cody bear's friends


fresh on friday. fresh veg, that is.
April 25, 2009, 6:02 am
Filed under: cooking, dogs, friends, vegetables, vegetarian | Tags: , , , , , , ,

friday.

it ended with c, l and myself dining al fresco in my back yard while cody bear ran around and pickles trimmed the grass.

basilall pickles had the energy to do was snack on grass tonight. she had dog day care today and is wiped out.  (however…if i were to pick up the leash right now…she would suddenly be rejuvenated)

tonight i made a salad consisting of fresh basil, fresh mozzarella, spring mix, mini tomatoes, cucumber chunks and balsamic dressing.  i also made tortellinis with sauteed green onion and zucchini in a basil and garlic tomato sauce with fresh oregano.  and i got a great crusty bread, too.

onions

it was the first time c and l came over for dinner.  their table manners were very good and they are fun to chat with.  next time they come i might grill something.

it was a perfect night.

tomorrow i’m meeting friends for breakfast, going hiking then cooking for dancingbee, buzzy and buzzy’s dad!  how fun is that?  fun, very, very fun.



recipes for the cilantro lovers!
March 14, 2009, 9:01 pm
Filed under: cooking, food, vegan, vegetarian | Tags: , , , , , , ,

buzzy is here so we can get some work done…but i’m forcing her to eat my leftovers from last night, blogging the recipes THEN i will work on the antiques project.

one has to have priorities.

first of all, i’m so glad that some of you wanted my recipes!  thanks a bunch. so here goes, from the kitchen of goodbear:

ingredientsgoodbear’s not-bad-for-a-gringa salsa:

1 fresh jalapeno pepper – chopped

1 fresh anaheim chili pepper – diced

3 medium fresh tomatoes – diced (i like mine chunky)

3 cloves fresh garlic(i sometimes use more!)

1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro

1/4 cup fresh chopped green onion – green and white parts

1 can stewed tomatoes – dice the chunks

2 tbsp. diced green chilis

salt & pepper to taste

i like my salsa hot and chunky!  the night before serving, chop, slice and dice the peppers, garlic, onion and tomatoes.  mix em up.  take your stewed tomatoes, but before adding them to the mix, slice the tomato to your preferred chunkiness.  add all remaining ingredients EXCEPT the cilantro.

over night the flavors will blend and the salsa becomes a little hotter.  right before serving add the fresh chopped cilantro.  you can add it the night before, too, but since we have so many cilantro lovers here at cody bear’s friends….it stands out more if you add it right before serving.

serves 2 – 15 people, depending on how hungry they are and how tasty the other dishes are!

goodbear’s damn-i-need-a-side-dish easy corn salad:

2 cans whole kernel corn – rinsed well & drained

1 can black beans – rinsed well & drained

1 medium red onion – chopped

1/2 red wine vinagrette dressing

1-2 tsp ground cumin

1/2-3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

salt & pepper to taste

prepare the night before serving. in medium mixing bowl mix red wine vinagrette dressing and cumin.  next add chopped onion, corn and beans.  stir ingredients.  and just a little salt & pepper.  again, i like adding the cilantro the next day.  also, depending on what brand of dressing you use, you may want to add a couple extra tbsp.s of olive oil.

this dish takes about 5-10 minutes to prepare.  i have no idea how many folks it serves.

here is buzzy, enjoying her leftovers and working diligently on her defense:

working

thanks for stopping by!



we work….then we party. got that?
March 13, 2009, 4:04 pm
Filed under: food, work | Tags: , , , ,

we’re grilling at the office today to celebrate the birth of my boss.  he’s very excited. (not really.  not at all)

m and i are in charge of the vegetarian options.  here are my two entries:  chips and salsa and a sw corn salady type concoction.

salsa

cornso fresh and yummy!

let me know if you want either recipe.  they’re really good and the salad is super easy.



