Smile It's Sugar's B-Day!!!!!

We are using one of our favorite older pictures from the vault to wish our dear friend Sugar a happy 12th barkday!   Here is Ping sporting her biggest birthday smile.

 We also wanted to take this time to say we will be going on blogger break for the next month to enjoy mom's end of summer break.  We will be on Instagram if anyone wants to follow us.  Have a marvelous end of summer friends. 

Tasty Tuesday-Ping's Healthy Liver Diet

If you have been following the blog you know that our Ping has been having problems with her liver.  Our vet is fairly sure that Ping's liver problems are chronic and related to her advancing years, as such he suggested diet changes.  Thanks to the wonder of the internet that led us to our friend Christy mom to Daisy, Donald, and Angel Payton we had excellent information about beginning the  Dr. Jean Dodd's Liver Diet.  Dr. Dodd's is a wholistic veterinarian who has done a lot of research on the risks of vaccines, natural medicine, and the importance of proper diet in overall health.  Her medical diets are healthy, highly palatable and are natural home made alternatives to the Hill's Prescription diets.  Of course before you start your dog on a home made diet, or begin any diet change, you need to speak to your vet.  I also contacted Dr. Dodd's through her hemopet site to make sure that she thought Ping was a good candidate for her diet.   Luckily she is and the diet is quick and easy to make.

 Ping's Dr. Jean Dodd's Liver Diet 

• 1 pound cod filets (poached)
  1/2 pound sweet potatoes (boiled and mashed)
  1/2 pound white potatoes (boiled and mashed)
  1pound green beans
  1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 tbsp curcumin or tumeric 

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl until very well combined.   This batch makes enough to feed Ping for about four days.  She eats four times a day, 1/4 cup at each feeding, because multiple small meals are better for the liver.  I pre-measure the portions in zip lock bags and then freeze them.  Ping gets quite a few supplements: salmon oil, 200 IU of Vitamin E, Coenzyme Q10, Rainbow Light Nutri Start Multivitamin Powder (again thanks Krissy!), Denamarin, and Milk Thistle.  I just measure out the supplements and add them to her meals.  She is also on one medication, Ursodiol.    

So far Ping seems to be a big fan of the new regime.  

Black and White Sunday (and a Sunday Supper)

Awhile ago I did some Sunday supper posts on this blog in order to share my love eating (and cooking).   Most of the recipes where from places that I'll likely never get to visit, a virtual vacation of sorts.  Although I liked doing the posts, I let them slide by the wayside, but this weekend I made something so delicious I had to share.   But first, a picture for black and white Sunday.  Appropriately it was taking while walking, if you make this recipe you will want to take a long walk before or after.

 Banh Mi Pork Sandwich in the Slow Cooker
Banh Mi Sandwiches are the result of a union of French and Vietnamese dating back to the French colonial rule of Vietnam from the 19th century until the 1970s.  I adopted this recipe from a few versions I saw online.  Its very easy but takes a while to make start at least one day ahead.
Ingredients:
For the Pork
 1 5lb pork shoulder 
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup fish sauce
2 limes, juiced
2 diced Thai chilis

Heat the sugar in a heavy bottomed sauce pan over low medium heat until it melts and carmelizes to a golden brown.   Remove from the heat and slowly and carefully add the water, sugar, and fish sauce.  The caramel will harden but this is OK.  Place the pan back on the low  heat and cooking carefully until the caramel melts again.  Stir carefully to make sure everything is combined and cook at a low simmer for 6 minutes.  Remove from the heat and add the chiles and lime juice.  Place the pork shoulder in the slow cooker and pour over the sauce.  Turn to make sure the pork is coated.  Cook at low in the slow cooker for 10 to 12 hours.   Refrigerate overnight, no need to seperate the pork and cooking juice, I just put the slow cooker insert in the fridge.  About one to two hours before you want to serve the sandwiches remove the pork from the fridge and scrape of as much fat as you can.   Place the slow cooker insert back in the slow cooker and put the pork on the warm setting to heat through.

Pickled Daikon Radishes and Carrots
1 1lb carrots, peeled and cut in thick matchsticks
1lb daikon radish, peeled and cut in thick matchsticks
2 cups warm water
1 cup distilled white vinegar
4 tbsp sugar
4 tsp salt

Mix the water, vinegar, sugar, and salt together until the sugar dissolves.  Place the carrots and radish in a container and pour over the vinegar mixture.  Stir to combine.  Leave to sit at room temp for one hour and then refrigerate overnight.

Assembly
Baguettes(the pork makes enough for several baguettes and can feed an army)
Pork
Pickled Carrots and Radishes
Cilantro
Sliced Chiles (optional)

Cut the bread in sandwich sides portions and remove some of the filling.  Spoon in the warmed pork and top with pickles and cilantro and chiles if you like the spice.

 

Belka and Strelka Canine Cosmonauts

August is an important month in canine history since it marks the anniversary of the flight of Belka and Strelka the Russian canine cosmonauts who helped usher in the space age.   The anniversary of their flight is August 19 but as we will be on blogger break then I thought Id share the video now.  Despite being a fan of galactic exploration this video always makes me sad.  They must have been terrified.

Two years ago I wrote a much longer post on Belka and Strelka here.