Archive for March, 2011
Meet our new Cockapoo puppies!
On February 28, our 5 year-old purebred Cockapoo Ginger gave birth to her second litter of puppies. We announced it at the time, but did not have photos of the 2 male and 3 female puppies. Now we proudly present the first pictures of these darling new Cockapoos, taken when they were about 3 weeks old. Cockapoo puppies for sale will be available for pick up at on April 25.
This is Charlie, a brown male with soulful blue eyes and alot of energy.
Charlotte is a brown female, playful and sweet.
Misty is a black, curly-haired female with cute pink feet.
Molly is a brown female who loves to cuddle.
And last but not least is Samuel, a black,
curly-haired male with a sweet, mischevious disposition.
Cockapoo puppies for sale will be weaned from their mother at 8 weeks, and they will be taken to the vet to have their tails docked and their dewclaws removed. Full health exams and vaccinations will also be given at this time, and then they will be ready to go to their new homes! If you are interested in taking home one of these cuties, please give us a call at 509-928-1800 for more information. Mountain Valley View Farm is located in the beautiful Spokane Valley of Eastern Washington, and puppies can be picked up at the farm. We are also happy to ship them via airlines to anywhere in the US.
Cockapoos are known for their intelligent, affectionate personalities and playful activity. They also have the low-shedding and low-dander qualities of the poodle, making them the ideal pet for any home. This breed is eager to please, vigorous, and friendly, making these dogs a popular choice as a companion. The Cockapoo has an easygoing personality and generally gets along well with children and other animals.
Our puppies are second-generation Cockapoos, which are more rare and valuable. Normally a Cocker Spaniel is bred to a Toy Poodle, but in this case two Cockapoos were bred to each other. This produces smaller litters, which is why second-generation Cockapoos are more rare.
Bargain Beach Getaways
Source: Forbes
Are you so desperate for a warm and sunny escape—and so convinced it’s beyond your means—that you’ve settled for tanning-salon sessions and homemade piña coladas?
Really, now: Jetting off to a sandy slice of heaven doesn’t have to send you to the poorhouse. There are plenty of budget-minded locales that are light on your wallet, but still heavy on balmy temperatures, swaying palm trees and beautiful beaches.
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Located off the eastern shores of the main island, sleepy Culebra is rich with uncrowded playas edging calm and cerulean waters–plus a small clutch of basic but bright hotels, like Mamacita’s, averaging $100 nightly.
Get there: Jet Blue flights from Boston to San Juan start at $124 (one-way), from New York $144 and up; catch the $5 round-trip ferry to Culebra from the town of Fajardo, just over an hour away.
Playa Del Carmen, Mexico
Stretch your dollar in this laid-back Cancún respite, offering diving, snorkeling, shopping and primo sunset- cocktail spots–not to mention inns from charming to chic, like Hotel Cielo or Kinbé Hotel, for $55 to $150 a night.
Get there: Various airline flights to Cancún average $400 in April; airport car rentals are from $8 daily.
St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida
This unfussy chain of barrier islands along the Sunshine State’s west coast really has it all: a variety of wide beaches, cheap seafood-shack meals, a slew of affordable ($65 a night and up) places to stay and a fun nightlife scene.
Get there: Various carriers have round-trip flights from JFK to Tampa for less than $400.
Punta Cana & Bávaro, Dominican Republic
The DR’s best (albeit crowded) beaches have sugar-white sand fringed by rows of coconut trees–with an ecological reserve, golf courses and more all-inclusive hotels (such as Majestic Elegance Punta Cana and Iberostar Bravaro, about $225 nightly) than you can shake a palm frond at.
Get there: Round-trip flights to Santo Domingo can be easily had for under $400 through March.
St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands
The tent cottages at sister properties Maho Bay Camps (from $135) and Estate Concordia Preserve (from $155) provide an affordable way in to this ruggedly gorgeous Caribbean paradise: no-frills, luxury camping, rich with spectacular beaches, hiking trails and views of Virgin Islands National Park.
Get there: Round-trip flights from NYC to St. Thomas from $500, plus $7 each way for the ferry to St. John
Key Largo, Florida
Find narrow but picturesque beaches, affordable meals and the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park–with incredible snorkeling and an oceanside campground (from $35) for a sleep you’ll not soon forget. (The camping-averse can enjoy the recently renovated Hilton Key Largo Resort, from $169).
