People That Eat Dog Treats And Love Them !!! Saturday Easy Tip!!

People That Eat Dog Treats And Love Them !!! Saturday Easy Tip!!.

People That Eat Dog Treats And Love Them !!! Saturday Easy Tip!!

Dog treats and people who eat them by choice? 

You could think I am crazy, but if your dog is your best friend, wouldn’t you want to know how what you feed him or her, NOT IT, tastes like? Well I did!

The KEY? Home-made food!

A while back I watched a video about all the ingredients going in commercial dog  food. In all honesty, I could NOT watch it to the end, not only because it was disgusting, but also because when someone tries to SELL me something at the end of any infomarcial, even with valid information, I doubt the information. So to speak… was the information true, or was it “bent” to fit the purpose of sales?

However, I decided to start making home made treats for my dogs, so I knew what goes in their systems are not pesticides, or other dead animals, as this video claimed.

I used a very simple recipe, found on the site of Whole Foods Stores, and then I played with adjusting, adding and subtracting ingredients, depending on what I had available in the kitchen.

The basic recipe:

1 mashed banana (you could substitute with chopped apples)

1 beaten egg

2-3 Tsp. of oil (if I use the treats for dogs only, I use olive oil, but if I want to taste the treats, I substitute with butter, to make it unhealthy for me –-I know… the cholesterol!!!)

1/2 rolled oats

2 Tbs. organic peanut butter (could substitute with almond  butter)

a dash of salt

Flour to make the consistency just right to not stick to your hands and roll in the shapes you desire.

Shape in the desired forms and bake at 350 F until brown. They will HARDEN when cool.

If you check the ingredients used in this recipe, they make a wonderful human food as well. I tasted them, in fact I ate a whole one while still warm.

This is how we show our love for our best friends… we eat their food, to avoid them eating ours:))

Tired…

Tired….

Tired…

Tired…

…of starting again with hope,

when life is at its end.

…to pretend it’s never too late,

when I know it is.

…to climb in search of a sturdy rock,

when I know I walk on shifting sands.

…to smile,

when my heart cries.

…to pretend I’m strong,

when I’m weak inside.

..of looking alive,

When I’m dead.

Most of all, I am tired of an obsessive thought:

Do they not know,

or do they not care,

HOW MUCH A MOTHER’S BROKEN HEART HURTS?

This Saturday’s Easy Dish– Bread pudding variations

This Saturday's Easy Dish– Bread pudding variations.

This Saturday’s Easy Dish– Bread pudding variations

Bread Pudding Plus  or Minus Recipe — 

It’s a  tradition by now, every Saturday I do my best to share an easy dish to make with ingredients we generally already have in our kitchen. If you don’t… please buy them.

Plus or minus=check your refrigerator and pantry for ingredients you have or you don’t and use your imagination accordingly.

It is snowing today and hard to drive around and buy stuff, so, let’s do with what we already have and it’s not spoiled. Emergency rooms on weekends are no fun!

This Saturday  attempted recipe is bread pudding.

MUST HAVE INGREDIENTS:

3 INGREDIENTS: Bread, eggs, milk (or almond milk or half and half)

INGREDIENTS THAT MAY BE REPLACED OR SKIPPED  ALLTOGETHER

Raisins (may be replaced with  slices of apples or peaches or a fruit, fresh, canned or frozen — make sure whatever you use it’s not watery)

Sugar (but you may skip it or use less, depending on taste, diabetes or both)

Vanilla, rum  extract or booze, cinnamon — use in combination or the ones you like.

How to Prepare:

Tear 6-8 slices of white bread  or whatever type of bread you have, but not salty (a day or more old bread is best) I also had a few Lady’s Fingers and mixed pieces of them with the bread and used less sugar)

Melt butter (2-3 Tsp.)

In an oven-resistant pan, layer the pieces of bread, drizzle the melted butter and  raisins or slices of fruit or both, on top of the bread. If you have no butter, it’s okay (your less clogged arteries will thank you.)

In a separate bowl, beat 4 eggs, 2 cups milk (I use Almond Milk), 1/2 cup sugar (or more or less) and 1-2 tsp of  essence of vanilla, rum or both and 1 tsp cinnamon powder. If you hate cinnamon, skip it, you will not be punished! Mix all these ingredients WELL!!!

Pour the liquid mixture on top of the bread and fruit layers in the pan. PRESS the bread down, so it is completely emerged in the mixture of milk, beaten eggs, sugar and vanilla, rum essence(s).

Bake at 350 F for 30-45 minutes. I did not cover.

I use a NeWave small, counter-top oven and it took only 30 minutes to bake. You will know when it’s done, because the consistency will no longer be watery and the top will be golden brown If it’s dark brown, it means it’s burned. I’d suggest you might consider baking more often, as “practice makes perfect.”

Please let us know how did your experiment turn out? Was it delicious, was it eatable… did your dogs like it?

Easy, Versatile Dough, For Everyone’s Budget!

Easy, Versatile Dough, For Everyone's Budget!.

Easy, Versatile Dough, For Everyone’s Budget!

Easy, versatile dough for everyone’s appetite and budget!

It seems to have become a pattern:

Weekends make me hungry and in the spirit of sharing, because perhaps others are hungry too and have  limited  ingredients and budgets, I will TRY to make it a tradition to post an easy recipe every weekend, or almost…

This is a versatile dough which could be used both for desserts, or appetizers.

It requires 3 basic ingredients and most of them could be substituted for another with similar properties.

