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The life of the Google Queen

Onry Onyx Academy Memorial Day Assignment

When we were assigned this essay for Memorial Day, I was really undecided on who to write on - Pugisdent Irving or Onry Onyx. They have both been a large influence on my family, even though I didn't know either of them. So, I decided to write about them both.

Pugsident Irving is the brother of my sister's Fiance, Maxwell. Irving and Maxwell were one of the first to open their hearts and lives to our family when we joined dogster. Irving has always been such an inspiration to all of the Pugdom and so many pups look up to him for guidance. He is loyal to all his pugstituants and provides feedback on all ideas to make the Pugdom a better place.

When Irving passed on December 13, 2007, it was Mommy's 30th birthday. She was at lunch with Daddy when she got a phone call from the First Lady. When she listened to the voice mail she was sobbing, right there in Applebee's. Right after lunch she went to NW Portland to get her hairs done all fancy for dinner. Mommy had never been to the salon but when she got there, she saw it was on Irving Street. At that point it all just went downhill. Mommy kept remembering how Irving got his name and how special he was to our family. If it wasn't for him, Penelope would have never met her soul-mate. Irving's Momma had a really hard time with his journey to the bridge and Mommy and a couple other close friends helped Cindy to become united with Sophie Amore - the sassiest little pug I have met. But her wonderful snuggling ability has helped her new Momma more than anyone or anything else ever could. We here in "The Coov" send all the love in the world to Minnesota and Irving Street.

Onry Onyx also warmly greeted our family when we came to dogster. She was always so wise and all-knowing. Her family's story is a heart breaking one. From her human's granddaughter's accident to her fur-relative's (Sapphire's) losses within her litter of babies. Onyx really opened Mommy's heart to the love and support that dogster provides. Until Onyx's tragic month, Mommy didn't know that so many "strangers" could be so loving and supportive in such a time of grief. At that point in time, Mommy knew that dogster was where her heart was meant to be - with so many pet lovers, all together for one thing... their babies.

Everyday we enjoy talking to all of our pals on dogster and thank our lucky stars we found this place!

I'm engaged!

Wednesday April 23rd was a very special night for me! My handsome manpug, Dink, asked me to marry him at the Pugapalooza BBQ! It was the most romantic proposal! He had given 11 roses to different pups and they gave me their rose, one by one. Then when it got to the twelth rose, it was being held my by beloved Dink! He quieted the whole BBQ and proposed to me right there!

Here are the details of the engagement ring:

Harry Winston Fancy Intense Pink Diamond with two Trapezoid Diamonds
Price: $8.3 Million
Carats: 10.11
Pinks are among the rarest of colored diamonds, and this particular stone is one of the largest offered on the market today. The diamond displays a 100% pure pink color that is evenly distributed and saturated to a degree found only in the best vivid-grade diamonds. Clarity rating: VVS1.

Assignment - BBQ food research

Brisket is a cut of meat from the breast or lower chest - taken from the breast section beneath the first five ribs, behind the foreshank. While all meat animals have a brisket, the term is most often used to describe beef or veal. The beef brisket is one of the eight beef primal cuts. Brisket can be cooked many ways. Popular methods in the U.S. Southern States include smoking and marinating the meat and cooking slowly, not directly over the hot coals or wood. Additional basting of the meat is often done during the cooking process. However, most of the tenderness from this normally tougher cut of meat comes from the fat cap often left attached to the brisket. The brisket is almost always placed with the fat on top so that it slowly dissolves down into the meat as it cooks, resulting in a more juicy and tender meat. Small amounts of certain woods such as hickory or mesquite are sometimes added to the main heat source, and sometimes they make up all of the heat source, with chefs often prizing characteristics of certain woods. The smoke from these woods and from burnt dripping juices further enhances the flavor. The finished meat is a variation of barbecue. Once finished, pieces of brisket can be returned to the smoker to make burnt ends.

Brisket Braised in Beer Recipe
Ingredients
3 thinly sliced onions
6 boiling potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 slices chopped bacon
4 (12 ounces each) bottles beer (not dark)
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened but not melted
6 carrots, cut crosswise into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2-1/2 pounds brisket
1 large peeled rutabaga, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cook bacon in an ovenproof kettle over moderate heat, stirring, until crisp. Transfer to paper towels and drain.
Pour off all but 2 Tbsp fat from bacon. Pat brisket dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat the bacon fat over medium-high heat until it is hot but not smoking. Add the brisket to the kettle and brown. Transfer to a platter.
Add onions to kettle and saute until golden. Add bacon, brisket and beer. Bring beer to a boil. Cover kettle and braise in oven for two hours. Stir in rutabaga chunks, carrots and potatoes and braise 45 minutes longer, or until vegetables are tender. Transfer the brisket and vegetables with a slotted spoon to a plate. Cover and keep warm.
Blend 2 Tbsp butter and 2 Tbsp flour and set aside. Bring braising liquid to a boil and reduce to about 3 cups. Gradually whisk in flour-butter mixture. Simmer for 3 minutes. Slice the brisket and arrange on a plate with vegetables. Pour some sauce over dish, sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Credits
Recipe from: Author unknown

The BBQ to use