Carrot Cake

Another fantastic cake in the recipe book, Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood, is the Carrot Cake. I recently made this for a birthday for a work mate. It was quite a hit, so much so that my work mates have already requested a repeat!

I've made Carrot Cake before but this recipe "takes the cake", no pun intended. It is moist and has a dark tint to the six layers (yes, six). This can definitely be attributed to the fact that the carrots are pureed and not shredded.

Of course, the entire cake does take some time to bake and assemble but let me tell you, it is well worth every minute!

CARROT CAKE (Serves 12)

3 cups granulated sugar
1½ cups corn oil
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1½ cups walnuts, finely chopped
1½ cups frozen grated coconut, thawed
1½ cups pureed carrots (about 6 medium, boiled)
¾ cup crushed pineapple, drained

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease the bottom of three 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray, line with circles of parch¬ment paper, and grease the paper with cooking spray.

With an electric mixer, cream the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the sugar mixture. Add the walnuts, coconut, carrot puree, and pineapple, and beat until smooth. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool the layers in the pans for about 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of each pan and turn the layers out onto wire racks that have been sprayed with cooking spray. Cool the layers completely before frosting (see Note).

NOTE: After the layers have cooled, wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. They are easier to handle and cut in half the next day. Also, to handle as little as possible, put the first layer of cake on the plate you intend to store it on, slice it in half, ease a piece of parchment between the layers, and lift the top portion off. Frost the bottom slice, and then add the next layer. Continue until the entire cake is frosted.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter, room temperature
6 cups confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups walnuts, finely chopped

To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter in an electric mixer and beat until smooth. Slowly add the confection¬ers' sugar and continue beating until fully combined. Add the vanilla.

Slice each layer horizontally in half using an electric knife. Frost each layer, the sides, and the top of the cake. Press the chopped walnuts into the sides of the cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy!

A Bite or a Kick?

My next creation from Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood were these delightful little Jalapeno Bites. I made these for our appetizer feast we had planned at the office to celebrate Cinco de Mayo (we will apparently celebrate anything if it provides us an opportunity to cook)! And, once again, the recipe did not disappoint. They are wonderful, to say the least! Addicting, too, and not at all "diet friendly"!

Through the years I have found the best and hottest jalapeno peppers are those found at Subway. Yes, it's true! Try them on your next Subway sandwich and you'll see what I'm talking about. With that being said, before I made these, I had to go to Subway to get my jalapenos!! They were perfect, providing the necessary "bite" or "kick" that made this appetizer outstanding and a definite crowd pleaser! Try them for your next office celebration or just to munch on at home! You'll love them, too!

Jalapeno Bites

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
8 ounces grated parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons chopped jalapeno peppers
1 large egg, slightly beaten
2 cups dry breadcrumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Combine the cream cheese, Parmesan, jalapeño peppers and egg in a bowl and mix to form a paste.
3. Shape a 1/2 tablespoonful at a time into 1/4-inch rounds and roll in the bread crumbs.
4. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Serve warm.

Another New Recipe Book . . .

As most cooks would agree, you can never have too many recipe books. The latest of my purchases is Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood. I have to say I have been quite pleased with the dishes I have made thus far. Most of the recipes are typical Southern fare with a twist here and there. Accompanying many of the recipes are handwritten notes from Trisha herself whether they be about the recipe, or a favorite holiday or memory associated with the recipe, or a family member or friend associated with the recipe. Hence, the recipe book is both entertaining and useful!

One of her favorites in the Appetizer section is this Charleston Cheese Dip which I made recently for a co-worker's birthday celebration. It was quick and easy and delicious!! Everyone devoured it in record time. It definitely was a hit and is something I plan to make as a starter for dinner guests next Friday evening.

Here is the recipe:

Charleston Cheese Dip

1/2 cup mayo
1 8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup grated sharp cheddar (4 oz)
1/2 cup grated monterey jack
2 green onions, chopped
dash of cayenne pepper
8 ritz crackers, crushed
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (I used Hormel bacon bits)

Preheat to 350 degrees. Mix all but the crackers and bacon, spread into shallow 1-quart baking dish. Top with cracker crumbs, bake for 15 minutes. Remove and top with bacon bits. Serve with corn chips, crackers or bagels chips.

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

As I mentioned in a previous blog, I plan to make lots of cupcakes in the upcoming months - all out of Martha Stewart's Cupcakes recipe book.

These delicious, moist, yummy Chocolate Chip Cupcakes were on the very first page of the very first chapter. They looked so good and sounded so good that I decided to try them first.

And, of course, they did not disappoint. They were the most delicious cupcakes! My workmates enjoyed every one of them!

Here's the recipe!

3 1/4 C. plus 1 T. sifted cake flour
4 1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 T. vanilla extract
1 C. plus 2 T. milk
1/2 C. plus 6 T. unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 C. sugar
5 large egg whites, room temperature
2 C. semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper lines. Whisk together 3 1/4 C. cake flour, the baking powder, and salt. Stir the vanilla into the milk to combine.

2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter until smooth. Adding the sugar in a steady stream, beat until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of milk mixture, and beating until just combined after each.

3. In another bowl, with an electric mixture on medium speed, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form (do not overmix). Fold one-third of the egg whites into the batter to lighten. Gently fold in the remaining whites until just combined. Toss chocolate chips with remaining tablespoon cake flour, and gently fold into batter.

4. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean and the tops are springy to the touch, about 22 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

5. To finish, use a small offset spatula to spread cupcakes with frosting. Refrigerate up to 3 days in airtight containers; bring to room temperature and, if desired, decorate with white sprinkles before serving.

Dark Chocolate Frosting:

1/2 C. plus 1 T. unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 C. plus 1 T. boiling water
2 1/4 C. unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 C. confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/4 t. salt
1 1/2 pounds semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled

Combine cocoa and the boiling water, stirring until cocoa has dissolved. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter, confectioners' sugar, and salt until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add melted and cooled chocolate, beating until combined and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in the cocoa mixture, if not using immediately, frosting can be refrigerated up to 5 days or frozen up to one month, in an airtight container. Before using, bring to room temperature, and beat on low speed until smooth again.

Next on the list, Margarita Cupcakes!! Que la celebración comenzar!

Trials and Tribulations of Public Transportation

As luck would have it, it is raining cats and dogs this morning and, of course, it's Monday. I contemplated driving into work, however, I decided it best to ride public transportation as I normally do because I figure it would be safer than driving.

It's truly messy getting on the bus with an umbrella in the pouring rain, but not much more than getting into the SUV, I guess, so I headed to the bus stop at o'dark thirty this morning determined to make the best of it. The rain had let up a bit so getting on the bus was no problem. Once onboard, I settled into my seat, grabbed my Zune, and commenced to listening to some tunes. As usual, I was dozing in no time!