The basic recipe:

1 cup butter (or Crisco)

3 cups flour

1  cup sour cream (if you really, really don’t have the sour cream, I substituted with water, but the dough will NOT be as fluffy)

Dash of salt

Optional (if used for desserts)  powder sugar to garnish after dessert cools off.

You may also  beat an egg white and use as glaze, before you bake whatever you shaped the dough into.

First, mix well (flour, butter, sour cream and dash of salt.) The consistency must be smooth and easy to get off your fingers. Form the dough in a ball and refrigerate for at least an hour, or overnight. Cover the dough with a clean piece of clothe while refrigerating.

Remove from refrigerator and while the dough is still cold, on a wooden board (or any kitchen board) using a wooden roller, spread the dough thin. Be inventive and spread the dough using a bottle if you don’t own a wooden roller. Just be inventive and persistent.

Cut the flattened dough in squares or triangles. or rounds, using the opening of a glass… or for that matter, a shape of your liking.

Types of Fillings:

Desserts:

If you wish to make a dessert, place  on the larger side of the triangle shaped-dough a mixture of nuts and jam, or chopped dry fruits, or whatever your heart desires. Roll the triangle, starting from the largest point (where you placed the filling,) to the narrowest point of the triangle. I like them in bite size.

Place  the bite size, filled shapes on a buttered cookie sheet  (if you are lucky to have an egg white, beat it lightly (don’t bruise it) and coat them and bake at 400 F and watch closely, so they don’t burn.

You will know when they are done, because I bet you baked before.

Non-desserts:

If you wish to use this dough with a salty type filling, I like feda cheese mixed with an egg, or any  shredded cheese (I used cedar cheese today, on its own–no egg.) Flatten dough, using the same procedure as for desserts, use a filling of your liking and bake in the same way.

I still have unused dough in the refrigerator, and will use tomorrow, as resting it overnight makes it even better.

Please let me know how it turned out for you, but only if you like it. I don’t take criticism well, as I am insecure and too sensitive…

No matter what, enjoy your weekend and remember, there are no mistakes, not even in baking, just baking “lessons.” As long as we don’t repeat the same pattern expecting different results. Just as in relationships, so in baking, if we learn from our mistakes, they are lessons.

School Recess To Be Eliminated?!!! Really????

School Recess To Be Eliminated?!!! Really????.

School Recess To Be Eliminated?!!! Really????

Should school recess be eliminated in favor of more teaching time?” What do you think?

I was still half asleep this morning, as my dogs were trying to make me get out of bed and into the cold of the outside, when the above question on NBC’s “Today’s Show,” made me wake up and wonder if I was still dreaming… I pinched myself (gently) and since the news was repeated and detailed  throughout the morning news I concluded it was for real.

Details were provided and apparently, 20 schools in Orlando were cited as having already taken this measure.   Is this good for children or bad? A poll was taken by NBC and 99% of respondends said NO –BAD IDEA and 1% answered YES–GOOD IDEA!!!???

My first thought was that the ones who answered good idea were the ones trying to implement this change.

Let’s try to be unemotional and try to understand the real motivation behind this idea.

Traditionally, recess is a time when children socialize, hopefully go outside and breathe fresh air (if the pollution levels are okay) and most importantly, take a break from focusing on learning abstract concepts.  Even in college, a 15 minute break is taken after one and a half hour of attending a lecture or a class. If we, as adults need a break, how is it right to take it away from children?

That brings me to another question:

When I was growing up recess was  mostly fun. We played ball, told one another little secrets mostly about our latest crushes on a boys or girls, and even “observed” guys  and gals from upper classes, which was totally innocent but fun. What else were we doing? Some times, we finished in a rush homework  for the class that was to follow.

The above paragraph is perhaps an idealized description, as bulling  or other potential or illegal acts were not mentioned. Did they exist? Sure, some people were going in the bathrooms to smoke. In those times the biggest problem!

Times have changed, the world has changed and in today’s reality our children are attached to a smart phone and texting. They already eat dinner with one hand as the other one is texting: “How r u?”  “IDK!!!” comes back the response, may be.

The young generation’s social skills are already impaired, so while I understand that it might be difficult for teachers to supervise children during recess and monitor the potential bulling incidences, but  research shows  the brain needs a BREAK. There is a point when  the maturing brain of a child must REST in order to continue to be efficient.  

There must be a better alternative,  to avoid the downfalls of recess, for example having organized fun activities.

Some children are more physical. Provide them with an opportunity to kick ball. Some love art. Provide them with play dough and coloring pencils and paper. Others might love to sing. Give them instruments. Whatever you, as teachers do, please  encourage true socialization and communication among our children!!!  By taking away recess, and the opportunity to socialize, so essential to integration and success in life,  the younger generation’s chances to be successful people is being cut short. I see this decision as having bad long term consequences. Here’s a story…

When my children were in elementary school, somehow, it was decided  at high levels, to experiment on our children “invented spelling.” What did it mean? In K and 1st grade, they WROTE as they HEARD words, however, after their brain was already conditioned to spell a word wrong, it was hard to UNLEARN and switch to the correct spelling. As a result of the “invented spelling experiment,” one of my, now adult daughters, still mixes “there” and “their.”

If our schools teach invented spelling, please expect invented spelling on college papers and resumes. By the same rule, if you take away school recess, expect generations of poorly socialized people.

There is a good reason why 99% of those asked responded RECESS MUST BE KEPT. It really is a matter of common sense and the pros far out weight the cons.