A Newfie Breakfast

My goodness, I've been obnoxiously domestic this weekend! Not that I'm complaining--at all.  I mentioned yesterday that I'd dipped my toes into homemade dog treats and I doubt I'll be able to buy him treats ever again.  I'm ok with this since Petsmart isn't really that close or cheap or big enough.

Mr. Puppy has been following me around begging for these bars all morning!  He came back for seconds, thirds, and fourths before I finally cut him off.

I found the recipe here:

Homemade Dog Treat Recipe

Newf Breakfast Bars

12 c. oatmeal
4 c. whole wheat flour
>8 eggs
3/4 c. oil
2/3 c. honey
1/2 c. molasses
2 c. milk
1 large can solid pack pumpkin (optional)
3 to 4 mashed bananas (optional)
Preheat oven to 325. Grease 2 cookie sheets
Dump everything into a VERY large bowl. Mix this whole mess together (I use my hands, AFTER I take my rings off, another story), pat onto greased cookie sheets & bake at 325 for 1 hour. After 1 hour turn oven off, crack oven door & allow cookies to cool in oven. Break into whatever size you want (mine like LARGE).
These freeze really well. My guys love these, they sit in front of the oven waiting.

This recipe does make an extremely large amount of bars...I filled up 2 gallon zip-lock baggies to give you an idea of the quantity.  I'm going to freeze the rest since there aren't any preservatives in these puppies.

Doggie "ice cream" might be in my future soon too.  Have you met a more spoiled dog then my newfster?

I didn't think so.

Reminder of Home

Sorry I haven't posted anything recently.  I have a collection of half-written posts that I abandoned because I thought they were too snarky.

Lately I've had a craving for some Southwind food.  Southwind is the restaurant I worked at over the summer to support myself in college and it has some of the best food and the greatest people.  If you're ever in VA, check them out.

Now this recipe is not exact since the owner keeps all his recipes in his head, but I really need some cucumber salad in my life.  Nothing like some good food to remind you of the south in the summer, ya'll.  Nothing.

I'll be whipping this up this evening, and if you ever come over this summer I'll make it for ya:

MARINATED TOMATO AND CUCUMBER SALAD

4 lg. tomatoes, cut into wedges 2 cucumbers, peeled & cubed 1 lg. Vidalia onion, peeled & sliced 1/2 c. olive or salad oil 1/4 c. cider vinegar 1 tbsp. sugar 1/2 tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. oregano Put prepared vegetables in large salad bowl. In smaller bowl combine remaining ingredients with wire whip until salt and sugar dissolve. Pour dressing over vegetables and let stand in refrigerator about 1 hour before serving for best flavor.

Delish!

Care for a pop'o'cake?

The plain, fact-of-the-matter is that I need Cake Pops in my life.  Married to the Military made them here and she got the recipe here.  I've had a bad case of the birthdays this year...but I'm really looking forward to just having a day to myself with a possible trip to the National Zoo or Neiman Marcus (David Yurman to drool over, folks.)...and maybe Cake Pops.

These things look extremely involved to make, almost like a piece of art.  Maybe their intricate nature will deter me from making a ton of them and eating them all up!


However, part of me doubts that will be the case.  Let us consider my attempts at making sushi that always end up with a lot of "mistakes" for me to eat.  I mean I can't serve someone incorrectly rolled sushi, can I?


"Not I."

I Do Fondue

For Steven's mother's birthday we went to this great restaurant in Reston called The Melting Pot. They specialize in extremely expensive and delectable fondue.

I highly recommend giving it a try! The meal is 4 courses:

The first is a cheese fondue appetizer that you get bread and veggies to dip in. We picked 2 different cheeses and went to town. I mean it's gooey cheese, there is nothing bad to say about that!

Second, was a very refreshing salad! I got the Caesar salad that had sweet pine nuts sprinkled on top. Tres yummy.

Third, comes the broth fondue. Since this was my first time trying fondue I had never heard of this or seen it done, but you use the broths to actually cook the food. I got the vegetarian platter with tofu, asparagus, a few pastas and other assorted veggies. The rest of the family actually got to cook meats in the brew. It was so interesting! Lots of giggles around the table since we couldn't get things to stay on the long forks and had to go fishing for lost bits of food.