I awoke, as I normally do, when we turned off the Interstate weaving our way toward Forsyth Street which would take us to the Five Points MARTA station where I would get on the train heading North. Once we arrived in front of the station, I disembarked from the bus only to notice there were crowds and crowds of people out front as well as inside of the station. This seemed a bit unusual to me but I chaulked it up to the rain and it being a Monday. Silly me (if I had only known)! And well, I wasn't fully awake from my nap yet, however, that was about to change!

Much to my dismay, when I walked further down into the station on the way to the Northbound track, I was confronted with folks telling me something - one after the other. Of course, I was still listening to my music so didn't hear a word they were saying. I took my ear plugs out just in time to hear a few folks tell me that the Northbound train wasn't running. Once I arrived at that platform, a MARTA attendant told us that the Northbound train would be running from the Southbound track, that the electricity was out on the Northbound track. So, a group of us turned around and headed for the Southbound track. Once we arrived there, the MARTA attendant told us that the train had arrived on the wrong side of the track (the Northbound side where we just were standing) but that it couldn't go Northbound but would be heading to the airport. What to do?

Now I'm reading the AJC and they say there was a fire in the tunnel near the Midtown station which prompted the outage. This has happened before in that same tunnel. I ask you, how does a fire start in the tunnel of a train where there is no access to humans (well, unless you're on a train)? Are the rats catching on fire from standing on the electric track? If so, wouldn't they just burn quickly? What is in the tunnel that is catching fire? Perhaps they should install a sprinkler system within the tunnels or at the very least rid the area of debris on a weekly basis. But I digress . . .

Anyhoo, after the last misguided information about the train, the attendant then told us that there were MARTA shuttles outside on Forsyth Street that would take us to the Art Center station where we could take a Northbound train from there, circumventing the problem at the Midtown station. My own bus, the GA Xpress 477, goes to the Art Center station as well so I decided to go back out to wait on the next 477 to come along. I would catch that one and head North to Arts Center and catch the train from there. I headed back up to the top of the station. As I'm on the escalator almost to the top, I drop my Breeze card, flat on the escalator step that is rolling and rolling. The Breeze card is a plastic card the side of a credit card that holds fare for the bus and the train which at this time has about $70 worth of fare on it. I knelt down to grab it just in time before the top of the escalator sucked it, and my fingers and hand, underneath!! Whew, that was a close call - scared me to death!

After gathering my wits about me after that incident, I headed back outside. Unfortunately, I went to the Peachtree exit instead which meant I had to tap in and out twice to get to the Forsyth Street side where the buses were. It's $2 to come in or out without transferring to a bus. Oh well, I finally made to to the buses where I boarded a GA Xpress bus that was headed to the Arts Center. Not the 477 but another one who said he would go that way to help out. Once onboard, the MARTA attendent on the sidewalk announced that the trains were now running so I quickly disembarked from the bus and headed back into the train station to catch the train. Thank God, a MARTA attendant was there at the turnstiles letting folks back in without paying yet AGAIN.

I headed to the Northbound track where probably 5,000 people were headed as well. I was able to catch the next Doraville train heading North, arriving at the Doraville station at 7:13 a.m. Just in time to catch the 7:15 a.m. shuttle to the office off Clairmont Road. Our shuttle driver had the most aromatic cup of coffee that made me wanting that first cup ever so badly. After arriving at my building, I immediately headed to the snack bar to get that coffee which is just what the doctor ordered.

Safe and sound and dry again! All is well!

It's Derby Day!!

Whoo hoo!! I cannot wait until 4 p.m. when coverage of the 136th Kentucky Derby starts on NBC.

The simple syrup for the Mint Juleps is chilling in the frig and the lobster is thawed and ready for the oven. I'm ready! The recipe I used this year for the Mint Juleps is very simple and very delicious. Here it is:

For mint syrup:

2 Cups water
1 Cup granulated sugar
4 sprigs fresh mint

Bring water to a boil in a sauce pot. Once boiling, remove from heat, then whisk in sugar. When the sugar is dissolved add the leaves of four sprigs of mint, then steep for 10 minutes. Strain syrup to remove the mint leaves. Chill in refrigerator.

To mix the drink:

Chill a low-ball glass in the freezer. Fill the frosted low-ball half full with crushed ice. Add a touch of Bourbon and a couple torn up mint leaves. Then stir. Add more crushed ice and pour 2-3 oz. of Bourbon and a healthy splash of the mint syrup, to taste. Serve with a sprig of mint.

Enjoy!

And that I did. This has to be the best Mint Julep I've had to date. I think this recipe is a keeper, for sure.

As for the Derby, it was awesome. The winner was Super Saver, ridden by jockey Calvin Borel, who also rode Mine That Bird to victory in last year's Derby, as well as Street Sense in 2007. What a ride it was! Muddy, muddy, and more mud, but Calvin and Super Saver prevailed. The trainer, Todd Pletcher, had entered 24 horses in past Kentucky Derbys, including four in this race, however, his horses always fell short. But not this time!

And to top off the wonderful win for Calvin and Todd Pletcher, the gentleman, Glen Fullerton from Houston, Texas, who won the chance to place the "Dream Bet" with $100,000 given to him by Churchhill Downs, Inc. and CNBC bet on Super Saver and won $900,000!

All in all, it was a delightful "two minutes of the fastest sport" I've seen in some time. Life is good - especially for Calvin Borel, Todd Pletcher, Winstar Farm, and, of course, Glen Fullerton. Congratulations to all the winners!

Cupcakes . . . and More Cupcakes

About a year ago my friend Michelle and I stood in line at the Georgia Aquarium to purchase Martha Stewart's recipe book, Cookies: The Very Best Treats to Bake and to Share plus we had an opportunity to meet Martha and get her autograph on our recipe books. We were quite thrilled, as you can imagine. Since that time, I have made several of those recipes and have been quite pleased with the results, as have my officemates!

So when Martha released her cupcake recipe book, Cupcakes: 175 Inspired Ideas for Everyone's Favorite Treat, I had to get it right away. After scouring the book from front to back, I decided that I must commence to baking cupcakes for my officemates. Yes, they are one lucky bunch of folks!

The first selection is Martha's Strawberry Cupcakes. Oh my, I can't say enough good things about these. They were light, moist, airy - perfect for Spring. Everyone in the office LOVED them and have been requesting another batch almost daily. Here is the recipe. It truly is worth a try - you won't be disappointed.

