So I made him this very simple dog treat when we got home.  This doggy treat doesn’t have a lot of “stuff” in it, which was good for his sensitive stomach.  Chance LOVED them!

This recipe only has 4 ingredients, & I’m sure you probably have them all:  all purpose flour, eggs, garlic powder & water.

Form a dough in a large bowl.  Place on a surface dusted with flour (so it doesn’t stick) & roll dough with a rolling pin until it’s about 1/4 inch thick.  Use a cookie cutter to cut into shapes.  You can also use a knife & cut into little strips if you don’t have a cookie cutter.  I don’t think your dog will mind what shape they’re in!

I place wax paper or parchment paper on my counter & dust with flour so I don’t make as much of a mess .

Place the biscuits onto a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until they’re lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack & store in an air-tight container.

I used a cookie cutter that was around 2 1/2 x 1 inch & this recipe yielded 40 treats.  Of course I shared with Chance’s doggy friends. 

The medicine made him sleepy!  By the way, Chance is feeling much better .

I can’t take full credit for this one; my friend Kim turned me on to the “whipped vodka”  idea with orange juice.  Kim is currently expecting her second child, but enjoyed something similar to this last summer.  Kim is one of those friends that no matter if you don’t see her for a year, your friendship stays the same no matter what.  We’re all lucky if we have ONE of those friends in our lives.  I have a few, so I consider myself very blessed.

I took this picture at my Mom & Dad’s house to have a change of scenery.  My Dad loved the soda glasses with the cute straws—”back in the day” he was a soda jerk at a soda fountain in an old timey drug store that used glasses similar to these.  A soda jerk was someone who mixed up the syrup & carbonated water to make the sodas.  I thought they always came in a bottle until he enlightened me .

My Mom, on the other hand, was more focused on the drink (LOL!).  She loved it!

This one is really simple:  all you’re going to need is OJ, Pinnacle “whipped” flavored vodka & ginger ale.  There is also a version of “orange whipped” vodka, but I purchased regular “whipped” so that I can use it in more than just an orange flavored drink.

It tastes like a true orange creamsicle, and the delight is, well, you know.  That warm fuzzy feeling you get after you have one (or two!).  Be careful, this is another one that will catch up with you & slap you in yo’ face when you’re least expecting it!  Cheers! 

So you  know what I did.  I made my favorite recipe of cheesy cheddar squash casserole.  I use Paula Deen’s recipe of cheesy squash casserole & make minor changes to it.  It has always been my favorite!  My hubby & I even ate the leftovers for breakfast the next morning.  That’s how good it is.

I slice my squash thin & saute in butter, along with some chopped Vidalia onions until they’re soft (about 10-12 minutes).  Drain off the juices in a colander & press with the back of a spatula or a big spoon.  You don’t want the casserole to be all watery, do you?    (Trust me, it’s happened).

Transfer the cooked squash & onions to a large bowl.  Add some shredded cheddar cheese, grated Parmesan cheese, sour cream, salt & pepper…stir it all up with a big spoon.

Transfer to a greased 2 quart casserole dish.

Top with a sleeve of crumbled Ritz crackers & bake for 15-20 minutes, or until crackers are golden brown and the edges of the casserole are bubbly.  Your family will thank you! 

Now, I’ve made potato casseroles similar to this, but not with the ranch dip mix that these “crack potatoes” call for…so of course I had to try it!  I found this recipe on a fellow ZipList partner’s blog, PlainChicken.com, & added a little extra stuff to it.

I had some pretty asparagus spears in the refrigerator that I added to it, along with a little chopped onion.

Be sure to cut about 1 inch off the bottom of the spears–that part is all tough & doesn’t taste good!  I cut the rest into about 1 inch pieces.

Mix shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, ranch dip mix, bacon bits, asparagus pieces & onions in a big bowl, using a large spoon.  Add a bag of frozen shredded hash browns last & stir until blended well.

The recipe I went by called for 2 packets of ranch dip mix.  I am a salt LOVER & thought it was way too salty, but still really good (so I ate a LOT!).  So, I am adjusting this recipe to use 1 packet of ranch dip mix instead.  Who knows, maybe my taste buds are changing as I’m growing older .

