Starting to Feel Better

It's been a pretty rough week for the Gizzard. The last 2-3 days, however, little parts of his personality have been shining through. His rash is completely gone, but the traumitization (I made up that word. Why isn't that a word??) from the grooming remains. To the best of our dog mind-reading skills, the only thing the hubby and I can figure is that he doesn't like the way his groomed belly and butt feel. He is still rubbing his belly and butt all over the place, but the behavior is lessening. Plus, we've learned that we can distract him from thinking about his shaved areas with toys, treats, or the invitation to bark at something. Oh, doggies. What goes on in those heads?

He finally has returned to laying on the heating pad...

And sleeping in his bed...

We caught him with a toy last night... Finally!

He's also returned to snuggling with his brother. It's hard to believe he went a whole week without doing any of his favorite things.

Another couple of things we missed during this week that he either laid around or was scurrying through the house like a weirdo? Barking at the mailman, barking at the dog next door, biting Haloti's ears (I can't say for sure that Haloti missed this one), trying to attack me if I go near the hubby, and attacking me at bed in night. All of these behaviors made sound like bad habits, but it's funny. The hubby and I missed him doing all these things. They are what makes him...well, Gizmo.

We are hoping that the rubbing stops in the next couple of days, that he wants to go on walks again, and that he returns to the Blue Monkey. These are the only things that he hasn't returned to...ummm... doing. Haha!

It has also been decided Gizmo will never be groomed again. To say the least, sheesh :)

Raspberry Lemonade Muffins

Hot off a week of doughnuts for breakfast, I wanted muffins. I had an abundance of lemons this week, so I needed a good way to get rid of 3-4 lemons. Strawberry Lemonade Muffins popped up in my Google search, and they sounded soooo good. I didn't have any strawberries on hand, but I did have frozen raspberries. I've always like Raspberry Lemonade better, so this sounded perfect.

I actually ran out of standard muffin liners, so I decided to make some mini-muffins as well. I should have picked up some more muffin liners at the store this week, but it completely slipped my mind. Oh well, mini-muffins are the perfect snack!

I did most of my taste-testing pre-glaze and these muffins are pretty darn good even without the glaze. The recipe is more cupcake recipe than muffin recipe, so they are pretty light and airy muffins. I'm loving how the raspberries baked into the muffins and are gooey-like.

In case it wasn't obvious by now, I.Heart.Raspberries :)

Ingredients:
Muffins (makes 16 standard muffins)-
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp lemon zest
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 cups raspberries

Glaze-
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with liners.
2. Whisk together flour through salt in a small bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs, one at a time. Mix in vanilla. Mix in lemon zest.
4. Add flour mixture to mixing bowl in 3 additions, alternating with lemon juice. Mix until just combined. Fold in raspberries.
5. Fill muffin cups with batter, about 3/4 full. Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Mini-muffins with bake for 10-13 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool in pan for 5 minutes, and remove to a cooling rack. Cool completely before moving on to next step.
6. Whisk powdered sugar and lemon juice. Drizzle over cooled muffins.

Recipe adapted from Baking Bites

Shredded Beef Tacos

Tacos. Tortillas. Succulent meat. Fresh grated cheese. Crisp lettuce. Creamy avocado. Need I say more, or are you already craving tacos?

Oh, how I love tacos! One of my most favorite Mexican dishes, and so versatile. You could make anything into tacos. Chicken, hamburger, turkey, pork, beans, etc. Last night, it was shredded beef.

A beef roast is so economical. I pick up a 3-lb roast when it goes on sale for $10. I halve it, freeze half, and use the other half. One half of a roast was last night's Shredded Beef Tacos, and will also be tonight's Beef Chili. In general, that's 4 meals out of a $10 piece of meat. Love!

This is a crock pot recipe. Yay, time saver! At the bottom of the crock pot, I mixed 2 cups fresh salsa, 2 tbsp cocoa powder, 2 tbsp chili powder, and 2 tbsp oregano. Once mixed, I placed the beef roast down in the mix and slathered that piece of meat up. Put the lid on the crock pot, set the temperature to low, and put a kitchen timer on for 6 hours. By the time the timer is going off, you will have deliciously tender meat and a house that smells ah-mazing! Shred with 2 forks and mix in about 1/4 cup fresh, chopped cilantro. Set temperature to warm until dinner time.

For my tortillas, I wrap them in a damp dish towel and wrap that package in aluminum foil. Throw it in the oven at 250 degrees for 20 minutes, and you will have restaurant soft tortillas.

Right before serving, put out all the fixings.

