the bl*g mistresses must be crazy

I know what you've all been wondering: How's Chester Arthur?

He's well, thank you, growing longer every day.


And busy: There's his full-time job here at GFD, and he's taken a variety of lovers—squeaky toys, mostly—with whom he spends his afternoons napping in the sun.


It would be embarrassing if I told you that I'd bought those squeaky toys because they match our furniture, or that I had created an e-mail account in Chester Arthur's name. So I'm not telling you those things.

What I will tell you about are the chocolate-chip cookies I mentioned last week, and a delicious tomato sauce that is fit for both picky-eater yachtsmen and their wives with well-developed palates. Not now, sadly, because I'm too busy chaperoning Chester Arthur on his many dates, supervising all the GFD employees, eating the best chocolate-chip cookies ever, and also proofreading. But I hope to get around to it this week. Complaints about my lackadaisical bl*gging habits can be addressed to GFD's customer-service department at chesterarthurmiller [at] gmail [dot] com.

abraham lincoln o'neill

We had to put our sweet little dog to sleep yesterday.

Needless to say, our hearts are broken, and already we miss him like crazy.

thank god

Just a quick note to let you all know that Jackie and Laura were reunited in Phoenix today. Thanks to everyone who mobilized to help out.

I'll be back online on Monday with a final San Francisco post and a link to the Gruel for Dinner recipe index (did that sound exciting? it's not). In the meantime, have a great weekend...

new flyer

Still no Jackie, but here's an updated flyer.

Again, if you'd like a PDF that's large enough to print, please e-mail me at k8oneill [at] yahoo [dot] com.

Thanks to everyone who has posted this on their Facebook page or e-mailed it to friends in Arizona or twittered or tweeted or twatted it or whatever. Special thanks to Challah for everything she's doing in Phoenix.

help

Hello, bl*g readers, I'm writing to ask a big favor of all of you. My friend Laura got married last weekend in Colorado and decided to take a road-trip honeymoon with her new husband so they could bring along her fifteen-year-old dog, Jackie.


While they were passing through Phoenix, Arizona, this past Thursday, Jackie, along with her leash and water bowl, was stolen from outside a bookstore (they tied her up outside while they went in to buy a map). They are, obviously, completely devastated and panicked, and are staying in Phoenix to find her. I met Jackie when Laura visited me at the convent -- she's a very, very sweet old girl, and it's heartbreaking to think of her being separated from Laura, who noted in her e-mail to me that "Jackie has been the love of [her] life for the past fifteen years."

If any of you know anyone in Phoenix, or if you know anyone who knows anyone, please send them a flyer and ask them to print and post a few. My theory is that the more flyers are posted, not only the more people who might see Jackie, but also the more likely that whoever took her will feel guilty and return her so Laura and her new husband and Jackie can go home.

I couldn't figure out how to post a downloadable PDF, so please e-mail me directly if you'd like a high-res copy of the flyer to print out. My address is k8oneill [at] yahoo [dot] com.

i'm not exaggerating when i say he's the best dog in the world

Hello, frenemies. It's been a tough day here at GFD HQ. I rolled out of bed at 7:15 a.m. (which is a full hour earlier than I usually rise, and two full hours earlier than I like to get up) to get started on the redonkulous amount of work I have to do (still!). I'd made a tight little schedule (7:15: wake up; 7:16: pee; 7:17: drink a glass of water), but the best laid plans of mice and men and little dogs go oft awry.

At 7:18 our little dog sneezed; at 9:30 we were still sopping up the blood from his hemorrhaging nose. When the vet used the word "euthanasia" on the phone at 9:44 a.m., I laid on the recently mopped floor and sobbed for two hours. Which was not on the schedule. Then I euthanized the vet, and around noon got down to work.

All of which is to say, I don't have much energy for bl*gging. So I offer you Mojie's ace-in-the-hole, which she served to me this past Saturday night. It was a farm-to-table dinner, the farm being Mojie's front-yard garden, the table being one I eat at as regularly as I can invite myself over, and the dinner being delicious.


Linguine With Tomatoes and Basil

4 ripe tomatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 pound Brie cheese, rind removed, torn into irregular pieces [Mojie did not use brie, thank god -- any ripe, soft-ish cheese will do; see Mojie's other recipe notes below.]
1 cup cleaned fresh basil leaves, cut into strips
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
1 cup best quality olive oil
salt to taste
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 pounds linguine
freshly grated imported Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Combine tomatoes, brie, basil, garlic, 1 cup olive oil, salt and pepper in a large serving bowl. Prepare at least 2 hours before serving and set aside, covered, at room temperature.

2. Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the linguine and boil until al dente, about 10 minutes.

3. Drain pasta and immediately toss with the tomato sauce. Serve immediately

[Notes from Mojie: "I didn't use brie and I used some big tomatoes and some sun golds and I didn't bother with the parmesan cheese."]

And because we were celebrating the yachtsman's birthday, my stepmother made a blueberry pound cake from an ancient family recipe (speaking of dogs, it seems relevant that I mention here that my stepmother was called Candy growing up, and she had a dog named Bimbo; I'm just sayin'):


And because we were celebrating the yachtsman's birthday, Mojie provided some fancy, local red meat. Here's what the big boys ate:


I'm thinking my little dog deserves a nice steak right about now. He can eat the ribeye while I crawl into that bottle of pink wine.

lex

Our friend SueShu's dog Lexy was hit by a car and killed yesterday. Lexy was an incredibly sweet and affectionate little guy who graciously hosted Abe Lincoln many times at the Shu farm in Maryland. I can't even imagine how shocked and sad the Shus are today, and I hope everyone will send them love or prayers or good vibes or whatever it is each of you sends out into the ether when someone is in need...