I love to bake anything I can using my cast iron pan, so I pressed the mixture into my 9 inch cast iron skillet pan.  It took exactly an hour for my potatoes to cook, but the original recipe stated 45 minutes to 1 hour…so I would definitely check them after 40 or 45 minutes just to be safe.

Oh, and I added a little extra asparagus pieces on top, just for the “pretty factor”.    Now I can say I’ve eaten “crack potatoes”…have you ever had them?

This is Chance during a fun day at the beach……guess what ~ I cook for him too!  My “baby girl”, Ginger passed away from cancer a couple of years ago.  During her sickness, my veterinarian advised me to feed her a diet of whole grains, vegetables, fruit & meats.  After her passing I still feed homemade treats & food to Chance.  Don’t get me wrong, he eats bagged “dog food” in-between his homemade meals & treats (and when we go to the beach!).

Ginger’s courageous battle with cancer is the reason I started cooking doggy food, so I can’t leave her out.  This is Ginger during her sickness.  She was a trooper & fought until the very end {wiping my tears}. Her cancer was inoperable.  She lived a long, good life.

Believe it or not, this picture was taken just 3 days before her passing.  This was her last boat ride & she enjoyed every MINUTE of it!  Ginger & Chance were best friends!

One of the treats I prepare for my doggy is banana pupcakes.  They’re super simple to make—and a lot less expensive than buying “all-natural” treats at the pet store.  I make them so that they look like a “biscuit” rather than a cupcake, only filling the cupcake liner about half full.

Mash a couple of bananas in a large bowl with a fork:

Add wheat flour, water, vanilla, baking powder, egg & honey.  Stir it all up with a big spoon.  The batter will look lumpy from the bananas.

Fill the cupcake liners about 1/2 full:

Bake for about 15 minutes, or when a toothpick inserted is removed clean.  Your doggy will thank you & so will your wallet! 

Oh, and one last pic; just for kicks.  If you didn’t already know how much I love my doggies, well, maybe you will now.  LOL! 

This is my wedding portrait back in 2004.  How time flies!

Happy Mother’s today to all of you Moms, with 2-legged AND 4-legged babies! 

My favorite liquor is rum; & my favorite rum is Pusser’s Rum…not that I drink a whole lot of liquor.  Actually I think a little too much fun has been had coming up with these drinks for Thursdays…I really look forward to it! 

Why did I name this drink “Calico Sunrise“?  Because the colors of it remind me of the sunrise over the creek that I live on…yes, it’s called Calico Creek.  I did my darndest to get a picture of the sunrise this morning & guess what?  It was just as hazy & cloudy as could be.  The one time I am prepared with all my camera gear & tripod at the freakin’ crack of dawn.  Oh well, maybe I’ll get it another morning {sigh}.

This recipe has coconut juice in it that you buy in a can…I found it in the juice section of my local grocery store…or you could always buy your own coconut & really do it up!

What I enjoyed about this cocktail is that it was sweet and little tart, and well, just different.  A nice change from the typical fruity rum cocktail.

You’ll need your favorite rum, pineapple juice, coconut juice, amaretto & grenadine.  Shake all the ingredients except the grenadine in a shaker with ice.  Pour into a glass, then add a little grenadine on top to give it the “sunrise” look & add some sweet love. Sip, enjoy & repeat .

We recently went on a little sailboat trip to Cape Lookout, NC, and my hubby caught a load of spanish mackerel fish. I fried those bad boys up last night!  Now, if you’re a southerner like me, you know that you can’t eat fried fish without coleslaw (& baked beans!)

So I added a little “tropical flare” to my coleslaw & made mango coleslaw.

I like to slice my lettuce really thin with a sharp knife instead of shredding it into “slush”;  it’s your prerogative as to how you like your cabbage in your coleslaw!

And I used a little coconut juice to sweeten things up a little…

I highly suggest you try this recipe if you’re looking to break away from the ordinary “coleslaw”.  Take it to your next pig pickin’ or fish fry you attend; it will be a welcomed variation from traditional coleslaw! 

