining room to install shoe racks from The Container Store and I’ve never been happier.  I don’t leave any shoes out, ever.  Sometimes I think about it, and then I remind myself to take the 3 seconds out of my life and put my shoes away on the shoe rack.  If dogs even hear you thinking about leaving shoes out, you can practically guarantee those shoes will be gone by morning.  Just don’t do it.

Other Googles:

“trader joes detox” (and variations thereon) - I did read in the latest flyer that TJ now sells a set of detox pills designed to take over a 2-week period.  I haven’t tried it, nor have I even seen it, but I put a lot of faith in TJ and trust that they wouldn’t sell a product that might be harmful.  As to its effectiveness, I can’t really say.  But I am willing to give it a try at some point in the future.

“tiny dogs” - I have no tiny dogs!  My dogs are not tiny!  The husky alone is a big (to me) hulking bunch of fur who steps on me all the time.  I think I have found that I’m not even a fan of tiny dogs.  My dogs are just the right size that when they place their head in my lap, calmly and rarely, they emit enough heat to keep me warm.  Tiny dogs don’t do that.

“tapas picasso happy hour monday” - Actually, Tapas Picasso holds their happy hour every day of the week, which makes it a pretty good happy hour.  I think it’s from 5 to 7 pm.  Get the fried potatoes and fried chorizo.  And the baked garlic (which isn’t on the happy hour menu but you get $1 off and it is so good).

That’s about it.  People search for funny things and I always wonder what they think when they click on a link and end up here.  I can’t be that helpful, I don’t think.  Except when it comes to the Mr. Hummos searches.  Because I have written a post!  It’s the most information on the internet concerning this eatery! 

Let’s see… right about now I should be somewhere along Mammoth Mountain, hopefully surviving the lift deboarding.  Really, getting off the lift is the most hazardous part of my snowboarding trips.  I can get down the mountain like a champ.  Sometimes, I can even execute a turn without getting stuck.  I still don’t do jumps or hops, though.  But getting off the lift?  Without falling or crashing into something/someone?  Let’s just say that the thought of the ski lift fills me with dread and worry and more stress than anything else on the mountain.

So, Google tells me that a lot of people find my site looking for “american eskimo dog” or some variation of that phrase.  Strangely, it seems like a lot of people are also looking for advice on shaving their American Eskimo dog.  Either that, or it’s just one person and they keep Googling to see if someone else’s page pops up.  I have never shaved Lexi, but we did shave Cassie last year.  She has very thick fur and the undercoat had gotten very matted - beyond brushing.  So, we took the logical step of shaving her fur so we could, in theory, start over from step one.  Let me just say this, if you are planning to shave your pretty American Eskimo, please understand that it may take the better part of a year for her soft fur to grow back in.  Cassie’s coarse fur has grown back, but her silky undercoat, the part that makes her soft and fluffy, is lagging.  She still looks cute, and we just pet her head a lot, but I do hope the rest of her coat comes back in okay.

People also come here looking for information on Mr. Hummos in Poway.  Trust me, I would love to know more, too.  So, if you get there before me, let me know what you think.  I’m trying to make it over there for food soon, we just haven’t had the time!

There are also some contests I should tell you about.  Swiffer, they of the environmentally-unfriendly yet awesome-at-collecting-dust cloths, is holding a video contest.  It’s called the “Swiffer Break-up Music Video Contest” and the Grand Prize is $15,000.  In conjunction with YouTube, you pick one of 10 “break-up” songs for your video and tell Swiffer how you left your old cleaning products for their neato cool stuff.  Upload the video by January 30, 2008 and then the general public will vote for their favorite clip.

The second thing really isn’t a contest.  If you sign up for the Fiber One newsletter, you can also choose to get a free sample of their new cereal, which is supposed to be high in fiber but low in calories.  Sign up here for the newsletter.

