Eating One's Own Dog Food

I have just spent the better part of a day shopping, cooking, and entertaining. There are several problems associated with this use of my time.

First, today was (and still is) a work day. Second, the guests at my dinner party were three golden retrievers.

Ever since my daughter lost her dog prematurely to cancer, she has been cooking human food for her remaining dog, and adding all kinds of essential fatty acids and supplements. I don’t know why I thought this was something I should undertake, but I decided to give it a try.

First I had to buy a stock pot. Everyone who knows me KNOWS I don’t cook, so I haven’t got a whole lot of utensils. There are very few places in Half Moon Bay to buy a stock pot, and I’m an efficiency expert, so I bought mine in the fancy market where I was buying the other (organic) ingredients. $59.99 for a stock pot.

Okay. Then I looked for the essential fatty acids, and I had to go to the health food store for those. $30 for about eight ounces of cod liver oil and flax oil. Couldn’t find any wheat germ oil; the health food store was out. “A lot of people buy these oils for their dogs,” the cashier said. But not for themselves; we can’t afford them for ourselves.

Fortunately, I had olive oil in the house.

Then I went back to Cunha’s for the organic chicken ($4.49/ lb.) The zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, green beans, organic rosemary, garlic, and celery. Forgot the quinoa and the sweet potatoes. But I already had organic multigrain bread, so I could add that later.

Had the butcher cut the chicken up in pieces, but had to cut all the veggies myself. Dumped them all into the stock pot, brought it to a boil, and dialed into NewsGang

Six hours later, dogs panting at my hips, I turned off the stockpot. Then I used a measuring cup (correct–I don’t own a ladle) to put the soup into the dog bowls, and Chelsea helped me take all the bones out and chop everything finely. It’s supposed to be pureed, but — you guessed it — I don’t have a blender.

I drank a cup of the broth, and it tasted like chicken soup to me. This is a good sign. The dogs were divided. I think Chauncey would have preferred kibble.

Next, I had to store the leftovers. Right again. I have no Tupperware. Just a few random (and very small) Glad plastic containers. And two salad bowls. Everything else in the refrigerator was pushed to the side so we could fit all those bowls and containers of soup in the refrigerator. And then. BINGO! No aluminum foil or plastic wrap.

Had to use dish towels.

Finally got all the stuff put away and then had to force the stockpot into the dishwasher.

Exhausted, I fell into a chair and opened a bottle of wine (that had been displaced from the refrigerator).
I started adding up the tab. I figure it cost me about $120 to make this dinner, assuming my time is worth nothing. I could have taken the dogs to the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company, sat outside listening to music, and bought each dog a Kobe burger for less.