Minimalist Cooking eBook

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you might remember that I used to post recipes occasionally. My Mother-in-Law recently released an e-cookbook for the minimalist cook that I love and I think almost anyone would benefit from reading.
If you like to keep cooking simple but still eat tasty, nutritious food check it out: Minimalist Cooking - 27 Practical Recipes
For under $5.00 you'll get a collection of healthy and easy to prepare recipes including bread, veggies, meat, pasta, salads, and desserts. Some of my favorites are the Roasted Root Veggies, Roast Beef, Veggie Lasagna, Chicken Pecan Salad, Apple Crisp and Frozen Yogurt...

If you'd like to spend less time preparing food and more time enjoying a meal with your family, this is the perfect cookbook for you! And if you want to check out some of her recipes for free you can find a few at MinimalistCook.com

Mei-Mei Bolero Jacket

I finished my first project from my new copy of Everyday Crochet by Doris Chan last week. I made the Mei-Mei Crochet Jacket as it was a small sweater and I only had 3 skeins of the yarn I wanted to use. The book is laid out in 4 sections with a base pattern for each section and variations on that base. It can be a little confusing to follow because it jumps from page to page a lot but once you figure out how it works it's not too hard. Highlighting the parts you're going to use before starting would be helpful. I'm pretty happy with the results though I still need to add some kind of closure to it (or not, it looks OK without I think.) Now I think it's about time I tackled something with real sleeves!

Tuesday Review: Pug Ornament

As I said I would, I ordered an ornament from Pugnotes.com with some super cute black pug artwork. The site says to allow 2-3 weeks for delivery but this got to my house in about 4 days (so you probably still have time to get one before Xmas.) Thank you Melissa and Emmitt ;)

3M Dental Treats review

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Originally uploaded by ameetek16

I had been looking for a good, safe dental chew for Meiby... something that would clean her teeth, improve her breath and not choke her. I had been recommended to check out Greenies but there seems to be a lot of bad press regarding them being dangerous (although they've since changed their formula). I decided to try it and bought a small bag of them for Meiby. I gave her one and monitored her the whole time. Even though I was watching closely, she still gulped down a huge chunk of it and I was worried for a little bit. It turned out fine but I haven't given her any more of them.
Last week at Target I came across a new product: 3M Dental Treats. They have 3 "prongs" to keep your dog from swallowing them too quickly. The ones I bought were white though (not brown like the one pictured in the link) and smelled minty. I gave one to Meiby and she loved it, ate it slowly while holding on to the prongs with her little raccoon claws, and had nice breath when she was finished! I definitely recommend these over Greenies. She really takes her time and chews on them, getting the full benefit of plaque removal that's intended, and they definitely smell better (not that Greenies smell bad, they just don't smell much like anything.) They are a bit expensive but I certainly don't give her two every day as the package suggests. I think one a week is plenty. (There's another good review of these at epinions.) Anyone else tried these?

FURmination!

FURmination!
Originally uploaded by ameetek16

If you have a pug, you know that they shed quite a bit. I heard lots of recommendations for the FURminator to minimize shedding so we picked one up. I try to use it on Meiby at least once a week if not more. You can see the pile of fur that I pulled off of her this weekend. There could have been more too but she'll only sit still for so long. This is also after regular "FURmination"... there's a lot more hair the first time. Anyway, it does help a bit. She still sheds everywhere but as long as I vacuum once a week it's not too bad. I do recommend the FURminator but I haven't really tried anything else so I can't say if there's a better alternative. Either way, regular pug brushing is a good idea to reduce the fur bunnies from collecting around the house!

Meiby's new I.D. tag

Meiby's new I.D. tag
Originally uploaded by ameetek16

Before I forget to mention it, Meiby is 8 months old today! We got her a new I.D. tag from BoomerangTags.com as recommended by Shelby pug. It fits flush to the collar so it doesn't hang off and won't get caught on anything. I measured her collar first to determine that we needed this one, size small, and it fits perfectly!

We're expecting!

... to be puppy parents! After several years of wanting a pet but being restricted by landlords and law school, we'll finally be able to get a puppy (after Nick takes the Bar Exam next week.) We decided to get a Pug puppy and I've been in contact with several breeders to find the right pup for us. Here is one that has a possibility of being ours:

We bought some books this weekend to help prepare us for our furry child: Pugs, Pugs for Dummies, and The Power of Positive Dog Training. We plan on taking her to obedience classes and are going to try to train her at home. We're very excited in case you couldn't tell. I'm starting this blog with the intentions of documenting our puppy's progress, life, cuteness, etc. I know this has been done many times before but each puppy blog I've found has been helpful in a different way so I hope this one can help someone as well. Until the puppy arrives I'll keep posting updates about our preparation and search...

Beer: 60 Minute IPA

A very special beer! If you're familiar with the Dogfish Head brewery, you've probably tried their 60 minute IPA. If you liked it you probably already know about the 90 minute IPA and the rare 120 minute IPA. At almost $9 for a 12oz. bottle, I didn't try it right away. I stalked it at my local liquor store for months before I finally decided it was time and I took the plunge. I purchased a single bottle of the 20% ABV brew for a quiet night at home. I was surprised at how sweet it was actually (not overly fruity sweet, rather a nice mild malty sweet). It didn't taste super strong but it certainly felt strong. I could feel the alcohol hit my stomach after a few sips... like I'd just taken a shot. I continued to sip while delving into my husband's new copy of Super Mario Galaxy. Before I knew what hit me, a couple hours had gone by and I was quite tipsy. Sure $9 seems pricey for a single 12oz. bottle of beer, but it's an experience every beer lover should have if at all possible.