Also, the Deep Chocolate Vitatops are growing on me.  They still don’t fill the chocolate chip cookie craving, but they do make for a pretty good snack at work.  I’ve been trying to eat a small snack before lunch and then in the afternoon so I’m not starving at lunch and when I get home.  So, some fruit and a Vitatop are pretty good, especially since the Vitatop is only 100 calories.  Just make sure you have some hot tea or something to help wash it down.  Not that it tastes bad, but it’s a little dense - much like drinking milk to wash down brownies.  I’m still scared of the Fudgy Peanut Butter ones.  Perhaps I will give it another shot next week.

And, finally, if you are looking for information on Siberian Husky puppies, let me assure you that I don’t think my husky is at all typical.  I think most huskies are more energetic and maybe a little smarter.  Sadie is a little slow to catch on (like when the other two are already wolfing down food in the kitchen) and she seems pretty happy sleeping on the couch, but she’s a really good dog.  She sometimes gets a little too interested in Clair, but a bat to the head gets her to back off (Clair bats, I don’t).  So, when you hear people say that huskies and small non-dog animals don’t mix, it’s something to seriously take into consideration.

Okay, before I get going on the required 2007-reflection, I have to point out that someone came to my little site by Googling “crushed eggshell toothpaste for sale” and I have to say, “What?!?” First, that sounds awful. Second, why not just crush up eggshells at home and rub them on your teeth? Ew.

I am borrowing this meme from SundryMourning, whose site I came upon for reasons unknown but I keep going back because she has a really cute kid and I like her SundryBuzz posts. Some of her questions require too much thought on my part so I am only anwering those I feel like. Because I can. So there.

1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before? Wow. I feel boring already… is there anything new that I did this year? Okay, I had to actually flip through my desk calendar to refresh my memory: I flew somewhere for a business meeting and spent less than 24 hours in Tucson, AZ; I had my wisdom teeth taken out (I guess you can really only do that once); I sold my condo; I joined a CSA; We attended a wine dinner at Thee Bungalow; and I went to Epcot for the first time.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don’t think I made resolutions in January. In fact, I’m pretty sure I didn’t because I knew I wouldn’t keep them. I guess I will resolve to use our elliptical machine more often in 2008. And maybe brush the dogs more often.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Nope. But I’m totally waiting for friends to have kids because I think it’ll be fun to spoil them rotten. With love. Not with candy and toys and other materialistic goods, of course!
4. Did anyone close to you die? Not this year.
5. What countries did you visit? We did go to Scotland this year. And London (the city, in England the country).
6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007? Umm… a properly landscaped backyard?
7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? I have nothing… my birthday’s a pretty good date (January 17); I guess T’s is, too (February 18). December 24th is cool because this was the first year we got the whole day off from work.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? I think I remained fairly civil and not-crazy as T learned to drive on the left side of the road in Scotland. On tiny one-lane roads, where “one lane” means one lane total, not one lane for each direction of traffic. We also managed to survive the crazy roundabouts, which is a huge achievements since it’s also on the “wrong” side of the road and going “backwards”!
9. What was your biggest failure? Me? Fail? Pssh… whatever.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Maybe a small cold or something.
11. What was the best thing you bought? The Elfa shoe rack assembly from The Container Store.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Our friend Ben became a registered engineer!
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Dulci. Except it wasn’t depressing, just frustrating because she’s so cute and we love her, but it is not fun to be constantly steam cleaning everything. Poor thing, we had to rehome to to Vegas where she sleeps undisturbed on a bed, is bigger than all the dogs, gets fed kitty treats daily, and has her every whim attended to.
14. Where did most of your money go? I’m pretty sure it went to DSW for shoes and Ann Taylor Loft for clothes. And Petco for cleaning solution and pet food.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Being at Epcot for their Food and Wine Festival.
16. What song will always remind you of 2007? I don’t think there is one. Years from now, you could play any song and I would be hard pressed to associate it with one particular year.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer? Always happier, definitely fatter, and I guess richer?
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? I wish we had gone on more bike rides. Considering my bike wheels were always broken, I don’t think this was my fault.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Maybe watching less bad tv when there are dogs to brush and things to dust.
20. How did you spend Christmas? At home, with T and the dogs, in my pajamas all day long. It was so awesome.
21. Did you fall in love in 2007? I stayed in love, does that count?
22. What was your favorite TV program? Before or after the stupid writer’s strike? I think I really like Pushing Daisies on ABC.
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Nope. I’m a lover, not a hater.
24. What was the best book you read? David Lebovitz’s The Perfect Scoop.
25. What was your greatest musical discovery? Groucho, the singing African Grey parrot at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
26. What did you want and get? My own singing (sort of) parrot!
27. What did you want and not get? A new kitchen.
28. What was your favorite film of this year? I wouldn’t call it my favorite, but Transformers was the most enjoyable to watch due to the excitement.
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 28 in 2007 and I have no idea what we did on my birthday. We probably went out to eat during San Diego Restaurant Week.
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Winning the lottery without even playing? If my neighbors would stop hanging their kid over the fence, driving Lexi crazy, and then wondering why “the little white one” doesn’t like them?
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007? Cute, yet comfortable, and yes, I do wear heels with everything.
32. What kept you sane? Clair-bear. And T, the only person who knows I’m hungry before I do.
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I don’t think I pay enough attention to them to care that much.
34. What political issue stirred you the most? Meh. Politics make no sense and you can spin any issue any way if you use the right words.
35. Who did you miss? I miss my grandma. When we were in Scotland I saw so many little things I think she would have liked.
36. Who was the best new person you met? I think I’m just glad I didn’t meet any new people that I can’t stand.
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007. If you have found someone who spoils your cat more than you do and allows your dog to lick him on the nose while getting mad only 1 in 5 occurences of said nose-licking, he is truly special.  Bonus points if he tells you that it’s really his fault you’re snippy and uncooperative because it’s his job to feed you so that you don’t get hungry-cranky!

