Winter weather, summer food

It's been cool and rainy here, kind of a drag. While the rest of the country is lighting BBQ's and donning sundresses, we're biding our time in raincoats until summer arrives...which means straight-up fog and wind for three months. Oh, joy.

Sometimes you just have to live in a bit of denial. Like last night, I opted for a summery dinner, in spite of the grey skies and the fact that we were both walking around in sweaters. Scallops over a quick saute of zucchini, corn, and tomatoes, a combination of vegetables that to me says nothing but summertime.

I've accepted the fact that I will never cook scallops to look good--check out the photo--one is like the cool suntanned friend next to the three pale duds trying desperately to get some color. Oh well. I have to say they tasted fabulous. I cooked them in a cast iron skillet over high heat, three minutes a side. That's just right for our taste, which runs toward the slightly rare. Plus, overcooked scallops are just a waste of money, and these little things were not cheap.

I love how scallops, more than some other foods (though not as much as oysters), smell just like the sea. Sophie, who has shown remarkable restraint in the kitchen, turned into a bit of a hound dog, her nose going wild, as soon as I pulled them out of the fridge. I am positive had I looked away they would have slid quickly--raw, one after the other, absolutely whole--down her gullet. Good thing I was on to her. I'm not new to this labrador thing, you know, and what they will do for food. We're kindred spirits in this regard.

In any case, it was a badly-needed glimmer of summer--no substitute for actual sunshine and warmth, of course, but I'll take what I can get.

Adventures with Sophie

Since losing our beloved Frances a few months back, the house just hasn't felt right. Although we eventually were able to enjoy some of our newfound freedom (that we would have traded in a heartbeat to have our girl back), and of course were able to take a guilt-free trip to Europe, we were both anxious to bring a new pup into our lives.

Enter: Sophie.

The husband encountered her out on a walk with her foster mom on Stanford's campus last week. She was wearing a cheery little vest that said, "Adopt me!" So, we did.

We know a little about her. The basics, of course: yellow lab, two years old. From Idaho. Has had a litter of puppies. She is remarkably well-trained, so must have had a caring owner at some point. She's absolutely gorgeous, with a cream-colored coat and "toasted" face and tip of her tail.

The rest we have learned in the few days we have had her: she is incredibly affectionate and friendly; good with people (including children), other dogs, and cats. She does not bark at the doorbell or howl at sirens (yet). She makes happy clucking noises when you get her leash or put out her kibble. When you pull on socks, she associates it with going for a walk, and she nibbles your big toe, gently, for about two seconds.

We have been having the best time with her, which partly explains my lack of posts for the last week. And I suspect she'll be making more than than a few appearances in this blog; while we're actually feeding her dog food (in contrast with Frannie's daily hamburger and weekend roast chicken), I anticipate some food adventures with her.

So, everyone: meet Sophie, our new hungry dog.

Brown butter raspberry tart

While I'd argue that the best things about blogging are 1) being creative and 2) the free cookbooks you get for review, following closely at third is giving the world a glimpse of your perspective on food and life. And, in turn, getting a snapshot of other people's angle.

When I first started The Hungry Dog, it wasn't intended to be about food. However, it quickly became apparent that I had nothing else to talk about. At the time, I didn't read food blogs, but once I got sucked in, I began reading a lot of them. Too many, in fact, and I got overloaded. Now I just read a handful that I really like. Some I read because they have beautiful photography, or great recipes. Some are friends of mine. Most I read because I like the voice behind the blog. Perhaps because my background is as a writer and not a cook, this seems to be the most compelling reason to pluck one blog from the millions.

One of my favorites is Cook, a oui chef journal. I like the look of Connie's site, which is elegant and more artful than mine. As a trained chef, she often has useful professional advice (like how to go about choosing knives). And, I think she strikes a nice balance between writing about food in a general sense and giving a peek into her specific world.

When I saw that she made this gorgeous brown butter rhubarb tart last month, I put it immediately on my to-make list. But by the time I got around to it, I had raspberries on hand, so I decided to go with the original recipe, which is from Bon Appetit.

This is a lovely tart, extremely simple, and worth making while either berries or rhubarb are in season. It's truly not difficult: even the crust you just press into the pan. For those of you who are as crust-impaired as I am, this is a dream come true. And for something so easy, it looks more than a little bit impressive.