The Dog Blog: Lucy's Favorite Toys

One of the most important things a dog owner needs to do for their furry friend is to provide them with an outlet for their energy and with a dog like Lucy, this is sometimes a difficult task! Below are some of the toys that Lucy loves (and we love because they keep her busy).

Sterile Bones: These are great because they are one of the safest bones you can give your dog. They are super hard so your dog probably won't be able to break off a piece and choke! You can buy these with a filling already inside of them or without. We like to slather a little peanut butter inside and Lucy will stay occupied for a quite a while trying to get it all out. (The center is just out of her reach.) They're great to give her when a guest is coming over because Lucy loves peanut butter more than she loves people. You can find these at any pet store and some grocery stores in the pet aisle. Fair warning: these sucks are HEAVY. Your dog will drop one on your foot and it will hurt. Bad.

 

No Stuffing Plush Squeak Toys: These squeaky toys are awesome because they don't have stuffing or a little tiny squeaker that can be accidentally swallowed. A normally stuffed toy will last about 20 minutes in our house before Lucy rips it open and the stuffing is all over our floor. And since she is also the dog who once swallowed a sock hole, we don't trust her with little squeakers. This toy has two plastic chambers inside that squeak when they're squeezed. Lucy can still tear this toy apart but they it usually lasts a week or two before it's destroyed - which is pretty good.  We buy her a new one ever few weeks and she carries it around the house crying from happiness when we give it to her - so cute! It's made by Petstages and I have found them at Target ($7.99) and Petco ($10.99). You can also buy them online.

 

Hide a Squirrel Puzzle: This toy was given to us by my aunt when Lucy was only a week old. This little tree stump comes with three squeaky squirrels that you stuff inside and then let the dog try to get them all out. We squeak each of the squirrels as we stuff them into the stump and she goes nuts trying to get them out. I don't trust her to not destroy this toy, so we put it away and take it out every now and again for a special treat. Once she gets all the squirrels out, she usually hides them around the living room so I have to look for all three, stuff them back in and give it to her again. Ours was purchased from Amazon.

We are always on the hunt for new toys, especially one that is durable and will keep Lucy busy for a while. What is your fur baby's favorite toy? I'm sure Lucy would appreciate some suggestions!

Cheesy Bacon Hashbrown Muffins

 

 

I love hashbrowns but making them usually takes more time than I have in the mornings so around our house they are generally reserved for weekends only. This recipe is great because I can quickly make a dozen hashbrown "muffins" and keep them for great grab-and-go breakfasts during the week since they freeze so well. They would also be perfect to serve at a brunch.

 

Ingredients: Hashbrown potatoes, shredded cheese, bacon, salt & pepper. I found the "just add water" hashbrowns pictured above at Costco, but refrigerated shredded potatoes would work just as well. Or for the super ambitious, you can use a grater and shred potatoes yourself.

Fry Little Piggies: For a dozen muffins, I used 3 pieces of bacon. But feel free to make some extra to eat while your muffins are in the oven. It will make your tummy happy. After the bacon is cooked, use a paper towel to blot off the grease, and crumble it into small pieces.

Prep Muffin Tin: Grease the muffin tin with non-stick spray. I've been using coconut oil spray lately and it smells lovely.

Add Hashbrowns to Tin: Fill each hole of the tin with hashbrowns, and then press them down with the back of a spoon. After you smush them down, the tin will be about 2/3 full.

Add Cheese & Bacon: Sprinkle some shredded cheese and cooked bacon crumbles on top of the hashbrowns.

Fill Tin with Hashbrowns: Top with remaining hash browns and pack them down firmly.

Bake: Pop the tin into the oven preheated to 350 degrees for about an hour. The tops will be lightly browned.

Yummmm: The hashbrown muffins should pop out easily when you turn the tin over. The bottom and sides will be crispy and the insides will be soft and delicious!

Store the leftovers in an airtight bag or container in the refrigerator for a few days or in the freezer for a few weeks. These make a quick and easy breakfast on the go.

Variations: You can substitute the cheese and bacon for whatever veggies or breakfast meats you like - ham, sausage, peppers, onions, etc.

Easy-Peel Hard Boiled Eggs

 

Let's face it. Peeling a hard boiled egg sucks. For this reason, I reserved eating hard boiled eggs for Easter or when someone else had prepared some deviled eggs. I had even considered buying the already cooked eggs from the grocery store, but something about that totally grossed me out - not to mention they were VERY expensive. So after several failed attempts I finally found a pretty good system of preparing hard boiled eggs.