Every year I marvel at how fast the months fly by, yet January 2007 seems like a lifetime ago. I’m sure 2008 will go by even faster.  Happy New Year!

Happy Black Friday!  I hope not too many of you got up at 4 am to stand in line, in the dark, to fight over a ridiculously discounted item.  Perhaps some of you decided to go the online route.  Perhaps other are thinking, like me, that you have other things to do instead of sweating over getting the absolute Greatest Deal Ever.  I was contemplating the Sears sale for a front-loading washer and dryer for only $999, but I guess our existing set works just fine. 

Anyway, I noticed someone googled “Reynolds Handi Vac doesn’t work” and got here and I’m not sure why.  Because I am a huge advocate of the Handi-Vac and think it works wonderfully!  I’ve now seen the sealer and bags at both Target and Wal-Mart (very similar in price, too, and cheaper than the grocery store).  Our green onions are still green - no hint of brown or anything else yucky!  The pita bread has been opened and resealed numerous times and it’s still “fresh” and the seal is still holding up extremely well.  T complains that the pita bread got smushed, but I’m not really sure how fluffy it was to begin with.

Now, it is tricky to get the wand nozzle situated correctly for optimal vacuuming.  Press too hard and the air flow is restricted; press too lightly and you don’t get a good seal.  But, you should be able to get it right after practicing only a few times.  I have noticed that when I sealed up the raw filets and flap steak, if meat juice came near the sealing spot, I had to open the bag, wipe dry that area and try again.  This is most likely why Reynolds doesn’t advocate sealing liquidy items.  But other than that, we haven’t had any problems and I’m loving this little item.  I have no desire to spend hundreds of dollars on a Food Saver now.

Interestingly enough, an ad from Bed Bath & Beyond came in the mail the other day and they advertised a wand vacuum sealer similar to the Reynolds Handi-Vac but theirs was $30!  And 5 quart bags cost $4!  For just under $3, you can buy a box of 15 Reynolds quart bags for the Handi-Vac.

There was also a google search for “how much a mini american eskimo sheds”.  Well, they shed a lot.  And it’s white fur, so it shows up on a lot of clothes, including jeans.  I have to say, though, I think Lexi sheds much more than Cassie.  You could brush them every day, but they’d still shed.  If I brush Lexi, I come away with a pile of fur.  Now, Sadie the Husky is the real shedder.  You look at her funny and her fur flies off!  I should be better about brushing them, but I’m just not.