Martha Stewart’s Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Meringue Buttercream Frosting

2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 ¼ cups sugar
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 large whole eggs plus 1 egg white
1 cup milk
2 cups finely chopped fresh strawberries (about 20), plus about 10 more for garnish, if so desired

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line standard muffin pans with paper liners. Sift together both flours, baking powder, and salt.
2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter, sugar, and vanilla until pale and fluffy. Add whole eggs and the white, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the milk, and beating until well combined. Fold in chopped strawberries by hand.
3. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until golden brown and toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks and cool 15 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto rack and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored up to 1 day at room temperature in airtight containers.
4. To finish, fill a pastry bag fitted with a large open-star (Ateco #826 or Wilton #8B) with buttercream frosting (recipe below). Pipe buttercream onto each cupcake, swirling tip and releasing as you pull up to form peak. Just before serving, thinly slice strawberries, and tuck a few pieces into the buttercream.

Strawberry Meringue Buttercream Frosting

1 ½ cups fresh strawberries (8 ounces), rinsed, hulled, and coarsely chopped
4 large egg whites
1 ¼ cups sugar
1 ½ cups (three sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, room temperature

1. Puree strawberries in a food processor. Combine egg whites and sugar in the heatproof bowl of a standing electric mixer set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly by hand until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved (the mixture should feel completely smooth when rubbed between your fingertips.)
2. Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Starting on low and gradually increasing to medium-high speed, mix until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Continue mixing until the mixture is fluffy and glossy, and completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl), about 10 minutes.

Be sure and watch this blog for more cupcake recipes!! There's definitely many more in the works!

I'm In Love!!

No, silly, I'm not talking about my iPhone however let it be known that I will never fall out of love with it!

Unfortunately, I am also not talking about a man, as much as I wish that were the case!

I am talking about butter!! Fresh, homemade butter! I came across a recipe to make homemade butter today that I had to try out. It is quite simply, the easiest recipe you'll ever try. Here it is:

2 C. Heavy Cream
Pinch Kosher Salt

Whip heavy cream in food processor, adding pinch of kosher salt. Continuing whipping 6-10 minutes. The cream will soon begin looking like very thick whipped cream. Then it will begin to form a ball and the liquid will separate. Remove excess liquid and place butter in a dish. You can save the (buttermilk) liquid to use in pancakes or baked "fried" chicken. Most awesome.

And, of course, homemade butter is the perfect accompaniment to homemade buttermilk biscuits!

Buttermilk Biscuits

4 Cups all-purpose or flour (White Lilly or cake flour)
2 Tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
8 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Cups buttermilk

Mix dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter, cut butter into dry mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk and mix gently until combined. Roll out on floured surface 1/2-inch thick. Cut with round cutter. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes until golden brown.

Enjoy with your fresh butter!!

Success!!

I adopted my dear Sami (formerly Oakland Scarboro) back in June of 2009. In the beginning, I tried to teach her to sit using the "tuck" method. She was totally against me trying to tuck her, instead acting as if I were about to cut off her back legs. I tried backing her into a corner, but that didn't work. I tried backing her into a hill and that didn't work. I temporarily gave up thinking she might just be one of those dogs who would NEVER sit!!

Some time had passed and I thought I would try again. This time, oddly enough, she was amenable to me tucking her back legs to position her in a sit. It took about two weeks of nightly training and then we were at a Meet and Greet two weekends ago and like magic, she just sat!! All on her own (and on command) and for a stranger who happened to be there with treats!! It wasn't even with me!! I stood there screaming and jumping in excitement. I was afraid I had scared her to death with my antics and she would never do it again, but alas, while we were sitting at a restaurant down the street from the M&G grabbing a late lunch she surprised me again. Lo and behold, out of the corner of my eye, I see this most beautiful sight!!

Now, as you can imagine, I can hardly get her butt off the ground. She has definitely made the association with her sitting and her getting a treat, and of course, with the "sit" command! I am so very proud of my girl. She really is a smart cookie!

This past weekend we were lure coursing in Cartersville . This was the first trial since Sami's toe amputation in January. She did fairly well, however, I could tell she did have some difficulty managing the turns and she was not nearly as fast as she had been. The sluggishness I can chaulk up to not being in shape and the turning thing is definitely her getting used to not having all of that toe and the nail that she might otherwise use to plant in the ground when turning.

Although she placed last in her category (took NBQ out of five entries) and Lucy placed 2nd out of two entries in her category, I cannot say that the coursing day was all that successful as far as placements go, however, neither sustained any injuries and both had a marvelous time running the course! And I had a grand time hanging with my coursing buddies. All in all, it was a VERY successful day.

Couple that with Sami's success with sitting plus Second Chance Greyhounds sent six new Greyhounds to the prison program last week and we adopted three this past weekend - I have to say the last few weeks have been very successful!

I am very grateful for all that I have! Life is good!!

Luscious Chocolate Covered Cherries

I'm about two weeks late with these as I would normally make these for Valentine's Day, however, I wanted to make them for my Daddy for his birthday so I waited.

As I previously blogged, they were a big hit with him and actually are a big hit with most men. At least that has been my experience. So, why not make a batch today for your man? He'll love them and will love you even more! Trust me!

Here is the recipe:

Homemade Chocolate Covered Cherries

2 pounds sifted powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon almond extract
3 large jars maraschino cherries w/stems
1 cup brandy
additional powdered sugar
1 pound semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 block paraffin, chopped

Drain maraschino cherries well. Pour brandy over cherries and let sit overnight. Drain again, this time pat dry with paper towels.

Cream together sifted powdered sugar, butter and condensed milk. Add almond extract. Mold this mixture in small amounts around the dried cherries to create a layer which entirely envelopes the cherry. Dip hands in powdered sugar to make it easier when molding mixture around cherries. Place balls on a cookie sheet and freeze for at least 45 minutes.

Melt the chocolate chips and chopped paraffin in the microwave for 5 minutes on high, stirring every minute to keep chocolate from burning. This can be reheated in microwave if gets too thick. Dip cherries into chocolate mixture using the stem. Place on another cookie sheet on wax paper to cool. Let sit overnight. Enjoy!

The Weekend

This past weekend I meandered down to Panama City to visit with friends and family. The occasion you ask? Well, my Daddy turns 75 tomorrow so we celebrated this past Saturday but more on that later.

