Children's Books I Can Currently Quote in My Sleep

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ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book! by Dr. Seuss 
 
Frankie the Frog Learns About Colors by Natalie Jane Parker

Trucks Go by Steve Light

Touch the Art: Pop Warhol's Top by Julie Appel
 
Curious Baby My Favorite Things by H.A. Rey 

Little Quack Loves Colors by Lauren Thompson 

Moo Baa La-La-La by Sandra Boyton 

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? 
and The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

Father's Day

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This post is a little late. But that is my life right now. Getting things done when I have time... and that is ok.

Daniel and I are not big celebrators, so we didn't do a whole lot for Father's Day beyond grabbing a bite to eat at Cantina Laredo and popping into Barnes&Noble so that Daniel could spend time perusing his favorite magazines. 

I think I speak for both of us when I say that we are feeling more and more blessed by our little guy with each passing day. We have enjoyed close to 10 years of marriage, but Jack has just made everything that much sweeter.

Becoming parents also makes life harder. There is this huge responsibility to shoulder. A responsibility that you really can't be prepared for regardless of how long you choose to wait. 

I am so thankful that Daniel is my partner in this thing called parenthood. He really loves our little boy. You can see it when he bathes Jack, when he changes diapers, when he blows raspberries on Jack's bare skin and when he explains the workings of the world to him.

I am so blessed to have this wonderful man in my life who is a great dad to our son.

Whole Wheat Honey Banana Muffins/Bread

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First off, I hate that I forgot to take a photo of these muffins. I made them for our class at church a couple of weeks ago and somewhere between baking and getting out the door on time, I just forgot. Plus it might have been weird to be taking a picture of my baked goods at the church building.

*If I had taken pics, it might have looked a little like this. This was Peanut Butter Banana Bread I made last year.
Anywho... I found the original recipe from New Nostalgia via Pinterest and as I started making it, I decided it might be a hair too healthy for a group of people I am still getting to know. Plus I know that Daniel likes it any time chocolate is involved in his breakfast and I figured other people might like the additions as well.
So here is my modified {slightly less healthy but-so-yummy} version of Whole Wheat Honey Banana Muffins/Bread
Ingredients

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour {I ran out of wheat – so the white flour made up the difference. If you want, use 3 1/2 cups of all white or 3 1/2 cups of all wheat or whatever combination works for you}
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp ground flax {don't tell the boys I added this in – it's totally optional though}
2/3 cup olive oil {you could probably use whatever type of oil you prefer or whatever you have on hand}
2/3 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar {the original recipe called for 1 cup of honey for the sweetener... I got nervous that it wouldn't be sweet enough, so I adjusted the recipe and included brown sugar too}
4 eggs
2 cups mashed ripe bananas {I used 5}
1/2 cup hot water
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts 

Directions

Set oven to 325ºF.

Stir together dry ingredients and set aside.

Mix oil and honey together; add eggs and beat well – a stand mixer works great for this, but hand beaters would work too.Add bananas and beat to combine. 

Add dry ingredients to wet, alternating with hot water; mix well after each addition.

Mix in chocolate chips and walnuts – I actually mixed in the chocolate chips first and made a batch with no nuts. Once the no-nuts batch was in the oven, I added the walnuts and made a loaf of bread with nuts... This works great in case anyone is allergic to nuts or just doesn't like nuts {ahem – Daniel}. 

Spoon batter into 12 greased muffin cups and bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes, or until muffins are golden brown and test done.

For bread, pour mixture into a greased loaf tin and bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown and the bread passes the toothpick test.

Remove from oven and cool on rack.

Thursday Things

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The Top Eight 10 Things We Regularly Used for Jack 3-6 Months
About the time Jack turned 3 months, I wrote a post outlining our top 3 things we needed for an infant. Basically our little guy needed a place in our room to sleep, warm clothes to wear, cloth diapers, a good carseat and mama's milk to thrive {ironically I don't think I included any of those things in my original list}.
As a follow up, here are the top items we used for Jack during the 3-6 month phase of his life on planet Earth.

A Crib – we moved him to his crib around 4 months. We were thrilled to be able to get a good, modern crib at a steal of a price from IKEA {we chose the SUNDVIK and painted and stenciled the ends}.

