knick knack paddywhack, give the dog a bone….

If you love your puppy as much as we do then I’m sure your concerned about the kind of foods and treats they consume. Well what better way to know exactly what’s in their treats than to make it yourself?! I’ve never met a dog who doesn’t love peanut butter, so these are perfect and so easy. You could also use almond or cashew butter, whatever you prefer. I make mine in my awesome blendtec blender but you could use your food processor, kitchen aid, or mix it by hand. The recipe only has four ingredients and your pup will love it! These also make great gifts!

Ingredients

1/2-1 tbsp. milk (depending on consistency)
1 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)
1 tbsp. baking powder
2 cups whole wheat flour

Preheat oven to 375°F. Add milk and peanut butter to blender, mixer, etc. and cream together. Add baking powder and 1 cup flour and mix until ingredients are incorporated. Use spatula to scrape sides, and add remaining flour, mixing until ingredients are incorporated. Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface. Roll out to a thin even layer and cut out dough with cookie cutter (I got mine at Michales Martha Stewart makes them in all sizes). Place on greased baking sheet, and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Store in an airtight container and keep your husband away from them, they’re for the dog!

the doctor will see you now

Baby Jaela’s momma let me steal her for a few days and we are having so much fun! She is a diva just like Lolo (that’s me, but it sounds more like Wo Wo) and loves to play dress up. And that kid can WALK in heels! Who says a girl can’t have brains AND beauty? I wish my doctor wore a tutu and Minnie Mouse ears! I have to give her back today…maybe they’ll take an apple pie instead and let me keep her?

winner winner, chicken (soup) dinner

so the butcher has a cold. this Florida weather does it to us every year, hot during the day and cold at night, our bodies don’t know what to do and we inevitably get sick. so he asked in his cutest, most pathetic sniffly (but still super tough of course haha) voice, “can you make your chicken soup?” How can I say no to that?! This soup is super simple and super delicious. Here goes…

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts (diced)
a few tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion (diced)
1 bag carrots (diced)
1 bag celery (diced)
2 cartons chicken broth
salt & pepper
oregano
basil
parsley
2-3 garlic cloves (minced)
1 can tomato sauce

1. Heat olive oil in pot. Add onion and garlic until slightly brown and translucent.
2. Add chicken and spices (I don’t measure the spices I just sprinkle them generously and taste as I go, sorry) Cook until chicken has a nice color to it and is pretty much completely cooked.
3. Add carrots and celery, re-season a bit if necessary.
4. Add chicken broth and tomato sauce, bring to a boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes. (The longer the better but that’s the minimum amount of time to really let the veggies get nice and tender.) Serve by itself or with rice, pasta, a nice hunk of bread, whatever you like. The best part about this soup? It’s even better the next day, so I hope you have leftovers!

I’ve got a golden ticket…

when I open a new jar of Nutella and see the shiny gold seal I feel JUST like Charlie (of the chocolate factory?) when he opens that wonka bar and sees a glimmer of his delicious future in that metallic paper. I do believe I could live on Nutella alone, my favorite is spreading it on whole wheat toast with sliced banana. How do you like your Nutella?

dive in

so I like to paint my nails before I go to bed. Well maybe “like” isn’t the right word, but that’s just usually when it happens (it’s usually on a Saturday night like tonight when the butcher and I are laying in bed talking and laughing about our day and whatever it was that we did with our friends that night) and I glance down at my nails realizing they are chipped and horrible and I can’t go to the meeting tomorrow with them like that. Which is exactly why I keep my trusty “nail polish bin” under the bed, so I can just reach down and grab all I need in one fell swoop. Even though the bin is full of a rainbow of colors I always reach for the same color, because you just can’t go wrong with a classic red nail. My absolute favorite red is OPI’s “Red my fortune cookie”. It’s bright and glossy and I love it. But let’s get back to the heart of the problem, and the reason for this post. Because I like to do my nails before bed, no matter how dry I THINK they are, I inevitably get the dreaded “hair marks” every time. Do you know what I’m talking about? (If not refer to previously mentioned “I don’t get cramps girl” and go find something else to read haha) But I have FINALLY discovered the secret to perfectly dry and glossy nails in no time- SUPER COLD WATER!!! Just fill a bowl with cold water and submerge your freshly painted nails into the water for…basically as long as you can stand it. The water basically freezes the polish into a shellack-like dry state. I can’t fully explain it I mean I’m not a scientist or anything, I just know it works. And no more hair marks!!! So yes it’s a bit unpleasant and yes you may feel like your fingertips are going to fall off but I assure you…it’s worth it! (and I don’t think there’s any danger of frostbite here) so dive in!

