On the Homefront: Ruby (2007-2023)

Today, on the first day of spring, I had to say goodbye to my beloved dog Ruby.  She had a compromised liver for many years, probably the result being hit by a car before we found her as a stray when she was only a year old.  We successfully managed her liver values with various supplements and a careful diet, but this year things took a turn for the worse.  She was hospitalized twice at the end of last year for pancreatitis, and while she did manage to recover her liver values were gradually getting higher and higher.  She was put on medication in addition to the supplements and special diet, and, tough old fighter that she was, for a few months she managed quite well.

Recently, however, I noticed that her appetite was not as good has it had been (she had always been an enthusiastic eater).  She went to the vet for a previously scheduled blood test, and sure enough her values were so high that she developed pancreatitis yet again.  This time supportive care did not work.  Her values continued to rise, and after a week on IV fluids and pain medications she still did not show signs of recovery.  Today we found out that her liver was failing.  There was nothing more we could do for her, and she no longer had any fight left in her.  She would not eat or drink, and no longer wanted to get up - all she wanted to do was sleep.  She was not a good candidate for surgery at her age (she was 16) or for steroid treatment to reduce the inflammation.  We reluctantly decided that it was time to let her go.

I will post a better tribute to my girl later.  Right now I am just too heartbroken to continue.  This dog meant the world to me, and I cannot do justice to her life at the moment in this post.  Goodbye, my sweet, loving, wonderful Ruby - the world is a sadder place without you in it.

Foodie Fridays: Chorizo Chickpea Stew

During a recent cold snap here I came across a recipe for Chorizo Chickpea Stew that sounded simple as well as satisfying for dinner on a frigid day.  I happened to have a package of chicken chorizo sausage in the freezer as well as most of the other ingredients I needed on hand, so I gave it a try.  It is delicious!  The chorizo adds just enough spiciness, and the stew was hearty enough for a filling meal.  I made some brown rice, and my husband had made some cornbread earlier in the day, so we had both with the stew.  I really liked the addition of some leftover cooked shrimp I had, and the greens fulfilled my requirement for a nutritious vegetable addition, so I would likely modify the recipe with these additions again the next time I make it.  If you are looking for a good cold weather meal, I highly recommend this stew!

Chickpea Chorizo Stew

1 1/2 T. olive oil
8-12  oz. chorizo, halved and sliced (or other smoked sausage)*
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1 bay leaf
1 can (14 oz.) crushed tomatoes (see Notes)
1 can (14 oz.) chickpeas , drained
1 cup chicken stock/broth (I used water)
3 oz. (a few handfuls) baby kale or other greens
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper (optional)

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo and cook for 3 minutes or until golden.  Add the garlic, thyme, paprika, and bay leaf.  Stir for 1 minute.

Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, chicken stock, greens, salt, and pepper. Stir and bring to a simmer.  Lower the heat down to medium low so that it is simmering very gently.  Cook for 15 minutes, uncovered, stirring regularly, until the sauce has reduced and thickened.

Discard the bay leaf and serve.  Serves 3-4.

Notes:  I did not have canned tomatoes, so I substituted one can (6 oz.) tomato paste, one can (8 oz.) unsalted tomato sauce, and four small fresh tomatoes instead.  I also had some leftover cooked store-bought shrimp flavored with citrus and rosemary that I added at the very end and heated through.

I served this with brown rice and cornbread, but you can serve it with bread, quinoa, or even pasta if you prefer.  Leftovers (if you have any!) will keep for several days in the fridge, or 3 months in the freezer.

*I used Boar’s Head Chorizo All Natural Chicken Sausage.

This and That Thursdays: Indoora World | Cottagecore Series on YouTube

If you are a fan of all things cozy and cottagecore, I encourage you to check out the YouTube vlog Indoora World | Cottagecore Series.  The creator of this vlog is a gentle soul with an amazing gift for storytelling.  Her current series, called "The Dandelion Pact", is set in the recent past and follows the lives of two young women who are brought together and inspired by the writings of their grandmothers who were lifelong friends.  Above you can watch the most recent episode of this series, but I think it is best to follow the story from the beginning.

The series follows the current seasons, starting in the summer, continuing into the autumn, and is now set in the winter with spring to follow soon.  Each episode is the epitome of slow and peaceful living, with many crafts and recipes shown in the most lovely cottagecore settings.  We also get to have snippets of both the grandmothers' diaries and the young ladies' letters to each other read to us in the most gentle and soothing of voices.

I look forward to every new episode just to find out more about the lives of both the young women and their grandmothers, and cannot wait to find out what happens to the younger ones as their friendship progresses.  Watch one of these videos and you too may find yourself becoming totally immersed in Indoora World, enchanted by the peaceful loveliness of each episode.  Below is the trailer for the very first episode of the series, and don't be surprised if this alone is enough draw you in to Indoora World!

On the Homefront: Remembering Nick (2000-2022)

Nick in his pasture in Georgia.

This post has been a long time in coming, but it has taken me a while to process the fact that my horse Nick passed away so suddenly.  I first met Nick when he was seven years old.  He was being boarded at a barn near where a friend I used to ride with lived.  His owner had not been able to ride him in over a year because she had been in a car accident, and he was the only horse at the barn.  He was a big, beautiful Tennessee Walking Horse, over 16 hands tall but very laid back and easy to handle.  Nick was a color known as rusty or sooty black, not a true black, because his color faded to almost bay in the summer sun (as you can tell from the two photos at the top and bottom of the post).  He had apparently been bred as a show horse, and was left as a stallion until he was five, but because of his easy-going personality he probably was not showy enough for competition.  This was a good thing, as the TWH show circuit is notorious for the cruel practices used to encourage a flashy gait, so he was able to avoid such treatment.  I liked him because he had a long, easy stride and just enough spirit to make him a fun ride, although his long stride did make him a bit clumsy on some of the more rugged trails we occasionally took.  We lived very close to a state park with some of the best riding trails in the state, and we were able to go for some good fun rides on a regular basis.

