It's a Dog's Life

[talon]

Chocolate Soup

Ingredients

* 4 1/2 cups whole milk[cid:image001.gif@01CAC671.59ADFFE0]
* 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
* 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
* 10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
* 5 tablespoons cornstarch
* 5 tablespoons cold water[cid:image001.gif@01CAC671.59ADFFE0]
* Mini chocolate biscotti, for garnish
* Fresh raspberries, for garnish
* Fresh mint leaves, for garnish
Directions
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir together the whole milk, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla bean. Bring the mixture almost to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and let it steep for 20 minutes. Strain and return to the pan. (Rinse and dry the vanilla bean and save it for another use.)
Put the pan on low heat, add the chocolate, and whisk until the chocolate melts. Combine the cornstarch and water to form a slurry. Add the slurry a little at a time, whisking constantly, until the soup is thick and smooth. You will know it is ready when the bubbles are gone and the chocolate has thickened, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Pour the soup into bowls and garnish with biscotti, raspberries, and mint leaves.


Another Chocolate Soup

Chocolate Soup Ingredients:
72% cacao organic bittersweet chocolate, raw sugar, peppercorn blend, star anise, fancy cardamom pods, allspice berry and crushed red peppers. No added salt, preservatives or MSG.
Allergen Information: Gluten-Free<http://www.frontiersoups.com/c-gluten-free-soups.html>
Additions:
2 cups heavy cream, divided
1/2 cup milk (2% or other)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons caramel or butterscotch sauce
Chocolate Soup Recipe Directions:
Pour contents of peppered spice packet into small skillet. Toast, shaking and tossing about 3 minutes until spices give off a spicy fragrance. Remove from heat and pour spices into "infuser" bag, close the drawstring tightly, and knot.
Heat 1 1/2 cups of the cream with 1/2 cup milk, and sugar to just-below-a-simmer over medium low heat. Drop in the infuser bag of spices. Stir and allow spices to steep for 25 minutes. Remove and discard spice bag.
Meanwhile, place chocolate in top of a double boiler. Over low heat melt chocolate, careful not to allow any other liquid or moisture into the melting chocolate. Stir the melted chocolate into the spiced milk with a whisk until well blended and smooth.
Whip the additional 1/2 cup heavy cream in a small bowl with electric mixer into soft peaks. Slowly drizzle in the caramel sauce and blend. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Ladle hot chocolate soup into ramekins, demitasse cups, or other small bowls. Add a dollop of the whipped cream and sprinkle the caramelized sugar crystals from the packet on top of each serving.
(If making the chocolate soup ahead, allow to cool and slowly reheat stirring continuously.)
Recipe makes 2 1/4 cups, 6 3-ounce or 9 2-ounce servings.
Inventive Recipe Variations:
1. Pour chocolate soup over pound cake or angel food cake and top with fresh raspberries.
2. Use chocolate soup as a fondue with fruit or cake.
3. Refrigerate, then whip and spread chocolate soup on chocolate cake as a ganache.

Chocolate Parsnip Soup
Ingredients

* 2 pounds parsnips (about 4 or 5 large parsnips)
* 1/4 cup canola oil (2 tablespoons to brush on parsnips and 2 tablespoons to brush on bread[cid:image001.gif@01CAC671.59ADFFE0] for croutons)
* 8 tablespoons butter[cid:image001.gif@01CAC671.59ADFFE0] (1 stick or 1/2 cup)
* 1 large white onion, chopped
* 2 quarts chicken stock
* 1 whole vanilla bean, preferably Tahitian (sold 1 or two to a jar in the spice[cid:image001.gif@01CAC671.59ADFFE0] section of the store) or 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (preferably from real vanilla bean as opposed to artificial flavoring)
* Salt[cid:image001.gif@01CAC671.59ADFFE0] and pepper
* 1 epee loaf French bread
* 1 tablespoon canola oil
* 1/4 cup dark cocoa powder
* 1 cup vanilla white chocolate chips (recommended: Hershey's Premier White Chips)
* 1 cup heavy cream
* 1 fresh lemon or lime, halved crosswise (1/2 to squeeze into batch of soup and 1/2 to cut into wedges to serve to guests)
* 2 tablespoons minced fresh dill leaves
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Peel parsnips, and cut into 1-inch chunks, brush lightly with oil and place on a baking sheet lined with heavy duty aluminum foil (for easy cleanup). Roast until the parsnips begin to soften (as tested with a knife blade) and until the tips begin to turn golden brown. This takes about 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for a few minutes while you start the other ingredients in the stockpot. (Leave oven on for toasting of croutons.)
Melt the butter over medium-low heat in a large stockpot and gently saute the onion until translucent. (This takes about 10 minutes, but the more important thing is that they look translucent.) Add the chicken stock, slice open the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the pot and add along with the vanilla pod itself. Increase heat to medium, add the roasted parsnips, and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper, cover and let cook until the parsnips are completely tender, about 20 minutes.
Once you have the soup underway, toast the croutons in the oven which is already preheated to 400 degrees F. Cut the epee loaf into 3/4-inch thick slices. Brush the bread with oil and place on a foil lined baking sheet (important for cleanup purposes). Sift dark cocoa over the bread and toast briefly in the oven, just to make crispy. Remove and set aside.
Stir the white chocolate chips into the soup and cook for a further 5 minutes, to allow them to melt and to integrate flavors.
Remove soup from heat, discard vanilla pod, and stir in heavy cream. Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. (Remember, when using an immersion blender, the blade end has to be immersed, or it will make a big mess.) Squeeze fresh lemon or lime juice into the pot and stir to combine. (Note: If you hold the sliced end of the fresh lemon or lime against your palm while you squeeze in the juice, the seeds are likely to stay in the rind.)
Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with fresh dill. Serve with lemon wedges and dark chocolate dusted croutons.
Waffle Balls Onna Stick
Ingredients

