Pineapple corer

A friend from work has a contest every Christmas with another friend as to whom can send the worst Christmas presents. He thought that the pineapple corer-slicer was utter crap. He also knew that I love kitchen gadgets. So I got this beauty. 

The packaging says that it effortlessly cores and slices a full pineapple. You slice off the leafy crown of the fruit, position the cutting disc over it, and twist! Easy! 

Using slight pressure to push downward, turning, the cutter cuts the core and the flesh comes out in rings, with all the juice is retained in the fruit as I pulled it out.  Pop off the black handle, and the rings slide off. 

It works beautifully! And the pineapple is delicious!! 

Walk in a Winter Wonderland

I took Stirling and Angus for a walk in Dumbarton Park Woods-- where we walk during the summer a lot because of the access to water.

I was not the only person to have the idea of taking a stroll through the woods: the path was so trodden that is was more ice than snow. 

Stirling had no issue walking on the ice; Angus wasn't so thrilled. After days of quick walks around the block, these pups were in need of a nice long walk.

The sun shining made it quite pleasant. I got warm enough to loosen my scarf, take off my hat, and pull off my gloves. 

Stirling, however, got considerably warmer and decided to cool down by going into the stream.

I guess having a black fur coat that keeps heat in is a disadvantage when the sun is strong no matter what the season.  As we walked home, the water dropped off her legs and started forming icicles. She didn't mind one bit.  I know this cuz she went in again! 

A Non-Traditional Super Bowl Meal

For Super Bowl, instead of the usual pigs in the blanket or dips, I decided to make a new dish: Korean BBQ ribs and Thai slaw. 

Baby back ribs cut into manageable pieces and put into a crock pot.

A sauce of cilantro, fresh ginger, garlic, onions, red peppers, pepper flakes, and vegetable oil. 

The ribs are put in the crock pot. 

And the sauce poured over, covered,

And left to cook for 6-7 hours. 

After six hours, the sauce is simmered with corn starch to thickened and them poured over the ribs to broil for 12

Minutes. 

Quickly make the salad.

And then: dinner time!  

The ribs were a perfect mix of sweet and tangy. The Thai salad is spicy and hot. It was delicious and much more interesting than the game. 

Groundhog's Day

It is about 60F/14 C today with blue skies and sun. Tomorrow: another 2-4 inches of snow is predicted. I guess the groundhog did see his shadow today and we will have six more weeks of winter.

In the meantime, we decided to take advantage of the warmer weather and take Stirling for a nice, long walk in the woods.

We went to the usual watering hole along the Archibald trail to discover that it was frozen over. 

Stirling walked into the ice as if it was no big deal. It gave us courage to try as well.

We continued along the muddy path and found another part of the creek frozen over that was a nice 

runway for Stirling. 

Will stood at one end and me at the other, and Stirling running and slipping between us.