Chef Big Dog and his Double Baked Potatoes

Greetings everyone!  The other day Miss Mary & Marcus were dreaming up a menu for a cold March day,which included baked potatoes. I exclaimed, "Come on let's zest it up!" So I cracked open my favorite cookbook and what did I find? Double Baked Potatoes!  Not too much work, and well worth the effort.

Just take your baked potatoes, cut them in half and scoop out like so.

Put the scoopings in a bowl and mash 'em!

Looks half mashed to me!

Big Dog to the rescue! Got to apply some serious muscle to properly mash potatoes.

Next, fry up some sausages to a deep golden brown.

Yup, these puppies pass inspection, and smell divine.....Yummmmmm!!!!

Now prepare the mushrooms and blue cheese to add to the ground-up sausage. Just mention blue cheese and those taste buds come alive!

 

Miss Mary places this stuffing mix (potato scoopings, sausage, and blue cheese) into the hollowed out potatoes. Requires the skill of a real culinary artist, way too delicate for big pawed Big Dog.

 

Here are the stuffed taters ready to go in the oven, hence the name "Double Baked Potatoes." What you don't chow down right away you can freeze and heat up for a future dinner party. And I might add they were indeed scrumpcious!  Check back soon for more adventures.         Love & Hugs, BIG DOG.

Snow Removal: Big Dog Supervises

Hey Snow Lovers!  Yours truly, Big Dog, sporting my special blue snowcap, will supervise my pal Marcus in his snow removal activities.                                                     

 Let's go fetch the big red snow machine....right this way!

 This little shed is the home of the big red snow machine, and by the way, my favorite hideaway.

 I have inspected this machine, and it's ready to go!

 Come on , Marcus, fire this baby up!

 Hey Big Dog, how am I doing?

 Check out these moves!

Hey Marcus, don't remove that mailbox!

 Hug that corner......Brruuummmmmm!!!

 "Excuse me, Big Dog", says my pal Marcus. "Can we have a milk and cookie break?

Oops!  That was a long break. Glad Marcus can see in the twilight. Night falls early here during the Maine winter.  More very soon, Peace & Love & Hugs  BIG DOG!!

Laundry Day

As you may or may know I live in a swell house in Maine with my pal Marcus, the singer guy, and Miss Mary, the artist girl. Since they are people they have to wear clothes, and then they wash them once a week.  Yikes!  On top of that Miss Mary likes to hang them outside to dry as she is very green, thrifty, and also likes that fresh Maine breeze smell in the clothes. When Miss Mary is not around Marcus puts them in the electric dryer. Don't tell Miss Mary!

The other day I caught her in action. Hmmmm... those sheets are going to smell nice. I admire those who like nice smells. I live to smell!

It is important to balance the sheets just so.

Wooden gadgets called "clothes pins" hold the sheets on the "clothes line"

The clothes line starts to fill on this bright January day.

Moderate stretching is required to handle these sheets. Yet another benefit of "hanging out the clothes."

Looks like fun too!

Fine looking laundry catching the brisk winter breeze.

The sharp winter sun  illuminates the plaid of Miss Mary's homemade napkins. I will be writing more very soon on the habits of these funny people I live with up here in Maine.    Love & Hugs, Big Dog

My First Kringle

My best pal Marcus (above) recently performed a holiday show at a local preschool, and they sent him home with a large flat bag from a bakery in Wisconsin. "One of the parents brought some in" said the director. "Very cool!" says he and stashed it in his jingle bell bag. Back at home what did we discover in the large flat bag? A kringle! I thought Kringle was the last name of Kris, a good friend of Santa Claus. Well, a kringle is a pastry from Denmark, it's a round affair with a fruit filling sprinkled with that chunky bakery sugar. See above. You've heard of a "Danish" . Well these Danes make a kringle too, and it's some serious pastry.

This particular kringle comes from Bendtsen's Bakery in Racine, Wisconsin which has a large Danish community. Wow, fresh pastry from the midwest - all the way to our back porch in Maine. Mmmmm....even smells good. Can't wait for lunch to be over so I can try some!

Come on Marcus, don't just stand there staring at it!  That guy sure gets dreamy sometime! 

Here's the wrapping for the "authentic" kringle, hand made with all natural ingredients by the Bendsten family, originally from Odense, Denmark. Since 1934 the bakery in Racine Wisconsin ("Kringle Capital of America") has been using the original recipe from the old country.

And it was tasty... Marcus and I ate about half of it in ten minutes!  What a nice surprise holiday gift!

Merry Kringles everyone!!  

Love and Hugs from Big Dog

North Berwick Tree Lighting

In North Berwick, Maine, the Saturday after Thanksgiving means lighting the town Christmas tree

on the town green, known as the Mill Field. A pair of local horses are kind enough to pull a wagon

giving rides to happy children and parents.

All bundled up on this brisk November afternoon. One of these children seems to be a lot bigger!

  

Yup, there it is , the official town tree. Students from the Primary School made the decorations.

 

Seacoast Christian School bell choir. Making heavenly music and having fun too!

Now that's a well decorated gazebo!

                                                                                

                                                         Blue skies and late fall breezes.   

It's always good to see Mrs. Claus again. This year she is sitting in for Santa, who was way behind on the

toy making and couldn't attend the festivities.

Mrs Claus, ready with the candy canes and waiting to greet the children.

                                                                                

Mail for Santa at the North Pole can be deposited here for overnight express delivery.

Brother and sister are very happy.

Hmmmm..... now what do I REALLY want for Christmas?

Another happy brother/sister team receives their candy canes.

Light is fading as the church choir sings.

 Marcus Gale takes the stage with some cheery tunes.

 

Town folk gather round. Soon we'll break out the jingle bells.

The tree is LIT!!

 

Night falls on North Berwick Maine as the holiday season begins.

Halloween Happenings

North Berwick, Maine, my home town, held its first Halloween Howler put on by lots of great local volunteers and the Rec. Dept down on the Town Green.

One beautiful little bumblebee.

Very pretty in pink.

A princess comes to town.

Snap... Crackle

POP!

A royal greeting.

Queen for a day.