As if we weren't already ripping our kiddos out of a life they were finally settled into, when we left Dallas, we had to leave our puppy, Falon. We made up for this by promising to get a dog in France. This seemed to pacify little girls for a while - but after moving from Bayonne to Biarritz, the girls started turning up the heat on the dog issue. In my defense, I had every intention of making good on the promise until I found out that Europe really isn't as pet friendly as I thought. After researching travel with pets in Europe, I found out that animals aren't allowed on most fast trains. Although there are whole websites dedicated to mass transit with man's best friend, turning a 5 hour train ride in to an 11 hour one so that aforementioned friend can accompany just seems unreasonable to me.

So - we decided to research other ways to fulfill our promise and the girls' need for a furry friend. Cats can be left alone for a weekend but then there's the litter-box smell and the hair on everything - no. Hamsters are cute and cuddly but, aside from the fact that they are rodents - eew - research concluded that they have small brains, don't bond with their owners and tend to bite more frequently than their rodent counterparts. Guinea Pigs - um...no. Bunny. Chinchilla.

And then I stumbled upon rats. I had heard in the past that rats made good pets, but the thought of a rat in my house gave me the heebie jeebies! But, Ratatoullie had given me a bit of a soft spot so I decided to check it out. I went to the pet store alone one afternoon to see if I could even stomach the idea. There were cages with all kinds of small creatures looking back at me - big eyes (sometimes red and beaty) begging me to take them home (or to back the hell off). And then I passed a cage with a single rat. Black and white. Long tail. No red eyes. Big ears. Kinda cute. Hmmmm.......Maybe.

I decided to think about it. Back and forth. I don't really want a pet at all. But I promised the girls a dog. Maybe a cat wouldn't be that bad. Hamsters are cuter. Rats have big teeth (I saw this when said cute rat yawned - ugh - I don't want to be bitten by this one) and long fingers with sharp nails. Supposedly, they are most like dogs though - bond with their owners, bite much less often than hamsters and are quite smart. The girls could also take him with us when we travel. Okay - I'll bring them back and see what they think.

Big cage, little cage, food - only organic, bedding - again, only vegetable based - wood chips can tear up the feet, house for inside cage, water bottle, platforms, tube, exercise ball, exercise wheel for inside of cage - wait, that will tear up his feet too - no exercise wheel. Leash. Yes, leash. And we were out the door.

Meet Ernie. The Rat. Our Rat. And perfect Halloween costume accessory! He makes little squeaky noises and sneezes all the time. He's cuddly and curious and loves Avery. Better than a dog in so many ways. Welcome home Ernie, welcome home.

We made these sweet potato fries to shoot - but they were so good, we had to eat them too! They are a healthy and delicious alternative to classic french fries.

2 Large Sweet Potatoes
Salt (or any other seasoning desired)
Olive Oil
Splatter Guard for pan
Napkins for cooling/soaking up excess oil

Cut sweet potato into desired fry shape :) We’ve tried strips, slices, chunks. The strips are thinner and we think they taste better!

Coat bottom of pan with olive oil (about 1/2 inch) and heat on high. When you flick water in pan and the oil bubbles, you are ready to fry some taters. Line bottom of pan with potato strips and cover pan with splatter guard. Fry 3-4 minutes and flip potatoes. Another 3-4 minutes or to desired crunchiness. Remove from pan, salt and let cool on paper towels to soak up oil.

Enjoy!

yummy, nikki cotten, recipe, sweet potato, food photography, food photo, salty, french fries

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