If you already have an Eskie, it’s probably not going to be noticeable to add a second one.  And my argument still stands that if you have two dogs, a third really isn’t that much more work.  Except for the yard picking-up part.  But, if you have no dogs, you will definitely notice the fur in your house after getting just one.

Just some random notes…

T and I will be in Orlando later this week for the ASCE 137th Annual Civil Engineering Conference.  Woohoo!  3 days of speakers and sessions and meetings (especially for T).  We will be flying back Monday to give ourselves a bit of time to explore the wonders of Disney.  Like Epcot, during the Food and Wine Festival.  And the Animal Kingdom.  Because our schedules are a little out of sync (my sessions end Saturday morning, while T is in meetings all day Saturday), perhaps I will splurge and take a nice spa day, too.

Also, there have been some interesting Googles coming this way.  Instead of listing out the exact terms people are searching with, I’m just going to offer my notes and thoughts:

• “Method aroma sticks” smell good, look pretty, and are way cheaper than the ones you find in specialty stores.  If you can find the peppermint vanilla during the holiday, definitely buy it.
• The only “quick brownies” I know of are the ones from the box, but even those take half an hour to bake.  Still, they’re decent brownies.  There are microwaveable cakes and brownies, taking a couple minutes to “cook” but I’m skeptical of how tasty they are and if it’s really worth the time saved.
• Yes, we have a “three dog household” + 2 cats (so it’s a full house, ha ha!) and there’s a lot of fur around here.  Thank goodness we’re not allergic to anything.
• For crying out loud, go buy some tasty things from “Nothing Bundt Cakes” already.  Especially the one on Scripps Poway Parkway, because I want that store to stick around for a long time.  Even though they close at 6pm and I’m sometimes not even home by then.
• The “Costco plastic cutlery” comes in a box with forks, knives, and spoons and they are quite sturdy.  If you’re not careful, you could actually hurt yourselves with the knives.  Handy for parties because you get, like, hundreds of the things.
• “Be Wise Ranch” has resumed deliveries, the owners lost their home, they are rebounding very well, and don’t you dare ask them for a refund for that one missed week!
• “Chef Gavin Kaysen” was eliminated on TNIC (so not his fault due to the melted ice washing away his salt), he is leaving El Bizcocho for New York, and he’s still cute.
• “caramel corn using cheese puffs recipes” - see here
• We have two “mini american eskimo” pups here, hence the need for the “Roomba for Pets”.  They are barky dogs, shed a lot of fur, surprisingly don’t get dirty (it seems to just fall off them), and have very funny personalities.  Lexi is our circus dog and can stand on her hind legs for a long time.  Cassie is just a love bug and if I had to grab one thing to save from this house it would be her.  Because T would grab Clair.  I’m kidding.  Kinda.

See you when we get back!

This morning we had a power outage, thankfully after the hair drying and coffee brewing and refrigerator opening and closing. At first, we thought it was city-wide, caused by the rain we had in the early morning (it wasn’t that big of a storm). Then we though perhaps a tree fell down - we have huge eucalyptus trees all over, but it hadn’t been that windy. I don’t know what we were really thinking, perhaps we were just excited because of the rain and the power outage. As we went outside, we saw a truck stopped down the street, explaining what had happened. He stopped at our house (it was our neighbor, I guess he had driven around to see what was going on?) and said that an SUV had flipped over and taken out the transformer at Metate Lane and Pomerado Road, effectively cutting off our power and out exit route that way. I had to go down Community to get out of the neighborhood. So, we lost power because a big truck flipped over. I’m not sure how that happened, as the roads weren’t that wet… maybe he was taking the turn to fast. I hope they fix it before I get home. We have bulgogi and rice to cook and eat with sesame oil dipping sauce. If we have no power, we’re hooking it up to T’s car using his power inverter.

