Aussie’s, Artwork, and California Hippies

This evening the Aussies (Hunter, Ryder, and Yazzie) enjoyed running a jumpers course from the FRAT agility trial a few weeks ago.  Before dinner we decorated the agility field pavilion with Judy’s handmade paw print tiles and one kid print tile.  Mr. Rankine is on injured reserve due to a paw injury from metal landscape edging. As a reminder be sure to inspect your yards for sharp objects.

Tonight’s dinner theme was California Hippie. The more life seasoned dog coach trainers shared their 60′s memorabilia including hippie jeans; a tee-shirt signed by Crosby, Stills and Nash; and lots of photos capturing the era.

Diane's Hippie Jeans

Our menu included:

• Tortellini Salad with fresh carrots, celery, olives, yellow peppers, and a vinaigrette dressing
• Quinoa Black Bean Salad (recipe below)
• Sliders with a variety of toppings including BBQ, coleslaw, blue cheese, bacon, onions, lettuce, and tomato.
• Avacado, mango, chicken skewers (recipe below)
• Ambrosia salad
• Fresh baked rolls from Donna’s bakery – our favorite

Click for recipes

Recipes

Donna’s Dinner Rolls
To make Donna’s dinner rolls, place the following ingredients in a bread maker to mix, kneed, and 1st rise. Remove dough, form into rolls, let rise again for 30 minutes, and bake for 20 minutes at 350F.
1 1/2 cups water
2 tbsp butter
4 cups flour
1/4 cup dry milk
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp of yeast

Quinoa Black Bean Salad
1/3 cup quinoa
1 cup water
1 tsp olive oil
4 tsp fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
2 tbsp minced scallions
1 1/2 cup cooked black beans
2 cups diced tomatoes
1 cup diced bell peppers
2 tsp minced fresh green chiles
Salt and pepper to task

Rinse the quinoa well in a sieve under cool running water. In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil, add the quinoa, cover, and simmer on low heat, until all of the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Allow to cool 15 minutes. Add all other ingredients to the quinoa. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish with lemon or lime wedges. Recipe from Moosewood Resturant Low-Fat Favorites, Vegetable Kingdom, 1996.

Skewered Chicken with California Avocado
1 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 ripe California avocados
2 chicken breasts, skinned, boned, cooked and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 large mango, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 3/4 inch squares
1 12 oz pack age Mexican-style Manchego cheese, cut into 3/4 inch cubes

In a bowl, combine lime juice, cilantro and avocado cubes; set aside.  Thread each skewer alternately with cubes of avocado, chicken, mango, bell pepper and cheese.  Brush all sides with remaining lime cilantro mixture.  You can serve the skewers directly or in our case reheat after playing agility over a medium grill for 5-10 minutes.   This recipe was published in The Costco Way 2008 Edition – the recipe was provided by the California Avocado Commission.

Next week join us for Colorado grub.

pot-luck dinners