Last, and they really do save the best for last, was the chocolate fondue! Oh, heaven! We got the ying-yang (dark and white chocolate mixed together) and the peanut butter milk chocolate...it has actual peanut butter melted in. With that, you get to dip cheesecake, pound cake, strawberries, brownies, and all sorts of amazing-ness in the rich chocolate cauldrons.

All in all, I wish that I could go there for desert every day. A few folks around the office do homemade fondue and actually make homemade marshmallows for the event. I think this might be in my entertaining future...

National Hug A Vegetarian Day!

Have you hugged all your Vegetarian buddies yet?

How about all your non-Vegetarian buddies?

Either way, spread some hugs and kisses and good ole' lovin' around today--and every day.

In My Tummy, Yummy-Yummy!

Last night Steven and I tried a recipe from the October issue of Real Simple that I wanted to pass along. Doesn't it look amazing? It was so good that I woke up this morning thinking about it. Maybe I dreamed about it all night. Oh yeah, this stuff is that good. It's also easy enough that we could get through it--amateurs that we are.

It's also the first time I've ever broiled anything--I've kind of always just stared at that setting on the stove with an inquisitive look. That's normally how I look at my stove anyway. However, unlike Carrie Bradshaw, I don't store sweaters in my stove; it does occasionally get put to use.

Anyways! Recipe! Click HERE

Another Reminder:

My favorite holiday is coming up this Friday! That's right folks, it's National Hug a Vegetarian day! So get ready to grab all your veggie buddies and give um a big ole' squeeze!

I'll be waiting here for hugs from you all. I love hugs all year round and not just for my diet, but Vegetarianism was a way for me to spread the love to all living creatures.

How cool would it be if you all tried to be veggie for a day? If I get any pledges from my meat-eating friends I'll make a pledge to go vegan for a day.

Cross-my-heart.

Cosmos Are So Out

Since I turned 21 in May I have not ordered a drink while out and about, among other things like not having been to the ABC store or out to a bar. Tonight Steven and I went to Applebee's and I ordered my first mixed drink: a pomegranate martini. It was so delicious! As of now, it is my drink of choice.

I found a recipe on Oprah's website that calls for:

• 1 1/2 cups pomegranate juice
• 2 ounces Absolute Citron vodka or white tequila
• 1 ounce Cointreau liquor
• Cup of ice
• Splash of sparkling water (optional)
• Squeeze of lemon (optional)

Shake ingredients in a shaker and put in chilled martini glasses. Put pomegranate fruit into glass as garnish. (Serves 2)

I'll have to make them up at my next get together... or first get together at my new apartment.... how have I not had an apartment warming party? That needs to happen soon.

Java Java Joe

I got that coffee I was raving about (Starbucks Home Blend, Medium, Latin American). It is my new favorite obsession.

That cup is not an optical illusion. It really is that big. Au Lait cup, Red, Pier 1, $4.

Basically, this picture cracks me up so I had to pass a giggle along.

Heaven:

Starbucks' Reduced Fat Blueberry Coffee Cake is amazing! So moist and delicate it crumbles in your mouth. If you are looking for a baked treat you need to try a piece--or two.

I get mine with a grande, iced, soy, caramel macchiato, with sugar-free vanilla and that tops it off nicely!

I highly recommend the whole package. If you have enough time to take a book with you well, in my opinion that constitutes a day very well spent.

If you don't want to go to Starbucks, then making some blueberry muffins and brewing up a pot of java is just as fabulous. I recommend Starbucks' house blend, medium, in the Latin American style. We have it at work and I'm highly addicted to it.

Oh yums.

Freshly. Baked.

I baked some Snickerdoodle cookies for Steven today. Before you get excited and ask me for the recipe they're just store-bought, the kind of cookies that come in squares. They turned out pretty well.

Yum. Yum. I just love to spoil him.

Now I have to mail cookies and Caitlin and James' wedding present.

My August Eve Resolution

I know it isn't the time of year to be making resolutions, but I have an issue with my dishes. If you wanted a clue about how much I hate doing dishes, here is a little tid-bit: last night I ate mandarin oranges out of a teacup. I was out of bowls and utensils so... I drank oranges.

My goal is to wash things as I use them and not just let unsightly dishes pile-up in the sink. If dishes are to pile-up they are going to be clean ones. Then I can make a New Years resolution to put away my clean dishes.