Sour cream, more salsa, fresh grated Chedda' cheese, diced avocado, and shredded lettuce.  Of course, put out whatever you want! Chopped tomato, diced onion, black beans, and refried beans are other popular choices.

I'm so glad this was my dinner choice last night, as we had a family emergency that really threw a monkey-wrench in my day. Needless to say, I didn't have to worry about cooking last night since I'd started this in the morning.

Barriga llena, corazon contento!

Translated, "A full belly, and a happy heart!" Enjoy :)

Cavatappi with Bacon and Summer Vegetables

No idea what to do with fresh corn, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and basil? Of course, I'm going to suggest pairing it with pasta and bacon! I've had this one on my to-do list for quite awhile, and this week the stars (and sales!) lined up.

Veggie heaven! Minced garlic, diced onion, halved cherry tomatoes, diced zucchini, and fresh corn kernels.

Fresh basil.

Cavatappi, one of my faves!

A few sliced of chopped bacon. Saute until crispy and remove from pan with slotted spoon. Leave the bacon grease in the pan!

Saute your onions, until tender. Add in zucchini and garlic.

Add in corn.

Add in tomatoes.

Add your cooked pasta, the bacon, torn basil, salt, and pepper.

Ingredients:
8 oz cavatappi
4 sliced of bacon, chopped
2 tsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 cup fresh corn kernels (2 ears)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup fresh basil, torn
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Parmesan cheese (garnish)

Directions:
1. Cook cavatappi to package directions. Remove from heat, set aside.
2. In a large pan, saute bacon until crispy. Remove from pan with slotted spoon, leave bacon drippings in the pan.
3. Add olive oil to pan. Saute onions, 5 minutes or until tender. Add zucchini to pan, saute 3 minutes. Add corn, saute 5 minutes. Add cherry tomatoes, cook 1-2 minutes. Add pasta and basil to pan, toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Garnish with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light

New Workout Playlist for 4/17/12

I'm determined to get in solid workouts this whole week. It will happen. I will never be ready for bikini season if I don't get on this! I'm off to a great start after yesterday. I'm heavily influenced by music for my workouts. I decided to entice me into working out, I would make a new playlist. Here's today's inspiration:

I'm a technologic moron, so if anyone knows how to upload an image of your playlist, contact me please!

Finally, what would the day be without a cute animal picture to make you smile?

Oh, the life of the easily amused :)

Chicken and Broccoli Lo Mein

Another busy weekend out here in Kentucky!

The hubby only had a 2 day weekend (so rare these days!) so we had to make the most of it. Saturday, we had to run out to Sam's (our version of Costco) and the grocery store to get ingredients for the Red Velvet Cupcakes. Once I got home, the cupcakes took quite a while to make, thanks to all the parts of the recipe that have to cool. We had a linner on Saturday, so I didn't even cook dinner that night. Yesterday, we had to get up early and do the grocery shopping since we were heading out to the hubby's sister house in the afternoon to celebrate his mother's birthday. Only a couple of hours were spent at his sister's, because the hubby had to book it to our property and map out the septic system since we have our first inspection on Friday. He dropped me off at home first so I could pick up the house, and finally cook a dinner. Whew!

So, another Asian dish. I've been craving Chinese lately, probably due to the fact that there are no Chinese restaurants in Ashland. I take that back, there are a couple of Chinese restaurants, but they look like roaches run the place. So gross. No biggie, I can do stir-fry all by myself!

Stir-fry requires prep. Sliced onions, broccoli, and minced garlic

Another quick sauce! Brown shugga', fish sauce, soy sauce, and chile past with garlic. Fish sauce is one of the most foul smelling things out there, but for some reason (I can't even explain it!) the flavor mellows when cooked.

Whisk all together.

Brown your chicken. It doesn't need to be cooked all the way at this point, but it does need some lovely color on. As Anne Burrell would say, "Brown food tastes better!".

Saute your onions. Hopefully you don't need to cook the snot out of them, as I do.

Add in broccoli and garlic.