Get there: Round-trip flights to Miami from the New York area start at $400 in March; car rentals start at $25 a day.
Grand Bahama, Bahamas
Sugary sand, a relaxed vibe and cheap Bahamian eateries abound in Freeport and Lucaya, where hotels include the Island Seas Resort (from $100 nightly) to the more upscale Radisson Our Lucaya (from $165).
Get there: Round-trip flights from Chicago or NYC to Freeport from $500.
Bermuda
Pink sands, pampering resorts, scenic golf courses and incredible snorkeling are all good reasons to head here–along with cheapcaribbean.com’s four-night, all-inclusive deals from $699 per person, with options including Grotto Bay Beach Resort and Coco Reef Bermuda.
Get there: From JFK, book by March 15 for a special one-way $99 fare with American Airlines; otherwise from $300
Destin & Ft. Walton Beach, Florida
With its balance of beautiful white-sand beaches and frenzied tourist attractions (ideal for kids), this pair of Panhandle resorts has cheap oyster shacks and affordable sleeps that run the gamut–reliable chains, stately B&Bs and indie motels averaging $120 a night.
Get there: Round-trip flights into Northwest Florida Regional Airport–from cities including Baton Rouge, La.; Boston, Mass.; and Buffalo, N.Y.–range from $118 to $398.
Placencia, Belize
The powdery beaches and crystal waters–with exceptional snorkeling, diving and fishing–are far from secret, but the tourism network provides a vast range of beautiful, budget waterfront resorts, like the Laru Beya (from $120 nightly) and Green Parrot Resort (from $150).
Get there: Continental and United have round-trip flights out of JFK for under $600 this month.
Easter Traditions: Chocolate
Chocolate bunnies and eggs are as much a part of Easter as a ham dinner or Easter egg hunt. But is this chocolate fetish a modern invention, or do its roots go deeper than that?
In the ecclesiastical calendar, Easter follows immediately after the end of Lent, a time when Catholics and some Protestant denominations refrain from certain foods and festivities in honor of Jesus’s 40 days of fasting in the desert. Rich foods like eggs, milk, cheese, and most meats have traditionally been popular choices for abstaining since the early Middle Ages, and chocolate was added to the list once it was introduced to Europe by the Spanish in the 16th and 17th century. Following the enforced abstinence of Lent, many people enjoyed celebrating Easter with a return to all the delicious foods that they had been missing, and eventually this became a tradition of eating chocolate at Easter time. In addition, chocolate was seen as a luxury item for many centuries, making it a natural choice for the traditional gift-giving that occurred during many Spring festivals.
The chocolate eggs and bunnies that are so popular these days are a more recent addition to Easter lore. As we have seen in our previous discussion of Easter traditions, eggs and rabbits have strong symbolic ties to the holiday through the pagan goddess Eostre and the rabbit’s natural fertility. This made them a natural choice for shaped hard chocolate candies, which were not invented until the 1850′s. Decades later, the Industrial Revolution enabled the chocolate making process to expand into mass production, and with the higher availability of chocolate eggs and bunnies at Easter time began the establishment of it as a widespread tradition.
This concludes our series on Easter traditions. Please enjoy the following recipe from Karen Hood’s wonderful cookbook Easter Delights. It is the perfect way to enjoy the tradition of chocolate this Easter.
Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Eggs
Children love chocolate-covered peanut butter eggs,
so these will disappear quickly.
Ingredients:
¼ c. butter
¼ c. brown sugar, firmly packed
¾ c. powdered sugar
½ c. creamy peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 pkg. semisweet chocolate chips
2 Tbs. shortening
Directions:
- In 1-quart microwave-safe bowl, microwave butter and brown sugar on full power for 1 to 1½ minutes, stirring every 30 seconds or until brown sugar is melted.
- Stir in powdered sugar, peanut butter, and vanilla.
- Shape by teaspoonfuls into egg shapes; chill.
- In double boiler or heavy saucepan, melt chocolate chips and shortening over low heat.
- With wooden pick, dip each egg into chocolate mixture, coating completely.
- Place on wax paper-lined baking sheets.
- Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.
© Karen Jean Matsko Hood 2011
Order your copy of Easter Delights today!