Bibs/Burp Cloths – our little one spit up A LOT for the first 6 months of his life. Bibs were a life laundry saver once I started using them regularly. Our favorites were the Just One You by Carter's cloth bibs with a snap {instead of velcro} from Target.

Play Gym – Jack loves the mobile on his play mat/gym. He especially loved it once he could grab the little birds that were circling above his head. I liked having a place I could lay him where he could be entertained while I caught up on work.

iPhone – I finally upgraded to a smart phone {for work reasons} around the time Jack turned 3 months old. The iPhone was easier to use than my Kindle {one handed} when I was nursing Jack. Talk about improving my life. I could read books, surf the internet, and track our little guy's nursing/diapers/sleeping habits with the Baby Nursing app.

Books.Books.Books. – we read a lot of books to our little guy. As the months passed he has become more and more engaged in what we are reading. By 6 months he was reaching out to help turn pages and/or trying to eat the pages.

BOB Revolution Jogging Stroller – we decided to skip out on a regular stroller and picked up a used BOB Revolution via Craigslist {retail is $399, we paid a fraction of that price}. We LOVE this stroller. We use it regularly for running/walking. It fits our lifestyle to a tee. We do not own another stroller and are glad that we didn't go with a typical travel stroller system.

Baby Bjorn – for the first 6 months of Jack's life I used the Baby Bjorn carrier specifically for grocery shopping and doing chores around the house. It kept Jack close to me and safe. I liked that he could interact with people {especially as he got bigger and we faced him outward} but I still had control over this interaction with strangers. We picked up a used carrier at Unclaimed Baggage for $8 {this carrier generally retails for $74+ on Amazon}.

Our Diaper Bag – Daniel actually picked out the diaper bag we carry for Jack. Since Jack is a boy and Daniel didn't want to have to carry anything that looked overly feminine, he won this battle. We agreed on the Kelty Messenger Diaper Bag in black/gray. We really like the sleek look, durable material and the portable changing pad that comes with it. On the rare occasion I have changed Jack on a changing table in a restroom at a restaurant, I really liked being able to 1) lay our changing pad down for Jack to lay on and 2) being able to access things within the diaper bag without laying it on the ground. It is just big enough to carry several cloth diapers, a couple of changes of clothes, a couple of bibs and burp cloths, a toy or two and my phone and wallet. There is an insulated pocket for bottles, but it is not something we have used

That is about it. We don't have a lot of extra stuff for Jack. We haven't found it necessary to have extras. No Pack N Play. No bottles. No excessive amounts of toys everywhere. Jack's needs are met and we don't feel overwhelmed by stuff. Which for us works.
One thing I have learned since becoming a parent is that everyone does it differently. Everyone has different needs and different ways of handling this thing called parenthood. This is just what works for us... we know the days are coming where the stuff will probably take over, but we are enjoying having a limited amount of stuff at this time.

*Update I thought I would add two more things to this list to bring it to 1o. Also I don't want to give the impression that this is all we own for baby. Of course we have changing stations {two in fact, one upstairs and one down}. A bathtub for bathing – the one we have has a sling that held Jack when he couldn't sit up. That sling would stink to high heaven though, no matter how often we washed it!!! We own some toys and there are a handful of pacis on hand throughout the house. Teething rings and blankets are all important staples. I just wanted to focus on our top items.

Baby Monitor – This item made the transition from bassinet in our downstair's bedroom to nursery on the second floor easier. It took us a while to get the sensitiviy settings correct. I had many a panicked moment in the first few days where I thought Jack must have stopped breathing due to our monitor going off. This item gives me a sense of security. Though having it go off due to a power outage in the middle of the night is not a lot of fun. We own an AngelCare Movement and Sound Monitor. We chose to skip on the video monitor so that we won't be tempted to always be watching him. Though we can totally see the merit in owning the video, we just didn't think it was right for us.


Sound Machine – When Jack slept in our room he didn't need a sound machine. He probably still doesn't actually need one since he is fine without it when we travel. However it is nice to turn it on when he is sleeping and know it will block out some of our noises and probably help him to sleep a bit longer.

Skillet Cajun Spiced Flounder

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I'm not a big seafood eater but I do love fish....well, at least the ones that don't have a super "fishy" taste. I  need to cook fish more often. This dish turned out really good and was great served on rice. It came from a website called Skinny Taste. Gina has some amazing recipes on her blog and she always includes all the nutritional information and even Weight Watcher points. It's a great place to search if you're in need of some healthy recipes.




