Busted!

If I hadn't overslept this morning I wouldn't have caught this little devil, the culprit of the bare patches in my front lawn.  I have been wondering for days now why these patches keep getting bigger in spite of all the money I'm spending on getting the lawn weed free.  Well, it turns out that Mr. Bunny has set camp inside the bushes that surround the cherry trees, just a couple of hops from the grass.  And he doesn't just pick here and there, he grabs huge chunks!

Look at that chunk!

In the meantime, the squirrels were continuing their feast under my neighbors's oak trees!

....and I am standing in the front door, in my nightgown, taking pictures and shoooing a rabbit.



Of course, none of this would happen if I were allowed to patrol the front yard....

    

Picnic Fare...Shrimp And Deviled Egg Salad Rolls

I am always looking for new things to make for our weekend picnics on the lake.  If it's just us, which it never is, I try to keep it simple.  It's always nice, though, to add a new twist to an old favorite.

These can be split in half if you are cooking on the grill, or they can be kept whole if it's the only thing you are bringing along.  Frankly I think that if you pack some chips, fruit, cheese and brownies, you would have ample fare for a no-fuss picnic.

Makes 8 mini rolls



Ingredients

Kosher salt
1 pound large shell-on shrimp, deveined
6 large eggs
2 ounces slab bacon or 2 strips thick-cut bacon, finely diced
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon hot sauce
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
Freshly ground pepper
4 butter lettuce leaves, halved
2 vine-ripened tomatoes, cut into 8 slices
4 top-loading hot-dog buns, halved crosswise
2 scallions, finely sliced


Directions

Fill a large pot with 2 quarts water, add 2 teaspoons salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from the heat; add the shrimp, and let sit (off the heat) until the shrimp is pink-orange and slightly firm, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a colander with a slotted spoon and rinse under cold water until cool enough to handle.

Return the water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer over low heat. Gently lower the eggs into the water with a large ladle, two at a time, and let simmer exactly 14 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel and chop the shrimp and put them in a large bowl. Saute the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until firm and just turning golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

When the eggs are done, transfer to a colander and rinse under cold water until cool enough to handle, about 2 minutes. Peel the eggs and halve lengthwise. Separate the whites from the yolks; coarsely chop the whites and add them to the bowl with the shrimp. Press the yolks through a mesh strainer into a separate bowl. Add the mayonnaise, hot sauce, mustard and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the yolks and whisk until the mixture is the consistency of cake batter, about 1 minute.

Using a rubber spatula, fold the yolk mixture into the shrimp mixture until the shrimp is evenly coated with the deviled-egg dressing. Season with salt and pepper and toss again. (The shrimp and deviled-egg salad will keep in the refrigerator, covered, for 2 days.)

To serve, load 1 piece of lettuce and 1 tomato slice into each of the bun halves; spread about 1/2 cup of the shrimp and deviled-egg salad in each. Garnish with the bacon and scallions.


Recipe Food Network
Photograph by Mark Peterson

Time Out!

Dear Readers,

There's too much going on right now for me to keep up with Lindaraxa and the lake blog.  I will resume regular posting here in the Fall, if not before.  In the meantime, check the main recipe blog for updates.

See you soon!

Kayaking Westie!

Last Fourth of July as we were getting ready to filll up the tank this is what Lucy spotted coming out of the marina.  Needless to say, she was beside herself barking and running all over the boat, ready to jump overboard!

Get your camera out, Mom...you are not going to believe this!



A Kayaking Westie!





Watch Out For Strange Visitors In this Dry Spell

First a baby snake in my flower garden next to the front door. Today, a black widow spider traipsing across the carpet in my bedroom of all places! yes these two have been my most recent visitors all within two days.

I don't think this is a coincidence... as my Twitter friend @snowywestie suggested I think they are coming in looking for water.  After all, it has been most dry here in Georgia and the heat, well, the heat is another thing.  Upper nineties for the last two weeks.  And I moved here from Florida...

We have fumigated the bedroom and I'm trying hard to keep my Westie from getting under the bed.  First thing tomorrow I am calling an exterminator.  When I stepped on that black spider, a sac separated from her body and out came all these little babies.  Tons of them!  We sprayed and vacuum but I am sure one or two must have gotten away.  OMG the thought of those little things growing up to be big spiders, all under my bed!

I have looked at several pictures and the one on top is the one that most closely ressembles.  It was black, although I didn't see any red marks (who had the time!), the body about an inch and the legs 2 to 3 inches.  That thing was big!!!

Tell me, have you seen any spiders lately inside your house?  Any suggestions?

