Spam sushi during the Equinox

The holidays were getting ever closer...

...leading to decadent cookie platters at work...

...Feve brunches made of duck and plum pancakes...

...and then a wonderful sushi pot-luck Equinox Party...

...with plenty of sushi, snacks...

...homemade miso soup...

...and juicy blood-sweet meat.

I brought some sushi to the party, which included a cucumber roll, a egg, avocado and cucumber roll...

...and a roll with pineapple and spam.

Mele kalikimaka, friends!

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The Two Maxes: a farewell to the hairy one

 Once upon a time, there was a great dog named Max...

 

...who liked to ride in cars...

...chase critters...

...and smile.

Eventually, a few years later...

...a second Max came into world...

...and the two of them became fast friends...

...as they relaxed together...

 ...enjoyed feeding times...

...hung out in the kitchen...

...and attempted verbal communication.

.....................................................................

But this post isn't only about their friendship.

It's also, unfortunately, a farewell. 

This past Sunday (December 15, 2013), Max the dog passed away.  This last video, in fact, is the last record I have of their time together.

I'm not sure what will happen the next time toddler Max goes over his grandmother's house and expects to see the dog at the door, but I'm sure my eyes will water a bit when my son goes looking for him.

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Round foods

 

 As the Christmas season approaches, I have succumbed to the round foods...

...of homemade cauliflower crust pizza...

...Giovanni's Pizza in Lorain...

...Bacon Lover futomaki from Young's Sushi...

...and some caramel stuffed chocolate chip pretzel cookies...

 ...which I made for the Ohio Blogging Holiday Party.

 Meanwhile, at work...

...cakes, pizzelles and other types have round cookies have been deposited in the kitchen...

 

 ...and it's been hard to resist.

Thanksgiving Weekend in Kentucky and a Bit After

 

 We spent Thanksgiving weekend in picturesque Bardstown, KY...

...where we enjoyed a traditional Thanksgiving meal at Julia's dad's...

...a standing rib roast dinner at Julia's mom's...

...(look at this perfectly cooked meat!)...

 ...some Bardstown Christmas lights...

...Churchill Downs fun (and gambling)...

 

 ...enjoyable visits with family...

 

...and some not-so-enjoyable visits.

Fortunately, Max recovered.

I've been trying to recover myself...

 

...especially after some not-so-smart food choices (like deep fried sushi), by trying to reel it in this week...

 ...with this maple pheasant dish cooked with sweet potato, celery and red pepper...

 ...and this Easter bread, turkey and cheese sandwich.

Sure, the latter isn't exactly diet material with the bread and turkey lunch meat, but it seemed so delicious to make (and it was).

I'll just run a bit more this week.

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