Skillet Cajun Spiced Flounder
Source: Skinny Taste


1 t. olive oil
4 (6 oz) pieces flounder fillets (or any white fish such as tilapia)
3/4 c. onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 c. diced green bell pepper
2 1/2 c. tomatoes, chopped
1 T. Cajun spice seasoning

In a deep skillet, cook onion and garlic in olive oil on medium heat for a few minutes until soft. Add tomatoes, peppers and spices, stir and cook until tomatoes are soft, about 2-3 minutes.  


Lay fish fillets in the sauce, cover and cook on medium-low until fish flakes easily, approx 12-15. To serve, place fish on plate and spoon sauce on top. Serve immediately.

My First Wedding Cake Order

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What a fun weekend is has been already! Remember the wedding consultation I blogged about several weeks ago? Well, the wedding was today and I {along with my co-worker} got to deliver and set up all their wedding cakes!

Ready to see the cakes? There were 12 cakes total....9 individual cakes and one 3-tiered bridal cake. EACH cake had a different flavor and filling and was decorated differently.  It can't get any more fun than that! They used the individual cakes as the centerpiece for half the tables and flower arrangements for the other half.

Here are all the cakes in no particular order.

Bridal Cake: Cherry Chip, Pina Colada, and Cinnamon Bun Cakes



Michigan State Cake: Once they cut into this cake they will discover a green mint cake with buttercream filling along with wording of the fight song on the outside


Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese filling


Fancy Chocolate Ribbon Cake filled with Oreos and fudge!




Chocolate Cake with German Chocolate Filling


Rose Cake: Lemon Cake with Lemon Filling




Banana Cake with Whipped Filling



Notre Dame Cake: Lemon Poppyseed Cake with Blueberry Filling


Breast Cancer Survivor Cake for Bride's family table




Breast Cancer Survivor Cake for Groom's family table

It feels great having a wedding under my belt now. I was really nervous during the 35 minute drive to deliver the cakes but it was such a great feeling after everything was delivered and set up. I hope the beautiful bride and groom had as much fun eating the cakes as I did making them!

And a special thanks to my amazing hubby for taking these fabulous pictures!  :)

CSA Update

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I am just LOVING our veggie box that we get from our CSA (community share agriculture)!!! I'm so glad my neighbor asked us to split a share with them.  Even with 1/2 a share, we have more than enough veggies to last us for the week and there's always something new in it for us to try.

Here's last week's box. We received Sugar Ann snap peas, asparagus (a fave of mine!), swiss chard, kale, butterhead lettuce, and some fresh parsley.



Today's box was overflowing! We received a huge, gorgeous head of romaine lettuce, some Ruby red leaf lettuce, swiss chard, napa cabbage, Korridor kohlrabi, peas, garlic, onions and onion blossoms.


Wondering what Korridor kohlrabi is? I know I was clueless!  It is something like a turnip, but grows above the ground.  The leaves are similar to kale and quite edible; the round bulb holds sweet and crisp flesh under a couple of layers of fibrous skin.  Once the bulb is peeled and cut in slices, it was quite delicious dipped in a little ranch dressing! I hope we get more later this summer because I really liked it!

Chick-Fil-A Copycat Chicken Sandwiches

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Chick-Fil-A is a favorite fast food chain of mine. Unfortunately the closest one is 36 miles away in Toledo, OH!  I tried this copycat recipe the other day and it made some wonderful chicken sandwiches.   Nice and crispy on the outside...but still juicy on the inside. Mmmm-Mmmm!!!  If I was given a blind taste test I would definitely be able to tell the original Chick-Fil-A from this sandwich but non-the-less, it was great!

"EAT MOR CHIKIN" as the Chick-Fil-A cows would say! And have a good night!




Chick-Fil-A Copycat Chicken Sandwiches
Source: From Away


2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Kosher salt and ground pepper
1 t. paprika
Peanut oil, for frying
1 egg
1/2 c. milk
3/4 c. all purpose flour
1/4 c. whole-wheat flour
1 T. dry milk
1 T. powdered sugar
1/4 t. baking soda
1/4 t. dry mustard
1 sour pickle, cut into eight slices
4 soft hamburger buns, split
3 T. unsalted butter, softened


1. Cut the chicken breast in half horizontally, to make 4 thin pieces. Place each piece between heavy plastic, and pound to 1/8 thick with a mallet of skillet. Season the chicken with 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon paprika.


