Monday Puppy Style

Happy Monday.  For those of us who live in New England, the weather took a cold, snowy, icy turn over the weekend....burrrr.  Getting up this morning was particularly difficulty, especially because my doggies had no intention of going out into the freezing cold.

My house in the morning resembles a circus and zoo..... Nick leaves really early, which leaves me to deal with the four dogs.  Clarabelle and Chloe are usually pretty good about getting up, this morning when they felt how cold it was outside they bolted away from the door back to their little beds.  So I had to 'escort' both of them outside on their own.  Next, was Lady Grantham who is wired in the morning.  She ran outside at full speed, did her business, and was back on the door stoop in 30 seconds.  When she came back inside she ran 4 or 5 laps around the house to get some of her puppy energy out.  Finally, Molly went outside and stood on the stoop for about a minute before moving - she actually likes the snow, and loves to roll around in it.  Mornings at my house crack me up - anytime the workday gets stressful, I remember how goofy the dogs are in the morning and begin laughing.

Here is a photo of two of my babies bundled up - I hope this keeps you warm on this cold cold day!

Happy Monday. 
 

Wednesday Blues with a Twist

Today has started off uncharacteristically stressful.  I left the house an hour early this morning (which is no small feat, as I am most certainly not a morning person) for a doctors appointment an hour away.  After braving traffic and seventeen degree temperatures, I arrive at the doctors office to find out that the appointment has been cancelled.  I was pretty upset, the doctors office said they called me to inform me of the cancellation, after asking them to check, they actually called the wrong number....ARGHHH.  I called my husband and said some regrettable things about the doctors office, then began the long trek back to work.  On days like today when things do not go as planned, I try to force myself to remember what my parents used to say to me as a child when I would get upset; "Sara, is this is a big deal, or is this a small deal."  You are right mom and dad.....as usual, this morning was a small deal, although still annoying.  I also try to remember that I have so much to be thankful for, health, happiness, laughter, family, and lots of doggies.  In addition to remembering my parents wise words of wisdom, I also think a nice strong drink helps take the edge off.  Although it is a bit early for a stiff drink for me (as it is 11am) I thought I would talk about infusing vodka for mixed drinks or  holiday gifts. 

Infused vodka is one of the simplest things to do, literally pour vodka into a container or jar, and then place in the flavors you want to infuse it with.  Typically you should give the vodka 2 days to fully incorporate the flavors.  This week I infused vodka with fresh mint which will be used to make a Moscow Mule (from Giada) cocktail for a party tomorrow night.  Infused vodka is a bit sweeter than plain vodka and mixes really nicely.  A great idea that I came up with is to make an infused vodka (such as cranberry vodka, or pineapple vodka) and bring it as a hostess gift with a little tag attached that lists out the ingredients for a yummy cocktail using the infused vodka.

Below is a recipe for a Pomapple Martini, which uses pineapple infused vodka:

• 1.5 ounces or 1 part pineapple vodka (see recipe below or buy store-bought)
• 1.5 ounces or 1 part pomegranate juice
• 1.5 ounces or 1 part pineapple juice
• Brut champagne

Cheers!

Ps - here is a puppy picture to spread some smiles!

This is Lady Grantham watching Nick pull out of the driveway to go to work. 
 

Christmas Dessert to WOW the crowds

Greetings.  First, let me apologize for a long lapse in posting.  I've gotten a new wonderful job and it has has made life a bit crazier than usual for the past few months.  I still have been cooking up some amazing meals, so stay tuned for future posts about new recipes i've created this fall.  I"ve had quite a few holiday parties this fall and have developed some awesome really simple dessert treats that my guests loved.  Below is my current favorite (Nick loves it as well):

 No bake cheese-cake:

• First you put two 8oz packages (room temp) of cream cheese into an a mixing bowl.  Add in 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, and mix for 2-3 minutes until the milk is combined with the cream cheese. 
• Second take 15 gram crackers and either pulse them in a food processor or place them in a zip-lock bag and crush them until they are totally broken up. 
• Next, place 1-2 tablespoons of the gram crackers at the bottom of the cup, bowl or whatever you are assembling the cheesecake in.  I think these look adorable in mini-dessert dishes, but it is really easy to make them in small plastic cocktail glasses (as I did above) - no clean-up! After the gram crackers are on the bottom of the cup push them down a bit so they are tightly compacted. 
• Fourth, add in 3-4 tablespoons of the cream cheese filling.  There are several ways you can add this in: (1) create a piping bag using a zip-lock bag and pipe the cream cheese filling in.  This way works well if you want the desserts to be neat and tidy, as it will limit how much filling gets on the side of the cup.  (2) The second way you could add the filling is to carefully spoon it in then level it out with a butter knife, or the back of a spoon. 
• The fifth, and final step is to add a topping (if you want one).  The topping can be ANYTHING, that would go well with cream cheese.  I have used the following in the past:
• blueberry jam
• raspberry jam
• strawberries
• blackberries
• chocolate sauce
• any type of preserves 
• nearly any type of candy
  Another fun idea would be to put out a few toppings and let your guests assemble their own! 

Best wishes and enjoy!