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Sunday, May 29, 2011

Moussaka, Doggie Drill Team and Flying Furniture

Moussaka is one of those dishes that you need ample time to prepare. I intended to serve this for Lovely Daughter's birthday in April, so I had made the ground lamb meat sauce and frozen it. We all got busy and did something else to celebrate, leaving me with the basis for today's menu halfway done already.

The aubergines (egg-plant) were sliced and salted yesterday to extract the bitter juices over night. Patted dry and lightly browned in olive oil, here they are set aside whilst I made the sauce Mornay. Bechamel is already good but borders on celestial when cream and grated parmesan are added.
My recipe includes nutmeg and a sprinkle of Cayenne pepper, as well as a couple of egg yolks.
I heard sirens and a calorie alert went out but I cannot be ashamed of the aromas wafting around our house today. 
Abbey is a good student. Part of my plan to desensitize her to other dogs has been to sign up for a group dog-training class, in addition to daily visits to parks where other dogs hang out. 
Our dog class "Where Sit Happens!" is a lot of fun. Everyone has been warned that "The Collie" can be reactive; apparently, so can "The Dachshund" and "The Pit-bull". It's all about keeping your dog's attention focused on you, rather than on the other dogs. We watch their body language most closely and shut them down at the first suspicion of "Stink-eye". Yesterday we began practicing Doggie Drill Team. Imagine a marching band, without the instruments; the dogs walk to heel and we weave and wheel about face in columns and rows at very close quarters. Luckily, our instructor has no problem impersonating a Drill Sergeant so we have avoided any head on collisions so far.

My other little achievement this weekend has been to tidy up and reconfigure our patio entertaining area. We have a wicker sofa that's been on the balcony off the upstairs living space. It occurred to me that we might get more use out of it if it were down on the back garden level.
I tossed the cushions over the deck railing and hoisted the couch over the edge. It's quite a drop and I was willing to risk breakage to try to get the job done on my own terms. The darn thing was heavier than I expected, especially as I had to one-hand it to reach for a missile that would scare Slinkie out of danger. You've probably all heard of the addendum to Newton's Law that states "any time you have something heavy ready to drop, your cat will sit right below and look up at you"
We've all survived the day so far, I'm happy to report. I was considering a run to the DIY dog wash but I'm not sure I have it in me.


31 comments:

  1. LOL at getting a job done on your own terms. I do that too. When I get an idea into my head it is near impossible to stop me. Your yard looks beautiful with the wicker couch outside. :-)

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  2. Birdie, I did yell for help but, as usual, no one came.

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  3. Hello:
    Dog training, in our view, pales into insignificance when compared with heaving a sofa, single handed, over a balcony!

    However, the dog is sitting still, so success there, and the sofa is in place and you are not seen collapsed on it, so success there too!

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  5. Don't you put potato slices in? I used to fry them as recommended but found out a few years ago that boiling works just fine. Dry-grilling the aubergines helps cut down on the fat, too - and the debate's out on whether modern aubergines need to be salted or not. Generally I don't bother, and it all turns out OK - one less step, too. OK, now I'm hungry...

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  6. I do hope you'll put out a plate for the likes of me hen. I may look frightening up close, but I'm a good after dinner speaker.

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  7. That patio area is beckoning to me. In fact, any patio area is beckoning to me... but I'll take your sun over ours anyday.

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  8. Jesus Murphy, ER. Reminds me of the time I wanted to move an old wardrobe from the top floor to the bottom and the easiest way was out the window. No rope, but a garden hose was available. Didn't occur to me that the thing would stretch so much.

    Sit down on your couch with something alcoholic - you certainly deserve at least that much.

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  9. Your cooking skills are admired as well as your attitude of ability to get something accomplished, even risking breaking a wicker couch. Ha.

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  10. Jane and Lance, Dog training is 100% concentration, observation and timing/response. I was aware at the end of the hour that I had completely cleared my mind of all other thoughts and worries. Previously something I only got from working with horses. (Cheaper than therapy, as they say). As to the sofa, leverage before lift. I use my brain to move things...and then drop them from a great height:)

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  11. HVY2, I'd never heard of potato as an ingredient in Moussaka, until recently. It's not in my recipe book for sure, although no reason that it wouldn't be a good addition.

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  12. Jimmy, I'd be proud to have you at my table. Let me know if you're ever in the neighborhood.

