Scrappy Dog Sunday!

Okay! I'm sorry! I've been gone for a week. I took a little vacation, slowed down a little bit and now I am back in the saddle and ready to go! Yehaw! Now that I've got that out of the way-here's a little public service announcement

4 out of 5 teddy bears say....

Having a Jack Russell Terrier in your house, could be hazardous to your health.

The 5th teddy bear....blames the Min Pin

So, if you are a teddy bear, stay away from these animals. Do not approach! Do not look cute! Don't even play dead! 

Your very life may depend on it. This message was brought to you by the Center for Mangled  Teddy Bears. Repairing teddy bears, one stitch at a time.

Sweet Saturday

This Saturday I am handing the writing over to my friend missmuffcake. She is an amazing Vegan baker, her blog has great recipes and right now she is having a giveaway! Let's find out more about missmuffcake in her own words...

Imagine adding up small numbers from the minute you wake up to the minute you fall asleep...little pieces of paper littering your purse, your room, your kitchen. Numbers consumed my life and I hate math....   
I was counting calories, starving myself and for what I do not know. I had anorexia and exercise bulima for most of my twenties, my skin hung off my body, at 5'10" I got close to 100 pounds...I never used my stove because my meals consisted of plain cereals and fat free soy milk...Then it changed.
I was about 7 months into a new relationship and my boyfriend was over after we had a date night and I was so hungry when I got home I ate everything in the house, I felt ill but also like a burden was lifted off my shoulder. I remember picking up a vegan cookbook and found a recipe for a simple coffee cake and decided to try and make it. My boyfriend thought it tasted like oatmeal and I set out to improve it and myself.
Fast forward to about 4 years later and I am trying out new recipes daily and have plans of opening my very own vegan bakery! Right now I am doing catering, organizing vegan bake sales in my town to help shelter animals and getting feed back from my boyfriend on new ideas in the works.
Anorexia is something one never leaves behind and I still have my days but I try to stay positive and think about my sweet new life.


I am giving away a new copy of Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar: 100 Dairy-Free Recipes for Everyone's Favorite Treats by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, and Terry Hope Romero. Head over to my blog (http://missmuffcake.com/), tell me what your favorite cookie is. I will pick a winner and contact them via email on Aug. 15.


Because this is Sweet Saturday, I can't leave you hanging with just a story, you need some treats! Check out these yummy cupcakes by Kendy.

Super Walnut Coffee Cupcakes + Coffee Butter Cream Frosting
[makes 12 standard sized cupcakes]

3/4 cup Earth Balance (room temp)
3/4 sugar
3 tbsp. of Egg Replacer with 9 generous tbsp water - mixed
1 1/4 cups ap flour
½ tsp. baking powder
½ cup walnut pieces
1 packet* of Via Instant coffee -Italian Roast- dissolved in 1 tbsp. of hot water

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with liners.

Beat the Earth Balance and sugar together until creamy and then slowly add the Egg Replacer mixture. Sift in the flour and baking powder and then mix in. Fold in the walnuts (checking for big chunks, discard those). Divide the mixture between the cupcake liners evenly. Bake for 20-22 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

[Coffee Butter Cream Frosting]
2 tbsp. of plain soy milk
1* packet of Via Instant coffee -Italian Roast-
6 tbsp. of Earth Balance
1 1/4 cups of sifted powdered sugar
large walnut halves to decorate

Warm the soy milk in a pan (do not boil) add coffee and stir until dissolved. Let cool in a medium sized bowl till warm - not hot. Beat in the Earth Balance and frosting till creamy. Frost each cupcake and decorate with a walnut half.

*About 2 teaspoons

Thank you so much missmuffcake for your wonderful inspiring post. I can't wait to see what else you bake. I'm sure it will be super yummy! Don't forget! Head on over to missmuffcake's blog and sign up for the giveaway. 
 

Feel Good Friday!

Well, we made it through the week. There were times I was a little worried that Friday wouldn't get here but YES, we made it! Let's see what good stuff I have for you this week.

