Happy 9th birthday, beautiful.  Enjoy the day!

   I made these dog biscuits for Pipi, piercing the little rounds with a chop stick, thinking they would look like a button.  Instead, I only see a pig's snout (or maybe, a Frenchie's?).  Oh well, the important thing is she seems to love them.

  Pipi was out of her store-bought biscuits, which she expects me to  place in her mouth several times throughout the day.  When a biscuit occasionally misses her mouth and falls to the floor, I get a disgusted look that clearly says, Hey, can we get this right?  Pick it up and try again!
  I was ready to make the pet-store-run to replenish her French Champagne tin, which holds her biscuits and sets on the floor next to her water dish, but had all of the ingredients (organic, of course) to make my own. 

  They actually go together very quickly and cost much less than what I usually pay.  Pipi highly recommends them.

                                     DOG BISCUITS

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 cup oatmeal
• 1/2 cup organic peanut butter
• 1 cup whole milk
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 organic egg

  Combine the flour, baking powder and oatmeal.  Stir in the peanut butter, then add the milk, egg and butter.  Knead the dough together.  Add more flour, if necessary, to get a soft dough that is no longer sticky.  Roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness on a lightly-floured surface and cut out with your dog's favorite cookie cutter.  Place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake in a preheated 375˚F oven for 20 minutes.  Cool on a baking rack when out of the oven. 

   PIPI just heard that Martha Stewart's Frenchies, Francesca and Sharkey, have their own blog called The Daily Wag! and she's feeling a little left out of the limelight.  So… tada!  this is your 15 minutes of fame Miss Pips. ENJOY.

What could be better than three Frenchies tearing around the house?  Possibly the Seared Halibut with White Beans and Basil Oil I made this past weekend.  We were joined by four friends (six, if you include French Bulldogs Tayto and Belle) Saturday night for dinner.  I spent the day making  Cream of Tomato Soup with Homemade Croutons and a Pear Tart Tatine, in addition to the halibut.

The halibut recipe is from John Sarich, culinary director of Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery in Woodinville, Washington.  The only change I made to this recipe was to substitute grape tomatoes, which I find much sweeter this time of year, for the Romas.  After cutting the tomatoes into a large dice, I let them drain in a colander to remove as much of the watery juices as possible.

               SEARED HALIBUT with WHITE BEANS and BASIL OIL
  John Sarich author of BEST OF TASTE: FLAVORS of the PACIFIC COAST

For the fish:
• 4  4-ounce halibut fillets
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, mashed
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Gris
1.  Mix the olive oil, garlic and salt and pepper and rub it over the fish.  In a hot sauté pan brown the fillets for about 2 minutes on one side.  Turn the fish over and lower the heat to simmer.  Add the wine and cover.  Cook until the fish flakes easily.  (NOTE:  I have never had success in browning the halibut, but I am always doubling the recipe and believe this overcrowding tends to steam the fish instead.  The results are still delicious!)

For the basil oil:
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• pinch of salt
1.  Combine ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  Remove and strain through a sieve.  This can be done one day before.

For the beans:
• 2  10-ounce cans white navy beans, drained and rinsed well.
• 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped Roma tomatoes (or grape tomatoes, chopped and well-drained)
• 6 green onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, mashed
• 1/8 cup each, chopped Italian parsley and basil
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 1 tablespoon chopped Kalamata olives
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
• pinch red pepper flakes
• 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup fresh spinach leaves
1.  Toss everything except the beans into a bowl and let marinate while you cook the fish.
2.  Put the tomato mixture in a saucepan over high heat and just bring to a boil.  Remove from the heat and add the beans.
3.  To serve, place a cup of the bean and tomato mixture in the center of a plate.  Place the fish on top and drizzle a little of the basil oil over the fish.
                                         Makes 4 servings                                                

CRAP!√&!%#! ...  Can I say that?  It's how I feel.  I'm not one to complain (much), but things haven't been going as planned.  As I mentioned yesterday, I slipped on the stair while carrying...

my sweet little girl Pipi.  At my visit yesterday with the Hand Specialist I found that the fractures are considerably worse than first thought.  I will be in this goofy and totally awkward splint for 8 (yes, eight !√&!%#!) weeks. 

In addition to my finger, my sweet little girl Pipi ate an entire chocolate orange plus the foil.  And, no, it was not a milk chocolate orange, the safer bet.  It was the dark chocolate orange which is ever so more toxic.  She had her stomach pumped, is taking Pepcid AC, and I had to monitor her heart rate the first night to make sure it didn't exceed 150 beats per minute.  And... during this emergency visit we discovered she has another corneal ulcer on her "good" eye. This past summer was spent seeing a canine ophthalmologist for six weeks to clear up the first corneal ulcer on what we now call the "bad" eye.  And, if things couldn't get any worse, I have a plasterer at my house creating a fine white dust that is finding its way everywhere.  But, I promise you, I will get back to doing what I want to be doing... baking!  What would Christmas be without cookies? I could, however, use a couple of good elves.

This is my ultimate obsession... my French Bulldog Pipi (yes, I know what her name means in French and it's quite appropriate).

My first encounter with a French Bulldog was ten years ago at the Hotel Saint-Germain in Paris.  Jules (Julius Augustus Caesar) was the resident Frenchie and he totally stole my heart.  I couldn't get down to the lobby fast enough in the mornings to see him again.

Three years later when I returned to visit Jules, he was joined at the hotel by his daughter Ogune.

              I would even see Frenchies used in window displays!

After that visit, I made it my mission to find a Frenchie of my very own.  And this is the little girl I found.  Pipi is now seven years old.  (In this photo she is modeling her coat designed and constructed by me).

Frenchies are becoming very popular in our neighborhood of St. Paul.  They are described as little clowns in a philosopher's robe.  Here Pipi is shown with house guests Tayto and Belle.

                            How can you not love a Frenchie?

Sometimes you just don't care if you look ridiculous.  When the temperature falls to minus 40 degrees with the wind chill and my French Bulldog Pipi needs to take care of business, she is not bothered by what she looks like or who sees her.  I have decided to stay indoors during this recent arctic blast and have become very creative with what I am finding in my refrigerator.  One thing that is helpful during our harsh Minnesota winters is to have fresh flowers in the house.  In addition to the bouquets of flowers I am always bringing home, I have amaryllis bulbs blooming.

I like white amaryllis against the strong orange walls of my sun room.

Last February it was warm enough in Paris for the florists to display their amaryllis outdoors on the sidewalk!  Not possible here in Minnesota.