The first and probably most important thing to know, is that you do not want to use fresh eggs.  You don't want to use spoiled/expired eggs either, but don't try to boil the eggs you bought today.  Let them sit in the refrigerator for at least a week.  I tend to make hard boiled eggs when I notice my eggs will be expiring in the next couple days and I don't want them to go to waste. Fresh eggs will not peel as easily.

Step 1: Put some eggs in sauce pan.  I usually don't stack the eggs - just make a layer on the bottom.

Step 2: Completely cover eggs with water. Add at least 1" of water above the top of the eggs.  Add some salt to the water (about a tablespoon).  The eggs won' taste salty - it just magically helps in the peeling process.

Step 3: Cook on high until the water comes to a roaring boil and then turn off the heat.

Step 4: Immediately after turning off the heat, put a lid on it. Set your timer to 17 minutes. Don't take the lid off the pot until the 17 minutes is over.  The eggs are still cooking in the hot water.

Step 5: Shock the eggs in freezing cold water.  Some people use an ice bath, but I think the water coming out of my tap during a Detroit winter is cold enough! Keep them in the cold water until the eggs no longer feel warm. This takes about 5 minutes. If you are using an ice bath, you will need to keep adding more ice as the ice melts. If you stick your hand in the water, it should feel VERY cold.

Step 6: Once the eggs are cool, pour the water from the pan.  This is where you would THINK you are finished, but you are not! (Here comes the secret awesome wonderful way I peel them...)

Step 7: Shake them eggs! Hold the handle of the pot and shake the pan back and forth (not up and down because we aren't trying to flip the eggs out of the pan!). You'll want to shake the pan hard enough the eggs bump against each other and the side of the pan and the shells crack, not too hard or you will end up breaking the actual eggs. Trust me, I learned this from experience.

Step 8: Peel off the shell. You should be able to use thumb and just push the shell right off the egg. Turn on the water and rinse off any little shell pieces that are left on the egg. Easy peasy, right?

Store the eggs in an airtight container or zip-top baggy for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Valentine's Day Cookie Cake

 

Show your lover some love this Valentine's Day with a homemade Cookie Cake! I came across a recipe for a cookie cake and thought it was the best idea because I always lose steam halfway through making regular cookies.  Once the first batch is in the oven, I usually decide I no longer want to roll the dough into balls and end up eating the leftover raw cookie dough and feeling pretty miserable afterwards.  Solution, one giant Cookie Cake!

 

Ingredients: 3/4 cup softened butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 cup plus 1 tbs. all purpose flour, 1/4 tsp baking soda,  1 egg, 1 tsp pure vanilla extract (not pictured), 1 cup of M&M's.
 

Cream Brown Sugar & Butter: AKA - use the back of a spoon to mash your butter and brown sugar together.  (Note: It's important that you use softened butter and not melted butter.  I'm not normally one for following rules when I cook, but baking is another story.  Using softened butter will give you a fluffier cake and using melted butter will make your cake flat.)

Add Egg & Vanilla: Mix one egg and one teaspoon of vanilla extract into your butter/sugar mixture.

Add Flour & Baking Soda: Add 1 cup & 1 tbs. flour and 1/4 tsp of baking soda.  I have no idea who discovered that 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon is the right amount - but that is what the cookie recipe told me to do.

Mix in M&Ms: Fold in 1 cup (I used a HEAPING cup) of M&M's to the batter.

Pour Batter into Pie Pan: Pour the batter into a greased pie pan.  I sprinkled some more M&M's on top for some extra pizazz.

Bake that Cake! Bake the cake in a 325 degree pre-heated oven for 27-30 minutes until a tooth pick comes out clean.

 

Eat it! Or give it to your Valentine! Either serve this as is or top it off with some ice cream! Yum!

Adult Mac & Cheese

Last year for my birthday, my friend Meghan treated me to dinner at Granite City.  I had never been there before and the waitress suggested I try their Adult Mac & Cheese.  I was in heaven.  It was the best mac and cheese I have ever eaten and even though I was completely stuffed halfway through, I ate every last drop because it was just that amazing. I'm pretty sure Meghan had to stop me from licking the bowl clean.  It was THAT good. 

A few weeks later I had the craving for this amazing mac and cheese - so I was bound and determine to make a copycat version and I have to admit it, it's bowl licking delicious! Eric says it is in his top 5 favorite things I cook.  We eat this a couple times a month and it never disappoints.

