Holy Hiatus!

Life got the best of me recently. But it has been all good things. A new job. An engagement to Skinny Fat Kid. It's been a whirlwind few months and I'm ready to get back into the blog world.

I've been thinking about where to go with this blog. My life has gone to the dogs in more ways than one. I still love to cook (and eat) but can SFK only be about dogs?? A first post back after a hiatus is a lot of pressure. A friend of mine told me about Pitty Post day, and I figured it would be perfect! Izzy, SFK and I have quite the list of our favorite pitties. So here goes:

Izzy's #1 BFF, Minnie! Izzy met Minnie on a walk one day and turns out, nearly two years later, these girls and their owners are still friends! Minnie has since moved to the 'burbs but we still get together for playdates, BBQs and of course our Pittie Pack walk!

Hugs!

Jonas is an adoptable pitbull who is super sweet. He gets along great with other dogs, does well with kids and is pretty much a great all around pup. We escorted him to an adoption event this weekend. He hopped right in the car, popped his bum down and enjoyed the ride. He was easily one of the best behaved dogs at the event. We're pretty positive he was snoring in the back seat the entire way home.

http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/23044825

Wiggles is another adoptable pitbull but if SFK had his way, she would be adopted by him. Wiggles can be a bit shy around new people but bonds super quick. Good thing I'm not the jealous type because she was all over SFK yesterday before, during and after our pack walk. She can be dog selective but is non-reactive just being around other dogs. And in my opinion, if she could stand walking next to crazy Izzy for 4 miles, she can pretty much tolerate most dogs.

http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/17744925

I can't leave out another fave, Mr. Beau. Beau lives a block away from us and started up the pack walks with miss Izzy. Beau's a pretty well behaved guy and loves nothing more than a bag of treats and his mom and dad. Beau loves to run and play but is no match for Izzy's lab/pointer legs. This blocky boy is a tank when he plows around the park...I know from experience.

I've never met a pittie I didn't like and I've never met one that behaved worse than crazy Izzy. They're loving, sweet dogs who just need a chance. I would have no concerns about bringing any of these dogs into my home or placing them in loving families.

Paleo Shallot Chicken

This week, we are cavemen. A friend of ours turned us on to the Paleo diet. He's been eating paleolithic for a few months now and has had successes. It makes sense to me to some degree. It is based on the hunter-gatherer diet of consuming plants and animals. I'm no expert, but this makes sense to me. Limited dairy is allowed on some plans. Refined oils are the way to go. This was my first time using coconut oil and I was pleasantly surprised. Smelled amazing, but the solid state at first turned me off. Within a few minutes, the coconut oil had melted and all was good again.

This recipe sounds super simple and I was skeptical as I turned my chicken and it looked a tad bit unappetizing. Boy, was I surprised! The caramelized shallot taste was amazing, and I didn't even have enough shallots. I'll be making this again for sure.

We had mashed sweet potatoes and some asparagus with it. I felt totally satisfied after and look forward to Paleo, day 2.

Recipe adapted from paleoplan.com.

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons coconut oil
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3 shallots, sliced into rings
• 2 tbs fresh rosemary, chopped (I used half this and dried. I don't love the taste of rosemary)

Directions:

• Season chicken with salt and pepper.
• Heat coconut oil over medium-high heat.
• When pan is hot, add shallots and rosemary and cook for a minute.
• Add chicken and pan-fry until golden brown and cooked through. 

Happy Two Year Adopt-a-versary Izzy!

Two years ago this past weekend, we scooped up an adorable, well-behaved pup named Bridget. Today, we have an adorable, crazy, off-the-wall dog who we now call Izzy, the Wiz, Wiztini and whatever else seems to be appropriate for that day. We didn't want to adopt a puppy. And we didn't see ourselves with a lab mix. But we're so glad we changed our minds and adopted her. Izzy has given us a run for our money these past two years with insane behaviors and crazy antics, but we love her just the same. In the past year, she's been a great foster sister (for the most part) to six foster dogs and has managed to learn how to co-exist with her "cousins". She has lunged at countless numbers of skateboards and manged to jump off a moving boat even with a fear of water. She has developed habits like throwing pillows off the couch every time we leave and barking at random objects around the house that have been there for years. She survived an 11-hour car ride with minimal vomiting and has proved time and time again that she is one of the best snugglers on earth. We couldn't imagine life without the Wiz!

Award winning dog model

As soon as you walk away, I'm going to destroy this couch!

Pack Walkin'

Snoozin on her boxing gloves

Favorite Thing to Do

Cousins

Big Time Snuggler

So proper

 

Izzy and Foster Peeps. Play drunk.

Izzy does South Carolina.