I've had a few request to show you some of the things that I have been working on. Well. here's my latest project. It was a pillow for a swap on Craftster. Recognize the pattern? Look back on a Thursday and you will find it. I'm thinking that I may have to make one for myself.

I searched my blog and couldn't find where I posted this so if you have seen this before, please forgive my lapse of memory. Pink of Perfection is a great site full of yummy food, great ideas and wonderful images.  It's a great thrifty guide to life. Beautiful and cheap-I'm there!

Have any of you gone Letterboxing before? OMP and I love it! Every summer we pick a few adventures in Letterboxing to go on. We take the dogs cause they can always help with clues. It's a wonderful way to get creative, get some exercise and use that ol' melon of yours.

I have several penpals right now. It is so much fun to write a good old fashion letter but now I am obsessed with stationery. Lydia & Pugs has the cutest stationery. I really want to get some Jack Russell cards from her. Her April Shower series is jut adorable.

Ugh....I can't believe I ate the whole thing....

Okay troops! It's time for you to get out there and enjoy the weekend. Play in the grass, soak up some rays(don't forget your sunscreen), and eat your favorite ice cream. You deserve it. 

There is neither happiness nor misery in the world; there is only the comparison of one state to another, nothing more. He who has felt the deepest grief is best able to experience supreme happiness. We must have felt what it is to die, that we may appreciate the enjoyments of life.

Alexandre Dumas

Down On the Farm

Time for more gardening! I found these little cuties at a little antique store on the coast and couldn't resist. The beehive is the best! For some reason I really want to sing Old McDonald right now.

The Sun Don't Shine.....

I know I talk a lot about being positive and life changes. I also know how hard that can be in today's economy and times. So many of my friends are struggling right now and believe me-I know how they feel. I am currently working a job part time and it is hard making ends meet. There are days when I just want to give up, sit down and cry-Geesh, there are days when I did  just that. I worry-I worry about my house, my family, the state of the world. I guess the thing that I am getting at is that I don't always see the world through rose colored glasses.

Just today I was doubting the world around me and having the most elaborate pity party you could imagine. The only good part of my pity party is I had hats and cake. I was down and out and wanted to scream at the world for giving me a raw deal.  I wanted to scream out, "Why me?". Then I thought.....

Why not me? What made me so special that I did not deserve to have a rough patch in life? Into everyone's life a little rain must fall but how you handle that downpour is up to you. Sure, you can just shrivel up and take the punches or you can punch back and take that negativity down.

When the world gets to me and I want to give up, I turn to my friends, my faith in those close to me and to  myself. I remind myself that everything in temporary and this dark cloud soon will pass. If I don't get that job this time, I will get another one and if I don't get that one-I'll keep trying and get better at interviewing. The same goes for other aspects in my life. If I see something wrong in my world, I think of ways to change it and if it doesn't work-I keep trying.  I know that many times I take 1 step forward and 3 back but I also know that eventually I will get the strength to take a huge jump forward. If none of these things work, I just remind myself that the sun don't shine on the same dog's ass everyday and my time will come.

So, let me help you up, dust you off and walk with you as we try to figure out where this path is gonna take us. Stop your worrying! The world will continue to tick us off, we will lose sleep over the strife of the day but when the sun rises that next morning, a new day will begin and new opportunities will be there for us to catch.

Tie One On Tuesday!

I'm not a huge vodka drinker. To me, vodka is really just a vehicle for whatever flavor you add to it. That being said and to keep with my gardening theme. I thought it would be fun to infuse some vodka with flavors from my garden.