Memorial Day Weekend Fun!

The water is still cool, at least for this old timer, and more people were cruising than swimming this Memorial Day weekend.

Except for the dogs, of course.....

Westie overboard!

Followed by lab cousin

and sister Lily. she of dock diving fame!

I'm done, where's my towel?

Jeeze, I can't believe she forgot to bring my towel

Any chance of a blow dry?

Does wet hair make me look fat?



The Weekend Hostess...A Guide To Survival!

So here we are, finally, the first long weekend of the Summer season and the beginning of my summer job as head chef/housekeeper at the lake house. You think I'm kidding?  All of a sudden all your long lost friends and relatives remember there's a house on a lake, with full maid service, and a great chef.  All for free!  Just call and make a reservation...everyone is always welcomed...including dogs!

Whilst I love to entertain and have people over, my life now turns upside down and my weekends are my workdays.  The towels and bed sheets are the worst part, so this year I put my foot down and regulars get to make their own beds and leave the sheets in the laundry room when they leave.  Only first timers and "special" guests get the full treatment. It's called "tough love"!

The bathrooms are stocked with all kinds of goodies, including sun tan lotions and shampoo, but each guest gets ONE beach towel which they must guard with their life. The food is something else.  For this it pays to be organized and from years of entertaining at various places I have developed a method that is easy for me.  Light breakfasts, light lunches, and great dinners.

Breakfast

We are not big breakfast people.  Once in awhile, we will have brunch on Sundays, particularly in Fall and Winter; but when you come to a lake the main idea is to go boating or swimming and who wants to do that on a full stomach?

Breakfasts here consist of fresh fruit, orange juice, (great) coffee and English muffins or toast.  Homemade strawberry or peach preserves are a staple of the breakfast table, with cereal and granola also on hand. I usually leave a bowl of cut up cantaloupe and  blueberries or strawberries in the fridge the night before and when guests wake up they serve themselves.   Make a coffee cake in advance, freeze it and enjoy it for breakfast or tea.

Lunch

Lunch is a make your own sandwich event if we are swimming around the dock;  but if we are going on the boat, everyone helps put a picnic together.  Have fresh tomatoes, olives, lettuce, bean sprouts, mayo, different mustards, you get the idea. Make it special by having artisanal breads and interesting cheeses and chutneys.  It is sometimes less expensive to roast a chicken or turkey breast, have it for dinner the night before, and slice for leftovers the next day.  Better yet, make chicken salad sandwiches.

An antipasto tray of salamis, cheese, olives, and baguette also make a nice alternative for lunch.

Make a pound cake during the week and serve it for lunch or a mid afternoon snack.

Dinner 

Dinner is the highlight of the day and here I usually go all out.   Ribs, Shish Kebabs, chops, casseroles, and pies are at the top of the list.  I make it easy on myself by grilling the meat, making a casserole and serving fresh vegetables...whatever looks good at the Farmer's Market. Fresh corn and tomatoes are at the top of the list when available.  For dessert I make crumbles with whatever fruit is in season or serve home made ice cream with fresh fruit. Other times I cheat and buy a pie at the nearest Fresh Market.

If you have guests arriving Friday don't plan to cook on the grill that night.  Instead make something that can be easily warmed up for those who arrive late.  My individual Mac And Cheese recipe from Harry's Bar in Venice is an old standby and a favorite of friends and family including little children.

One of the reasons everyone loves to come here is the food so I try not to disappoint by having special things that I can make ahead and freeze.  Like I mentioned before, a coffee cake goes a long way and brownies or butterscotch bars can be made ahead and served with ice cream for dessert or wrapped for a picnic.  I also prepare Beer Cheese, Pimento Cheese Spread or a  Goat Cheese Log the day before to accompany cocktails.  Chorizos that can be thrown on the grill and served with a honey mustard are always on demand!

While menus are simple,  try to buy the best ingredients you can find to make the meals special. Don't try to have three complicated menus a day.   Keep it simple, make some things ahead like appetizers and desserts and let everyone help you.  It's a long summer, and this is just the beginning!

Guess Who Was On my Flight Last Night?

That's Bullseye, the Target miniature Bull Terrier and it's a she folks!

She was getting off the Atlanta flight I was boarding, all made up and ready for the red carpet at some event in Miami sponsored by Target.  What a lady, and what a celebrity.  You should have seen her walking down the terminal as if she were Paris Hilton or JLo!  Incredible how everybody recognized her and smiled as she went by. 

Lake Reading....Highly Recommended

If you want to have a well documented opinion on what is going on in the Middle East today, you better be prepared to have all the facts on hand.  This part of the world, unfortunately, is not covered well in any of the history courses we took in school.  It's about time we made room for it.