Add the chicken back in and cook it until it's done. Then throw in the cooked noodles and sauce and cook until heated through. Serve immediately, chopsticks optional :)

Ingredients:
8 oz cooked spaghetti (or chow mein noodles)
3 cups broccoli, chopped
1 tsp sesame oil

6 tbsp soy sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp chile paste with garlic
1 tbsp peanut oil
1 large chicken breast, cut into chunks
1 onion, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
Sesame seeds (garnish)

Directions:
1. Cook spaghetti to package directions. Place broccoli in a steamer basket and steam over  pasta while it cooks, 4 minutes. Remove broccoli from heat and set aside. When pasta is cooked, drain and then toss with sesame oil. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk soy sauce through chile paste. Set aside.
3. Heat peanut oil in a large pan. When hot, add chicken. Sear 2 minutes on each side or until brown. Remove from heat. Set aside.
4. Add onions to pan. Cook 3-5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and broccoli to pan. Saute for 2 minutes. Add chicken to pan, cook 2-3 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Add pasta and sauce to pan, cook 2-3 minutes or until heated through.
5. Serve immediately. Garnish with sesame seeds, if desired.

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Another year, another batch of Red Velvet Cupcakes.

Monday is my mother-in-law's birthday and she made a special request- more of those Red Velvet Cupcakes please! I love when people ask me to make something for them, it makes my day! :)

Special cupcake for the birthday girl! This sparkly, gold icing I used drips like crazy, so my 5's look like S's. I won't be buying that anymore. I frosted the big cupcakes by hand for a more rustic look, and then piped the frosting onto the mini-cupcakes. Just for kicks.

I was looking over the post I did on Red Velvet Cupcakes from last year, and I realized that the recipe I posted was for cake, not for cupcakes. That, and the recipe can be simplified. I wouldn't know that if I didn't have a year of baking under my belt! Making these cupcakes today I realized how much I've learned in a year, and how far I've come. Culinary school may have been faster, but I had a lot of fun learning over the last year. No doubt that next year I will have learned even more than I know now.

Ingredients (makes 36 standard cupcakes):
Cupcakes-
3 1/2 cups cake flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs, room temp
2 tsp vanilla extract
6 tbsp red food coloring
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp cider vinegar

Frosting-
5 tbsp flour
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour through baking soda. Whisk and set aside.
3. In a separate large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs, one at a time until thoroughly blended. Mix in vanilla. Mix in food coloring.
4. In a small bowl, whisk buttermilk and cider vinegar together. In 3 separate additions, add flour to the butter/sugar mixture, alternating each time with the buttermilk mixture. Mix until the ingredients are well blended and batter is smooth.
5. Line 3 cupcake pans with liners. Fill cups 3/4 way full. Bake in oven 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Mini-cupcakes will bake in 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool in pan 5 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack, and cool completely before frosting.
6. In a small sauce pan, heat flour and milk until mixture is very thick, like brownie batter. This will take some time, 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely before moving on to next step.
7. Whisk vanilla into flour mixture.
8. Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until pale and creamy. Add in flour mixture and beat the crap out of it. Seriously, like 10 minutes. The frosting will thicken before your eyes and take on the consistency of whip cream. Cool in fridge 15 minutes, proceed to frost cupcakes.
9. Eat, eat, EAT those cupcakes! Yum!

Just baked cupcakes, pre-frost.

Cupcake recipe adapted from Epicurious.
Frosting recipe courtesy of Tasty Kitchen.

Szechuan Green Beans with Ground Pork

Super easy dinner alert!

I first made this a couple of months ago and I have to admit, I was nervous to serve this to the hubby. I definitely wasn't sure if it was something he would like. I made it because I had ground pork and green beans in the freezer, and it sounded easy. So I took the plunge and served it up to him one night.

He completely shocked me when he told me he loved it!

Here's the breakdown:

There's only 4 ingredients in the sauce, but its got an amazing flavor for how little is in it. It's sweet, spicy, and salty, all at the same time.

Mix all the ingredients for your sauce, right into a dark loveliness.

A pound of ground pork. Ground beef, ground chicken, or even ground turkey would all work for this recipe as well. Take your pick!

Some minced garlic (as I've said before, we L-O-V-E garlic!) and a bag of frozen green beans. The hubby is especially fond of the french style green beans. And by all means, you can definitely use fresh green beans!

Brown your ground pork.

Add in the garlic and green beans.

And finally, add in your sauce. Stirfry's go so quick, I love them! Serve over hot cooked rice. Dinner is served :)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tbsp peanut oil
1 lb ground pork
salt and pepper
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 (12 oz) package of frozen green beans
hot cooked rice

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, whisk together hoisin sauce through crushed red pepper. Set aside.
2. Heat peanut oil in a large pan. Add ground pork. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to crumble. Cook until browned
3. Add garlic and green beans. Cook 2-3 minutes or until beans are hot.
4. Add sauce to pan. Cook 2-3 minutes or until dish is heated through and sauce has thickened slightly.
5. Serve over hot cooked rice.

Adapted from Cooking Light

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