The GREATEST invention of our time.

Well, for winter anyway....

Yak Trax, the best $15 I've ever spent. Winter in Montana is a freaky mess of snow and sun and melting and freezing and ice. Ice. ICE! everywhere. A few years ago I bought a pair of Yak Trax for the man, I just happened to buy them in my size. It really was an accident, but a happy one because I have just about worn them out. When my winter dog walk trail becomes covered in icy ice, there is no option to just send the boys out and tell them to walk themselves. They can cover the bathroom break but they just haven't mastered the self tour yet, and I wouldn't want them too, because it forces my lazy bum outside twice each day, just like the postman, in sun, rain, sleet, snow or ICE!

It's not your granny's sandwich.

Long ago, far, far away on a dirt road in north west Montana, Mr. T and I found a little dumpy store/bakery on the edge of Glacier National Park. We walked in hungry but with very low expectation, hoping for a snickers and a cold drink. Instead, what we found changed my life. Okay, that might be overstating, hmmmm yeah overstating for sure. This tiny little store with no electricity somehow was a bakery and they made these delicious sandwiches. It was a pocket of bread with sandwich stuff baked inside. Think calzone, but in sandwich. Think hot pockets, but not gross. Think pasty but without the onions, carrots and potatoes. You can see where I'm going.

Let's return to present day, as you may, or may not know, I learned I could indeed bake bread. Not only bread, but AWESOME bread; thanks to this recipe Fresh Yeast Bread. (That is a link it supposed to show up in pink, usually, that doesn't work and I don't know why)

The bread dough being mixed.

The bread dough raising.

So a week or so ago I had some left over pork roast, so I said, hey maybe I should make some of those sandwiches from Pole Bridge. Mr. T. said, I've had enough of that pork, but I'd like ham. So I made some with Ham and Cheese for him and Pork Roast, Jalapeño, and Cheese for me. They were really, really good, so I thought I'd try it again and this time step it up a notch. Today I made Ham and Swiss, Pizza featuring Ham, Pepperoni, Olives, Mushrooms and Cheese, and Breakfast featuring Ham, Eggs and Cheese.

I prepped everything while the dough was raising. I sliced and lightly fried the ham. I (brace yourself) opened a can **GASP** of mushrooms rinsed and fried them. Opened a can of olives drained them. Scrambled some eggs. Mr. T made his famous pizza/marinara sauce. Opened the cheese and mixed the pizza cheeses. Cut the swiss into triangles. By about that time the dough was ready.

A really blurry picture of frying mushrooms. I suck at photography, it's alright, I'm okay with it.

So, assembly

Rolled out dough.

I placed cheese both over and under the meat and I'm glad I did. It was better with top and bottom cheese.

Tadah!! Ham and Cheese I sliced the top with two diagonals.

So, you pretty much just do that same thing, but for pizza I used a mix of Mozzarella and Parmesan, then Ham, Pepperoni (quartered and lightly fried), Mushrooms, Olives, Sauce (but not a lot) more cheese, close it up scored the top with two straight cuts.

Pizza!

For the breakfast sandwich: Swiss on the bottom, Eggs, Ham, and breakfast cheese (shredded jack, colby mix) scored the top with three straight lines.

Breakfast!

Baked Ham and Swiss

So, from start to finish... four hours, seven ham and swiss, eight pizza, seven breakfast. Here's the great part to re-heat, I cover with a damp washcloth and microwave for 1 min. 30 sec. meal in a pocket. YAY!

Jake Speaks English

It's true! For example, every night Jake sleeps in our room. Why? well, he's Jake and he's special. Not more special than the other boys, because they're special too. Anyhow, back to Jake. Almost every night I like to mess with him and say in a loud voice, "Okay Jake, let's go outside" and he'll lay on the floor and act like he's either dead or in a very deep sleep. I'll go over too him and nudge him with my foot and say, "JAKE! let's go outside" nothing. Then BT will whisper, "Jake, lets go get in bed" and he'll jump up and run into our bedroom and curl up on his bed. My Jakey poo speaks english....QUACKERY? I think not! Okay, he hasn't actually spoken, but he understands way more than the actual 120 words the "experts" give dogs credit for.

Should I be spending more time with humans?

Here's one of my favorite pictures of Jake, dog extraordinaire.