(edited to add: it turns out this is a sad story as the driver did not survive and two children were pulled from the car. NC Times did a news blurb.)

There is your morning news. Here is some more information that people seem to be looking for, some of which I think would be useful to know:

• “cleaning mounted animal fur” - When I brought my deer head and antelope head home from the swap meet, I wiped it down with a pet cleaning cloth and then vacuumed the loosed fur up using the brush tool. T cleaned the glass eyes with a Q-tip and 409 cleaner. I also applied leather conditioner to some of the exposed parts of the ear, as they were dry and cracking.
• “malted milk trader joe’s” - To my knowledge, Trader Joe’s doesn’t sell malted milk. This probably means it’s laden with preservatives and other funky stuff that Trader Joe’s doesn’t approve of. But, it’s really good stuff for turning into ice cream, sprinkling over vanilla ice cream, or mixing into cookies. You can usually find it in grocery stores next to Ovaltine, Nesquick, and the powdered milk.
• “linkery coupon” - The Community Magazine is available in the Hillcrest/North Park area that offers 2-for-1 coupons for various restaurants, extending to the downtown area. The Linkery is one of those restaurants periodically in the magazine. If you live in the area, you usually receive it in the mail. If you don’t, you can subscribe to the magazine online for $12.
• “ice cream cardboard pint containers” - I buy these from Smart & Final. They are plain white pint containers and you have to buy one sleeve of containers and one sleeve of lids, but it works perfectly for storing homemade ice cream. Better than the plastic Gladware and such. I highly recommend these.
• “tax added on gratuity” - Some restaurants add a gratuity tax if the “gratuity” has automatically been added (large parties, special menu, etc). Legally they can do this because once the gratuity is non-voluntary it becomes a service charge, which is taxable. However, you’ll notice some restaurants don’t add it on, while others do. Thee Bungalow does not; Rockin’ Baja Lobster does. I think it’s a petty extra charge to the customers and I don’t like to see it on my bill.
• “best couch to have around pets” - Some people think leather is the best couch to have with pets, but I disagree. Unless you are cold-hearted with ultra-disciplined dogs, your dogs will be up on that couch, potentially leaving scratches on the leather. You could argue that fake leather couches would be the answer, but who really wants that as a couch? I have found that microfiber couches are a godsend, especially if the cushions can be pulled off and the covers are removeable (i.e., washable). The microfiber is an easy material for cleaning up spills, just wipe, spray, and clean. For bigger messes, take the cover off and throw in the wash and air dry. If you can’t remove the cover, a household steam cleaner will do a great job. Best of all, you can easily vacuum fur off microfiber without having it stick too much to the couch. Most fabric couches will require work to get fur off them.
• “nothing bundt cakes” - A lot of people seem to be searching for this, which makes me happy. Our San Diego location is at Scripps Poway Parkway and Pomerado Road, next to Japan House and Yanni’s Bistro. Go get a mini bundt cake for a treat, they’re really cheap!

Thus ends my information sharing. Go forth and shop, eat, and clean.

If you’re a coffee drinker, you probably go to Starbucks.  There are a few stragglers who still hold out for independent coffee houses and those who prefer the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (CBTL) chain.  I like Starbucks coffee, but for other drinks I prefer the CBTL menu.  If they were on every corner like Starbucks, they’d probably get more of my money.  For the Starbucks frequenters, you’ve most likely had a muffin or coffee cake at some point.  Everyone has their favorites and everyone agrees that not everything is great.  Sometimes it’s only worthwhile when the seasonal goodies are out.  In any case, for every commercial baked good produced there is someone wanting the recipe to make it at home.  For reasons beyond my comprehension, the Starbucks cranberry bliss bar is one of the most requested clone recipes out there.  I think it’s too sweet and not very good, but that’s just me. 

Starbucks is now marketing some new African coffees by offering a suitable paired baked good.  They’ve done this before, when they had a lemony coffee they would suggest the lemon pound cake.  A spice cake to go with the gingerbread latte, and so on.  What’s new is that they are now offering recipes for these new coffee-food pairings (via Baking Bites).  To get to the recipes, click on “Pairing Coffee and Food” to the right.