2.  In a shallow baking dish, whisk together egg, milk, and 2 tablespoons water. In another baking dish, whisk together both types of flour, dry milk, powdered sugar, baking soda, dry mustard, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon paprika, and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Meanwhile, heat about two inches of peanut oil to 325 degrees in a heavy-bottomed pot or cast iron skillet. While oil heats, slice pickle, and set aside.


3.  Working in batches, dip chicken in the egg mixture, turning to coat, then dredge in flour mixture and shake off any excess. Fry the chicken in hot oil, using a candy thermometer to monitor oil temperature, until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels.


4.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Spread the cut side of the buns with some butter, and lightly toast in the skillet, buttered-side down. To assemble sandwiches, spread grilled buns with more butter, dip 2 pickle slices in jarred pickle juice to moisten and place on the bottom bun. Top with a piece of fried chicken and the bun top.

Chicken Caesar Salad

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We received the biggest most beautiful head of romaine lettuce in our farm share box last week! I couldn't wait to make something with it!  What better than a Caesar salad?!?!

Often times, when we visit our friends in Chicago, they will make us the most amazing Caesar salad so I called them up to get the recipe!  Some of you may be grossed out by the fact that it has a raw egg in it, but if you can overcome that, you will just love it! I could eat this salad every day! We also grilled some chicken breasts to slice up and put on top of the salad. It was a meal in itself and oh so good!





Chicken Caesar Salad
Source: J. Barnett


3 or more cloves garlic, minced1/4 c. olive oil
1 whole egg (or you can use Egg Beaters)1/8 t. saltfresh ground pepper1/3 c. fresh lemon juice3 squirts of Worcestershire sauce2/3 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese
In a small bowl, mix together olive oil and minced garlic. Let garlic soak in the olive oil while you prepare remaining ingredients.
In a separate bowl, beat 1 egg. Add salt, pepper, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and parmesan cheese. Whisk together until well combined.
Wash and dry romaine lettuce. Chop or tear into large, bite size pieces. Toss romaine with the oil/garlic mixture; then pour on the egg/cheese mixture and toss until well combined.  Optional: Add grilled chicken on top!

Chicken Enchiladas

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I'm going to do something really lame right now. I am going to post without a photo.

Honestly, I was so hungry that I ate before I snapped a picture. It took so long to pull the recipe together, that I feel like it's going to waste if I don't post it - I probably won't make it exactly as I did again, because I'm all for a little variation.

I finally found some tortillas that I can use for enchiladas. It only took like 6 months of looking. You'd think they'd be more widely available because everyone - EVERYONE - loves a good tortilla, but no.

In my dreams I have access to fresh corn tortillas, but when it came down to it, my options were some teeny tiny frozen corn tortillas or some big frozen brown rice tortillas. When in doubt, size wins.

There are a lot, a lot of steps in this process, but it doesn't have to be as difficult as I have made it for myself. You can cook the chicken ahead of time, or use left-overs. A lot of this stuff is also sold in cans - like enchilada sauce - I was just feeling fancy and did it myself.

I am not going to do a proper review for the brown rice tortillas I used - at least, not yet. I used the Food for Life brand, but I didn't heat them before use so they cracked a bit (held together by cheese!). My other issue with brown rice things is that they smell like rice, and if you leave them for too long, they get mushy like rice.

Overall, it was a tasty, filling dinner - but it might not be a mainstay until I try some corn tortillas.




