More Maggie on Monday

Black plastic? Don't remember a thing.

       Three weeks have passed since the last update on Maggie.  The first of those weeks Maggie only managed to chew up slippers and a moccasin (just one, lest she make a matching pair) of a guest.  Still, she was making improvements.  In the second week, it wasn't until the discovery of a chewed flashlight revealed that the strange unidentifiable, mangled thick black pieces of plastic previously found all over the floor belonged to it.  That still makes two weeks ago a good week since it was the discovery only, not the actual chewing. And whose fault is it anyway since  the flashlight was left in her reach in the first place? She  had to be given the benefit of the doubt, not 100% of the blame.

Nose at rest.

     Signals for going outside are still in the developmental stage.  Apparently Maggie finds her owners difficult to train. Sometimes it is the tear around grabbing anything in sight.  Sometimes a bark.  Many a trip outside finds her walking all over tempted by the wonderful smells on the ground that only she can sniff. Maggie does have a great nose.  On one trip just outside the door the nose immediately went to the ground, a pounce, and then the squeal of some creature that was just too slow to get away.   There is no fun standing in the cold watching a dog run around sniffing the ground. But nighttime is her fun time to pursue the creatures of the night - real or imagined. Gee, just go, get it over with, and get back into the warmth inside. 

Irresistibly innocent Maggie face

     So far her best outside cue is to walk over and slap at you with her paw.  She is pretty good actually with a shot to the cheek.  Ah, working on this one - glad to know she wants to go out, not wet the floor, paired with can't discipline her to stop this since the swat is her best way of saying, "I gotta go now or you'll be cleaning up the floor." Not really pleasant, we're working on the fine tuning so it is just a nudge and run to the door with maybe a bark.  Still, her other attributes make her worth keeping - that Maggie face!

Easy comfort food, seafood style -
                             Shrimp Casserole

1 1/2 cups uncooked long-grain rice (use wild rice)

1 1/2 lbs medium-size raw shrimp

1/2 cup butter

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

3 celery ribs, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 green onions, chopped

2 (10 3/4-oz.) cans cream of shrimp soup, undiluted*

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Cheddar-colby cheese blend

1/4 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs

350 oven

1. Prepare rice according to package directions.

2. Peel shrimp, and devein. Cut shrimp in half crosswise for more bites, if

desired.

3. Melt butter over medium heat; add bell pepper and next

4 ingredients, and sauté 10 to 12 minutes or until tender. Stir in soup,

shrimp, salt, and pepper; cook 3 minutes or just until shrimp turn pink. (Do

not overcook.)

4. Combine shrimp mixture and rice. Pour into a lightly greased 13-

x 9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with 1 cup shredded cheese and 1/4 cup

breadcrumbs.

5. Bake for 25 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Adapted from Southern Living APRIL 2007