COOKING IN THE DARK WITH COCHRAN & CHRISTIE

Well, the camera battery is charged up and we're ready to show you a delicious dessert called Grasshopper Ice Cream Pie.  Christie has assured me that there are, indeed, no grasshoppers in this pie!  Yeah, yeah, we're stepping on Fiamma's toes with telling you some fun facts, but we want to tell you some differences between grasshoppers and crickets.  Of course, a grasshopper is an insect like Christie, but grasshoppers are diurnal, which means they are active in the daytime and use their keen eyesight to communicate.  Crickets are nocturnal, which means they are active at night and use their songs to communicate.  The grasshopper is green to blend in with the grass, while crickets are dark to blend in with shadows and the night.  Also, grasshoppers fly, while crickets do not.  I think I have a perfect cooking partner then - she is active at night, sings while she's cooking, and is not flighty!  Okay, now on to the recipe!

GRASSHOPPER ICE CREAM PIE

28 Oreo cookies, crushed

1/4 cup butter (half a stick)

1/2 gallon Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream, softened

16 oz. jar of fudge sauce

12 oz. tub of Cool Whip

Butter a 9 x 12 inch pan.  Combine crushed cookies with butter.  Cover bottom of pan and freeze (45 minutes to 1 hour).  Layer ice cream on top of cookie crust and freeze, then layer fudge sauce on top of ice cream and freeze.  Top with Cool Whip and freeze again.  Remove from the freezer 15 minutes before serving.  You can also add Junior Mints peppermint candies, Andes Mints, or cookie pieces on top.  (What is that grasshopper doing on the left?!)

ENJOY!

FIAMMA'S FUN FACTS FRIDAY

Since most iguanas are green, I'm going to talk about iguanas today!  As I told you in my introduction and as you can see, I am a beautiful red iguana, but my anatomy is the same.  Obviously, I have two eyes, but I have a "third eye" on the top of my head.  It has a lens that monitors heat and light from above - kind of like a radar motion detector!  In the wild, the changes in light can indicate danger, a predator, or simply that we need to move from sun to shade.  Just imagine, say, if a two-headed purple dragon with red eyes is right above us, we would definitely move to safety - OH BOY!  Since I think you've seen my toes in several posts, I won't go there, but we do have strong claws for digging and climbing.   

Here are some other fun facts:

• Iguanas can stay under water for 28 minutes.
• Our tail makes up at least half of our body length.
• Some ways we communicate are with head bobbing, tongue flicking, and tail whipping.

Hope you enjoy the video:  http://youtu.be/faC3XTInrgA



WHAT'S MAJOR TOM THINKING ABOUT TODAY?

I'm green with envy about Dan's blog, which means I'm jealous on what a good article he wrote!  There are a lot of sayings with the word "green" in them that don't have anything to do with the environment.  Here are a few more that you can use sometimes:

 I'm feeling a little green (feeling sick)

He's looking a little green around the gills (looking sick)

She has a green thumb (can grow things well)

The green-eyed monster (the feeling of being jealous)

The green stuff (money)

Giving someone/something the green light (the go-ahead to do something)



My kitty litter

What this "green" book about?

 

 



     






I love Green Tea Ginger Ale!

Now I'm tired

Here's a cute video about a green and a blue frog that like different things!  http://youtu.be/lfFGXG2-6kg

  





TROTTIN' ABOUT TOWN WITH HAIRY TROTTER

Don't forget that Rio starts this Friday, April 15.
Strut Your Mutt (at Fair Park) is Saturday, April 16.
Dog Bowl (at Fair Park) is Sunday, April 17, 1-5 p.m.

Be sure to mark your calendars at the end of the month for the Green Living Family Festival at the Heard Museum in McKinney, April 30, 9-5 p.m.  There are so many activities and vendors, including Huck's Treehouse for eco-friendly toys.  Check out heardmuseum.org for the full list of activities - don't miss it!

I've got some exciting news to share, too, but I don't want to step on Fiamma's toes (remember those toes?!), but I hear that Dan is putting together a band - the Blog Dog Dan Band (BDDB).  Tentatively, Charlotte will be the lead vocalist, Caesar will be the guitarist, Major Tom will be the keyboardist, and Fiamma the drummer.  They have a lot of details to work out, but I hear their first single will be "The Ballad of the Salad"  They also could be working on music for the story "Food Fight" that is listed on the blog.  I can't wait!!