The two recipes being offered are Carmelized Apple Pecan Coffee Cake and Chocolate Cinnamon Bread.  Never mind that the Chocolate Bread recipe reads more like a cake recipe.  I suppose if they market it as a bread people are more likely to justify eating it for breakfast?  I’m curious how the mass-produced products compare the home-baked recipe. 

You can also look at six African-inspired recipes from Chef Marcus Samuelsson’s new cookbook (he’s the one teaming with Starbucks to come up with these coffee-food pairings).

Totally off-topic, but to the person who is searching for the “olive oil dip for bread macaroni grill“, I would like to tell you that it’s simply olive oil, poured into a dish, topped with freshly cracked pepper.  That’s it.  I’ve watched them make it at the table, I swear that’s all they do.  We like to jazz it up with a couple shakes of salt.  It’s really the bread that is outstanding - warm with scents of rosemary, rubbed with more olive oil and sprinkled with salt.  Yummy.

Also, “is trader joe’s good” - Yes, it is.  It is one of the best places to stock up on frozen foods, although not everything frozen there is worth eating.  Now, as for “dog from trader joes” - dude!  Your Trader Joe’s sells dogs??  Where do you live and how much are they?  I totally want one.  Although, the only way I get to bring home another dog is if I happen to find a bag of puppies on the side of the road.  T said so.  He also specified that I can’t have someone bring a bag of puppies to leave by the side of our street, I have to find them myself.  I think he’d give in, though, if I happened to find one in Trader Joe’s.  How can you resist being able to say your dog came from there?

Sometimes, people find my site from really odd searches that I don’t expect.  Those make me laugh.  Other times, they are searching for tidbits that come from asking really good questions.  I wonder if they’re disappointed by what they find here?

Restaurant googles:

• “house on the hill” - It’s built in a house, on a hill, in Poway, at the northeast corner of Poway and Pomerado Roads.  Steak and seafood, Wednesday jazz, happy hour appetizer specials, okay desserts.  A little pricey, but no more than The Brig and better food, in my opinion.  It’s hard to see from the road, so drive slowly until you see a driveway going up a steep hill.
• “pamir poway” - Pamir Kabob House.  Good, cheap lunch specials.  Friendly owners and service.  Great tasting dinners, especially the lamb with sour cherries.  It’s on the northwest corner of Poway and Pomerado Roads, next to Weight Watchers and Winchell’s Donuts (does this seem odd to anyone else?)
• “mexicantina poway” - Good food, okay guacamole, tasty strawberry margaritas.  Fast service, good in a pinch.  It’s along Poway Road behind Denny’s.  We used to go here until we found Lienzo Charro, which is just further down Poway Road near Frazee Paint.  Great carnitas at Lienzo Charro!
• “golden spoon + hours” - They’re open pretty late during the week, but they aren’t open on Sundays.  Remember that.  When you’re driving home Sunday and you think a nice treat would be a mini cup of Golden Spoon frozen yogurt, they are not open on Sundays.
• “where to buy wilson creek wine” and “wilson creek decadencia port” - Costco sells Wilson Creek Almond Champagne for, like, $9.  Way cheaper than at the winery.  I’m not sure who else sells their wines.  I hear there is a Longs Drugs in Temecula that sells a lot of the winery wines for less money.  The Decadencia port is one of the tastiest ports I’ve come across.  Until I had Leonesse’s port, that is.  But, since we didn’t snag a bottle of Leonesse port, the new bottle of Decadencia will have to do until the new release appears.  The Decadencia really does have a hint of chocolate to it and it goes down smoothly, even without a truffle chaser.  It’s not cheap, but it’ll last you for a while and it’s extremely enjoyable. 
• “trader joe lambrusco” - I wrote a short piece about it here.  If you don’t want to go look, I’ll tell you now that it’s cheap ($4-5), sweet, sparkly, and easy to drink.  It’s not complex with a full body or anything.  It’s just sparkling wine.  Great for parties or an easy night at home with leftovers.
• “fat vegas” - Well, yes, eating too much in Vegas can make you fat.  There is just too much good food in that town, both high-end and cheap, to pass up. 

