.. Sunny stops
snoring, nudges me out of my
cocoon behind her legs and
proclaims, “I’m up!” She does
this every morning and I’m
immediately transformed into an
awake and happy dog. We jump
up together to start our day.
.. We hunt for
Sunny’s favorite house shoes,
then I take her outside to
exercise. She warms up by
checking her garden, then I start
the training session by running
away. Even though I do this every
day, she never catches on and we
jump-start our day with cardio.
.. Sunny makes me
doggie stew, a mix of wet and
dry dog food with warm water.
She takes pride in all meals,
even mine. I go outside, and
when I come back in, it smells
like pancakes and bacon.
.. I sidle up to her while
she handles emails and calls for
projects she’s working on. While
on a video call, she makes me
wave at a human and their cat.
She says I’m so cute in these
moments, she doesn’t have
to wear makeup or tidy up the
background. It’s all about me.
The Pioneer Woman
Stainless Steel Tumbler
“Sunny says this keeps
things icy. And the lid means
I can’t secretly taste-test.”
$13; walmart.com
“There’s bacon and cheese
in this version, which is
why it’s hard to be patient
when it’s treat time.”
$14; chewy.com
Marshall Bluetooth Speaker
“It’s portable and works even when
Sunny brings it outside. Perfect
for serenading the sunset.”
Emberton, $150;
marshallheadphones.com
Star Diary
What Gets Sunny and Gary Through the Day
.. I get snacks. If she
forgets to tell me to be nice,
I’ll just snap them out of her
hand. Sometimes I need to be
reminded of my manners.
I watch
lunch for
didn’t go into the enchiladas
last night. She heats up the
chicken, adds salsa and puts
some fresh corn over the top.
I get a piece of a flour tortilla.
I’m officially #TeamLeftovers.
.. I run around the yard
while Sunny makes plans for
planting spring bulbs. As long as
she leaves enough grass for me
to run on, I’m OK. She and I both
like butterflies and bees, so the
more flowers, the merrier.
.. Don’t tell anyone, but
we take a siesta! Sunny says
it increases her productivity
and creativity. I don’t need an
excuse to sleep—I just go along
with it because it means I get
.. We’re awake! I
sitting around for a long time in
the washing machine.
.. I watch Sunny take a
steak out of the refrigerator that
she’s grilling for dinner.
.. We’re outside, and
I just ate doggie stew again!
She’s grilling, so I try to hang
out nearby. I’m warned it isn’t
safe because she could drop
something hot on me, but I
don’t care about that—if
she drops food, I want to be
around for it.
.. Sunny eats and
talks to this thing called Alexa.
She asks it to play the game show
Jeopardy! In case you didn’t know,
the phrase “faux pas” means
“false step.” She blurts out the
correct question while chewing.
.. She makes a
drink with tea, bourbon and
lemonade over ice and leaves
me inside while she goes out
to catch the sunset on the
patio. I hear “Ribbon in the Sky”
by Stevie
Wonder and
by Cyndi
Lauper. She
loves theme
music.
.. She watches Family
Feud and Columbo on the DVR
while answering emails and
planning recipe development.
.. Sunny makes the
chocolate chip cookies you
buy in a tube—except she
adds cranberries, chopped
pecans and shredded coconut
before baking
them. Twenty
minutes later,
she has eaten
the cookies
and we’re in
bed. As soon
as she settles,
I’m ready to
steal body
heat from her
all over again.
“Sunny says the little
rubber nubs are like
massaging stalagmites
on her feet.”
$30; adidas.com
Sunny Anderson’s dog Gary Gumbo
describes a day in his life with the
Food Network star.
Sunny adopted
Gary from
In Our Hands
Rescue.
CHICKEN: GETTY IMAGES.
32 FOOD NETWORK MAGAZINE ●NOVEMBER 2020
in the know
6:15am llam 2pm 8:26pm
12:15p.m. more cuddle t ime.
6:30am
3:36 p m "True Colors"
think she might be feeling guilty
about the nap because she puts
a pile of clothes that's been
5pm
9pm
7am 1pm 7pm 12am
8am
7:30pm
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