The good news

The good news is that the vet says there is no reason to put our dog to sleep, since the biting was an isolated experience, and since we know why he did it (provocation). So poor little Pipe still has a star of approval from the professional. He is really such an incredibly good dog--he lets you put drops in his ears when he has an ear infection, he is very careful not to touch his teeth to your hand when you offer him a treat (and he feels terrible if he mistakenly makes the tiniest contact). He has never chewed woodwork or furniture. He does not climb up on the end tables next to the sofa. He waits patiently for his feet to be wiped when he comes in from outdoors. He is so good it makes your heart ache. (All the attributes I have listed are in direct contrast to Schubert.)

I was so happy that Piper has a reprieve from execution, I have been making dessert. Usually when I make dessert, it is for company or a small group Bible study or a meal I am taking to somebody. When the kids realized that the treats were ALL for US there was great rejoicing in the land.


This is an excellent pecan pie that I made. It is really good. If I do say so myself.

Pecan Pie

1 9-inch pie crust (unbaked)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup melted butter
1 square baking chocolate (melted slowly with the butter)
1 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup pecan halves

It is very important to melt the butter and chocolate together slowly. I did it on 20% power in my microwave for a minute at a time, stirring after each minute.

Beat together the sugar, corn syrup, butter, chocolate, vanilla and eggs with a whisk or a hand mixer. Stir in pecans. Pour into crust. Bake at 375 for 40-50 minutes.

Texas Sheet Cake (I don't understand the name, but I love the recipe--as you can see, it's going fast)
1 cup butter
1 cup water
1/4 cup baking cocoa
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sour cream
In a large saucepan, bring the butter, water and cocoa to a boil. Remove from heat. Sift (I like sifting) flour, sugar, baking soda and salt into cocoa mixture. Add sour cream. Stir until smooth. The recipe says to use a 15x10x1 inch baking pan. I would suggest a larger pan than that, as mine puffed up and spilled over the edges all over my oven. Just a hint. (It tastes good anyway, but it was a pain to clean up.) Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
While it is baking, make the frosting.
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. milk
4 scant cups powdered sugar (the original recipe called for 3 and 3/4, but this worked for me)
In a saucepan, melt the butter, add milk and cocoa, bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Whisk in powdered sugar. Spread on warm cake. I had to go to the store to get the powdered sugar after the cake came out of the oven, so it was warm but not hot by the time I spread the frosting. I liked the way it came out. I think if the cake were too hot, the frosting would totally soak into it.


I was convicted that we have not been eating enough vegetables. Frozen vegetables have just been BAD lately; I'm not sure if it's my freezer or a problem farther back in production, but the frozen vegetables I've been serving lately have been virtually inedible. I am also SICK of canned beans and corn (of which you can see there are still some in our cupboard). (Hint--canned beans taste a little better if you microwave them with Italian salad dressing on them.) So, anyway, I bought SUCCOTASH and TOMATOES AND OKRA. We will see how these go down. I should have bought a butternut squash. I'll get one next week. I also bought broccoli and cabbage in the produce department... even though I am allergic to broccoli. I have to get some healthy food into my family. Last night we had cream of spinach soup for dinner, made with fresh spinach. But I bought twelve cans of food yesterday. I have NEVER bought so much canned food. I'm afraid that things in cans are not the healthiest--and "spices" appears in the ingredient lists, which I hope is not a cloak for MSG, which tastes good but results in migraines. If we like succotash, I'll learn how to make it from scratch.