Oliver really is my cat

He likes watermelon.

I Love My Honey Bunches

A few months ago Steven realized that I was lactose intolerant. I was just so used to having an upset stomach every time I ate that I never made the connection. It took him to say "do you realize you get sick every time you have milk" for me to go...huh... yeah I do. After giving up milk I've felt better then I ever have digestively speaking. I've been trying to make the transition to soymilk for a while. It has been a long road paved with iced soy caramel macchiatos with sugar-free vanilla, but I finally can't taste much of a difference. I also don't like lactaid. Going without milk has made me just not like the taste. Tonight I finally ate cereal with soymilk and enjoyed it. It was the first time I've had cereal since April.

The Food Itch

While I was grocery shopping yesterday I had the realization that if anyone looked in my cart they would think I ate like a pregnant woman, only minus the whole pregnancy thing. In the same aisle I picked up pudding and pickles. For a split second I may have actually thought...oh yum! My theory was proven today when for a snack I thought....oh spinach dip....and vanilla pudding. Maybe I just like sugar-free pudding with everything?

What's next? Pickled eggs and chocolate ice cream?

Random Thought...OK So I Just Ate Some Cheese...

If I was a food... I think I would be cheese.

I'm cheesy, melt quickly, age well, and I'm good with everything.

If you were a food, what would you be?

Whoops...

I inadvertently made a giant wine slushy. Last night I wanted some wine so I put a bottle of my favorite Chateau Morissette Sweet Mountain Laurel in the fridge to chill it quickly... and then I completely forgot about it. Until tonight: when I opened up my fridge and the bottle was completely frozen. The expanding ice even pushed the cork out!

My bad.

I drown my sorrows in baking and blogging.

Well...I have to press on as usual, right? I'm going to be fine. It's just money, or so I am trying to tell myself. I can always make more of it. :/

I decided to make some pretzel/kisses/ M&M things for Steven and his family. I LOVE to cook for other people but I hate the practice in general. I guess I'm more about putting my love into a project that others will enjoy. These are super easy, but I wish they actually had a name, maybe they do, or maybe I should make one up. I think that I'll call they Polka-Dots. Since I love polka dots so much and they kind of do look like them...in a weird sort of way...if you squint just right. Someone made them at Sony's art gallery opening... but they dimmed in comparison to the vegan goodness that Sony herself made. She is my hero of the kitchen. I call her for every and all baking emergencies. And she is very patient since I'm just now learning to make more then an omelette. But I'm fierce with some eggs let me tell you. ;)

Anyways, super easy and super delicious:

Ingredients:
Pretzels, really any kind. I got the square shaped ones because I didn't want the chocolate to get everywhere.
Hershey's Kisses (A bag of kisses makes about two large cookie sheets worth)
M&M's

Preheat oven to 170 degrees F.

Lay pretzels on a baking sheet.

Place Kisses on pretzels. One kiss per pretzel.

Put in the oven for 5 minutes.

Place an M&M on top of the gooey kiss and press down.

Let cool or put in the refrigerator.

All done!

What's. On. The. To-Do. List. Today.

1. Eat Breakfast. When I'm left alone I have a horrible tendency not to eat. Not because I'm trying to, I just forget. And food always upsets my stomach so I normally feel better when I'm not eating. It's an odd thing.

2. Go to the grocery store. Get snacks for work, and supplies to make pretzel, kisses, M&M snacks to send to Steven and anyone else kind enough to give me their address ;) (recipe and cooking experience will follow).

3. Go to the Dollar Tree to find little fun things to send to my love to wish him luck as he starts an internship that might turn into a full-time position after he graduates.

4. Write up new address and take it to my old management company so that I can get my security deposit back.

5. Do Laundry.

6. School work, if I feel like it.

Ok...numero uno. I'm going to start with some oatmeal.

I. Miss. A . Boy. Named. Steve.

And I have a giant pickle from Jimmy Johns!

I was so hungry at work that I ordered a massive, really late, lunch at 3 pm. I got a Vegetarian sandwich on wheat (#6), salt and vinegar chips (not the greatest for me but I really wanted them), and a pickle! I don't get a chance to eat when I open, thus: my binge. I need to start taking snacks to work.