Days Discovered

Chappy has been with us on some great road trips over the past few weeks. Yesterday we went to the beach at Isle of Palms in South Carolina outside Charleston and then had dinner at Poe's on Sullivan's Island. Dinner was at a great table outside on the patio. Chappy at our feet, Red Stripe in our hands.  Family together sharing guacamole and salsa.

It ended up being a wonderful day but it started out a bit rocky. As we drove farther from Augusta and closer to the coast, the sky got darker and darker. We went over the bridge and large raindrops started to hit the windshield. Then the lightening struck and the thunder boomed. What now?? We laughed.

Fortunately, we found an empty dog park for Chappy to run around and pee. We did find a great spot to park away from the fray and hit the beach. I only wish we took pictures of Chappy running around in the sand and water. As the day wore on, the sun shined and the blue skies prevailed. A fine afternoon. 

We met a family with an 8 month old baby boy named Henry. He had 5 surgeries in his first 5 months and is gearing up for another one. His trachea and esophagus were not developed at birth despite being born full term. He spent 3 months in the NICU. The challenges of feeding tubes and colostomy bags are still very present for this family. Yet, they were at the beach enjoying the day. Henry was a very sweet and happy baby and we loved him at first sight. Talk about something to count your blessings and make you feel both the power of family and love as well as grateful for our little world.

Yesterday I realized how much I really love our puppy. I was so uncertain about adding another member of the family, nervous that I wouldn't get attached or love him. Chappy is officially a member of our family. There is something that pets do to give you love and companionship and devotion. They make you love them. Chappy also does not make my asthmatic allergic husband sneeze or wheeze or get rashes so that also helps too. I feel like there is still much to learn as he grows and it is fascinating to see his different stages of growth.

Time to put on Happy Hour by The Housemartins and get cooking!

A friend posted this picture on Facebook. The fruits of her friend's garden. I loved this picture and Berkeley was nice enough to let me use it here!

Smitten Kitchen posted a salad recipe that had me drooling with the title.  Here it is.....

Carrot Salad with Tahini and Crisped Chickpeas
Chickpeas
1 3/4 cups cooked chickpeas, or 1 15-oz can, drained and patted dry on paper towels
1T olive oil
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin

Salad
1 lb carrots, peeled and coarsely grated (I used bagged!!)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped parsley
1/4 cup shelled, salted pistachios, coarsely chopped

Dressing
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup lemon juice
3T well-stirred tahini
2T water, plus more if needed
2T olive oil
salt and red pepper flakes to taste

Roast chickpeas: Heat oven to 425 degrees.  Toss chickpeas with 1T olive oil, salt and cumin until all coated.  Spread them on a baking sheet or pan and roast them in the oven until browned and crisp.  This can take anywhere from 15-20 minutes, depending on the size and firmness of your chickpeas.  Toss them occasionally to make sure they are toasting evenly.  Set aside until needed.

Make dressing: Whisk all ingredients together until smooth, adding more water if needed to thin the dressing slightly. Taste and adjust seasoning; don't worry if it tastes a little sharp on the lemon, it will marry perfectly with the sweet grated carrots.

Assemble salad: Place grated carrots in a large bowl and toss with parsley.

Mix in 2/3 of the dressing, adding more if desired.  Add more salt and pepper if needed. Sprinkle with a large handful of chickpeas and pistachios and dig in.  Salad keeps well in frig for 2 days, however, I'd add the chickpeas and pistachios right before serving, so they don't get soft.

Enjoy and have a happy day, everyone!!!!