Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

So, basically, when I found this recipe, I nearly jumped for joy.  While I love drinking my green smoothies for breakfast (they seriously make me more alert than any cup of coffee), the thought of swapping them out for pumpkin that looks like a milkshake wasn't even worth pausing to consider.  Done.  Let's drink them every day through the end of the year, shall we?

Pumpkin Dog Biscuits

I have about a million pumpkin recipes bookmarked, pinned, and printed that I'm itching to try.  But I thought it would be fun to get Rory in on the pumpkin madness with her own treats to munch on.

I love that these crunchy biscuits are quick to bake up, and that they're made from ingredients I can trust.  Pumpkin and rice are recommended for good digestion in dogs, so what better way to add a little of both to Rory's diet?  The cost per batch is pretty low when compared to the bakery-style biscuits you see at the pet store, even with brown rice flour (which keeps them gluten free for dogs with special diets).

Friday Fun: How to Quick-Chill Wine

photo courtesy of Martha Stewart

Leave it to Martha to come up with an easy way to quick-chill wine.  (And leave it to Martha to do it using adorable dish towels.)

"Wet and wring out a linen dish towel, wrap it around a bottle, and place it in the refrigerator for half an hour.  Can't wait that long?  Try the freezer for 15 minutes."

We tested this out for you last night with a bottle of room-temp champagne, but it took our bottle a little longer in the fridge.  I'm guessing the glass bottle was thicker than a standard white wine bottle?  Also - why on earth were we drinking champagne on a Thursday night?!  Because our offer was accepted on what we've been calling The Dream House :)  We're super excited!  Let the paperwork mayhem begin!!

Happy Weekend, Lovelies!



{ photo and how-to source }


       

My Stint With the CIA

The Culinary Institute of America, that is.

Turns out that the area in New York I traveled to for work was a teeny tiny ten minute drive away from this famously fancy cooking school.  I about fell out of my chair when I found out that there are four student-run restaurants on site that are open to the public.  How fun!!  The buzzkill was finding out that you have to make reservations in advance for the nice restaurants on campus.  So, instead, I drove up for a quick lunch yesterday.

Real Estate, Business Travel, and Hypoglycemia

A bit of a jumbly mouthful, no?

But those three things are governing my world right now.  I'm slated to travel once again for my day job, and next week has me in Poughkeepsie, New York.  Which means that I'm not home to make real food :(  Boo! It's fun to see different places and to eat in restaurants on the company dime, but it makes me miss homemade food that tastes so much better (and makes my jeans fit better, too).  Anyway!  I was in Reno two weeks ago, I'll be in Poughkeepsie next week, and who knows what the Fall will bring in terms of more travel.

Hollyhock Yeast Dressing

I know.  Another salad dressing.  When will she stop with the salad  dressing  recipes?

But, in my defense, this can be used for soooo much more than salad.  For instance: It's amazing when you dunk salad rolls into it (and this time I filled my salad rolls with the Lettuce Wrap chicken).  And I used it to marinate chicken last night and as a sauce for the fried rice we had on the side.  It's pretty much endless what you can do with this savory, slightly zingy sauce that's just jammed with flavor.  When I first read that everyone was proclaiming it their favorite dressing in the whole world, I thought - sure, ok.  But then after I started eating (nay, slurping?) it, I realized that they all spoke the truth.  I. Love. This. Dressing.