I’ve mentioned previously that my dog was a rescue from a shelter. He had had several names by the time we got him including Adrian and Magic and when we got him he was already “crate trained”. I’ve had plenty of dogs growing up and never had one that we used a crate with. The dog came home with us and we had a large crate waiting for him in the dining room. In the crate we had placed a nice thick pillow and a blanket. We showed it to him and when we told him to go to his crate, he quickly went inside.
We initially had him go in the crate when we were not at home. Being a dog whose habits had been developed elsewhere, we did not know what to expect and after we learned that he was not going to destroy the house, eventually put the crate into storage.
During the time when we had him in the crate, we came home one afternoon and found him greeting us at the door. As I had asked my young sons to put the dog in the crate, I assumed they had failed to engage the slide lock on the door. This lock is rather simple – requiring it to be lifted, slid several inches to the side and placed down again.
Several days later, once again the dog was happily waiting for us as we opened the door to the house. This time I had put the dog into the crate and was sure it was locked. It was time to go CSI on the dog. I put my preparations together.
The next morning I set up a video camera aimed at the door to the crate. To entice the dog even further, I placed a beef bone two feet in front of the crate. The dog was locked away and we left. Sure enough, when we got home, the dog was happily chewing on the bone. I couldn’t wait to watch the video. We put it in the VCR (yes, this was a while ago) and pressed PLAY. Here is what we saw:
The dog watches us until the door closes. He pauses and starts working at the lock with his paw. Through the crate he keeps pawing at it until it lifts. He stops as the van pulls down the drive and then quickly gets back to work. In less than a minute, he’s free. He truly was a Magic Dog!
This dish is amazing as well. The crispy chicken and sweet pineapple is a great combination together.
I love cooking with fresh pineapple.
Putting the rub together.
Making the salad/salsa.
The chicken ready for the broiler.
Delectable!
Broiled Chicken Thighs with Pineapple-Cucumber Salad
Prep Time:Â 15 minutes |Â Cook Time:Â 25 minutes |Â Makes:Â 4
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons grated lime zest, plus 3 tablespoons lime juice (from 3 limes)
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 1/2 pineapple, chopped (4 cups)
- 1 English cucumber, cut into 1/4-inch slices (3 cups)
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
Directions:
1. Heat broiler, with rack 4 inches from heat. Combine lime zest, chili powder, and 2 teaspoons salt. On a rimmed baking sheet, rub chicken all over with mixture. Turn skin side down.
2. Broil chicken 5 minutes. Flip and broil until skin is crisp and chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, combine lime juice, pineapple, cucumber, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Serve chicken with salad.
Source:Â http://www.marthastewart.com/900179/chicken-pineapple-cucumber-salad
Rantings of an Amateur Chef 
Such a clever dog 🙂 we adopted our dog as well, with the name of “Pukkie” which is our dialect for little, tiny dog. Considering that it’s a 94 lbs huge German Shepard it didn’t really fit so we named him Buddy 🙂
Great post & I made something similar a couple of days but your chicken looks so deliciously crispy!
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Lovely post, enjoyed reading it! The pineapple cucumber salad looks so refreshing!
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When I lived in Jerusalem, we adopted a stray (part whippet, part something else…possibly jackal). She was able to get out of a locked dormitory room by flipping the deadlock, pulling on the door handle, and nosing open the door. Disconcerting, since she never locked it after herself…
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Haha… dogs are so funny! Thanks for sharing that. This salsa looks sooo good! I’ve got it bookmarked to make soon as it looks perfect to have with chicken thighs.
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Animals are definitely more intelligent than they often get credit for. My cat can open the door to my closet when she wants to explore inside!
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Would love to see that video and can’t wait to make your recipe…You are always a delight in my early morning reads. Thank you for sharing.
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Haha, a little Houdini! Great summer recipe, I’ve never tried pineapple with chicken so I must give this a try.
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dogs are so smart 🙂 lovely dish!
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I thought this might be about the “lowly hot dog” — do you have any hot-dog ideas ?
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