Jarlsberg Pork Cutlets

I used to enter quite a few more recipe contests before my blog went to the dogs...so I'm back at it. Jarlesberg USA and Kitchen Play have teamed up to offer "29 Ways to Leap into Jarlsberg Dip". Not only do I LOVE cheese, but I LOVE dip. Combine the two and I'm in heaven. So I jumped at the chance for this.

The challenge was a creative serving suggestion. I picked it up at the store with no clue on what I was going to do with it. I had already defrosted pork chops for tonight's dinner and figured I would open up the Jarlsberg Dip to see what it had to offer.

I melted about half of the dip in the microwave, per the instructions on the package. It created an ooey gooey cheesy goodness that I figures would be great on my chops. Instead of dipping in egg, I dipped in cheese dip! After cheese came the breadcrumbs and I seared it on the stove. Into the oven it went while I made up the salad.

Cheese is good on anything and Jarlsberg is no exeption.

To celebrate the arrival of Jarlsberg Dip, they are also hosting a giveaway on our facebook page. Simply “like” Jarlsberg USA on facebook and let them know in the comments on our giveaway post over there. Better yet, give them your ideas for using Jarlsberg Dip!

The giveaway includes a tailgate tote stocked with:

• Jarlsberg Lite Cheese
• new Jarlsberg Cheese Dip
• Snofrisk (a Norwegian style cream cheese)
• crispbreads
• honey crèmes
• honey vinegar

I was compensated for purchasing and writing about the cheese dip.

Valentine's Day

I've never been a huge fan of this holiday. SFK and I have been together nearly 6 years and we typically feel pressure to go out to a fancy dinner and eat lots of chocolate. Christina from Hungry Meets Healthy shares a similar feeling and thought it would be fun to do a blogger swap ti make the 'holiday' a tad more enjoyable.

When I told SFK about my new valentine named Tony, he asked if I was cheating. Once he saw the three pound bag of gummy bears, that went out the window.

Obvious why I got this one....

Izzy got a new toy! 

Charleston goodies. One of my favorite places! And who knew Benne wafers were so good!

We got quite a few goodies! I'm feeling like what I sent was a bit weak now, but hope they enjoy it!

Pittie Pack Walk

When we took on our first foster dog, Mr. Peeps this year, I googled "dog foster blog" and came across Love and a Leash. From there, I started reading Two Pitties in the City, Our Waldo Bungie,  Two Grad Students and a Pittie and Pittiefull Love, among others. Are you sensing a theme?? Sure, I'd probably read Two Grads and a Lab or Two Huskies in the City but I don't think they exist. Those that seem to have the same passion and enthusiasm for dogs are all pit lovers and fosters. So what, I have a lab mix. Big deal. Guess what?? She likes pitbulls and so do I.

Inspired by Izzy's training issues and these blog's local "pack walks" that they often wrote about, I figured it was about time to join one. After taking a look, there were a few in the area, but nothing completely local. I put the word out and found two awesome "pack leaders" to join on with me, creating Positive Pittie Pack Walk. Today was our first walk. Three labs and a bunch of pitties. We had a great time, Izzy was a bit out of control, but just hyper and excited. Hoping she'll be calmer next time!

Adoptable Star http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/21766973

Kip

Beau

Typical Izzy...bouncing.
Picture courtesy of Chris Langston (chrislangston.tumbr.com)

Statue of Liberty action with Gracie
Picture courtesy of Chris Langston (chrislangston.tumbr.com)

Miss Minnie!

Adoptable Noel http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/21809866

Goofy 

Adoptable Alesha http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/21109393

Adoptable Amigo http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/21809889

The Pack

The Aftermath

Nose Work and Thundershirts

I have no clue what this blog is about anymore. I love food. I love Izzy. So until I figure out what I'm doing, I will just continue to share my two loves with you.

Tonight, Izzy and I went for a run. I use the term "run" loosely. According to Nike Runner, my stats were pretty weak tonight, so I won't go there. When we came back, we noticed a package from Amazon.com. It was our Natural Balance Duck and Sweet Potato treat roll!

Since we've been hard at work on Izzy's reactivity, we've been giving her hotdogs. I've always been into feeding her healthy treats, so I just couldn't bare to pump her full of nitrates anymore. I think we have found our substitute! After some nosework fun in the living room, on went the Thundershirt so I could make dinner.

Sometimes Izzy dodges the shirt and I think its because she doesn't want to sleep. She'd rather be bouncing off the walls. Two minutes with the shirt on and there she was...

I like to call this Thundershirt drunk. Makes for one enjoyable evening!

PS...how gray is her muzzle?? She is 2 and looks like an old lady!