Operation Dog Snot Removal

 

Typical of most families, mine tends to meet around the matriarch’s home for family meals , birthdays and Christmas . 
It’s what people do.
We congregate around the queen, sometimes the King.
For a change I’m having my sisters, their husbands and my sister in law to dinner on Saturday .My nephew is invited too but he has a social life busier than mine so we will see if he turns up
After covid and my divorce , it will be the first family meal that I’ve hosted 
So there’s a significance here that’s left mostly unsaid , but which screams of emotional importance.

I’m making it easy on myself and going simple 
Aioli and warm Spanish style bread, 
A one pot chicken, rice and chorizo bake, baby lamb chops, soaked in garlic yogurt before cooking , 
Glazed long green beans and “homemade” Spanish ice cream whisky cake
A typical Sitges meal.
Tomorrow I’m initiating Operation Dog Snot Removal like the exercise I used to indulge in , in the days I had in laws to stay.


73 comments:

  1. The company is more important than the food, so sensible to make it easy on yourself. You'll all have a great time, there'll be chat, laughter and maybe some tears, but you'll make some memories too. Have fun with the DS removal - life's not all rock and roll, is it?! xx

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    1. My elder sister and her husband usually makes socialising so easy , but it will be nice to do it for them for a change

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  2. Thanks for the mentions of dog snot while I am eating my breakfast! You could be on " Come Dine with Me" with that menu.

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    1. I can’t wait to get the cottage in order, it’s a guilty pleasure preparing for guests and pretending you find the bother much

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  3. I like the menu choices and am intrigued by the Spanish whisky cake. Can see why it is a meaningful step too and hope you all have a relaxed and happy time!

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    1. Whisky cake is easy , a simple sponge, vanilla ice cream and a tot of whisky poured over it

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  4. Sounds wonderful John - and your pud - like anything with booze in though I do j.

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    1. not partake in a glass - The Queen in my family was my Italian godmother x 📷🍽

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  5. Yorkshire Liz7:43 am

    That sounds a perfect menu, John. Having closest and dearest round means you do not want to be wasting time slaving in the kitchen while everyone else chats in another room. The 'Bung it in the oven, bang it out to the folks' theory always works best and is most satisfying to everyone. Have a lovely evening. And post me the left overs!

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    1. We meet regularly so it’s not “ special” just nicely ordinary

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  6. I am sure you will have a delicious, happy and interesting family gathering.

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  7. Sounds a fab meal and I love the look of the rice dish. Having family round is the most important bit though.

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  8. Some Spanish ice cream whisky cake please! :)

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  9. Dog snot on windows is natures own superglue!

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  10. Sounds like a wonderful time. Good luck with operation dog snot.

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  11. You hadn’t mentioned Operation Dog Snot in such a long time, I thought you no longer had the problem. Typical of you to kick off the blog with Dog Snot and what might have been a very appetising food photo.

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    1. The main problem lies on the bottom of the windows

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  12. Sounds like fun, except for the cleaning up before.

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    1. And the bottle bank visit afterwards

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  13. Unfortunate juxtaposition of that blog title immediately followed by the delicious-looking food photo.

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  14. Sounds a delicious meal - wonder how Roger will take to meeting the family.

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    1. He will be allowed out but most of the evening he will be with the others in the car.

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    2. Do they behave badly like mine John ? x 🌀

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  15. Your meal sounds delicious. It is always lovely to have everybody in the same house and sitting around a table for a meal. You have snot patrol, I have fur patrol. When I asked the breeder if a Bernese Mountain dog sheds very much, she said seasonal. No, it is year around and it destroys vacuum motors.

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  16. The juxtaposition of the title and the picture of the food was....interesting. Good luck on the soiree.

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    1. If i'd looked at the previous comments, i wouldn't have comment this one...sorry pal.

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  17. Barbara Anne2:30 pm

    I, too, was puzzled by the title, then the yummy picture!
    Your menu sounds wonderful and hope all will enjoy the gathering and your delicious food. A recipe for the whiskey cake, please!

    Hugs!

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    1. Babs easy , thin Genoese sponge, expensive vanilla ice cream , whisky poured over

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  18. Your menu is fabulous! NOT easy-peasy at all, it's a wow. Have fun! I really sympathise w the dog mess cleanup, am cancelling a visit next week bec I do not think i am up to cleaning the dog hair for the awaited guest. Pugs shed a lot and she [friend] is phobic, so no. How sad.

