New additions

Last Friday we got a second dog.

(Why would they get a second dog?)

She's a 10-yr old Pomeranian.

(Ew, she's going to shed all over the place.)

With no teeth.  They were so rotten that they had to be pulled.

(So she probably needs special food.)

Maybe not the most rationale decision we've ever made, but she's cute.  And cute trumps pee accidents on the carpet.  Cute trumps shedding.  And cute trumps making sure her food is the right mushy texture so she can gum it down.

So far Bella seems to be a happy dog.  

Given that I've been busy keeping an eye on her (seriously how more rugs can she pop a squat on?), I haven't been doing a whole lot in the kitchen.  

I did try a new recipe for a Vietnamese chicken sandwich, found on CookingLight.com.  A typical Vietnamese sandwich is called banh mi and it's served on French bread ('cause what little I remember about 10th grade world history is that Vietnam was ruled by France for some time).

 Vietnamese Chicken Sandwiches (from Cooking Light, December 2012)

• 1 (12-ounce) French bread baguette
• 2 teaspoons canola oil 
• 1 pound chicken cutlets
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic, divided
• 1 tablespoon lower-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons dark sesame oil (I swapped out olive oil 'cause I didn't have sesame on hand)
• 2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 1 cup matchstick-cut carrots 
• 1 cup very thinly sliced radishes
• 2 cups thinly sliced English cucumber (the long skinny ridgy kind)
• 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced romaine lettuce 
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha (hot chile sauce, such as Huy Fong)

1. Cut bread in half horizontally; hollow out, leaving a 1-inch-thick shell.

2. Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with pepper. Sauté 3 minutes on each side or until done. Let stand 10 minutes. Slice chicken; toss with 1 teaspoon garlic.

3. Combine remaining 1 teaspoon garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, and hoisin in a bowl; add chicken. Toss. Combine sugar and vinegar in a small saucepan; cook until sugar dissolves. Add carrot and radishes. Cool; drain, reserving 2 tablespoons vinegar mixture.

4. Arrange cucumber and lettuce on bottom half of bread; drizzle with vinegar mixture. Top with chicken, radish mixture, cilantro, Sriracha, and bread top. Cut into 4 equal portions.

Calories per sandwich (makes 4): 400

Alright now that I have sandwiches packed for our lunches, I can go hunt down the carpet spot-treatment.  Cute trumps annoying...