Before I headed down, I headed up - up to Canton to drop the girls off at Ms. Kate's place, Manyhounds Inn, however I call it "Camp Whynot". She has a small kennel in her basement where she boards Greyhounds and only Greyhounds. The perfect spot in the country for my girls to relax and enjoy the weekend. Before I left, I wanted to show Ms. Kate the lumps on Sugar's neck in case it started draining again, which it has been doing off and on since the dog fight back in October. While she was looking at Sugar, I headed outside to gather Remi and Lucy. When I returned, Ms. Kate had found the most interesting thing in her neck . . . a drainage tube!! Yes, a drainage tube. Somehow the vet or vet tech missed this one when they were removing the others. It had also regressed back under the skin so was not noticeable to me until recently when her body began rejecting it, we assume. The very tip was visible from the outside, however, I thought it was an internal stitch coming out so had planned to take her to the vet this week to get it checked out. In any event, Ms. Kate is a Registered Nurse so removing the tube was nothing extraordinary to her. Thank goodness I showed her Sugar's neck and thank goodness she knew what the problem was!! After that little episode, I then headed back home to finish making my birthday present to my Dad . . . homemade chocolate covered cherries! (that blog post will happen tomorrow)

Once home and after the cherries were complete and packaged for giving, and the car was loaded, I then commenced to driving to Panama City. I arrived there around around 5:30 p.m., just in time for dinner. My sister Pam had planned for us to go out to The Captain's Table down on Beck Avenue in old St. Andrews. It was delicious. We each ordered a fried seafood platter. Needless to say, I was stuffed after all that food. I don't think I've had a meal like that in months!!

The next morning I met a friend from high school for coffee at the Starbuck's in Lynn Haven. I just happened to bring my senior year annual with me for us to thumb through and reminisce. We did and had a great time catching up on what our classmates are doing. He filled me in on those he knew and I did the same with those I knew. It was really fun Steve! I enjoyed it.

After that I went to help my niece move a few boxes from her old townhouse to her new townhouse. Then it was back to Pam's to get ready for dinner. Not just any ole dinner, but a dinner cruise which was a surprise for my Daddy for his birthday!

We left her house around 3:30 p.m. so we could pick up Jenny, my niece, Zac, my nephew, and Jenny's friend Craig who was going to be our personal photographer for the evening. After all that, we headed to Baytowne Marina inside Sandestin where our ship was docked. I don't know the length of the ship but it was quite nice. To the left is a picture of it I took from my iPhone. The name of the ship is the Solaris and it's with Sunquest Cruises.

We boarded the ship meeting up with my brother, his wife, and three kids who were already there waiting on everyone else. After meeting them, Craig managed to snap a few photos of us, then we waited for Daddy and his girlfriend, Pat, to arrive. Soon thereafter we saw them walking down the dock on their way to the boat. Pat had bought my Daddy there as a so-called post-Valentines dinner but unbeknownst to him, we were there to surprise him. And that we did. Can you tell?

He was so surpised to see us and was so surprised that we were there for HIS birthday. After a few more pictures, we finally headed to our table. I believe there were 13 of us total. Soon after they began our little cruise out to the Choctawhatchee Bay. Drinks were ordered and served and we had an opportunity to order appetizers, if we so desired. I did, and ordered a Shrimp Cocktail for those on our end of the table. They were huge and delicious! After that, they began serving our dinner. First came wonderful soft bread with delicious seasoned butter in tubs. Then salads were next with a delightful light dressing already on them. They added a special touch to the salads, one which I just love, and that is a few roasted walnuts! Delicious!! After that, the main course. We had to preorder our dinner but there were choices for everyone including a chicken dish, tenderloin of beef, fresh fish, and shrimp pasta. I believe everyone enjoyed their choices immensely as I don't recall seeing any food left on any plates!! Once the dinner plates were removed out came dessert which on that night happened to be New York Style Cheesecake which also had a delicious sauce (caramel maybe?) ladled over it.

Everyone had nothing but wonderful compliments for the staff and food. The portions were just right, serving temperatures were just right, and the timing by our waiter was just right. We couldn't have asked for anything more. If you are in the Panama City/Destin area, I highly recommend you book a reservation on the Solaris for your own dinner cruise. You won't be disappointed!

After dinner was over, Daddy had an opportunity to unwrap his gifts. He opened the birthday cards first and then my gifts. I had purchased a coffee mug, complete with a caricature drawing of my four Greyhounds, compliments of Kim Morris who is a very multi-talented person! After the coffee mug (which was completely filled with Hershey Kisses), came time for him to open the candy tin filled with homemade chocolate covered cherries!! He was tickled that I had made his favorite candy! I love making them and I know he loves to eat them so it seemed to be the perfect gift for a 75 year old who has EVERYTHING!! After my gifts, he opened the big gift that was from all of us. It was a picture collage of all those he holds dear to his heart, including a picture of my Mom who passed away in 2001. I believe it was her Senior portrait picture from high school. So awesome! He was so pleased with his gift, I could tell it on his face. There were pictures of us kids (Pam, my brother Tadpole and myself), plus all the grandkids, Mom, and Ms. Pat. That's something he'll cherish, I know, for years to come. My gifts are for immediate consumption but the picture collage, that one is for a lifetime!

After that, the ship was back at the dock and it was time to drive home. The drive back was much quieter than the drive over, as you can well imagine. We did enjoy spotting the numerous (too many to count) deer we would see on the beach side of Highway 98. They were eating clover on the side of the road, my BIL said. Oddly, they would stay put as we drove past, hardly even noticing there were cars within feet of them.

Once home, I hit the bed almost immediately!! It was a long day and I knew I had to get up the next morning bright and early and head home. I left around 9:30 a.m. arriving at Ms. Kate's in Canton around 3:15 p.m. I picked up the girls from there and headed on home, arriving around 5:30 p.m. Wow, another long day. But I was glad to be home and the girls were equally as happy as they immediately ran into the backyard to romp in their own yard!!

Oh, a visit to Ms. Kate's is not complete without a picture or two of the girls in an array of hats. Here is Lucy as the Joker. I thought it very appropriate! :) She said in an email today that keeping them is no problem - that they are very happy girls. And that they are!

I'm hoping to get back to Panama City in April to do some kayaking with my sister and BIL. It's their latest hobby, one which I plan to take up as well. I'm very much looking forward to it!

Making Whoopie!

Silly, I'm talking about making Whoopie Pies!! Yet another confection I had never made before and was dying to make.

So, the perfect little celebration at work presented itself and I decided the Whoopie Pies would be a great contribution! So, I scoured the Internet searching for the perfect recipe and lo and behold, found what I was looking for at http://www.marthastewart.com/.

Here is the recipe:

Whoopie Pies (makes 2 dozen sandwiches)

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Seven Minute Frosting

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sift together flour, salt, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside. Line two baking pans with Silpats (French nonstick baking mats) or parchment paper. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Beat until well combined. Slowly add dry ingredients. Mix until combined.
2. Using a 1-ounce ice-cream scoop, place cookies onto lined baking pans, twelve per pan. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool. Repeat with remaining batter.
3. Spread 2 tablespoons of frosting onto each of twenty-four of cookies. Sandwich together with remaining twenty-four cookies. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Do not stack!!

