Rescuing BeBe

A few months ago, our family decided that we were ready for a new family pet. We lost our lovely Lady Lulu, who had been with us for 13 years, last November. Our family has had a lot of sad stuff over the last year, and we were all lonely without a doggie around. So, my oldest son showed me the Petfinder.com website, and we were off and running. We found a friend through that site at the New Journey Animal Rescue. She is 3 years old, looks like an English Setter but has baby blue eyes. The vet speculates she may be part setter, part husky plus maybe a little hound dog mixed in. I don't know, but she is cute, sweet, shy and deserves a 2nd chance. BeBe came to us already housebroken and it took me one day to crate train her. She loves other dogs, is kind of afraid of men she does not know and will bark at them, and once she warms up to you, is very affectionate. If you are even thinking about sharing your life with a pet, this is a great way to go. Saving a life is very rewarding!

Sad Week

Our Nathan, age 19, about a year before he died.

I have not been posting much lately, even though I've been cooking up a storm. Our family has had a sad, long week. A year ago, on June 12, 2008 our precious son Nathan passed away suddenly, unexpectedly, sadly. We miss him and love him, things are just not the same without his wicked sense of humor, his fabulous, jazzy guitar playing and his unusual and often deadly accurate outlook on life. There is a giant hole in our lives and our family, but life goes on.

Lunching out with the Ladies Who Lunch

If you are heading out to lunch anytime soon, and are near Midlothian, VA check out Sushi-O on Alverser Dr. (across Huguenot Rd. from Chesterfield Towne Ctr.). This is a lovely little restaurant, and the lunch I had there was delish! The Businessman's Box Lunch special is a ton of food, with lots of different options to try. Let me say first, that the presentation of the "box" was absolutely beautiful. I played it safe and ordered the sesame chicken choice. It was great -- crispy, sesame-coated chunks of chicken, sauteed in a dark, rich, soy inused sauce. The special comes with miso soup, which was wonderful, house salad with ginger dressing (very good), mixed tempura w/veg. and one shrimp, house fried rice and SUSHI. Man, oh man, how I'll eat dinner I don't know, but it was worth every calorie! And all that was only $9.50. Don't miss this place! Looking at the beautiful food is almost worth the price alone, but the eating of it seals the deal!

Love Chocolate?

I don't eat a lot of sweets, but if I do, I like them home-made, rich and more often than not, CHOCOLATE! I like to make pies because they are, well, easy as pie. This recipe is an old family favorite. It is written exactly as it was given to me by my mother-in-law more than 20 years ago, who got it from a dear family friend.

Next time you need to bring a delicious dessert to a dinner or want to treat your own family, or are simply craving chocolate, try this. And, don't forget to buy premium vanilla ice cream to go along with it!

Chocolate Pecan Pie

1 9" unbaked pie crust, your own or purchased

2 squares unsweetened chocolate

2 T. butter

3 eggs

1/2 c. sugar

3/4 c. dark corn syrup

3/4 c. pecans (whole or pieces)

Preheat oven to 375 degress.

Melt chocolate with the 2 T. butter, over a double boiler or in a large measuring cup in the microwave. Beat the eggs with the sugar, and mix in the melted chocolate and dark corn syrup. Stir in the pecans and pour the entire mixture into your pie shell.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 40 - 45 minutes.

Serves 8.

Easy huh? Now you know why the saying is so true...