You see, when I spot boneless chicken breasts on sale at a good price, I snatch them up!  I use chicken breasts to sometimes make my dog’s food too (doggy recipes coming soon!). Or, you could always use leftover chicken, or even buy a cooked rotisserie chicken & make a ton of this good stuff!

First of all, I have a confession to make.  This recipe calls for toasted walnuts.  For some freakin’ reason, I can’t toast walnuts.  They burn almost every single time, no matter what my intentions are to look over them like a hawk.  I forget about them in the oven…over & over.  So please, don’t have a “blonde moment” like me & burn the walnuts instead of toasting.  I’m good for it.  Here’s a little example, just for kicks:

The “right” way to toast walnuts (for me) is to place them on parchment paper on a baking sheet in a single layer, and bake @ 350 degrees F for about 5-7 minutes.  I guess you could be smart & set a timer to be sure you don’t burn them.  I obviously didn’t do that (the first time).

Now that the walnuts are out of the way, you’ll need some cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts…I cut them into little cubes and sauteed my chicken breasts in olive oil until cooked thoroughly & no longer pink in the center (about 8 minutes for me).

Create the sweet dressing for the chicken salad by whisking mayo, sugar and poppy seeds in a small bowl:

Mix the dressing with the cooked chicken cubes (drained of juices), a small can of pineapple tidbits (drained), a small can of mandarin oranges (drained), 1/2 cup sliced red grapes and those lovely toasted (not charred) walnuts:

Serve with your favorite crackers, chips, wraps or pita pockets.  Oh, & it’s even better the next day once the flavors have time to mingle! 

I want to take a minute to tell you how important it is to support your local economy.  Please support your neighbors & buy local whenever you can.  I had the greatest time picking my own strawberries at Garner Farm here in Morehead City, NC.  Walking through the field and filling up my little bucket with strawberries took me back to childhood. You surely can’t get that in a crowded grocery store .

Yesterday I realized what my Mom has been telling me all these years…take time to meditate & don’t rush through life too fast trying to reach a “happy” destination; it’s a journey. (It took me 36 years?).  Sometimes I catch myself rushing to the grocery store or running errands to get what I need, not even remembering the trip because life is such a whirlwind.

Wow, that little walk in the strawberry field was like therapy…LOL!    So what does all of this have to do with the martini?  Nothing.  Sorry.

So here’s what you’ll need:  A shaker, a muddler, gin, strawberry vodka (or regular vodka will do), fresh strawberries, basil leaves, lime juice, ice & simple syrup.  Now I couldn’t find simple syrup so I made my own.  It’s just sugar dissolved in warm water (that’s how I made it & it worked, anyway).  Also, if you don’t have a muddler, you can squish up the strawberries & basil using a fork or the back of a spoon.

Start with muddling strawberries & basil in the shaker:

Then add ice & all the other ingredients.  Shake vigorously so you’ll get those little slivers of ice in the martini that everyone likes so much.  Strain into a martini glass. This recipe makes 2 strawberry basil martinis…cheers!

It smelled so tropical & somewhat took me away ~ almost like a “Calgon moment” while they were baking.  That’s why I added the little umbrella.   And the best part is:  it was a BOXED mix (with some other stuff added to it).  Yep, a boxed mix.  The icing was completely homemade, and did this awesome little cupcake the sweet justice it was worthy of.  Can you tell I’m a little excited?

The boxed mix was Duncan Heinz Coconut Supreme cake mix.  I added Jell-O instant banana cream pudding mix and a little Kahlua.

I filled the cupcake liners about 2/3 full.  These little cups were so pretty, I didn’t want to mess them up with batter splattered all over them.  So I poured the batter in a big zip-lock baggie and squeezed it out of the corner into the little liners.

And I baked each cupcake tin one at a time instead of placing both pans in the oven so I’d be sure they’d bake & brown evenly.  18 minutes later:

Oh yes they did.  I used a recipe for homemade white icing and topped them with shredded sweetened coconut.

I’ve never considered myself too much of a “baker”, so I was really proud of these.  It’s amazing how something so simple as a cute little cupcake liner can inspire you.  If you’re wondering where to purchase them, I ordered these online at ShopSweetLulu.com.

I’m telling you, these cupcakes come from a box but they will take you someplace magical.  They’re definitely worth every. single. calorie.