Ingredients:
- 1 box (16 oz.) rigatoni pasta
- 16 oz. alfredo sauce
- 3/4 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
- 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup crumbled bacon (or real bacon bits)
- 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

Cook the Pasta: Prepare pasta according to the directions on the box.  I like my pasta extra saucy, so I usually use a little less than the full box of pasta.

Heat Sauce: While your pasta is cooking, heat the alfredo sauce in a sauce pan. You could be fancy and make your own alfredo sauce, but I find that a jar from the grocery store tastes pretty delicious and is a heck of a lot easier.

Add Cheese: Once the sauce is hot, turn the heat to low and slowly add the cheese to the afredo sauce. Stir the sauce as the cheese is melting. You can probably use any sort of cheese you like, so if you aren't into spicy food - don't use pepper jack!

Add Red Papper & Bacon: Stir in as much or as little red pepper as you'd like.  I suggest 1/2 tsp.  I have a high spicy tolerance so I add a lot.  If you don't - take it easy.  Add about 1/4 cup of crumbled bacon or real bacon bits. (Note: if I am using real bacon bits, I usually pour them into a microwave safe bowl and nuke them for about 30 seconds to crisp them up a little bit before adding them to the sauce.)

Drain, Mix & Serve: Once the pasta is finished cooking, drain it and mix it with the cheesy alfredo sauce. Serve and enjoy immediately!

If you are a fan of baked mac and cheese, you can easily bake this.  After you completed the above steps, pour the mac and cheese into a baking dish, top with plain bread crumbs and pop it into the broiler for a few minutes.

Another variation is to add grilled chicken to the mac and cheese after serving.

Favorite Food Finds: Trader Joe's Country Potatoes

Between working full time and taking night classes, I love when I find something that is so easy to make it seems too good to be true.  A favorite find of mine are Country Potatoes with Haricot Verts & Wild Mushrooms from Trader Joe's.  (That's just a fancy way to say potatoes, green beans and mushrooms!)  Found in the freezer section, a bag costs around $2.50 at the Trader Joe's by my house.

This side goes from freezer to dinner table in minutes.  Pour the contents of the bag into a microwave safe container, cover and cook on high for 5-6 minutes, stirring once. The bag has 4 servings at 130 calories per serving.  (But they are so delicious, we don't get more than 2 servings from a bag!!)

Super Bowl Tortellini Pasta Salad

 

 

Are you ready for some football?! Or should I say, are you ready for some football food!?  My favorite part of Super Bowl Sunday is eating all the yummy party food!  Tonight I am bringing this tortellini pasta salad to a Super Bowl party.  It's super easy twist on traditional pasta salad, using cheese tortellini instead of regular pasta.

Ingredients: One package of frozen cheese tortellini (20 oz), 1 cup of grape tomatoes sliced in half, 8 oz. of cubed fresh mozzarella cheese, 3 oz. of mini pepperoni slices, 3/4 cup Caesar vinaigrette, 1 tsp. of basil (or a 1/3 cup of fresh chopped basil if you're fancy), 1 tsp. of McCormick Salad Supreme seasoning, salt and pepper to taste

Cook Tortellini: Prepare the tortellini as directed on the package. (The kind I use needed to boil for 2 minutes - super quick!)

Drain & Rinse: Drain the tortellini and rinse it in cold water until they are cool.

Add Tomato: Chop the grape tomatoes in half and put them in a large bowl with the tortellini.  You can also use cherry tomatoes or dice up whole tomatoes.  Whatever your like best!

Add Cheese: Dice the mozzarella into 1/2" cubes and add it to the bowl.

Add Pepperoni: Add about 1/2 cup of mini pepperonis.  I bought a 5 oz. bag and used a little more than half.  You can also buy regular sized slices and cut them in half or buy a log of pepperoni and cube it.  I use the minis because there is literally no work involved.  Open bag, dump 'em in. Done.

Add Dressing & Seasonings: Add basil (fresh or flakes), salad seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste.  Add 3/4 cup of Caesar salad dressing.  I used a vinaigrette but you could use the creamy kind if you have it.  I prefer to use the vinaigrette simply because it's less calories. (Note: I like my pasta salads very saucy and the noodles soak up a lot of the dressing - if you don't like a saucy salad you may want to cut back a bit on the dressing, you can always add more later on if you'd like.)

Refrigerate and Serve! Mix everything together and let this salad sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving so the flavors can really mesh together.