Chicken Enchiladas
Original recipe here

What You Need
For the sauce:
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp crushed chipotle chilis
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
3/4 cup gluten-free chicken broth
Salt
Pepper
For the chicken:
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 lb chicken breast
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp chili powder
1/3 cup gluten-free chicken broth
1/2 cup tomato sauce
10 brown rice tortillas, thawed
1 cup shredded cheese
2 stalks green onion
Sour cream

What You Do
1. Place chicken in a deep saucepan or pot, and cover with water (should be submerged at least 1/2 an inch)
2. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce and let simmer. Cover and let chicken cook for 10 minutes
3. Turn off the heat and leave covered for 15 minutes or until chicken finishes cooking through
4. Remove chicken from water and drain. Shred with a fork
5. In a medium saucepan, saute the garlic for the sauce in some non-stick cooking spray
6. Add the chipotle, chili powder, cumin, chicken broth, tomato sauce, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, let simmer for 10 minutes, set aside
7. Preheat oven to 400F and spray a deep glass baking dish with non-stick spray
8. In a medium skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic for the chicken and saute until tender, about 2 minutes
9. Add chicken, salt, cumin, oregano, chili powder, tomato sauce and chicken broth and cook for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat
10. Put some of the chicken mixture in to each tortilla and roll them
11. Put them in the baking dish, seam side down, and cover with the sauce
12. Top with cheese, cover in foil and bake 20-25 minutes
13. Serve with sour cream and green onions

A Very Scottish/French Week!

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I am back! I was on hiatus as I went on a little vacation for this past week.

I went to Edinburgh, Scotland and Paris, France.

I had a fantastic time, near the end of it, and could probably write plenty. Recipes will resume once I've had some sleep and have unpacked a bit.

 For now, I will suffice your curiosity and let you know that Air Canada g-f options are actually not too shabby, and I got food poisoning from a Scottish pub on my very first day so 80% of my vacation was over before it began, since I took up residency in the hotel bed thinking I was dying.

Breakfast Bowls

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I told the Boyfriend that we'd go out for breakfast (he treated me to dinner last night), but a side affect of travelling appears to be that I wake up at 6am every day without fail. So it's Saturday, early morning, I'm starving and he's sleeping. It's breakfast bowl time.

I love spring/summer because they open the door for endless fruit possibilities. I am totally a berry-breakfast kind of girl, and breakfast bowls and smoothies were my go-to last year. Breakfast bowls are incredibly easy, and delicious, and healthy, and bright and happy for your beautiful mornings.

 Plus, they put me in a really good mood. Can you tell?




Breakfast Bowls

What You Need
1/2 banana, sliced
1 Tbsp all natural peanut butter, slightly melted in microwave
1 Tbsp honey
About 1 cup total berries (whatever is in season/your preference - I used blueberries and raspberries today)

What You Do
1. Add banana and berries or other fruits to bowl
2. Drizzle melted peanut butter over top of fruit, mix if desired
3. Top with 1 Tbsp of drizzled honey

--

If there's one thing my week-long UK/European adventure taught me, it's that I need to better hone my "listen to your body" skills. A few examples: I would not have wolfed down the haggis that caused the catastrophic food poisoning had I been listening to my body. I would not have been terrified of my flight out and therefore medicating if I had been listening to what I actually wanted. And it took me almost until the last leg of my trip to realize that a lot of my behaviour is rooted in anxiety and paranoia and I need to just drop the front, listen to myself and it magically cures itself.

Since coming home, it's something I have been working on.

I have fallen off the zero gluten ever wagon, I will admit. Yes, I have indulged in some baked goods but only because, at the time, my body was all "heck yes". Have I avoided gluten at the same time? Yes, very much so. I have only eaten whole grain items and even then, as soon as I feel full I stop, if they don't look or feel appealing, I don't force myself to eat them.

I would have, in a past life.

But it took a trip and being sick to have this dawning realization that I do not need to go to extremes with my diet, nor do I need to pick and choose allergies. I can't eat everything, but I already know what doesn't jive with me - like barley and beer - so why am I avoiding everything else as well? I mean, it was getting bad. I could barely find food to eat in Paris. I was scared to eat seafood in case I was allergic, avoiding gluten, unable to find a supermarket, and steering away from junk food. I literally survived on Powerade and bananas for three days, until I was too weak and tired to do much at all.

My decisions here won't affect the blog. I'm going to keep it gluten-free up in here because there are still things I will be avoiding. Plus, I do generally feel better since going gluten-free. I think a lot of it actually has to do more with concentrating my efforts on homemade meals and such, but regardless, I've been feeling good.

Gnocchi with Chorizo and Fiddleheads

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I've seen a ton of recipes on how to make gluten-free gnocchi, but I don't have the time, patience or skills. So I cheated this time, and I'm using fresh regular gnocchi. I can't help it. Even if I get glutened, I just want some gnocchi. But don't you worry; like I said, there are a ton of recipes and you can buy it pre-made.