Of all the horses I have owned, I was able to ride Nick the most, and even bought and learned to pull a horse trailer short distances to get to the local parks with horse trails.  Nick was very easy to trailer, and was good with the vet and the farrier.  He was always easy to handle and got along well with most other horses, although because he had been left as a stallion for so long he could be unpredictable with other geldings (he always loved mares, though!).  Gaited horse are popular in Georgia, but I had never owned a gaited horse before and was not the best rider on them.  However, Nick and I managed well enough.  The one thing I always regretted was not taking a few lessons with someone who specialized in gaited horses - I think Nick and I could have done even better together if I had done so.

I was still caring for my old horse Bugs when I first got Nick, so I had to board him rather than have him on our property because I did not want him to bully Bugs, who was a rather submissive horse.  When Bugs passed away I was able to bring him to our place in Georgia, where he kept my little donkey Daisy company until she passed away.  I moved Nick out to New Mexico with me when we bought our house here, and I did intend to ride him here but the pandemic intervened and then I started to have joint issues so we never got to trail ride here.  I also wanted to get him a companion, either a donkey or another horse, but again the pandemic interfered with those plans, so once again he ended up being an only horse.  There were other horses in the neighborhood that he could hear and sometimes see and he did not seem to mind being alone, but I do wish I could have gotten him a companion.  He seemed to be doing fine here, but I sometimes wonder if he had some digestive issues all along, because he did have some problems adjusting to the hay available here in New Mexico, which was very different from the hay grown in the southeast.  Otherwise he was perfectly healthy, - he had only ever colicked once before the whole time I owned him, and that was only because he was slightly dehydrated.  Even the vet was surprised when Nick developed such a serious colic, and despite everything we tried, including surgery, we could not save my poor boy.

I was lucky to have Nick for fifteen years, and I hope he had a good life with me.  I doubt that I will ever have another riding horse, as my joints have reached the point where I can no longer ride comfortably, but I will always have fond memories of the times I got to trail ride with my wonderful Nick.  Even now I still can't quite believe he is gone, and I miss my sweet boy every day.

Nick in his barn in New Mexico.

Foodie Fridays: Pumpkin Lasagna

I finally have a new recipe to share, and it is incredibly delicious!  Before my dog Ruby got sick with pancreatitis, I always put canned pumpkin in her food at every meal.  Pancreatitis causes a marked loss of appetite, so I stopped adding the pumpkin in her food to make it more tempting for her.  As a result, I had eight cans of pumpkin purée just languishing in the pantry!  I have been looking for recipes that call for canned pumpkin but are not for baked goods.  I have already made pumpkin soup, but the recipe I found for Pumpkin Lasagna is so much tastier than mere soup.  The only change I made was to add some turkey sausage crumbles which I happened to have left over.  This is totally optional, but I think it really enhances the flavor as the sausage seasonings complement the pumpkin sauce so well.  If you too have an excess of canned pumpkin in your pantry (or even if you don't), you should give this recipe a try!

Pumpkin Lasagna

1 T. olive oil
1/2 lb. sliced fresh mushrooms
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/2 C. Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausage Crumbles (optional)
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin purée
1/2 cup half 'n half
1 tsp. dried sage
1/4 tsp. salt
9 no-cook lasagna noodles
1 C. reduced-fat ricotta cheese
1 C. shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
3/4 C. shredded Parmesan cheese

Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat.  Sauté the mushrooms and onion until tender.  Add the sausage and heat through; set aside.  In a small bowl, combine the pumpkin, cream, sage, and salt.

Spread 1/2 C. pumpkin sauce in a greased 11x7-inch baking dish.  Top with 3 noodles.  Spread 1/2 C. pumpkin sauce to edges of noodles.  Top with half of mushroom mixture, 1/2 cup ricotta, 1/2 cup mozzarella, and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.  Repeat layers.  Top with remaining noodles and sauce.  Cover with foil.

Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.  Uncover and top with remaining Parmesan cheese.  Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.  Serves 6.

Note: Cover unbaked lasagna to freeze. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 375°. Bake as directed, increasing time as necessary to heat through and for a thermometer inserted in center to read 165°.

On the Homefront: Nick (2000-2022)

Sad news on the homefront today - my wonderful horse Nick passed away very early yesterday morning.  He began colicking on Tuesday and I had the vet out, but Nick was still not well by the next morning so he was taken to the vet hospital.  They treated him and monitored him closely, but he took a turn for the worse late Wednesday night.  He was rushed into emergency surgery but he did not survive.  I will post a better memorial to Nick in a few days, but I am still a bit stunned by his sudden passing as he had been doing quite well with no obvious signs of poor health.  I will miss my beloved boy so much.

Terrifying Tuesdays: Sunless Solstice: Strange Christmas Tales for the Longest Nights

It has been quite a while since I have done a Terrifying Tuesday post, but I am one of those people who loves that old tradition of telling ghost stories around a roaring fire during the winter holiday season, and the book I am currently reading is perfect for evoking a supernatural chill on a long December evening.  Sunless Solstice: Strange Christmas Tales for the Longest Nights is an anthology edited by Lucy Evans and Tanya Kirk for the British Library Tales of the Weird series.  This collection features twelve stories set during the shortest days of the year, written by authors both well-known and obscure and originally published from 1893 to 1974.  Some are gentle tales while others are sinister, but each one sets just the right tone for a satisfying ghost story during this cold and dark time of the year.  If you too love a good ghost story I highly recommend checking out this book as well as others in the series - I think you will find them quite enjoyable in a spooky sort of way!