tonight…on “cooking with goodbear”
February 24, 2009, 5:27 am
Filed under: animals, cooking, dogs, food, friends, garlic, life, pets | Tags: , , , , , , ,

it all started because i needed to grill some sirloin burgers for cody bear’s class tomorrow.  soon it was the gang grillin’ at a friend’s house. i already had the dog’s beef, so i went and got the remaining grillers and a garden burger for me.

we start with the veggie marinade.  the most important ingredient? ajo rojo – a hot and sweet creole hardneck garlic straight from my friend’s organic farm!

bbqgarlic

ajo rojo

got the sauce ready while the baby reds bubbled:

bbqtaters1so, i got everything ready for grilling then drove over.  i baked the taters in the oven in their garlic balsamic sauce, then we grilled veggie kabobs of sweet bell pepper, red onion and mushrooms, as well as grilling asparagus in a packet aluminum foil.  and of course the burgers.  3 for people, one for pickles, 2 for cody bear.  and a garden burger for me.

i’m not going to tell you that i LOVE garden burgers.  they’re not delicious.  but the veggies were yummy!   one of the guys was in charge of the burger flipping.

bbqkabobs2

bbqtatersnow, here’s the final product, my veggies and garden burger in the foreground, pickles’ sirloin paddy in the back.

bbqplatesagain, all this just because i needed to make some sirloin burgers for my cody bear.  and he couldn’t even go because my friends’ neighbors’ dogs stress him out so badly!

bbqpicklespickles – “thanks for the beef.  give me some more.  please?”

all this after work, after the vet and before a long night of site updating which i’m about to start…..NOW!

night night!



my big night out…with dumplings!
February 4, 2009, 5:46 am
Filed under: beer, food, vegetarian | Tags: , , , , , , ,

and so i hopped on my kombi lux 2-piece bike and headed to yoshi’s!

plastic-foodahhh. the plastic food samples.  no worries.  i already know what i want!  veggie gyoza bento with takikomi rice.  they have the best salad there!

but…but…but…

japanese-beersit’s a school night!

SO WHAT!  asahi, please and thank you.

masters-of-the-universethe place has hundreds and hundreds of toys all over the place.  hanging form the ceiling, mounted on the walls.

toysand the gift shop has scads of lucky cat maneki-neko statues.  i want one so badly!  if you’re ever my secret santa…get me the japanese cat with the raised paw!

how was the food, you ask?  flippin’ yum yum, that’s how it was!  and low cholesterol, mates!

the beers were huge, so it was a wobbly bike trek home.

atmosphere – excellent.  food – excellent. transportation – excellent.  christmas gift hinting opportunity – excellent!



the interview that didn’t make cnn.com’s front page
January 30, 2009, 11:35 pm
Filed under: bike, cooking, friends | Tags: , , , , , ,

my friend lavenderbay was interviewed on her blog, and, in turn, asked if any of her friends wanted to be interviewed.  and being as i’m not in a super creative place this week, i was up for it.

so here goes, the interview barbara and oprah WISH they had gotten their paws on:

1.      You volunteer at a wildlife refuge. Briefly, what has been one of your more memorable experiences there?

the answer to this one is not for people with an overly delicate constitution.  it happened about 10 years ago in a different city at the first wildlife rehab center i volunteered at.  being wild animals, our raptors  ate actual whole chickens, not boneless, skinless breasts.  feathers and all.  we would purchase hundreds of them, keep them in freezers, chop them into chunks with an axe before each feeding shift.

every now and then someone would donate living ones to us, and some of the tougher, more circle-of-life-ish workers would break the chickens necks rapidly, then put them in the freezer.  so one saturday a group of volunteers ended the lives of 10 donated hens.  sunday morning, when the feeding crew arrived to start prepping food, l. opened the freezer and a chicken jumped out at her.  you see, she hadn’t died.  she had passed out.  she went home as a pet that day, and lived a very happy and privileged life for years.