Lavender grows in abundance around here, not to mention that it is a hot flavor right now.  I think if you just had lavender flavor it would be a little overpowering and probably have a strong medicine taste. One of the great flavors to add to lavender is rosemary. The rosemary takes the edge of the overpowering floral flavor of the lavender and adds a nice savory taste to your vodka.
Lavender/Rosemary Vodka
Ingredients
750ml bottle of premium vodka
1 sprig of rosemary
2 sprig of lavender
infusion jar with tight sealing lid (think mason jar) Make sure that it is glass and not plastic.
Rinse the herbs and place them a clean mason jar or similar jar with a tight sealing lid.
Pour the vodka over the herbs and shake a few times.
Seal the lid tight and store the jar in a cool, dark place for 3-5 days.
Test the flavor of the infusion everyday, beginning on the second day.
Once the lavender and rosemary flavor is to taste, strain the herbs from the vodka using a fine strainer or coffee filter.
Wash the jar and return the flavored vodka to it.
Store as you do other vodka.

Cherries are coming into season here and although I didn't grow any in my garden I couldn't resist this wonderful cherry infused vodka recipe.
Cherry Vodka
Ingredients
4 pints of cherries
1 bottle of vodka
Tight lid jar (such as a mason jar)
Pit all cherries and remove the stems
Add the cherries to the vodka in an tight sealing jar (mason jar)
Seal the lid tight and store the jar in a cool, dark place for 3-5 days.
Test the flavor of the infusion everyday, beginning on the second day.
Once you have your cherry taste, strain the cherries from the vodka using a fine strainer or coffee filter.
Wash the jar and return the flavored vodka to it.
Store as you do other vodka.

Our peppers are coming in quite nice. I love a spicy vodka for a Bloody Mary. You can also infuse the vodka with tomato if you wanted an interesting little kick.
Spicy Vodka
Ingredients
1 Jalapeno pepper
1 Habanero pepper
1 Serreno pepper
Tight jar (Again, think Mason)
Add whole peppers to vodka and seal jar

Seal the lid tight and store the jar in a cool, dark place for 3-5 days.
Shake the jar daily
Test the flavor of the infusion everyday, beginning on the second day.
Once you have your cherry taste, strain the cherries from the vodka using a fine strainer or coffee filter.
Wash the jar and return the flavored vodka to it.
Store as you do other vodka.

There are so many flavors you can infuse vodka with for a special taste. Think about the seasons and holidays for wonderful gifts to friends. Vanilla or a spicy vodka would be great for the fall and winter holiday season.  Fresh fruit in the spring and summer to refresh your palate. If you can think it, it can be infused with vodka. Even candies! Skittles and cinnamon red hots are a fun way to add flavor to that boring clear liquid. Use your imagination and have fun mixing up a tasty treat.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Shhhh...don't tell OMP but I love gardening. Just a year ago I was complaining about pulling weeds, tending to the tomato plants and being out in the sun. This year I have my raised bed garden of lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, raspberries and celery. I am having a blast getting my hands dirty and reaping the benefits. Don't even get me started on my Mason bees. So, to honor my wonderful garden and to inspire you to get your hands in the dirt, I'm giving you some movies to garden by.

Greenfingers is based on a true story about a group of British convicts that who become prize winning gardeners. The prisoners take up gardening as part of their rehabilitation but soon find a love for it and eventually enter a prestigious flower competition . This is a feel good light hearted movie that will lift your spirits and make you giggle.

If you want something a little bit more low brow and let's be real-who doesn't? I would highly and I mean highly recommend Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. The scary thing about this movie-it could really happen (hee hee). This 1978 cult classic is silly, over the top and down right fun on a Saturday night. Mutated tomatoes are killing everything in their path and it's up to a team of crack scientist to stop them. Remember to remove your brain before watching this campy film otherwise you will be disappointed. You'll be humming the theme song for weeks!

Finally, and this brings me back to my childhood, there is The Secret Garden. This movie has been remade many times and was even a TV series. One of my favorite versions is the one from 1949. The story is timeless and the description and visuals of the garden are spectacular. Mary is a spoiled child who wanders the house and moors of her new home only to find a garden with more secrets than she could imagine. By restoring the garden, she restores her humanity.

There ya go! Wonderful movies to inspire your green thumb, renew your faith in the world around you and even make you tremble in fear at genetically altered man eating tomatoes. Yep, life is pretty much as it should be.