The cookies resemble devils food cake and the Seven Minute Frosting adds just enough flavor as the filling. Not too sweet and not too overbearing. A great combination!!

These are certainly wonderful "pies" which I will definitely make again in the future. Why not make some tonight?

The Blizzard

The "Feel Good" Soup

I've never been a big soup person but lately that seems to be my forte, huh? I suppose it's the extremely cold temperatures we've been enduring which has forced me to rethink the soup thing.

In any event, this weekend seemed the perfect time to make my first batch of Chicken Noodle Soup, complete with homemade noodles, of course!

For the noodles, I used a basic egg noodle recipe (see below). Then, using my pasta machine and the fettucine setting, I made the noodles, cutting them several times for use in the soup. If you don't have a pasta machine, you can always roll the dough with a rolling pin and hand cut the noodles. Either method will result in the most delicious homemade noodles you've ever tasted!

Ingredients:

2 1/4 C. plain flour
3 eggs, lightly beaten

Sift the flour onto a clean work surface, forming a mound. Make a hollow in the center. Break the eggs into the hollow. With a fork, break up the eggs and start gradually whisking, incorporating the flour from the edges a little at a time. Try not to let the egg spill over the sides. Keep whisking and then mixing by hand until all the flour is incorporated.

Knead the dough lightly for 6-8 minutes until glossy. The dough should not be sticky; add more flour if necessary. Cover the dough lightly and leave to rest for 30 minutes before using.

Here is the recipe I used to make the soup. And on a cold winter weekend, there is no other soup that warms the body and the soul quite like homemade chicken noodle soup!

Ingredients:

4 C. water
2 (32-ounce) cartons fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 T. olive oil
1 C. onion
1 C. celery
1 t. salt
1 t. freshly ground black pepper
3 medium carrots, chopped
12 ounces egg noodles
5 C. shredded cooked chicken breast
2 T. McCormick's All-Purpose Seasoning
4 T. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Combine water and chicken broth in a large dutch oven. Add onion, celery, salt, pepper, and carrot. Bring to a boil. Stir in chicken and noodles. Turn down heat and simmer until chicken is throughly heated and noodles are al dente. Stir in parsley. Serve with warm french bread!

Obviously this makes quite a large pot of soup so invite friends over to enjoy it with you or freeze some for later or you can always half the recipe!!

A perfect meal for a perfectly cold, winter day! It will definitely make you feel good!

Chicken Florentine Ravioli - My First Pass!

This past weekend I decided to pull out the pasta maker, complete with the ravioli attachment, and try my hand at making ravioli. The flavor of choice? Chicken Florentine, of course!

First thing to do was make the pasta dough which is great fun! I must say I love rolling the dough through the pasta maker, watching the texture get more perfect with each roll!

Here is a basic dough recipe worth trying!

1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons water

Directions:
In a medium sized bowl, combine flour and salt. Make a well in the flour, add the slightly beaten egg, and mix. Mixture should form a stiff dough. If needed, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons water.

On a lightly floured surface, knead dough for about 3 to 4 minutes. With a pasta machine or by hand roll dough out to desired thinness. Use machine or knife to cut into strips of desired width.

If you've never made homemade pasta before, take a look at this web page. Very good information!

http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Making-Pasta-Dough/Detail.aspx

Beware, once you make pasta yourself, you will probably never buy it in the store again! The freshness of the homemade pasta just can't be beat!! You can make noodles without owning a pasta maker, however, I must say having this nifty little kitchen gadget does make the work a bit easier! And it's loads of fun!!

For the filling:
1 c. (4 oz.) ground cooked chicken
10 oz. fresh spinach, cooked, drained and chopped
3 tbsp. butter, melted
3 tbsp. Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
Dash of pepper

Combine chicken, spinach, and melted butter. Stir in cheese, salt, nutmeg, and pepper. Set aside.

So the dough is ready and the filling is ready. Now to make the ravioli. Instead of hand cutting the ravioli, I tried using the ravioli attachment for my pasta maker. I was not that successful with it, I have to say and decided that when I make ravioli again, I will roll the dough, cut the dough, fill the ravioli and crimp the edges myself. I think, in the end, it will be less work and aggravation!

When your ravioli squares are complete using either method, cook ravioli in large pot of rapidly boiling salted water for 7 to 8 minutes or until tender. Rinse in cold water and drain well. Place in bowl and pour your favorite warmed marinara sauce over it. Sprinkle with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

Even though I had difficulty with the ravioli attachment, my efforts weren't totally wasted as I did get three very wonderful meals out of the experience. Plus I learned more about making pasta! And I have left-over noodles, perfect for that next batch of lasagna!!

Now, doesn't that bowl of ravioli look delicious? Trust me, it was! Add a Caesar Salad and warm garlic bread and you've got a meal!

Try making your own pasta at least once, you won't be disappointed.

The Raw Diet

Most everyone knows I feed raw to my Greyhounds. Actually, I feed half kibble and half raw. For kibble, it's Innova Evo which is the next best thing to feeding raw, in my humble opinion. It's grain-free and is high protein and high fat. This is their morning meal. For their evening meal, I usually feed raw chicken backs which typically have some organ meat still attached so they are getting those nutrients as well. I mix up the chicken backs with turkey necks (once a week), beef heart, mackeral, beef liver, ground beef, ground chicken, ground rabbit, chicken livers, stew meat, etc. It's all raw - not cooked.

One day I'm going to get my courage up to get some chicken feet. I know, it's disgusting, but they are suppose to be great for their teeth and they usually love 'em! Oh, and they also get fruit regularly and frozen veggie glop which has a mixture of veggies, cottage cheese, and raw eggs!! When I'm baking and have egg shells left over, they get those, too!! Yep, it's okay to feed all these things and typically your dog will flourish. They love all of it and if kibble weren't around, this is what they would eat! And they have the whitest teeth and freshest breath!!

So, yesterday it was time to stock back up on chicken backs. I get these at a place in Marietta called Tip Top Foods. They charge $14 or so for 40 pounds. I purchased two 40 pound cases and the total was $32. And for the first time, I purchased a 40 pound case of turkey necks for $21. All of this will last 2-3 months for four Greyhounds, again, just feeding the evening meal. How long all that will last depends on how much of the other I slide in on a weekly basis! And that depends on what I can get and at what price!

Once I got home from Tip Top, I carried the cases (one by one) into the kitchen and began the tedious task of separating and bagging up the chicken backs and then the turkey necks. Then I tossed everything into the small deep freezer in the garage. Done!