friday find day

our community is having a huge sale today and I got some awesome additions to my Pyrex spring blossom collection! the hunt is half the fun!

pumpkin snack attack

its that time of year again! the air is crisp and the pumpkins abundant! why buy pumpkin seeds when you can make your own at home that are healthier and soooo much more delicious?! its pretty simple, just half the pumpkin, scoop out the insides and extract the seeds from all the gooey pumpkin pulp. Rinse them and pat dry, you want them to be completely dry before you go any further. next choose your flavor profile. I like to keep it simple, just a little salt and pepper-tastes exactly like movie popcorn! but you could certainly be more creative and do a spicy blend with cayenne and paprika, a garlic basil flavor, or even go the sweet route with a little cinnamon and sugar! once dry, toss the seeds in a few tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle your desired seasonings. put them in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until they start to get some color. (cooking time depends on the size of the pumpkin and the amount of seeds obviously.) now the next step is very important….try not to eat them all in one sitting! as you can see my nieces were having trouble in this department! what to do with the gooey pumpkin guts? stay tuned my friend, another blog for another day.

Raven’s favorite spot…

butcher’s pie

so it’s actually shepherd’s pie but the butcher requested this for dinner so I decided to change it…for obvious reasons. now before we go any further I have something to say to my #1 fan and most ardent reader, you know who you are. I want you to make this recipe. Don’t be scared by things like rosemary or beef broth. Everything in this recipe are simple staples that you should have in your home so if you don’t have them, go get them! Ok that being said, let’s get cookin’…

Ingredients
For the potatoes:
2 large or 4 small russet potatoes
a few splashes of half-and-half
A few tablespoons unsalted butter kosher salt & black pepper to taste
1 egg yolk

For the meat filling:
2 tablespoons olive oil oil
1 small chopped onion
3-4 carrots, peeled and diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 pounds ground lamb, beef, or turkey…really whatever you have on hand, today I used beef because I had it in the freezer
pinch of kosher salt & black pepper
a few tablespoons flour
large squirt of tomato paste (tomato paste is sold in a can but the best way to do it is like this in a tube because it’s more concentrated and lasts much longer. You can find it in your local grocery store.
1 cup beef broth (you won’t use the whole carton so put the rest in the fridge and make beef stew or google recipes with beef broth, you can do it- be creative!)
Several dashes Worcestershire sauce
About 2 tsp each of rosemary and thyme. Obviously fresh herbs are always better but dried gets the job done and they’re more readily available.
about a cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
about a cup fresh or frozen English peas (the amount of vegetables really is up to you and depends on your personal preference and the size of your pan!)

Directions

Peel the potatoes and dice. Put in a pot cover with water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, uncover, decrease the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until tender and easily crushed with spoon, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.

Drain the potatoes in a colander and put into the bowl of your kitchen aid mixer (you can obviously mash them by hand but this is the way I do it and my blog so pbllll-that’s me sticking my tongue out.) Next add the half and half, butter, salt and pepper and continue to mash until smooth. Stir in the yolk until well combined, this helps thicken and bind the potatoes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. While the potatoes are cooking make the filling. Put the oil in the pan over medium heat and add the onion and carrots and saute just until they begin to take on color, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the garlic and stir to combine. Add the meat, salt & pepper and cook until browned and cooked through, approximately 3 minutes. Sprinkle the meat with the flour and toss to coat, continuing to cook for another minute. This helps thicken the juice into more of a gravy so it’s not too liquidy in the bottom of the baking dish.