HAMMIN' IT UP WITH BLOG HOG HAMILTON

Are you ready for some more jokes to get you through the week?  Since we've been talking about Earth Day, it's "natural" for me to share these jokes witih you today!

Q.  How can you tell the ocean is friendly?
A.  It waves.

Q.  When is the moon the heaviest?
A.  When it's full.

Q.  Why did the leaf go to the doctor?
A.   It was feeling green.

Q.  What kind of tree can fit into your hand?
A.  A palm tree!

Q.  How do trees get on the internet?
A.  They "log" in.

Q.  What did the tree wear to the pool party?
A.  Swimming trunks.

Q.  What is a tree's least favorite month?
A.  Sep-timber!

Now, if you want to see something really funny, look at Charlotte giving her "daddy" a nibble on the ear after coming home from  a business trip and look at Caesar hiding behind a post! 

 

DEAR TABBY

I have a special request from Miss Kitty to remind all the youngsters how to behave in the following situations.  She said the original advice came from an article published by Abigal Van Buren.  I don't know who she is, but she knew what she was talking about!

RULES OF ETIQUETTE FOR INEXPERIENCED CATS

1. If you have an upset stomach, get into a chair quickly.  If you cannot manage this in time, get to an Oriental rug, or shag is good.
2. Determine quickly which guest hates cats.  Sit on that lap during the evening.  He won't dare push you off, and will even call you "nice kitty."  If you can arrange to have cat food on your breath, so much the better.
3. For sitting on laps or rubbing against pants legs, select colors that contrast with your own.
4. Always accompany guests to the bathroom. It is not necessary to do anything - just sit and stare.
5. For guests who say, "I love kitties," be ready with aloof disdain, claws applied to stockings, or a quick nip on the ankles.
6. Do not allow closed doors in any room.  To get one open, stand on hind legs and hammer with forepaws.  Once the door is opened for you, it is not necessary to use it.  You can change your mind.  When you have ordered an outside door opened, stand half in and half out and think about several things.  This is particularly important during very cold weather or mosquito season.
7. If one person is busy and the other is idle, sit with the busy one.  For book readers, get in close under the chin, unless you can lie across the book itself.
8. For ladies knitting, curl quietly into their lap and pretend to doze, then reach out and slap kitting needles sharply.  This is what she calls a dropped stitch.  She will try to distract you - ignore it.
9. For people doing homework, sit on the paper being worked on.  After being removed for the second time, push anything movable off the table -- pens, pencils, stamps -- one at a time.
10. Get enough sleep during the daytime so that you are fresh for playing at night between 2 and 4 a.m.
    
    

    Here's Tom laying on the edge of the Oriental rug, all stretched out!

    Look below - it's Luci's owner and she reports they're doing just great!

CELEBRATE by Blog Dog Dan

Think Globally, Act Locally - that's how we celebrate Earth Day on April 22.  This is a day to raise awareness about our earth and what we can all do to reserve the planet's natural resources today and for future generations!    

So let's talk about the three R's today.  No, not Running after the ball, Racing around in the yard, or Rolling around in the grass!  I mean the three R's of the environment - Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.  Don't buy things you don't need or items that come in wasteful packaging or that cannot be recycled.  Reuse and recycle whatever you can.  Since I don't want to get you a lot of facts (since I don't want to step on Fiamma's toes (have you seen those long toes?), I will give you a few helpful hints below.

• You can reduce waste by using a computer!  Many newspapers and magazines are online now,.  Remember, print out only what you need. 
• Don't throw out clothes, toys, and other things that you don't want anymore.  Somebody else can probably use them, so bring them to a center that collects donations, give them to friends, or even have a yard sale.
• Parents, do you get a lot of advertisements and junk mail that you don't want and have to sort through after a busy day?  You can request your name be taken off of their distribution list by writing to the address below:

Direct Marketing Association Mail Preference Service
P.O. Box 9008
Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008

Look at Charlotte putting something in the recycle bin at home.  Charlotte cares!  Click on the link below and see what other animals care about the environment. 

http://youtu.be/xUeNyPTjfec

YOU MAKE A
DIFFERENCE:
DO YOUR PART!