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  13. Steve, the sunshine has forsaken us in recent times, which is why I'm getting more stuff done. I'm tackling the garage this morning.

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  14. Deborah, did the hose stretch all the way to the ground? I now have a vision of a bungee-jumping, bouncing wardrobe:)

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  15. TechnoBabe, It was a "What the Heck" moment. Very liberating.

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  16. Wow, you surely accomplished a lot on your own. That sofa alone is rather amazing...more so that it seemed to land OK...I guess the cat cushioned the fall....*LOL*

    You are making me hungry. Every now and then I make a complex meal, but you are far more ambitious than I am. I do hope the diners enjoyed your effort!

    Animal training is a wonderful way to clear out your brain. If you want any kind of success at all, you need to focus entirely on the animal and the task at hand. Abby is certainly in good hands.

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  17. I love moussaka , in fact anything with tomatoes and cheese sauce is delicious . And your sauce sounds five star . BUT I'm not allowed to anymore . POOP !
    The sofa dropping is a good one to remember . My tip ? If you ever have to get a (defunct) ancient television down five flights of stairs on your own , put it in a sleeping bag and it'll slither by itself .... hanging onto the top of the bag is optional but a good idea .

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  18. Jean, I'm bored with all the dishes that I do by rote. I'm branching out. The couch was spectacular but it's the darn stone-topped tables I dragged around that killed my "tennis elbow" (It's really weeding and dog-brushing elbow).

    S&S, that sounds like a nifty trick. Our TV is huge. We got it for next to nothing from a man who didn't know how he was going to move it. One day we'll modernize. For now we need a big room just for the TV.

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  19. ER, I just remember that the wardrobe started to slip out of its noose. As there was a lot of yelling going on the details are fuzzy. But the thing survived, went to Canada afterwards, and back to France with the ex post-divorce. Pity, really.

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  20. ER: If you ever make it back here to this neck of the woods, maybe we could have a 'Mossak-off'? :D

    Well done to you! Your back garden looks very welcoming and inviting, I'm sure you'll enjoy that sofa where you've put it now much more than before. Get much more use out of it, yes!

    Hmm... I'll not comment on the parallel lives being lived as I'm sure you've sussed my feelings on that. Just remember you need to put your oxygen mask on first, before you can help anyone else to do so.

    Sending happy thoughts your way.

    Hugs and quiches from Kitty xx

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  21. The impending meal looks delicious and I know that the sofa will be much happier in its new location. It was lonely up on the deck!

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  22. opinion is divided in the house of pixie on Moussaka - herself is keen, but i'm not

    Nice patio

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  23. Pixie, moussaka can be oily and heavy. I strive to avoid that.

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  24. Oh my, I missed this when you published it, was away in Germany, and am just getting out and about again. The food looks lovely, and I glad the cat survived the sofa drop test. Looks like the sofa did too. Yep, that's why they say that curiosity killed the cat. Ours love to come running out into the street when they hear my car coming up the road, they know the sound of the motor. Then they sit down right in the way, before I can park... smart cats !

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  25. Hi Owen, As long as you stayed away from the bean sprouts in Germany... I think my first ever taste of Moussaka was near Hamburg.

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  26. ""any time you have something heavy ready to drop, your cat will sit right below and look up at you"

    Hahahaha! I easily pictured you wrestling that wicker couch over the balconey. Looks like a lovely setting.

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  27. What superb posts. I'm very jealous but well done!

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  28. Hi Ken, I was just reading your post about the terrible, voracious dog. Great photographic evidence! Thanks for visiting.

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  29. You are certainly a talented woman. The last time I heaved a heavy object, I ended up in physiotherapy. Your Moussaka looks divine...I make mine with no meat.

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  30. Tonight I take our psycho dog, Reub, to dog class, where I can learn to handle him better in a controlled environment with strange dogs and people around at the same time.

    You bet I will be concentrating hard!

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  31. Kerry,
    The more you expose him to his problem situations, the better you and he will get at handling them. The more on-leash walks you take, the more he will learn that you are his leader. In addition to tiring them out. I hope you get some good input tonight at class. I had no clue where to start with Abbey. It made a lot of sense when I was told to take charge and not let her decide where and when she was going to interact with others. I put her in a prong collar, on a trainer's advice. It's much better than the choke. We rarely use the collar-check now but it is our safety-line in situations where an off-leash dog runs over, for example. She still has moments where her bad angel takes over. Don't we all?

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