It's Blue Monday. . . or not.

"You have official permission to feel gloomy today. According to psychologist Cliff Arnall, it's Blue Monday, the most depressing day of the year. Arnall uses a complex formula that factors in everything from the weather to due dates for those Christmas bills to abandoned New Year's resolutions, mathematically bestowing the dreary honor on the third Monday of January. Sounds legit, but don't crawl back under the covers yet. Critics mock Blue Monday as quackery, dismissing Arnall's dubious credentials and pointing out that the whole crazy concept was conceived as a PR stunt for a travel company hell-bent on selling sunny holiday packages. So throw off the covers and smile." 

I'm going to have to agree with critics and say this is indeed Quackery! For a couple of reasons, any day of the week you can find a reason to be depressed, you don't need permission or a complicated formula. Likewise, you can also chose to be happy. Secondly, I kind of like the word quackery. 

Today is a beautiful sunny day. I woke up and made a choice to be HAPPY! Of course, I didn't know we all had official permission to be grouchy but that wouldn't have changed anything. I enjoy being happy it's a very nice and pleasant way to live. Being grouchy doesn't help anything, it doesn't make you productive and effective. It only results in feeling extra sorry for yourself and let me just ask...Where's the fun in that? 

My conclusion, after my five minutes of deep thought and writing this heart felt post is: 

Blue Monday = Quackery

Was there ever any question?

If you eat cat litter...

it will get stuck in your beard and if you put your face on your arm it will get stuck on your sleeve. Just ask Sam, he knows first hand.

And, it will make you shit sandy water and sandy poo and then if you don't hunch over enough, it will get on your pants and no one will want to stand by you because you stink. Just ask Bill, he knows first hand.

And if you DON'T eat cat litter you get to go to town, just ask Frank and Jake, because they got to go to town and when you go to town you get special treats and then you smell good when you get home and everyone else likes to sniff your face, then your bum to make sure you are who you say you are!

I wouldn't eat cat litter.

A movie weekend.

Last weekend was a free preview from HBO and Showtime, so we spent a bit of time watching movies. Some that we've already seen, but three that I really liked and hadn't seen, so here we go.

First up was Big Miracle. It's a movie based on a true story from 1988 when three whales got caught in the ice in Alaska. A guy doing a random news story first saw them and then it grew into an international story. It stars Drew Barrymore and that guy from The Office. It was a good movie and without giving anything away I will say it sort of reminded me of an after school special, but was a good story based on true events and I enjoyed it very much.

Next up was War Horse. I almost never like to watch movies based around animals. It seems like they always die in the end and by then you're emotionally invested and it sucks to see them die. You know what I'm saying is true, plus in real life that is what happens and it is so very sad. However, again, I don't want to give anything away, I will just say this was a great movie, the War Horse travels many miles during WWI, people were shit to animals back then(by the way). But the movie? I loved it and okay, I'll give it away, he doesn't die in the end...so YAY!

Last was Red. I'd never heard of it but I starred Bruce Willis, Morgan Freemen, and John Malkovich. So with those three guys it had to be at least okay...right? Well it was better than ok, I loved it. It was full of action and good guys and bad guys and did I say lots of action. It was great, certainly worth watching. Bruce, Morgan and John all play retired CIA guys, they're all on a list to be killed and they have to find out why and fix it.

And since it was -20 and colder for the entire weekend, we also watched a few old favorites: Sideways,  The Dilemma, and Contraband. Also awesome movies, but serious repeats. Just reminds us why we don't pay for HBO, Showtime or MAX anymore. Still I did enjoy those three new ones. Thanks for the free weekend you blood sucking, mostly worthless Dish Network.

Alice is a jealous cat.

Last night I sat on the floor by Mr. T's chair so I could look at his computer screen with him. Alice was sitting on his lap (as usual), she got mad, hissed at me and tried to bite my face. I might take her outside and let her try to fend off the eagles by herself! Okay, I won't do that, because I love this little fleabag!

I'm an evil cat, I'll eat your face!

But.....I'm special

That is apparently what Bill thinks because this morning it was -20 so the boys got a reprieve from  their normal outdoor life. I spread a couple of thick blankets on the floor and while I wasn't looking, I guess Bill decided he wanted to take up residency in the guest room...silly dog.