Add the tomato paste, beef broth, Worcestershire, rosemary, thyme, and stir to combine.

                  

Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer slowly 10 to 12 minutes or until the sauce is thickened slightly. Add the corn and peas to the mixture and spread evenly a baking dish.

Top with the mashed potatoes, starting around the edges to create a seal to prevent the mixture from bubbling up and smooth with a rubber spatula.

I like to make little peaks with the spatula like you would on a lemon meringue pie, I think it’s pretty and they get all brown and crispy.

Bake for 25 minutes or just until the potatoes begin to brown.

Remove and let cool and set for about 10 minutes before serving. It was delicious and would go really nicely with a glass of red wine!

 

black & white cookie goodness

Have you ever had a black and white cookie, a REAL black and white from a REAL New York bakery? Well if not, my friend, you are missing out. But wait no longer, now you can make my version that is just like the bakery’s! The butcher even confirmed it was just as good as the ones he ate growing up in Long Island. The cakey texture, the little hint of lemon, and the delicious but not too sweet frosting. Now I’m not going to lie to you and tell you these aren’t a little time consuming and tedious to make because they are. But they are well worth it especially for a special occasion! Let’s get started….

INGREDIENTS

For the Cookies:
4 cups cake flour (I’ve talked about this before in other posts, I’m telling you cake flour makes a huge difference it is a much lighter delicate texture. Swan’s makes a good brand it’s sold in most grocery stores in the baking aisle in a red box)
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
1¾ cups granulated sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon lemon extract (very important!!!)
1 cup milk

For the Icing:
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped (baker’s brand chocolate is good and is pre measured so it’s super simple)
⅓ cup water
¼ cup light corn syrup
5 cups powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract.

1. Make the Cookies: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

3. Beat the butter at medium speed for 30 seconds to loosen it up. Keeping the mixer running, gradually add in the sugar and then gradually increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the eggs (one at a time to incorporate) vanilla and lemon extract. Beat at medium speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl again. With mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour in four additions and the milk in three additions (beginning and ending with flour), and mix until just combined. Give the mixture a few final stirs with a rubber spatula to ensure all of the flour has been incorporated.

4. Use a ¼-cup measuring cup to scoop mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheets about two inches apart. Using moistened fingers, gently press each mound of dough into a 2½-inch circle. Bake until the edges of the cookies are set and light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

5. Making the Icings: Melt the chocolate either in a medium bowl set over a small saucepan over barely-simmering water, or using the microwave on 50% power in 30-second increments; set aside.

6. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the water and corn syrup to a boil. Remove from the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Transfer ¾ cup of the icing to the bowl with the melted chocolate and whisk to combine.

7. Ice the Cookies: Place wire racks over wax paper to catch any drips. Use a small offset spatula, or cheese knife in my case, to spread about 2 tablespoons of the vanilla icing onto half of each cookie. The icing should move on its own when the cookie is tilted; use the spatula to scrape any excess from around the edges. If the vanilla begins to thicken too much, stir in a teaspoon of warm water at a time until the icing goes back to a smoother, looser consistency. Place the finished cookies on the wire racks and allow to set for at least 15 minutes.

8. Again using a small offset spatula, spread the chocolate icing on the half of each cookie, scraping any excess icing from around the edge of the cookies. If the chocolate icing thickens too much, which it did for me, add a tablespoon or so of warm water as you go to keep it at the right thickness. Place the finished cookies on the wire racks and allow to set for at least 1 hour. Lick your fingers and enjoy! I had a little batter left and decided to make one huge cookie just for the butcher since they’re his favorite. It was the size of his face, it was delicious, and he loved it.

9. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you stack the cookies, be sure to place a piece of wax paper between layers. But don’t worry, they won’t last long enough for you to worry about all that.