Puppy Cookies

I talk about my pups a lot, and this is why:

Mr. Joey

 Mr. Logan

These boys of mine are freakin' adorable!   

 

From time to time their cute gets the best of me and I make them cookies.  Funny thing, I don't like to bake.  I am not good at it, but what I bake for them gets gobbled up so I will continue to bake for my kids.    

Awhile back I went to Dogfest in Madison, WI (a long while back, like 10 years or so) and couldn't resist picking up a copy of the Three Dog Bakery Cookbook.  This book has over 50 recipes for fun and natural dog treats that will tempt the bipeds just the same.  There are cookies, pizza, cake, and more!

The recipe I made for them this week were the Howlin' Hula Bars. 

These are a little bland for my taste, but my boys LOVE them!  Yes, I admit, I tried them. 

If you want to bake for your pooch, you can get your own copy of the book here on the Three Dog Bakery website. 

Cheers,

Alisa

Texas Caviar

I made this today and am currently enjoying a generous helping!  Of course I didn't follow a recipe, so here's my version.

Texas Caviar

3 sweet bell peppers (1 each: red, orange, yellow) - stemmed, seeded and diced

2 jalapenos - seeds and membranes removed and finely diced

1 small red onion - finely diced

2-3 cups canned tomatoes - drained and diced

4 cups black-eyed peas - rinsed and drained

Cilantro - large handful chopped

Dressing:

6 Tbs - red wine vinegar

6 Tbs - EVOO

1/2 tsp - salt

1/2 tsp - ground black pepper

1/2 tsp - garlic powder

1 tsp - dried oregano

1 1/2 tsp - ground cumin

1 Tbs - sugar

In a large bowl, combine sweet peppers, jalapenos, onion, tomatoes and black-eyed peas.  Note: instead of using canned from the store, I cooked the beans from dry and used a quart jar of our tomatoes from our garden last summer.

In a small bowl, mix dressing ingredients and whisk together.

Pour dressing over ingredients in large bowl, add cilantro and mix well. I suggest letting it set for 30 minutes to an hour in the fridge so the flavors can mingle.

Delicious with tortilla chips, on a salad or as a side.

Cheers,

Alisa

Busy, Busy, Busy...

Life has been a whirlwind lately, as one can see from the date of my last post.  

I've been keeping busy at the store (shocking, isn't it?) with the arrival of our Fall yarns.  Our most recent shipment is from

Malabrigo

and the beautiful yarns just went on the shelves today!  We welcome Chunky to our existing lineup of Merino Worsted, Sock, and Lace.  We have carried some colors over from our existing lines and added a few new/different ones.  I am preparing to cast my own project in Chunky as I type.  I have selected the

Dolores Park Cowl by Parikha Mehta

; it's just a matter of color selection right now and who knows how long that could take, lol! 

The knitting projects continue to be started more frequently than the rate of completion, but a few are nearing the finish line.  The Little Pumpkin hat was a quick knit from

itty-bitty hats

by

Susan B. Anderson

.  I knit it up with

Cascade 220 Superwash

for a washable project that knit up in one evening!  I do have a couple tasks that are taking my time right now, but I am sure I will find some time to knit on the UFOs. 

One of the projects I am working on is for the Beaver Dam Community Library.  Their

7th Annual Crochet and Knit-a-thon

is Saturday, November 6th and we are providing some prizes for the event.  If you are able to attend, it is from 11am - 4pm at the library.  This is time to bring your supplies and work with other stitchers on a project for the community.  They will be collecting handmade items in November and December so this is a great time to get started on something for those in need this Winter.  As added incentive, the prizes we are providing are SO MUCH FUN!  I will share the project details when they are ready and I guarantee you will want one and they will make you smile! 

As if that's not enough excitement... I am bursting at the seams in anticipation of our first CSA delivery tomorrow!!!  Thank you so much to Sarah C. for introducing me to her farm after my post about the Farmer's Market; my customers are the BEST!  I can't wait to pick up our bounty of fresh veggies and get creative in the kitchen.  Those of you that know me, know I love healthy cooking and not having as much time lately to cook has been difficult for me.  Cooking is a wonderful way for me to release stress, nurture others, and enjoy some good grub in the process.  I hope that the combo of a little spare time and a box full of fresh veggies staring at me will provide the jump start I need to get back to my cooking.  

I will keep you posted!  Until then... 

Cheers!

Alisa