It's not fun, that's for sure, but I know that what I'm doing benefits the girls so much. Their health is my most primary concern so whatever it takes to keep them healthy AND happy, well, that is what I do!

Remember, it's all about the dogs, isn't it?!

Chewy California Fig Bars

Another treat I've always wanted to make and just hadn't yet is fig bars. I found a great recipe, Chewy California Fig Bars, that I thought suitable for the dried California figs I had on hand. So, I commenced to making them - finally!!

I must say they were most delicious and well worth the effort. They are quite chewy due to the figs, I'm sure, and had such a delightful buttery crumb crust and topping that is to die for!

As is the usual protocol, I brought the bars into work the next day for my cubemates to enjoy. They are so spoiled that the next day five different people came to my cube to see what treat I may have brought in that day!

It's interesting that after I made these and had one myself, I vaguely remember having these same creations, on occasion, as a dessert with my elementary school lunches. They may have been fig bars but I suspect they were cherry bars. And that, my friends, is the flavor bar I will bake next when I make these again!

Chewy California Fig Bars

Filling

8 oz dried figs

1 C. granulated sugar

1/2 C. hot water

1/2 C. chopped nuts

Crumb Crust and Topping:

1 C. salted butter
1 3/4 C. quick-cooking oats

1 3/4 C. flour

1 C. light brown sugar
1/2 t. vanilla

1/2 t. salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (or 325 if using a glass baking dish). Have ready a 13 x 9-inch metal baking pan or glass dish.

With scissors, cut figs into small pieces. In a medium saucepan, combine the figs, sugar, water, and nuts. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer at medium-high speed, beat the butter, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla until very creamy, 2-3 minutes. With a mixing spoon, stir in the flour and oats until well blended and crumbly. Press two-thirds of this mixture evenly onto the bottom of the ungreased pan. Spread the filling over the top. Crumble the remaining crust mixture over the filling. Bake for 25-30 minutes until lightly browned. Reverse the pan from front to back once during baking. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool completely before cutting into 6 x 6 rows.

Store in the baking pan, tightly covered with aluminum foil or plastic wrap.

New Year's Eve Dinner

I'm a little tardy in posting this but I promised I would post the recipes I used for my fabulous New Year's Eve dinner.

I had always wanted to cook a Prime Rib so I decided this would be the year to do it - a final tribute to 2009 and a grand welcoming to 2010. I searched the Internet high and low for the perfect recipe and found it in my own kitchen in Tyler Florence's first recipe book, Real Kitchen: An Indispensable Guide for Anybody Who Likes to Cook, pub. date 2003. The recipe I refer to is Horseradish And Garlic Prime Rib and I must say it is exceptionally delicious.

I did omit the carrots, parsnips and red onion and next time I would probably decrease the sea salt to about 1/4 cup. Other than that, it was absolutely delicious and definitley is something I will cook again. The mushrooms are a perfect addition, as well. To complete the meal, I included Twice Baked Potatoes and Steamed Asparagus.

Prime Rib:

1 (3-rib) prime rib beef roast, about 6 pounds
5 garlic cloves, smashed, plus 2 heads garlic, halved
1/2 cup grated fresh or prepared horseradish
1/2 cup sea salt
1/4 cup freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 parsnips
1 red onion, halved

Wild mushrooms:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds assorted mushrooms, such as cremini, oyster, shiitake, chanterelle, or white, trimmed and sliced
Leaves from 2 fresh thyme sprigs
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup Cabernet Sauvignon
1/4 cup reserved beef broth (drippings from roast) or low-sodium canned broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lay the beef in a large roasting pan with the bone side down. (The ribs act as a natural roasting rack.) In a small bowl mash together the garlic, horseradish, salt, pepper, and olive oil to make a paste. Massage the paste generously over the entire roast. Scatter the vegetables and halved garlic around the meat and drizzle them with a 2-count of oil. Put the pan in the oven and roast the beef for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours for medium-rare (or approximately 20 minutes per pound). Check the internal temperature of the roast in several places with an instant-read thermometer; it should register 125 degrees F. for medium-rare. Remove the beef to a carving board and let it rest for 20 minutes. The internal temperature of the meat will continue to rise by about 10 degrees. Remove the vegetables and set aside. Pour the pan juices into a fat separator or small bowl and set aside to allow the fat and beef juices to separate. Pour off and discard the fat. You will use the tasty beef juices for the mushrooms.

Place a clean skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and a 2-count drizzle of oil. When the butter starts to foam. add the mushrooms and thyme; and season with salt and pepper. Stir everything together for a few minutes. Add the red wine, stirring to scrape up any stuck bits; then cook and stir to evaporate the alcohol. When the wine is almost all gone, add the reserved beef juices. Let the liquid cook down and then take it off the heat. Stir in the cream and chives, and season with salt and pepper.

As a final course for the evening, I chose Champagne Sorbet. It had been some time since I had made this lucious frozen concoction so I felt it time to do it again! I originally found this recipe in a very old cookbook I had purchased in my hometown of Panama City. It was written by Gay Sudduth and is titled, You're Invited, pub. date 2004.

1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups champagne
fresh lemon juice

Boil sugar and water 4-5 minutes (important). Cool. Stir in champagne and juice of one lemon. Freeze. Let it completely freeze over and then cut it with a knife until you can stir it. Cover and stir a couple more times before serving. Serve in small amounts.

As you can see, this was quite a meal and one which I had such fun preparing and then enjoying afterwards! If you have a special occasion coming up, I highly suggest the same menu. You won't be disappointed!

A New Christmas Dinner Tradition

I found the perfect dish to compliment any meat served for Christmas dinner - Corn Pudding. Sounds rather gross, doesn't it? In actuality, it is really just a corn souffle. Really tasty and not really heavy. Not heavy like a casserole - light like a souffle.

The recipe I tried is called Tee's Corn Pudding, Southern Living, August 2006. Here it is:


Tee's Corn Pudding

Yield: Makes 8 servings

1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
6 large eggs
2 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup butter, melted
6 cups fresh corn kernels (about 12 ears)*

1. Combine first 4 ingredients.

2. Whisk together eggs, whipping cream, and butter in a large bowl. Gradually add sugar mixture, whisking until smooth; stir in corn. Pour mixture into 8 lightly greased 8-oz. custard cups.

3. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until pudding is set and deep golden. Let stand 5 minutes.

*6 cups frozen whole kernel corn or canned shoepeg corn, drained, may be substituted.

Note: You may substitute 1 (13- x 9-inch) baking dish for ramekins. Bake at 350° for 40 to 45 minutes or until set. Let stand 5 minutes.