Everything else though is by the book. I went to a Farmer's Market yesterday morning and bought some gluten-free chorizo sausage that I am REALLY excited about. Don't even get me started on all the other types of sausage I bought. I'm just...there are so many different filling options! Mind blown/bank emptied.

Fiddleheads are going out of season, according to the lady at the market, and I trust her because people were flocking to her stall and snapping up these little ferns. I've never had fiddleheads before tonight, but I've *almost* bought them like 10 times. I usually wuss out but I was feeling unusually brave this weekend.



I have to say, thank God. Another delicious meal brought to you courtesy of Sarah's somewhat gluten-free kitchen.



Gnocchi with Chorizo and Fiddleheads
Inspiration here

What You Need
1 package gluten-free gnocchi
2 cups fiddleheads, cleaned
2 gluten-free chorizo sausage links, uncased and broken up
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

What You Do
1. Heat a large, deep saute pan over medium high heat
2. Concurrently bring about 3 quarts of salted water to a boil over high heat 
3. Add the chorizo to the saute pan and cook until browned, about 8 minutes
4. Add the fiddleheads to the boiling water and cook for about 5 minutes, until tender-crisp and bright green in colour
5. Add the minced garlic and 1 Tbsp of olive oil to the browned sausage, saute for 2 minutes until garlic is fragrant
6. Using a slotted spoon, remove fiddleheads from boiling water and add to the sausage/garlic mixture, along with another Tbsp of olive oil. Mix well, saute for another 2-3 minutes
7. Add the gnocchi to the boiling water and cook as per package instructions
8. Using a slotted spoon, add the gnocchi to the sausage mixture along with 1/4 cup of the cooking water and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese
9. Mix well and serve with remaining 1/4 cup of cheese

Baked Artichoke Hearts

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Dinner tonight is another type of gluten-free sausage purchased at the market this past weekend. They are Hawaiian flavoured - which means they are pork bacon sausages with pineapple in them. SO AMAZING. I told the lady at the market that I was super excited. About sausages. Yeah...

So any way, since I don't know how to make the sausages, and the other side to dinner is some baked zucchini which I have already given a recipe for, I decided to try baked artichoke hearts. The Boyfriend has never really had artichoke - aside from in those hot cheesy dips served at every restaurant ever - and I've only had them once or twice. Plus, these ones are smothered in cheese so they're essentially the same as the dip. I'm looking to have him experience new things, not terrify him in to avoiding vegetables.



I actually wanted to make stuffed artichokes but I couldn't find any whole artichokes anywhere and also, YAY because whole artichokes kind of scare me.

As a semi-related side note, my parents tried baked artichokes for the first time on the weekend and when I asked what it was they had made, my dad referred to them as "Those spiky vegetables. Avocados!"



Baked Artichoke Hearts
Original recipe here

What You Need
1 14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup shaved Parmesan cheese, divided

What You Do
1. Preheat oven to 375F and spray a small dutch oven or casserole dish with non-stick spray
2. Place artichoke hearts in dish, open ends up - use your fingers to loosen them a bit if they are squished close from the can
3. Drizzle olive oil over hearts, sprinkle with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper
4. Top with 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese
5. Bake for 15 minutes, uncovered
6. Remove from oven - turn on broiler. Top with remaining Parmesan cheese
7. Return to oven and broil 1-2 minutes, or until cheese is brown and bubbly

--

The Boyfriend takes Lola for a hike every weekend, and she's always tired as shit when she comes home. Like, barely makes it up to the apartment before she crashes, can not be roused for anything short of a robbery, tired.

We were being mean and flip flopping her around yesterday because she's so dang cute when exhausted. She somehow ended up like this and was quite content to sleep like that for awhile.


Oh, ignore my tacky couch-coverings. Lola loves the new couch but she sheds like crazy, so I keep it covered when she's up, sitting like a weirdo.

Pretzel Dogs

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Happy Memorial Day to all my fellow Americans!