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    1. I love having visitors , especially the bathroom is sorted

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    2. Me too, I love gathering friends at my table, but a few are very upset by doghair and pugs shed a LOT. Plus I am not the cook that you are.

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  19. Anonymous2:51 pm

    Oh my ! Can I come to dinner ? ( no worries , I'm never getting on a plane again ! )

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  20. Good heavens. What does a menu look like when you are going all out? Like Barbara Anne, I was trying to tie 'dog snot' with the picture. It confused me too!

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    1. I never go all out …..believe me…stick to what I know

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  21. Got me coat on as l write, room for another one? John has all his guests keeping their coats on now, in case of gate-crashers. 'Oh hello, partys over, we are all going to walk the dogs now,' everybody ready just in case? Tess x

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  22. Anonymous6:13 pm

    i am wondering if you will invite your friend Rachel?

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    1. What an odd question , it’s a family meal

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    2. Anonymous9:05 pm

      This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  23. Enjoy, the menu looks good.

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  24. May I suggest that you wear an apron when doing the cooking so that you do not end up with a splattered front. I am sure it will be a great family night.

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    1. The last time I had a dinner party , chic Eleanor splatted an Italian doctor with red hot beans m and he spent the rest of the meal in his underpants

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    2. Now that is a novel way to get a man out of his pants. :)

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  25. Anonymous7:40 pm

    Still waiting for you to write your book...although after reading that, you may wish to write a recipe book for us! : ) Sounds absolutely amazing and sure you will have a lovely night. Louise

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    1. No simple dishes in reality , the main one is all in one pot

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  26. Now that sounds as if you will enjoy the cooking!

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    1. I will, I love feeding people, I get this off my grandmother and indirectly my mother, who lived a family get together, but who would complain about the work of it all

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  27. Andrew, my brother died in 2011 after a short battle with motor neurone disease

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  28. Anonymous8:03 pm

    I too would love the recipe for the one pot chicken and also the lamb chops

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    1. Anonymous4:47 am

      John. Thank you so very much. I am here in San Francisco and live vicariously through you. Good night

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  29. 12 years this December ….

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  30. https://disasterfilm.blogspot.com/2011/12/gaining-comfort.html

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  31. Do you spread softened ice cream and the refreeze it all? Ithink my gang would love it.

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  32. That menu sounds delicious - recipes please! I hope the snot removal goes well - I left the marks on the windows for weeks - nay, months, after our darling grand-dog died, they were a happy memory of her... but they had to come off before a family event. I have to admit the windows looked quite different without them!

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  33. Hi John, sorry this is off topic but just saw an interesting place for next time you are in London. ' Sheperdess's Walk' near Angel. Not sure what Angel means but you can figure that out.

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  34. It sounds wonderful and the temporary freedom from decorative dog snot is a bonus :)

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  35. That menu sounds delicious! I too love cooking for people, nothing gives me the greatest pleasure than feeding the people I love. Mind you my lot are used to my "tardy" household so the cleaning is not as thorough as yours hahaha. Bathroom is always spotless though.

    Jo in Auckland

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  36. I am hungry after reading your delicious menu.

    Cooking for a group of people makes me a nervous wreck. The days before the event call for an occasional Xanax because I get so anxious about everything turning out like it should.
    I love reading about your dogs and the funny things they do, but I had never thought about what Dog snot clean up patrol for them would be like. When I had big dogs, they mostly liked being outside. There was not any snot, but some drool and with a giant Collie lots of shedding. My Collie always acted like, "Am I done here in the house yet? I have things to see and do outside. I'll act happy when I come in again. Now, please open the door for me." And he'd leap down the three steps in one move, to go check the fence line.

    Fritzi Pom, even though she can be a little yappy dog, her nose is dry, I'd be worried if a lot of snotting happened, she doesn't drool, her tongue is as dry as a cat's (strange but true), no slobbering, but small round puffs of fur do occasionally blow across the floor. Her only clean up is the occasional poopito that sneaked out before she made it to her wee pad,and the millions of bits of any kind of paper she chews and shreds up into tiny bits all over the floor.

    Enjoy your family dinner!

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  37. Anonymous6:14 am

    Thank you. You are such an inspiration to us all to lead a good life in spite of everything like the bad husband that you experienced. My husband was a famous professor and I thought he was great too. Then I learned like you did. Keep up the good work. We love you. Sorry to run on. Have a lovely day my dear boy. Pat in Oxford.

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