Ingredients:
Bread
1/2 cup water (70-80 degrees F)
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 egg
3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk powder
4-1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon ranch salad dressing mix (optional)
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
3 cups bread flour
2-1/4 teaspoons yeast
Egg Wash
1 egg
2 tablespoons water
Poppyseeds or seasame seeds (optional)

Directions:

1. Mix first 10 ingredients until kneaded well. Set in warm place, covered with damp towel, to rise until doubled (about 45 minutes). Punch down, rise again until doubled.

2. Punch down, cut into 6 pieces and shape into round balls. Place on parchment-covered baking sheets, cover with damp towel and rise until doubled.

3. Whisk together egg and water. Brush over buns; sprinkle with seeds if desired. Bake at 400 degrees F for 8-12 minutes, or until lightly browned.

So..

Three years ago today, my baby Chloe was born:

I didn’t know then how much she would change my life. Going through these photos it makes me cry thinking about what a sweet dog she is, and how much I love her.

She still loves to eat.

She still loves her stuffies.

She still isn’t sure about cats.

But she doesn’t chew anymore (much).

She is still cute as can be, although the pink is almost all gone from her nose.

And when she looks at me with those eyes, I still melt.

I met her when she was 7 weeks, and I had already picked her out from the breeder but meeting her, I knew I’d picked the right one. We were a match.

Two years ago today, I met M. But, let’s just look at Chloe again:

One year ago today was the last time I saw my father. More to come in a separate post. But here’s some more pictures of Chloe.

Our life is simple, but we love it.

I wouldn’t be the same without my Chloe. Happy birthday to the best dog ever.

So.. yesterday I decided on a whim to rearrange my bedroom. I have two dressers (one tall and one short but longer), my bed (duh!) and a chaise sofa in my room. And I wanted to fit the treadmill there, too (currently in the office but it’s a tight sqeeze and I don’t like it there).

I moved the tall dresser into the closet, where it actually fits well. I moved the short dresser to the wall where the tall dresser was. The chaise I moved, but then moved back. It’s a tighter fit with the longer dresser, but it works.

Wow. I need to interrupt myself. This post really sucks without photos. Sorry.

Anyway, I really love how when you rearrange furniture it’s almost like you moved into a new place. I even changed what goes in which drawers. Now it’s all new and shiny (ok, not shiny, but I dusted!).

The only problem is the treadmill I mentioned up there. See, I live in a two-story house. And my bedroom is on the second floor. And the treadmill is quite heavy.

Somehow, in my crazy “I really want to rearrange the house” mood, I thought I could move that thing upstairs by myself. I moved it out of the office (yay!), through the living room (ok so that’s what, 10 feet, but whatever, accomplished!) and to the stairs. And then that’s it. I couldn’t get it up the stairs because really, it’s a 2-person job. So guess what. The treadmill is now in the hall. I need help.

But! If I can get someone to come help me, it’ll all be good. Any takers? I’ll give you treats!

So.. last week at the market I decided to pick up some asparagus and try them out. I’ve only eaten them once, and honestly I didn’t really like them. But, I’ve started liking things I used to hate recently, so thought I’d give it a try. I have two recipes in mind to use these weird little veggies on, and I did the first today.

Asparagus Fried Rice

I love making Asian food. I do all kinds of stir fry variations, eggrolls, wontons, pan-fried noodles, and everything from orange chicken, beef and brocolli and everything in between. So using asparagus here seemed like a good idea.

Fried rice is really easy to make, and pretty versatile. I used brocolli, peas, carrots and corn. It was fast to make and tasty! I served it with general tso chicken I made and it was a delicious meal. The asparagus was actually pretty good, with a nice crunch. I am looking forward to trying the next recipe this week!

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked white rice
1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
3 eggs, lightly beaten
8 asparagus spears, chopped into 1″ pieces
4 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon cooking oil
3-4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 cups well-salted water (for blanching)

Directions:

1. Heat 1 teaspoon of cooking oil in a small skillet over medium high heat. Add the beaten eggs and cook until light, fluffy, and no longer moist. Set aside. In the meantime, boil the salted water for the asparagus. When the water is at a rolling boil, add the asparagus and blanch for about 1 minute at the most. Drain and put the asparagus in a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside.

2. In a larger skillet, heat the remaining oil and add the garlic. Heat until fragrant and add the rice and frozen veggies. Cook until the veggies are thawed and the rice no longer clumps together. Add the fried egg and soy sauce and mix together well, followed by the asparagus. Finally, add the chopped green onion.

3. Garnish with extra chopped green onion and soy sauce, serve with your favorite protein or on its own, and enjoy!