I have found most books I've tried to read on the Arab world to be extremely in depth and boring and I had yet to find one that kept my interest until I picked this book up at the local library.  Published in 2009 The Arabs by Eugene Rogan covers the Middle East and North Africa from the end of the Ottoman Empire until present.  Unlike other books on the history of the ME, I found this to be a highly readable and interesting book, although I have to confess to skipping a few pages here and there.  Remember those professors we had in college that were so great that they made anything seem interesting? Well Rogan is one of them.  He is on the faculty of Oxford University as well as a Director of the Middle East Centre. 

The next book is a fun one albeit an older one.  Published in 1992, Baghdad Without a Map by Tony Horowitz is an anecdotal and often humorous travelogue through the Arab world crammed with stories and observations that tell more about the Arab world than any history book. After you finish, you'll wonder what took these countries so long to revolt.

Horowitz has written four other books including the New York Times bestseller Confederates in the Attic and Blue Latitudes.  He has been a foreign correspondent for the Wall Street Journal and has been a staff reporter for the New Yorker.  In 1995 he received the Pulitzer Prize for journalism.   He is married to novelist Geraldine Brooks.  Fabulous book, go read it!

Image: Getty

Spring is Springing!

Last Sunday around the lake



A Twitter Meetup... By @lucywestie

@snowywestie is one of my best friends on Twitter, but I had never met him in dog until this Saturday when both our moms got the brilliant idea of getting us groomed together. 

Now, who in their right mind would arrange a Westie meetup at the groomer's while we poor doggies are going through our worst nightmare, a bath and a haircut! Only The Spy and Lindaraxa, our respective moms, would think of such a horrific idea!  Frankly I'm thinking of filing a serious complaint with Mom Control...for inhumane treatment to a beloved pet!

I usually get groomed by my mom or my human sister and can usually con them into letting me take a nap while the ordeal is going on,  but this time I had no such luck.  The lady who owns the Westie salon is an experienced groomer who has been breeding and showing Westies for a long time.  I suppose she's nice for a human but, unfortunately, she knows all our tricks. She also told mom I was "a little heavy around the hips" which means mom is not falling for my cute face anymore and feeding me under the table.  She used to be such a sucker for my antics but  now she is determined to ignore me.  I heard the word diet being thrown around.  What is diet?

At least she didn't trade me in for a new model, something I was afraid she would do once she saw all the cute Westie pups that hang out at the groomer's house.  She kept looking at this little male Westie and making cute faces at him but in the end she left only with me.  Phew!  That would have been the crowning glory, a bath and a new Westie brother to boot...as if I didn't have enough to worry about!

Here are some pictures of poor Snowy and me during our Day of Rage.  I have promised to invite him to the lake soon to forget and make up for the unpleasant experience.  I hope he is still talking to me.  I'm not talking to Mom.

You Snowy?...you Lucy?

I really need to see your id,  Lucy...

Just double checking

This should be fun....

Okay, mom, time to go!

Don't leave, the best is yet to come!

Snowy won the coin toss, phew! Maybe I can sneak out without anyone noticing...

Want to see my best get out of jail trick?

Westie Wave!

Boring...we've seen better con artists!

Mom, I'm feeling faint...really

Oh jeeeze, not the paws!

You're pulling my hair!

Hang in there Luce, it'll be over before you know it!

Meanwhile, Norwich terrier gets a new family!

Meet the parents!

My worst nightmare...a new brother!

...while I'm going through hell!

I need two aspirin and a nap!

Since last Saturday I have been sleeping and thinking of nothing but revenge.  I learned a valuable lesson which almost cost me my life...moms are definitely not to be trusted!

Yours truly
Lucy Westie

Follow us on Twitter!

http://twitter.com/snowywestie
http://twitter.com/lucywestie

A Break From Winter...Sunday On The Lake And A Bath!

Hard to believe a couple of weeks ago we were bracing for a winter storm that dropped 8 inches in Northern Georgia and kept us all home bound for a week! 

After a quick lunch, and with temperatures hovering near the 70 degree mark, we hurried down to the lake to catch a couple of hours on the boat.  It was pretty quiet out there except for the hardy sailors and the determined  fishermen.



So happy...if only they knew what awaits them at home!



Why do I think you are hiding something from me?!





Did we hear the word bath? we can spell, you know...

There must be a way I can get off this boat...like soon!

How can you say you love me and still give me a bath

My worst fears come true...

How would you like it if I took a picture of you naked in the bathtub! eh?!