Another thing I love (and of course there's a recipe as well)
So far, I've shared with you a story, and a recipe along with a rant on why I love potatoes. I thought I'd share something else with you guys, that I'm very passionate about. They pretty much rule our entire house, except the kitchen. They have four legs and a furry tail, and yet, they are my kiddos.
You see, this weekend, despite my man being stationed on base (he's in the military), meaning that I had to fly solo, I took our four dogs, and one of my Mum's as well, off for a weekend of dog agility trials and camping.
This is what it looked like when we were on one of our many walks, through a mass of almost 600 participants.
I still don't get why people hurried to get out of my way when they saw me coming...
Anyway, here they are. Our pack:
Liam, AKA Lou, or Jackass (that's when he's getting on my nerves), is a Czechoslovakian wolfdog, with entirely too much time and creativity on his hands. He doesn't compete, and is mostly along for the ride, and to steal food from unsuspecting humans whenever he gets half a chance:
Henna, AKA Hen, Penny, or Freckles, is a border collie. She has been my little rocket for quite a few years, but she was forced to retire halfway through the season, due to a chronic Achilles tendon injury. She hates not being allowed to run anymore, and I hate that I can't allow her to anymore. She has always loved to work, and I have always loved to work with her. We understood each other. Just like that. We still do, actually. She's slowly hitting a respectable age, but is nowhere near ready to admit that to herself:
Lucie, AKA Luce, Luziepuzie, or Zeezee, is the black sheep of our little family. She's a rescue, who came to us two years ago at the age of three, with no education, no training, and woefully out of shape. Which is awful for a Border Collie with lots of drive and will to please. Together we ditched a ton of extra weight, and another ton of matted fur that was stuck to her belly and, well, every other place imaginable. And together, we became a team, she and I. It's a work in progress, but I'm so proud of how far she's already come. And isn't she cute crossing her little paws like that in the middle of a jump?
And last but not least, the baby of the family. Miss Qhaithlynn, AKA Kate, or Sprite, or Skinny (if she's being naughty). Kate is a Tervueren Shepherd. She's hard at work training to compete in dog agility with my significant other, and she's already competing at shows. All she does there is stand, look pretty, and charm the judges. But she does it so well...
And then, our honorary pack member, and Kate's half sister, Cayenne. She lives with my Mum, but competes as a team with my man, D. As he was not there this weekend, she and I formed an inpromtu team, and we did OK. At least she learned, over the course of the weekend, that my arm is not a chew toy for her to grab after finishing a run. :-)
So, these were my companions for the weekend, and as it was one of the last trial weekends of the season, I was determined to make the most of it. We had lovely, sunny weather warming up lovely green fields to camp, walk and compete in....
And I had some lovely neighbours to talk to, and to share bubbly with.
When camping turns to glamping...
...you may not make it to bed quite as early as planned.
So when, on Sunday, I opened my eyes to a slightly pounding head, and droopy eyes from lack of sleep, I needed a refreshing, high protein breakfast that could rid me of my morning blues. Food often succeeds in making me feel better, and it worked this time, too. This is what I treated myself to: Tuna salad on apple and cucumber "toast," that tickled my palate in a most lovely way.
And it was so easy I didn't even need a dose of caffeine to be able to prepare it! All you do is toss some canned tuna into a bowl (make sure it has so soy, sugar, or any of the other junk the factories try to sneak into the food we buy), add some mayo (making it fresh is the easiest thing ever!), and some mashed avocado. Mix everything together, and spread it over slices of apple and cucumber.
When you serve it to people, I'd advise removing the core from the apple. When I make this, I usually don't take the time to remove the core, I just pick out the seeds, and eat the core. More fibre, right?
It works really well as a packed lunch, too. In that case, I prefer to pack the slices and the tuna salad separately, and combine them at the last moment.
This has only just entered my menu rotation after I was inspired by an Instagram photo, and it's already a huge favourite of mine. If you decide to try this as well, please let me know what you think, or how you modified it. I'm always on the lookout for great ideas. ;-)
Bye for now, and bon appetit!
Nom nom nom! What oil do you use for your mayo? Olive?
And what a gorgeous group of animals. They are all adorable.
Thanks. :-) I think they're pretty cute too. Liam tends to scare people of and it's such a shame because he loves cuddles. Kids usually love him though.
For my mayo I use an extra light tasting olive oil. I tried avocado oil once but didn't like the flavour it gave to the mayo. The rest of my mayo recipe varies on what I want to use it for. White balsamic fit your acidity gives a slightly sweet aftertaste, which is perfect for my German potato salad. For other things though, I mostly prefer lemon or lime juice. Other things I sometimes add for flavour variations are grated horseradish, some garlic, a fresh chili or some chipotle powder, or madras curry powder. ;-)