The Dog Days of Summer

Since I am now home during the day,
1. my puppies are EXHAUSTED at night
2. I am getting to see what they do during the day
Some parts are not exciting such as nap time or window time, but squirrel time on the other time is very exciting

The foe is spotted
The ladies then assume the hunting position

Until one undoubtedly gets distracted (see black lab rolling in the grass)and the other has to go for a closer look
Yes, I did have time today to not only witness this but to also document it. Wish you were a teacher now, huh? : )

S-U-M-M-E-R

I know those of you who are not teachers will not appreciate this very much....however, I finished summer school last Wednesday and am officially on summer break! WOOHOO!!! I just don't even know what to do with myself. Hopefully my summer will have a lot of crafting, running, time with friends, time outside, playing with the pups and reading for fun.

So far my summer has consisted of
1. Rangers v Astros game with Cody and Lauren (sorry Houstonians, but I had to put the Rangers first because they beat the Astros senseless..)

2. Yard Work

3. Running at decent times of the day (ie: not at 5:30 am or at 4:00pm)

4. Pool time with my friends!

5. A mud run (in which we did not get very muddy, but it was still fun) (The pictures are small for a reason my friends, that would be too much SB if it were any bigger...)

before

after

6. Time with my husband and precious pups

7. Celebrating the fourth with a pool party and a fish fry! yum!

Hope y'all are enjoying your July!

Red White and Blueberry Cupcakes

I completely forgot to post this yesterday! Hope everyone had a great 4th! We did yard work, went to a pool party and then a fish fry! What a great day, but unfortunately no pictures (I know, I'm losing my touch!)

Happy 4th of July! So thankful for the freedoms that we were given by others who gave their lives! So thankful also for getting to spend a good long weekend with my handsome husband!
Here's a little patriotic dessert for today! : )

Red White and Blueberry Cupcakes (aka Lemon-Blueberry Cupcakes)
from Betty Crocker

*Recipe note: The icing listed did NOT work for me. It was very runny. I think that the butter was the problem. When I typically make icing, it is a mixture of powdered sugar, milk and about a teaspoon of vanilla. Sometimes I will add cream cheese. Next time that I make these, I will stick to what I'm used to. The cupcakes are not necessarily aesthetically pleasing, but at least they taste good!

Cupcake Ingredients

1

box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® lemon cake mix

1 1/2

cups fresh blueberries

3/4

cup water

1/3

cup vegetable oil

1

tablespoon grated lemon peel

2

eggs

1

package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened

Frosting Ingredients

2 1/2

cups powdered sugar

3/4

cup unsalted butter, softened

1

teaspoon grated lemon peel

1/2

teaspoon kosher (coarse) salt

1 1/4

teaspoons vanilla

1

tablespoon milk

1

cup fresh blueberries

Lemon peel, if desired

Fresh mint leaves, if desired

1. Heat oven to 375°F for shiny metal pans (or 350°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups.
2. In small bowl, gently toss 2 tablespoons of the dry cake mix with 1 1/2 cups blueberries to coat; set aside.
3. In large bowl, beat remaining cake mix, water, oil, lemon peel, eggs and cream cheese with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Fold blueberry mixture into batter. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
4. Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until tops are light golden brown. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
5. In medium bowl, beat powdered sugar, butter, 1 teaspoon lemon peel, the salt, vanilla and 1 tablespoon milk on high speed about 4 minutes or until smooth and well blended, adding more milk by teaspoonfuls if needed. Frost cupcakes with frosting. Garnish with 1 cup blueberries the lemon peel and mint leaves. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

Shrimp and Avocado Salad

This was a very light salad that I made a few weeks ago. We loved the crispy tortilla strips!
Shrimp and Avocado Salad

from Real Simple

Ingredients

• 6 corn tortillas, sliced into strips
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined large shrimp
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 romaine hearts, thinly sliced (about 5 cups)
• 1/4 small cabbage, thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1/4 cup roasted pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400° F. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the tortilla strips with 1 tablespoon of the oil and ¼ teaspoon salt. Spread in a single layer and bake, tossing once, until golden and crisp, 7 to 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss the shrimp with the cumin and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the shrimp until golden and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

3. In a large bowl, combine the orange and lime juices with the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add the romaine, cabbage, avocado, and shrimp and toss to combine. Serve the salad topped with the tortilla strips and pepitas.

