Guess Who's Getting a Puppy??

I try really hard to make every birthday, anniversary, & Christmas awesome. I love to get Rich stuff that I know he will love!! On the recent list of awesome things I have gotten him are his set of Callaway golf clubs & an iPad (among many other things!), so I wasn't exactly certain how I was going to outdo myself at our anniversary this year. Rich has been asking for a Golden Retriever for some time. I keep putting him off with reminders of how busy we are, how messy puppies are, etc. etc. Also I could not stop thinking about my entire house being covered in a fine dusting of golden fur. We finally compromised and agreed to get a "Goldendoodle" which is a large (Standard) Poodle mixed with a Golden Retriever or Goldendoodle. This match-up helps with the ridiculous energy level of a Golden and also poodle mixes don't usually shed. Yay!  

Rich's new job has been going so well for the last year that he is finally able to be home a lot, and so we decided that this would be "the year of the dog" in our house. :) Since my dog turned 15 this year, I guess it's time to face reality that he won't be around a lot longer. :( 

I decided to go ahead and find a breeder and put a deposit down to get on the waiting list, and give Rich a "gift certificate" on our anniversary. SUCCESS!!! He was so excited. Our little puppy is scheduled to be born in June so we should should be bringing him/her home around the beginning of September. 

Here are some pictures of the parents, as well as their previous litter from last year. It's a fluff-fest! 

The Mommy! 

The Daddy! 

The last litter of 2 boys. 

Our favorite (he is the one on the left in the picture above). We think he is adorable! 

Salmon Burgers

Ever since finding wild salmon fillets on sale for a few bucks a pound, I've been trying to think of MORE ways to eat salmon. Thankfully I am down to the last three pounds! Tonight I decided to try salmon burgers for the first time. Rich really liked them. I thought they were pretty good but I'm not really a salmon fan (it's healthy, but seriously?). They were super easy, although I had to modify the recipe since I used salmon fillet instead of the canned salmon the recipe used.

1 lb salmon fillets, cut into 1-2" pieces
olive oil (coat fish)
kosher salt
cracked black pepper
2 tsp Mrs. Dash onion & herb

Combine the fish, olive oil, and spices. Put in a 425 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Once done, flake the salmon with a fork (or smash it with a mix-n-chop). Move on to step 2.

3 eggs, lightly beaten
panko bread crumbs (between 1/3-1/2 cup)
slight dusting of lemon zest

Mix well with the flakes fish, then form 4 patties.

Heat a fry pan over high heat, and add the oil of your choice. Sear the burgers on each side for 1-2 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking for about 3 more minutes (about 6 minutes total--you know your stove, hopefully).

Due to the fact that the hamburger buns I thought I had in the freezer were actually hot dog buns, I served Rich's patty over mashed potatoes, and mine over mashed sweet potatoes with a spicy chile mayo.