Doggy googling:

• “dogs eating zucchini” - Most dogs like vegetables.  Mine love carrots and lettuce, but not green beans.  They seem to be on the fence regarding zucchini.  I’ve found quite a few half eaten zucchinis from the garden just lying around the yard, tossed aside.  Did they not finish because they didn’t like it or where the zucchinis too big?  I don’t know.  But dogs can eat them, some do eat them, and Sadie likes to play fetch with them.
• “coconut macaroons good for dogs” - I wouldn’t say they’re good for dogs as they have too much sugar.  They won’t kill your dog, since there’s no chocolate involved.  However, if your dog eats too much coconut, there may be unpleasant side effects.  If you don’t know what I’m talking about, please go google it somewhere else.
• “roomba fur” - The Roomba does not come with a fur case.  You can buy plastic designs to stick on your Roomba, but that seems kind of weird to me.  The Roomba does suck up fur and also accumulates it well on its brushes.  If you are looking to buy a Roomba to help with your furry floor problems, I recommend you go for the “special” Roomba for Pets, and I mentioned here.  Please note, I have no idea how well it works on carpeted surfaces as our house has laminate flooring throughout most of the rooms.
• “dog room” - Our dogs have their own dog room.  Most people call it a family room or tv room.  Coincidentally, the dog room is where the big screen tv and new comfy couch are.  One could argue that it is so the dogs have somewhere to sleep and something to entertain them while we are gone.  It’s really because the tv room is in the add-on room, so it is separated from the rest of the house by a sliding glass door and also has a built-in doggy door to the backyard.  It’s a good place to lock the dogs when we aren’t home.

And so ends this round of Google responses.  What have we learned?  Poway has some good eatin’ and my dogs are spoiled.  But really, is that anything you didn’t already know?

Okay, first of all, I have to announce that I don’t really get the “I <heart> something” statements. Why not use a heart symbol? Why not say you love it? Or really really like it and think it’s beautiful and kind, in case you’re not ready for the commitment of saying you love it. So, I say I <heart> Bass Pro Shops in jest, but I really do love that store.

I never knew they existed until we went into the one in the Silverton hotel/casino in Las Vegas. I was also a little tipsy and we had just spotted Santa (no, really, it had to be Santa because he was accompanied by a huge bodyguard and why would a bodyguard just be following some fat white guy with a beard in a Hawaiian shirt?) watching the mermaids and then I saw that there was this cavernous store with a waterfall and fish in the front. And then? We went in and did you know they have life-size displays of moose fighting, lions stalking giraffes, and also a cougar going for the jugular of a deer (or maybe antelope)?!? Also, every type of mounted animal on the wall, plus flying geese and ducks, AND sharks and such above the boat sections. There is even a huge tank of bass and trout so you can test out lures! This is just one more thing introduced to me by T. Or while I am in his company. Same thing, still awesome. It is because of this store that I have an antelope AND deer head hanging in my living room, flanking the fireplace. I will post a picture to show you that I am serious. They came from the swap meet. Only because the moose/buffalo/something was too big to fit in the car.

I am off-topic again. On our many drives to and from Vegas, we noticed that a new Bass Pro store was being built in Rancho Cucamonga. It has finally opened but we had Cassie with us last weekend (never leave a dog in a warm car!!) and it was way too crowded to stop. Plus, traffic had been bad and I was cranky and you just don’t mess with me when I’m like that. Even to suggest we go look at walls of deer heads and mounted animal displays. Seriously, where do they get all their mounted animals? Do they have a warehouse full of surplus stuffed animals? If so, how can I get in there?