Years ago, when my husband and I were newly married and still attending Brigham Young University, we had some great friends who shared a great pretzel recipe with us.  We've made it countless times in the last twenty years...sometimes plain, sometimes cheese-stuffed, always good.  But a couple of years ago we decided to try using our favorite Nathan's Hot Dogs as a filler.  It was a tasty experiment and has turned out to be one of my favorite ways to eat pretzels!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 Tbsp. yeast
1/3 cup brown sugar
4-5 cups all-purpose flour
coarse kosher salt
1 egg white, beaten
Nathan's Hot Dogs (8)
2 cups water
2 Tbsp. baking soda

1.  Mix water and yeast until dissolved.  Stir in brown sugar.  Slowly add flour, stirring constantly.
2.  Knead dough till stretchy and smooth.

3.  Divide dough into 8 equal pieces.  Shape each piece into a log 1" longer than the hot dog (the dough will stretch as you pull it over the ends).  Flatten the log and place the hot dog on the dough.  Fold in the ends, then fold one long side over tightly.  Roll the whole thing over onto the remaining flap.  Pinch edges to seal, getting out as much air as possible.

4.  Fill a pan with the water and baking soda and bring to a simmer/gentle boil.  The pot should be wide enough to allow for the pretzel dog to sit "comfortably" inside.  (They get cranky if they're not comfortable.)  Carefully lower one pretzel dog at a time into the water, making sure to gently move it around a bit at first so it doesn't stick to the bottom.  Allow it to bathe for 30 seconds, then carefully lift it out of the pan and onto a cooling rack.  Continue until all 8 have taken their baths.

5.  Brush each pretzel dog with the beaten egg white and sprinkle with the coarse salt.  Grease a cookie sheet and sprinkle it with the salt also.  Place the pretzel dogs on the cookie sheet and bake in a 475 degree oven for 8-12 minutes.

Makes 8 pretzel dogs

Source:  Kari Hafen
Incidentally, if any of you know Kari Hafen from Alaska, PLEASE let her know I'm looking for her.  We lost touch after BYU.

Brownie Bites

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I think I found this recipe on Pinterest way back in February.  I used it then to send in for a Valentine party at school for one of my girls.  But, this would be a great end of school party treat!  This is soo easy!

Mini Muffin pan
Pam
Box of your favorite Brownie Mix
Reese's Peanut Butter chips
Semi-sweet chocolate chips
Peanut Butter

Set oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin pan. Mix up the brownie mix by the box directions. Fill the muffin pan cups to about 3/4 of the way up. Bake until done...about 15-20 min (depends on how chewy you want them) When they come out of the oven use the back of your spoon, or something rounded that you can press down into the brownie, to form a little cupped space for the peanut butter. (This step must be done immediatly after you remove them from the oven.)  Then let them cool for a bit, and dump them out to finish cooling.  Melt your peanut butter in the microwave until you could pour it!  Then spoon into the brownie cup tops and quickly add the chips.  As they cool the peanut butter will stiffen back up and the chips will be set!

Snicker Doodles

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Every time I make Snicker Doodles, I always wonder why I don't make them more often. They don't take long and they are super tasty! Cooked right, these have that perfect crunchiness around the outside edge with a soft middle. Mm-MMM!

Ingredients:


1 C Shortening
1.5 C White Sugar
2 Eggs
2 3/4 C All-purpose White Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Cream of Tartar
1/2 tsp Salt

 3 Tbsp White Sugar
2.5 tsp Ground Cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

2. In a Medium bowl, cream together the Shortening, Sugar (1.5 Cups), and Eggs. I have a superstition about beating the sugar/egg/shortening mixture for five minutes until it's good and fluffy. I do this with all cookies (or try to) and have no idea it it does anything special, but I like to think it does.

3. In a Small bowl, sift together the Flour, Soda, Tartar, and Salt (or not. Sometimes I add them separately.). Gradually add the dry mixture into the Sugar mixture until nice and incorporated.

4. In a cereal bowl, mix together the Tbsp Sugar and tsp Cinnamon.

5. Taking a heaping teaspoon full, roll the dough into a little ball and then roll it around in the cinnamon until the entire ball is coated.

6. Place on an unprepared cookie sheet two inches apart.

 7. Bake for 7 - 10 minutes. I do mine for 7 minutes and they're perfect! Cool on a wire rack.

8. Share them. Or DEVOUR them. Whichever you prefer.

Source: LKUEHL, on All Recipes.com, a little personal variation added

~Kara