Oh what a sad day it is when you notice your furry baby, who you thought was being stubborn and ignoring you, has gone deaf. It started with an ear infection in his left ear (remember the post about being chewed out by a vet) and I have been putting eardrops in both ears faithfully for two weeks now.
It's like it just happened overnight. One thing I have noticed is that he isn't afraid to go outside when it is getting dark anymore. I don't know which is the better trade-off, actually none of them are.
There is this new group called Owl City and they have an awesome album out entitled, "Ocean Eyes", and literally every song on it is great!! I have the 'Fireflies' song in my Player at the bottom of my blog - love it, love it!
Tonight we are having company over for dinner and yes Lou will be pulling out all the stops on his Big Green Egg (BGE). We had to go to the BBQ store and purchase 3 bags of BGE charcoal, plus some spices! He has ribs marinating in rootbeer overnight in the fridge.
Yesterday I made a really yummy Vegetable Chowder, very delish.
Creamy Vegetable Chowder
Moosewood Restaurant recipe
Serves 8 to 10
Yields 11 cups
Total time: 50 minutes
2 cups chopped onions
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon canola or other vegetable oil
2 celery stalks, diced
1 cup peeled and diced carrots (I used whole baby carrots)
1 1/2 cups diced potatoes
3 cups water or Basic Light Vegetable Stock (I used chicken stock)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (I would leave this out next time)
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 teaspoons salt (Omitted the salt due to the boullion)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (I used about 1 tbsp.)
1/2 cup green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces (I omitted these)
1/2 cup diced red bell peppers
1 cup diced zucchini (I used broccoli florets instead)
1/2 cup fresh or frozen green peas
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 cups milk
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
2 ounces Neufchatel or cream cheese
In a large soup pot on medium heat, sauté the onions in the butter and oil for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the celery, cover, and cook until just soft, stirring occasionally. Add the carrots, potatoes, water or stock, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil; then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are just tender, about 5 minutes. With a strainer or slotted spoon, remove about 1 1/2 cups of the cooked vegetables and set aside in a blender or food processor.
Add the green beans, bell peppers, and zucchini to the soup pot and cook until the green beans are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the peas and parsley, simmer for 2 more minutes, and then remove from the heat. Discard the bay leaf.
Puree the reserved vegetables with the milk and cheeses to make a smooth sauce. Stir the sauce into the soup and gently reheat. Serve hot.
