Welcome to Andrea’s Keepers, a blog dedicated to the joy of food and photography. I’m Andrea, a self-taught cook originally from the sunny city of Palm Springs, California. With a passion for capturing the essence of delicious meals, I embarked on this blogging journey in 2023, and now it has become my full time occupation here in the beautiful state of Utah. I couldn’t be happier!
Food is my love language. It’s a subject that occupies my daydreams and fills my heart with excitement. I love pouring over family recipes, older cookbooks, and I develop my own recipes quite frequently. I hope that my recipes inspire you to embrace the kitchen, to embark on culinary adventures and create delicious, wholesome meals that nourish both body and soul.
However, for me, the true essence of food is best experienced in the company of good friends and loved ones. There’s something magical about sharing a meal, where delectable flavors intertwine with laughter and conversation. To me, good food is pure bliss. I believe that cooking should be a delightful, creative experience. Gathering with friends, and sharing hearty laughs are moments to cherish.
Through this blog, I aim to celebrate the beauty of good food. Food that not only tantalizes the taste buds but also nourishes our bodies. Join me on this delectable journey, where we explore the wonders of culinary artistry and discover the joy of savoring meals that are as delightful as they are sustainable. Let’s embrace the vibrant world of flavors together!
Our Rescue Horse
Four years ago, I married my adorable husband Spence and moved to the beautiful state of Utah. Spence is an avid horseman. His natural way with horses, is one of the things I love about him. Together we own two horses, Gunner, a 5 year old quarter horse and Bentley, a 21 year old off the track thoroughbred racehorse. Spence spotted Bentley online in a kill pen two years ago, and we knew we needed to help him.
Though I’m grateful that the kill pen put him up for sale before they sent him to Mexico to be slaughtered, but what they do really is a racket. These people go to auctions and buy horses for pennies on the dollar. They turn around and sell them for a profit. That’s all well and good, but if they don’t sell within a very short period of time, they get shipped to Mexico to meet a terrible, inhuman death. We were faced with a dilemma. If we give these people our money, they’ll just go buy more horses. But on the other hand, Bentley was already there. His precious life needed to be saved right then. We decided to save his life and Spence bought him sight unseen.
Rescuing a horse is not for the faint of heart. When Bentley first came to us, I felt so bad for him. He had not one, but two different auction stickers glued to him, which meant he had been through two highly stressful auctions back to back. His weight was dangerously low and his eyes were sunken in with no life in them. It was apparent that he was ill. Those places pack the horses together and they all drink out of the same water. As a result he tested positive for the equine rhino virus. He also had a wicked case of bot parasites. All the vet could do is make him as comfortable as possible. After a few weeks of quarantine, the virus ran its course and he started to recover.
As he started to put on weight, it became apparent how gorgeous he is. He’s a sweet, totally broke, sound, gentle giant. Through his racing tattoo, we were about track a little snippet of his early racing life, but otherwise we don’t know how this beautiful horse ended up in a kill pen. We’re so happy that we were able to help him out of a bad situation and I get a sense that he knows how lucky he is too.
How You Can Help
Unfortunately, every year there are thousands and thousands of horses that aren’t as lucky as Bentley. They get taken to auctions and are bought up indiscriminately by kill buyers. Many go down the slaughter pipeline. We wish we had the finances and resources to to more. It really breaks my heart when I think of what could have happened to Bentley. No horse deserves to be treated like that. I don’t regret saving Bentley from the kill pen, however if we are ever are in a position to rescue another horse, I think we will do it differently next time. Next time we will consider adopting from a reputable horse rescue. These organizations are dedicated to saving horses that are in danger of ending up in the wrong hands. They can also provide the medical care that these horses need prior to being adopted.
If you would like to help a horse, please consider donating to Horse Plus Humane Society. I have no affiliation or sponsorship with them in any way, but I think they are an awesome organization. They also mentor other horse rescues around the country.