Southwestern Corn Pudding: Stir in 1 (4.5-oz.) can chopped green chiles and 1/4 tsp. ground cumin.

This is definitely going to be a future annual tradition. Most delicious as you will soon find out!

And More . . .

For today's grazing table I made Artichoke Tarts and No-Bake Cookies. Both are fabulous recipes. The Artichoke Tarts actually came from Weight Watchers, however, I failed to use Fat-Free Cream Cheese or Low-Fat Cheddar Cheese, so I guess my batch really isn't diet friendly at this point. Delicious nonetheless and quite a hit with my co-workers! Oh, and I substituted a Monterery Jack blend cheese instead of Cheddar.

Artichoke Tarts

6 spray(s) cooking spray
16 pieces wonton wrapper(s)
1/4 cup(s) low-fat shredded cheddar cheese
4 oz fat-free cream cheese, softened
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp sweet red pepper(s), chopped
7 oz canned artichoke hearts, without oil, drained and chopped
1/4 cup(s) parsley, fresh, sprigs

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 16-hole miniature muffin pan with cooking spray. Gently press 1 wonton wrapper into each muffin hole, allowing ends to extend above cups. Coat edges of wrappers with cooking spray and set aside.

Combine cheeses, cayenne pepper and mustard in a medium bowl; mix well. Stir in red pepper and artichoke hearts; spoon about 1 teaspoon of cheese mixture into each muffin cup.

Bake until cheese mixture is set and edges of wrappers are lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve. Yields 2 tarts per serving. 2 points per serving.

And the No-Bake Cookies are fabulous. Some call them "Cow Patties". This is a recipe I've made for years and is one of my favorites. It stems from a chocolate, oatmeal, peanut butter concoction I remember being served weekly with our hot lunches in elementary school. The lady in charge of our lunches was Mrs. Baggett. She was the nicest lady and she served the best tastiest lunches I can ever remember being served in a school lunchroom. Many moms would happily come eat with their children just to enjoy her wonderful cooking.

Long after elementary school was over, I searched high and low for the recipe for many years and I finally found it. It is quick and easy and I find I usually have the ingredients on hand so whipping up a quick batch is always possible.

No-Bake Cookies

2 cup(s) sugar

1/2 cup milk

3 Tbsp cocoa

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup peanut butter

3 cup(s) quick cooking oats

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup nuts (optional)

Combine sugar, milk, cocoa, and butter in saucepan. Heat to boiling point, stirring constantly. Boil one minute. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter, oats, vanilla, and nuts, if desired. Drop on to parchment paper. Let cool. Enjoy!

More Holiday Baking

For our munchie table today at work, I bought in delicious homemade cake donuts. Yum, yum is all I can say. They were enjoyed by all!

Ginger Snaps

Last night I hunkered down in the kitchen to make the most wonderful holiday cookies - Ginger Snaps. I'm taking these to work for our "grazing" table. Actually, if you can believe it, I had a request from a co-worker to make them again this year.

Instead of rolling in sugar, I use the little white round candies. They are much more festive this way, don't you think? Besides looking good, they are most delicious! :)

Ginger Snaps

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses Grandma's Molasses
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup shortening

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients. Roll into balls, then roll in sugar. Cook on top rack in 350 degree oven for 8 minutes.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

A classic performed by Tom Jones and Cerys Matthews in December 2008.

It's Begun . . .

Yes, the holiday season is upon us which means what for Patti? Yep, lots of hours in the kitchen "making and baking". I'm not complaining at all as most of you know I love this stuff. And my office mates love it too as I usually bring the fruits of my labors to the office for all to consume.

As well, here at work we customarily volunteer to keep a munchie table fully stocked for the last two weeks leading up to Christmas. It's actually called the "grazing" table. I think I've signed up to bring something at least four of those days, if not more. But I love it! I think I missed my calling - I should have been a pastry chef!

In any event, the first thing I made this season really isn't edible at all - well, not unless you're a canine. And, yes, my Greyhound Lucy ate her fair share of these last year hence why I'm making more this year. The item in question is Cinnamon Ornaments!

No Christmas tree should be without these fabulously aromatic ornaments. Cinnamon is a fragrance that is so typically associated with the Christmas holiday season and I, for one, love that aroma when I walk into my home. It's a comfort thing for me as I vividly remember the scent of cinnamon wafing through the air of my childhood home. Such memories!

The ornaments are fairly easy to make - you just have to be very careful with them because they are very delicate. Here is the recipe:

Cinnamon Ornaments

1 C. ground cinnamon
1 t. allspice
1 t. ground cloves
1 t. nutmeg
1 C. applesauce

Mix dry ingredients. Add applesauce a little at a time. Mixture should have consistency of playdough. If too dry, add 1-2 tablespoons applesauce. Roll 1/4 inch thick on ungreased surface. If too sticky, sprinkle with ground cinnamon. Cut with cookie cutters. Place on level surface to dry 4-5 days. Insert fine wire at top of ornament before drying. Tie with ribbon. Yield 2 dozen.

Here is the blob of spices after mixing.










Here is the blob rolled out. This does get a bit messy but the end result is well worth it!

Here are my little Gingerbread boys and stars all ready for the drying period.

I added a few white buttons for the Gingerbread boys and lastly I have to add ribbon bows. The wire hooks were inserted in the beginning prior to the drying period. They will be ready to hang tonight! Once the holiday season is over, be sure to carefully pack these away in Zip Lock bags to ensure their aroma keeps for years and years to come.

Each day until New Year's I'll be able to enjoy the robust fragrance of these delightfully easy to make ornaments. But alas, after the holidays they are packed away with the other ornaments until next year when I'll pull them back out for another season of reminiscing.

Last Weekend

On Saturday we attended a Meet and Greet for Second Chance Greyhounds at one of our favorite spots, Top Dogs, in Kennesaw. We did visit with quite a few folks that day and are hoping for an adoption or two.

One of our volunteers, my friend Kim Morris, purchased these adorable antlers for her Greyhounds to wear in the upcoming Christmas parade in Kennesaw. Our group is scheduled to appear, along with our Greyhounds, of course. The antlers caught Sami's attention the moment she pulled them out of her bag, so naturally I had to put them on her to see how she like them. Here is the result!

Afterwards, we walked down to Highland Grill to grab some lunch. We are able to bring the Greyhounds and eat on the covered patio which makes it really nice. Here I am sharing my margarita with Sami. No, not really. I was drinking it and she was licking the outside of the glass. She is such a goofy one but I love her dearly!

The Weekend from Hell!