Today I had to go to California City for work. It’s a long drive but I started early enough than by the time I was driving back through Rancho Cucamonga I was kind of hungry and also needed fuel (for the car). I drove in to the parking lot, drove around, then drove back to the freeway because I couldn’t find parking and figured it was just like any other store and not worth the hassle. Oh, they have opened an Islamorada Fish Company restaurant next door, which is where I was going to go for lunch. I got to the freeway stoplight, then did a u-turn because I really wanted to check out the restaurant and I had plenty of time and I deserved a break. Found parking at the back of the lot and walked into the restaurant to sit at the bar. I didn’t take pictures of the food because I felt silly and was surrounded by people at the crowded bar. If I had a table or booth, you would have pictures.

The menu is pretty extensive and covers almost every type of thing you would want at a seafood restaurant, even steak. They also have a raw bar with oysters or clams, but I didn’t try these. I had calamari and a salad with grilled scallops on top. The calamari was a small plate, but still decently sized, with small (but not tiny like House on the Hill) pieces that were tasty, tender, and not over-battered. I’m picky about my calamari appetizers but I would order this in a heartbeat again. The salad came with a tarragon dressing, and maybe tarragon means “sour” on Islamorada because it was. Almost too sour to eat. Luckily, my 6 scallops were perfectly cooked and not rubbery. They were garlicky and seasoned, but not too salty. Yum yum yum. If we go back, I would order the grilled seafood plate with scallops. Or maybe try their “famous” fish sandwich. I do like the fish sandwich at Point Loma Seafoods. They give you 1 complimentary loaf of bread, kind of like sweet bread, that has a coating of sugar on top. If you sit at the bar, you need to specifically ask for bread or they won’t automatically bring it to you, unless perhaps you look tired and hungry and your food may take a while and the nice bartender asks if you would like some bread to tide you over. The bread is okay… soft and sweet like King’s Hawaiian Bread, but I don’t get the sugar topping. And maybe I wasn’t as hungry as I thought I was. I took home most of the salad. I would have been fine with just the calamari. And maybe a cup of chowder.

The place is decorated with hanging fish and sharks, maybe to tie it in with Bass Pro Shop or maybe all their restaurants are like that? It’s cute, and I enjoyed watching the fish in the huge tank behind the bar. It’s not too expensive, considering my salad was HUGE, but it was still $16 for the salad (because of the scallops) and $6 for the calamari (worth it). I also don’t know who all the cars belonged to, because neither the restaurant or the store was that packed. The restaurant was full with a 30 minute waiting list, but unless every person drove their own car, I don’t see how it could fill the parking lot. All in all, if we have a chance to stop again, I would like to. The shop has cute raccoons on trees and a moose by the indoor stream. The restaurant has good food and friendly service and good acoustics because even full it wasn’t noisy with chatter.

Also, more googling (sorry, I’m new to the blogging and I get a kick out of what people are looking for and then find me):

• “menu for poway bbq” - Poway BBQ is gone, baby, gone. Doesn’t even matter if I had told you what was on their menu, chances are you never would have been there when the door was open.
• “leonesse wine” - Yes! Good wine! Pretty location! Do go and visit if you are going through Temecula. We are part of their wine club and are attending our very first Wine Pick-up Party on the 25th. I will try to remember to take pictures and tell you all about it.
• “best restaurant poway” - Hmm… well, House on the Hill was a nice surprise and it’s probably the nicest restaurant in Poway. Pamir Kabob House is a good choice for something different, not expensive, and yummy. Other than that, I would send you to Sushi USA in Rancho Penasquitos, just off the freeway exit.
• “how many times are dogs supost to bread” - Uh, well, I’m not really sure how you got here. Also, does Google do spell check, because maybe they should? I am in high favor of spaying dogs, although I admit that all my dogs came from breeders (or “breeders”) and not the shelter. Although, I used to volunteer at the local shelter when I was in college and came home with 2 cats that way. This is probably why I don’t go to shelters anymore. In any case, if you happen to be teaching your dogs to make bread and I have misunderstood your search, I believe they can make bread as often as you can produce ingredients. If you’ve found a way to get them to wash their paws and knead the dough without eating it all, please let me know as I think this is a good way for my dogs to start earning their keep around here.