* 12 large strawberries, hulled
* 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
* Vegetable[cid:image001.gif@01CAC671.59ADFFE0] oil, for deep-frying
* 2 cups dry pancake[cid:image001.gif@01CAC671.59ADFFE0] and waffle[cid:image001.gif@01CAC671.59ADFFE0] mix (plus additional ingredients as directed on package)
* Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
Directions
Thread each strawberry onto a wooden skewer; place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze for about 30 minutes.
Put the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high at 15-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until the chocolate is almost melted; remove and stir until smooth. Dip the strawberries in the melted chocolate; return to the parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until the chocolate hardens, about 15 minutes.
Heat 4 to 6 inches of vegetable oil in a deep pot until a deep-fry thermometer registers 330 degrees. While the oil heats, prepare the pancake and waffle mix as the label directs.
Dip the chocolate-covered strawberries in the batter, turning to coat; let any excess drip off. (If the batter is too thin, add 1 to 3 more tablespoons dry mix.) Carefully place the berries in the hot oil (skewers and all); fry, turning as needed, until the batter is golden and just cooked through, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Remove with tongs and drain on paper towels or a rack. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes to allow the chocolate to re-harden. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

Cream of Caribbean Pumpkin Soup with Cacao Nibs: Crema de Calabaza y Cacao<http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cooking-live/cream-of-caribbean-pumpkin-soup-with-cacao-nibs-crema-de-calabaza-y-cacao-recipe/index.html>
Mushroom Chowder with Cocoa Beans

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35914562/ns/travel-tips/

Some of these people are the reason I often have trouble taking Itzl with me where I need to go. He's a hearing ear dog, he wears ID to that effect, he wears the proper colors in collar and leash, I carry his papers with us, and - probably because he's not a lab, retriever, or German shepherd - we often face a lot of harrasment and repeated requests to leave. The worst offender is Wal-Mart - even after I made it past the Door Nazi (and spent 10 - 20 minutes showing documentation, showing IDs, and giving them a copy of the ADA guidelines and repeating it all with at least 1 manager), every single employee and security officer in the store felt the need to make me repeat the process and then the cashier refused to check me out because I'm "not supposed to bring a dog in". Even if I hadn't already stopped shopping at Wal-Mart because they don't carry many of the products I want, that would be more than enough to prevent me from ever shopping there. One such experience was enough.

Target was a little more subtle about it and the delays were much briefer, and the cashiers don't mind. One cashier said if I made it all the way to the register, she was sure I had demonstrated my right to have him with me. That's good sense - and she was right. I usually have to show papers to one manager and one security officer, usually early in the visit, and then no one bothers us again.

I've only had one hotel make a fuss about it, and when I complained, the following year, everything went well. Itzl and I are repeat patrons of that hotel because an annual event we attend happens there. There are three hotels where we stay regularly and Itzl has been to each of them 5 times now. You'd think they would remember from year to year (or at least check the info in their computers - I always tell htem when I make the reservation I will be accompanied by a service dog and they don't need to make any accommodations for him - and that this is our X visit there) that we've been there before.

There's one hotel that keeps changing their pet policy from year to year, and they keep trying to place Itzl in the "pet" category. One hotel insisted I'd have to pay the pet fee (waived for service dogs) and the airline pilot in line behind me said he'd pay the fee, he remembered us from the previous year and was impressed by Itzl's behavior. Itzl remembered him, too, and very graciously allowed himself to be petted. The hotel backed down after that and neither of us had to pay the pet fee. That's one of the advantages of going to the same places over and over.

I don't mind pets accompanying their people (I'd take Xoco more places if pets were allowed more places), but I do wish they were a bit more realistic about what their pet does and made proper arrangements for them. I know pet owners let their pets poop in the hotel hallways because I've seen it. I find that disgusting. Not even Itzl gets away with that. I admit sometimes I don't scoop his poop but only because I can't find it all the time. I let him off leash to poop because he prefers to go a distance away to do his business and even if I watch and mark where he poops, his poops are so small I don't always find them. I scoop what I can find everywhere we go - including my own yard. I do the same fo Xoco's poops, which are larger than Itzl's even if she's smaller than he is.

One place I don't go with Itzl and Xoco are the dog parks. I don't take them to those places beause, in my experience, even though owners are supposed to scoop poop, they don't, and even though their pets are supposed to be vaccinated, they aren't, and even though there are size restrictions for the smaller dogs, those get ignored. It's not safe, clean, or fun at the dog parks for dogs as small as Itzl and Xoco.

I've never snuck an animal in somewhere it wasn't supposed to go. And I can't imagine making some of the demands hotel management say they get - dog beds with matching linens? Really? Those pet owners are insane.