Friday afternoon after work I drove to Marietta to Tip Top Foods to purchase two cases of chicken backs. This is part of the raw diet I feed my four Greyhounds. I got home and unloaded the chicken and then commenced to letting the pack out to potty. Once that was over, it was time for their dinner. I grabbed four chicken backs for them and put them outside to eat. As usual my foster ate her kibble in the kitchen in her bowl. While they were eating, I had begun the process of bagging the chicken backs in meal-size bags for freezing.

After having ample time to potty, it was time for them to come back inside. Everyone clamored around me as I worked to bag the chicken backs. After completing the first case, I decided to let them back outside so they wouldn't have their noses right in the case of chicken! It would only be for a few minutes. I didn't muzzle them as I normally do. About ten minutes later, I heard alot of commotion so I flew out the back door only to see them attacking Sugar. She was on the ground, belly up, kicking and screaming. It was really Lucy and my foster. Remi and Sami were there but they weren't on her. I tried to get Sugar away from them but couldn't. I grabbed her by the collar and started dragging her toward the back door. All the while, they continued to take jabs at her - they wouldn't stop no matter how loud I screamed at them. It seemed the more she shrilled, the more they attacked. She was pretty torn up but I was finally able to get her in the house by herself.

I immediately called my BFF, Kim, who then called my vet to see if they would wait for me. It was 5:50 pm and they close at 6 pm. They said they would so I put Sugar into the Pilot and then went inside to get the others from the backyard. I went to crate them and Lucy even lunged at me, ready to attack! I couldn't believe it!! I was able to get everyone crated and then I jumped in to the vehicle to head to the vet. We arrived in 20 minutes or so - a total bloody mess. During the entire ride there, Sugar stood up the entire time.

Because of the extent of her injuries, it being a weekend, and the fact that she has Von Willebrands disease, it was recommended that we go to Cobb Emergency Veterinary Clinic so they could monitor her 24x7. My vet bandaged her up to slow the bleeding and we then headed to the emegency clinic. When we arrived, they took her back and started procedures and such to stabilize her. Kim arrived shortly thereafter. Surgery was definitely required. After some creative financing (her bill was est. at $3,000-$4,000), they started some tests to ensure she could clot before doing the surgery. I went back to see her and she looked just horrible - just beaten to a pulp and her color was grey. They were going to give her plasma, which would take 2 hours, so we decided to go home and clean up blood. We got back to the hospital about midnight. They had decided not to do the plasma just yet but had begun the surgery. About 4-4:30 a.m. they came to tell us that all went well and Sugar was awake. Kim actually heard her yell out around 3:30 a.m. Apparently she had a rough time waking up from the anesthesia and was in quite a bit of pain.

They did decide to give her the plasma Saturday morning. That afternoon, I went to see her, taking her some hamburger meat, marshmallows, and sweet potato treats - hoping she would eat something. Sunday morning she did eat some of the hamburger and was able to take her meds orally so she was weaned from the IV drip and I was able to bring her home that afternoon.

She has a 3-inch tear on her neck that was stitched, several on her left side that were stitched, another 3-inch tear on her chest that was stitched, one on her crotch that was stitched, several smaller ones here and there on her body that were stitched, and the worst was her left forearm. There was no skin left on that 4-inch long, 2-inch wide wound. The night it happened, I could see muscle and tendons. The vet stitched her up the best she could but there is an area the size of a quarter that is still bare. She has a wet/dry bandage there which will be there for a few days.

I saw the wound yesterday during a dressing change and it is amazing how good it looks. My vet was totally impressed with the surgical work they did on her. The before and after is quite a transformation. Anyway, she does walk a bit funny on that front leg, folding her foot over and dragging it. We're hoping there isn't any neurological damage but won't know that until the bandages come off and she is able to bend it better and put pressure on it. She is bruised pretty badly, mostly on her stomach, chest and legs.

Despite her injuries, she looks really good now that she's stitched up all over. She ate a chicken back last night and a little hamburger meat and a bit more stew meat this morning for breakfast. She is taking her pills via peanut butter which is excellent because when she had the liver ailment a few years back, I ran out of various methods to pill her. She would figure out a pill is involved in whatever I was giving her and wouldn't eat it - for months afterwards. Smart and stubborn - that is my Sugar.

Her six drainage tubes come out tomorrow and another bandage change will happen on that front leg. I'm hoping one more after that and then we'll be home free. Next week her stitches will come out. She's a fighter and will survive.

I can't say enough good things about the emergency clinic. They were informative, professional, and current on Sugar's case anytime I asked about her. My vet called there on Saturday morning to inquire about her status and then again on Sunday which made me feel really good. I didn't know that until we were there yesterday for the bandage change.

Lucy is now on Amitriptyline and the foster was moved to another foster home. I am being careful about the dynamics and am watching for anymore signs of aggressiveness from Lucy. Of course, I have no idea what transpired in the backyard that night and probably won't ever know. I do know, however, that I will be much more careful about the muzzles. I was busy with the task at hand in the kitchen and it just slipped my mind and I am usually a stickler about the girls wearing them!

The look on Sugar's face that night will forever be in my mind and definitely will serve as a reminder to me to muzzle, muzzle, and muzzle again!

Upcoming Coursing at Moreland

It's been some time since I've blogged - it's been very busy at Second Chance Greyhounds. So much has been going on and it seems to be daily if not hourly! But it's for a good cause and we are doing a good thing - placing Greyhounds into their forever homes and we're having a blast doing it!! I must say that starting a new Greyhound adoption group has proven to be very difficult but we've come such a long way since January when we first began tossing this idea around. I've said it time and time before, we should all be very proud of our achievements, as there are so many!

But tomorrow I actually get to take the day off and do something I so love to do and that is watch my dogs lure course! We're going to be at the ASFA National Greyhound Specialty in Moreland. In the Open category where Sami will run there are 11+ Greyhounds. It'll be Sami's first real trial so I'm a bit anxious to see how she does. She's a nut for the lure which is a good thing, but it can also be a bad thing as they don't seem to think with their brains when that is the case. Their only goal is to get the lure, at all costs! So, we will see how she does.

Lucy will run in Field Champion, along with about 7+ Greyhounds. Last time she ran, she suffered a puncture on the outside of her front right foot. Ten days worth of antibiotics cured that and she's been good to go ever since. That was also two months ago so she's had plenty of time to recoup! We'll see how she does.

There will definitely be some competition for both Sami and Lucy.

We are expecting rain this afternoon and evening which should make the ground perfect for coursing tomorrow. Temps should reach near 70 which is perfect for coursing. Everyone should be comfortable, most importantly, the dogs!

I'll report back after tomorrow with results. Keep your fingers crossed that my girls do well!

Rainy Mondays