2.      Many of your blogfriends would love to invite you over for supper. Please help them out by supplying one of your favourite vegan recipes.

well, first i would let them know that i’m allergic to carrots, mango, oranges, canteloupe.  i love mediterranean food, so i would say something baba ghanouj-y or hummis-ish would be nice.  but also, i love thai food, indian food, all that spicy stuff.  many of my friends are vegetarians, or vegetarian friendly.  i guess i would probably do my spicy pan fried noodle sauce recipe suggestion:  1/4 c. soy sauce, 1/8 c. sesame oil, 1 tbs olive oil, 1 tbs corn starch, 2 tbs chili garlic sauce.  goes good with rice, or double pan fried noodles and some fresh veggies!

3.      Do you find that blogging has made a positive difference in your life? If so, how?

yes!  i love to laugh, and through blogging i get tons more chuckles per day.  james/dennis leaves the funniest comments on my posts.  and even though checkers hasn’t been blogging in a while, some of his pictures and posts still crack me up when they come to mind.  there are so many great blogs that make me laugh, and the comments people leave are sometimes quite genius.

i think i’m less crabby, too.  i’ve blog-met some really cool people that try to cheer me up if i’m worried, and they’re always checking in to see how cody bear is feeling.  plus, my other blog makes me practice my photography more, which is great.

4.      You own a bicycle. What do you use it for? Have you ever made a long-distance bike trip? What do you like about the model you own?

i have two bikes! an old 2 speed kombi lux from norway, and a trek multi-track 720 that really needs a tune up.  i used the kombi to get groceries.  it has a basket on the front that i’m pretty sure was made specifically for a baguette, daisies and a bottle of wine.  i also like to ride around the neighborhood in it.  it’s such a goofy little thing and people love it!  plus, it is really good for my posture.  i use the trek for longer distance rides, or recreational riding with friends.  i haven’t ridden much since i got the puppy since you kind-a sort-a have to be more available for a puppy’s…bladder, if you get me.

i’ve never done long bike adventures, and doubt i will. i need to really get back into riding every day…



ending the day with a game of toss the squeaky lamb…
January 6, 2009, 5:13 am
Filed under: animals, cooking, dogs, food, organic, pets | Tags: , , , , , , , ,

tired from my first day back at work but i did want to throw a post up before bed. 

so, busy at work….busy  busy.  came home for lunch and found a much cheerier cody bear.   he definitely was miserable on his prednizone.  after work i grabbed the dogs and took them to the park as soon as i got home.   we walked aroouunnnd the zoo.  they were trippin!  oh the smells, the smells.

then i made myself a tasty meal of…

collards

and…

quinoa1

sauteed collard greens and quinoa.  and ya know…it was yummy!

time to play with the puppy, then…good night.  

pups-and-bed



you have a little something….ok, you got it….
January 4, 2009, 12:54 am
Filed under: food | Tags: , , , , ,

this…..

toothpick

is simply the coolest toothpick dispenser ever!  you push the bird down, a pick rolls out and the bird stands back up with the pick in his beak.  i didn’t partake.

it is at the cash register at one of the local ethiopian restaurants.  the food is excellent there, but if you want wine or beer, you have to bring your own.  tasty vegetarian dishes!



hey! you gonna plant that?
December 30, 2008, 6:07 am
Filed under: cooking, food, garlic | Tags: , , , , , , ,

garlic-1

i really should have planted these guys weeks ago!

garlic-2

now that we’ve gotten our cheeky garlic shots out of the way, i have to give you some sad news:

most of my succulents have died from the terribly cold weather!  and you KNOW how much i love those guys!

i…i…i think i’ll be o.k.



simply to make my sister a tiny bit jealous.
December 27, 2008, 6:27 am
Filed under: animals, dogs, food, garlic, life, pets, photography | Tags: , , , , , , , ,

hello dear.

you missed mom’s traditional christmas salsa.

salsa

and i made the traditional christmas guacamole.

guac

both were delicious.

and you missed the annual christmas cuteness. even cuter this year with the additon of a border collie puppy.

xmas-dogs

aw!  look at the happiness after a round of dog play.

you also missed cozying up around the high tech yule log. bummer!

xmas-fire

love you big sis and big brother in law!