Easter Traditions: The Symbolism of the Egg
Decorating and hunting for Easter eggs is a huge part of celebrating the Spring holiday. In many cultures around the world, the egg has been a symbol of immortality, fertility, and rebirth since ancient times. The ancient Persians, for example, painted eggs during their celebration of the Spring Equinox, and there is evidence that the symbolism of the egg was important as far back as the Neolithic era 7000 years ago. The correlation is not hard to see: many newborn animals are hatched from eggs, and Spring is the time of year for most animals to give birth.
Many of the Easter games and activities involving eggs that we participate in today date back to customs in Medieval Europe. Decorating eggs was popular at this time, and the tradition was eventually carried to America with the first German settlers. Hunting for eggs and egg rolling games also come from medieval times. Furthermore, the name of the holiday itself comes from the pagan deity Ostara, known as Eostre to the Anglo-Saxons, goddess of the dawn and rebirth of the year. As Ostara, she appeared as a beautiful maiden carrying a basket of eggs and accompanied by a rabbit; as Eostre, her symbol was a rabbit that laid eggs itself.
Stay tuned for the third part of this series, in which we discuss the importance of chocolate in the Easter tradition. In the meantime, please enjoy this sample recipe from Karen Hood’s fabulous cookbook Easter Delights. It is a unique way to enjoy the rich symbolism of the egg during your Easter celebration this year. With more than 250 delicious recipes, Easter Delights will make planning for this holiday easy and fun!
Poached Eggs in Roman Red Sauce
The red sauce in this recipe for poached eggs makes this a delightfully zesty dish. If you like a creamier sauce, you may add ½ cup of cream to the sauce as it is simmering, before you add the eggs for poaching.
Ingredients:
2 Tbs. olive oil
½ c. chopped onion
½ c. sliced mushrooms, fresh or canned
1 clove garlic, diced
1 can peeled tomatoes
½ c. cream (optional)
4 eggs
salt and pepper
Directions:
- In skillet sauté onion, mushrooms, and garlic in olive oil.
- Add tomatoes, salt, and pepper; heat to simmering, and simmer for 20 minutes.
- For creamier sauce, stir in cream and heat through.
- Crack eggs into sauce and let eggs poach.
- Serve eggs in dish with red sauce and French bread.
© Karen Jean Matsko Hood 2011
Order your copy of Easter Delights today!
Easter Traditions: Easter Dinner
Easter is just around the corner, and with it comes a whole host of traditions. But where do these traditions come from and why do we celebrate Easter with a ham or lamb dinner, decorated eggs, and chocolate bunnies? Let’s begin with a closer look at the main course of a traditional Easter dinner.
In the Jewish tradition, lamb is served during Passover. The Last Supper was Jesus’s final meal with the twelve apostles, and it was held on Passover night. Any meat that Jesus ate at the Last Supper would have been lamb, and so it became traditional for Christians in Europe to eat it at Easter in honor of this. Furthermore, Jesus himself is often referred to as the Lamb of God.
The use of ham at Easter comes from Northern Europe and North America, where lamb has never been an important meat. In the harsh winters of the North, ham was extremely important as a food source because it could be smoked and salted and would keep throughout the winter. In the spring, this preserved pork would be ready to eat at a time when no other fresh meat was available.
Stay tuned for the second part of this series, in which we discuss the symbolism of eggs in the Easter tradition. In the meantime, please enjoy this sample recipe from Karen Hood’s fabulous cookbook Easter Delights. With more than 250 delicious recipes, Easter Delights will make planning for this holiday easy and fun!
Raspberry and Rosemary Grilled Lamb Chops
Raspberry-flavored vinegar and minced rosemary
add excellent flavor to these chops.
Ingredients:
2 Tbs. raspberry vinegar
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1 Tbs. soy sauce
2 Tbs. fresh rosemary, minced (or ½ tsp. dried)
1 tsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
8 lamb loin chops
Directions:
- In large, shallow dish whisk together vinegar, mustard, soy sauce, rosemary, oil, and garlic; add lamb chops in single layer, turning to coat well.
- Cover and marinate in refrigerator at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours, turning occasionally.
- Discard marinade; place chops on greased grill over medium-high heat, and cook about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare or to desired doneness.
- Transfer to platter; tent with foil, and let stand 5 minutes before serving.
© Karen Jean Matsko Hood 2011
Order your copy of Easter Delights today!
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