Linguine

Another great pasta dish from EmLoves.

Linguine with Spinach, Beef, & Smoked Almonds in a Lemon Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound beef tenderloin steaks, cut into cubes (about 2 cups cubed)
• 1 pound whole wheat linguine pasta
• 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
• 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 (15 oz) can cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 Tbsp herbes de Provence
• 1 tsp fresh lemon zest
• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 lb fresh baby spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup smoked almonds (toasted almonds work too), chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped olives (green & kalamata)
• 4 oil-packed sundried tomatoes
• 1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In a large pot, bring water to a boil for pasta.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a medium pan over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes.
3. Add onions and sauté until soft.
4. Season beef with about a tsp each of salt and pepper.
5. Add beef cubes and minced garlic to pan.
6. Sauté until beef is slightly browned and garlic is soft.
7. In a medium bowl, mix together diced tomatoes (with juice), tomato sauce, tomato paste, lemon juice, lemon zest, herbes de Provence, cannelloni beans, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
8. Pour sauce mixture over beef in pan and stir around, scraping the bottom of the pan as you stir.
9. Bring sauce to a boil, cover, then reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
10. While sauce is simmering, add pasta to boiling water and cook 8-10 minutes, or until al dente.
11. Drain pasta and place in a large bowl.
12. Remove sauce from heat and add to pasta.
13. Return pan to stove and heat about 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat.
14. Add spinach to pan (one handful at a time) and cook until spinach is wilted.
15. Sprinkle cooked spinach, chopped almonds, olives, sun dried tomatoes, and Parmesan cheese over pasta and toss.
16. Serve hot with more Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Garlic Bread Biscuits

Ingredients:

• small Pillsbury Grands! Flaky Layer refrigerated biscuit dough (5 biscuits per can size)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Place biscuit dough on ungreased cookie sheet
3. In a small bowl, mix together garlic and onion powder then sprinkle on top of biscuit dough
4. Sprinkle parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese on top of biscuit dough
5. Bake for 16 minutes, or until biscuit tops are golden.

How are you?

I've started to notice how impersonal a lot of conversations really are. When you see someone, both of you say "hi" (or howdy or hello...) and then inevitably, one person will ask "how are you?" The other person will reply with something like "Fine, thank you. How are you?" In which they will receive a reply of "good" or fine." Are we really doing well all of the time? Does the other person really want a real answer?
Like today, as I was running, I was saying "good morning!" to the people that I passed (I am a friendly runner, my friends) and one man, I am sure out of habit asked me how I was doing. I could have replied, "slightly winded and my left pinkie toe is kind of aching," but instead I said "great, how are you?"
Probably not a good idea to get into real life problems with perfect strangers, but maybe we need to be making sure that if we are asking those questions, we are really listening to the people answering and if we get asked by someone who cares about us, that we are giving honest answer. Its okay for everything not to be perfect all of the time : )

Happy 4th of July weekend!! I'm trying to wait to make my patriotic cupcakes until Sunday, but I might not make it that long...

Skillet Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie

I will willing gain weight to eat this.....chocolate chip cookies and ice cream = amazing!

Skillet Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie
from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (about 9 ounces) mixed milk- and semisweet-chocolate chips
• 2 pints vanilla ice cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla; mix until they are fully incorporated. Add flour mixture, and beat until just combined.
   Stir in chocolate chips.

2. Transfer dough to a 10-inch ovenproof skillet, and press to flatten, covering bottom of pan. Bake until edges are brown and top is golden, 40 to 45 minutes. Don't overbake; it will continue to cook a few minutes out of the oven. Transfer to a wire rack to cool, 15 to 20 minutes. Cut into 8 wedges. Serve warm; top each wedge with a scoop of ice cream. (Whenever you serve the "leftover" pieces, be sure to heat them up as well. This dessert is best served warm.)