Tuesday, January 08, 2013

My dog is a bad citizen. (Sung to the tune of Bon Jovi's "Bad Medicine" in my head.)

This past summer, my roommate and I decided to take simultaneous dog training classes outside on "The Oval" on the old Air Force base. I took the little demon, Dollop, through the STAR Puppy class, which she miraculously passed, and I had Cyd take the old man, Grady, through the Canine Good Citizen/Therapy Dog class, just for fun.

He had beginner training waaaaay back in the day, but nothing since. Still, I figured he knew all that stuff. And he did! He passed every element of the CGC...and then because it was outside on the grass, he stopped to pee on some weeds during the loose lead walking exercise and failed the test because of it. Poor guy! For eight years, we teach him to go outside for a walk and pee on the grass, and when he does what he's learned, he's declared a bad citizen! BOO HISS!

Therefore, I re-enrolled him in the CGC/TDI class that began this evening. And he did perfectly--I'm so proud of my sweet old boy (pictured left doing a down-stay). However, this year, the Therapy Dog test has been changed a lot and is much more difficult. So I'm not sure he's going to pass that part, but if he can just finish the CGC, that'll be good enough for me. Wish us luck!

The other downside of the re-taking the class is that it's awfully late, from 8-9pm. So before I left the house tonight, I wanted to throw something easy together for dinner so that my roomie wouldn't starve before I got home.  Naturally, I turned to a trashy Pinterest recipe that claimed I could fashion a tasty Mexican casserole out of a deli roaster and a bag of Doritos. Sounded dubious, but DANG, if it wasn't pretty darned good, especially garnished with some guacamole. Lowbrow but luscious is my review.

Mexican Doritos Casserole
(Source:
Domestic Chicky, via Pinterest)
Serves 4-6

2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup shredded cheese (or more if you are a cheese hound)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can Ro-tel tomatoes (I used the jalapeno and cilantro variety)
1/2 packet taco seasoning (I used one tablespoon taco seasoning plus 1 teaspoon cumin,1 teaspoon dried oregano, and some black pepper, to taste)
1 cup corn relish, optional (had this open in the fridge, threw it in, wise move!)
regular-sized bag of Doritos (I used Nacho Cheese)

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except Doritos.

3. In a greased two-quart baking dish, put a layer of crushed Doritos (about two cups), then a layer of the chicken mixture. Repeat once more, ending with a layer of chicken mixture. Top with more shredded cheese, cover, and bake for 30-35 minutes, until bubbling hot. (I baked mine without the cheese for 30 minutes, uncovered it, added the cheese topping, and finished it uncovered for five minutes.)

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