Peanut Butter Banana Cookies For Dogs

I was really in the mood to bake the other day, but didn't want to eat a million cookies, so I decided to make some cookies for the lovelies in my life - my dogs!

Here's what you'll need:



Mix everything together and spoon the desired cookie sized amounts out on a baking tray. Bake at 350 degrees until the bottom of the cookies become golden brown (you'll notice the browning along the base of the cookie).

Let them cool and then this will happen:



Just incase you were wondering, these cookies are great for kitty cats too, just break them into smaller treats and be sure not to over feed!

Hugs and poops,

Nichole

Chocolate Chip Cookies

When I found this recipe on i am baker, I started to drool right away. They had to get in my tummy.

I made a few small changes (because I didn't have any butter and also because I was too impatient to refrigerate the dough), but they turned out great!

Here's what you'll need:

Mix your dry ingredients and butter together in one bowl, and your wet ingredients together in another. The butter mix should be fluffy-ish. Then you really should mix the two together slowly, but I dumped the wet into the dry caveman style.

Now plunk down spoonfuls of dough onto your cookie sheet and bake in the over at 350 degrees. My cookies only had to be in for five minutes before they were done, but the amount of time will vary based on how big/thick you make your cookies.

If you don't already have a Silpat, I really recommend them! They're great! I used to be a serial cookie burner, but since I've been using the Silpat I haven't burned a thing AND it cuts down on cleaning. *I'm not sponsored by Silpat, and I get nothing for saying this, I'm just really happy with mine!*



These cookies stay soft in the middle but have just the right amount of crunch on the outside. They didn't even last 24 hours in my house *burrrp*.

If you give this recipe a try, be sure to let me know!

Hugs and poops,

Nichole

Fruit Snack Attack!

I DID IT!

After several failed attemps I finally made some delicious fruit snacks! Sorry guys, as much as I wanted them to be, these snacks aren't vegetarian. I couldn't get the agar agar to set properly, so I finally broke down and used gelatin instead. The result is still a healthier alternative to most store bought fruit snackies!

Here's what you'll need:



Put your fruit and juices in a pot and heat it on medium. If you're using fresh fruit, be sure to slice it into pieces before putting it in the pot!



Once the fruit is all soft and squishy, transfer it into a blender and add your honey. If you don't like honey you can always use sugar or other sweeteners. How much of the sweetener you add really depends on how sweet you want your fruit snacks. Once it's all blended together, take a taste (careful, it's hot!) and see if it's sweet enough for you.



Let your mix cool for about 5-7 minutes and then toss in the gelatin. Now blend until there aren't any lumps!

Once you're lump free, pour your mix into a pan that is as deep as you would like your fruit snacks to be in size. Mine were a little too big for my liking; I'll be making them smaller next time.

Put your pan into the fridge for about an hour for it to cool before you slice up your snacks! If I'd had a cute little cookie cutter, I would have done what Taralynn did and made gummi bears.



The end result is a spongy snack that pleased both of my taste testers (thanks Boyfriend and Tammy!). I kept mine in the fridge, but you don't have to. You could definitely take them to work or school with you, and I think the cookie cutter process of this snack would be a great thing to do with kids.

If you try this out let me know. I'd love to see your flavour concoctions!

Hugs and poops,

Nichole

Cream Cheese Brownies

My post the other day had me craving brownies like crazy, so I finally gave in to the temptation and made a batch of cream cheese icing covered brownies. Yup, I went there. What's the point in eating junk food if you're not going to go all out, right?

I started out with Alicia's recipe and changed it up a little bit.

Here's what you need:



Mix the melted butter and honey together in a bowl. Add the cocoa and mix until you have a smooth goop. Now mix in the flour (I used whole wheat), eggs and vanilla. Plop the goo into a glass oven safe pan on 350 degrees for about twenty minutes (or until you can poke a tooth pick in the middle and have it come out clean).



Just mix all of the icing ingredients together and poof! Delicious icing!

Try to resist icing the brownies until after they have cooled.

Now get ready...



And eat!







They didn't last long in my house...

Hugs ans poops,

Nichole

Caramel Steamed Milk

One of my favorite treats is a caramel creme from Starbucks. It's a great little pick-me-up on a cold day, but dropping by a coffee shop every time I need to beat a chill would get pretty expensive, so I learned how to make my own.



Here's what you'll need:



Warm your milk up to a comfortable drinking temperature (or a little hotter, but not boiling). To do this, you can use a microwave or heat it over the stove top. When your milk is nice and warm, add your caramel syrup (to your taste) and stir. I add lots of caramel because it's delicious and I pay my own dental bills.

If you want to, you can froth the milk at the top using a frother (that's what I do). You can also add some whipped cream to the top and a little bit of caramel drizzle.

It's a simple drink, but that's what I like about it. One bit of advice though: don't make your warm beverage, take a buttload of pictures of it, and expect the drink to be warm when you're done. It won't be. You'll be drinking cold caramel milk with frothies on top.



If you want to be super fancy, you can make your own caramel syrup/sauce using this recipe. Just don't cook it for as long. You can then keep the sauce in the fridge until the next time you want some.

Oh! And if you want a snack with your nice warm drink, whip up a batch of these. They are super quick to make and they are delicious.

Hugs and poops,

Nichole

Mom's Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

What you need:



Beat together mararine and brown sugar until they look like kind of fluffy, then blend in the eggs and beat the heck out of this mix. Add the baking soda and whole wheat flour now, and do some more beating (this recipe is quite violent).

You should now have a bowl of mustard looking glop. Add the rolled oats, chocolate chips and any extras, and mix them together well.

Plop them on a baking sheet and cook for about 10-12 minutes.

Ta dah! Delicious cookies :)

Disclaimer: In my house we add flaxseed to the mix. It makes the cookies a little crunchier, but it also turns the cookies into a deadly weapon against constipation. The more you know...

Hugs and poops,

Nichole

Simple Smiles

Just thought I'd share a few simple things that are making my day extra lovely. I haven't been regularly making my own jewellery like I used to, but that stops today! My clay and tools out ,and I already have one brooch near done.

Tomorrow is suposed to be a super storm day here, so I look forward to relaxing inside with my favorite roomies and watching the snow outside (oh, and eating my weight in cookies).

Hugs and poops,

Nichole

Beautifully Bun Freezing

It is freaking freezing cold outside! My buns are officially frozen.

Don't you just love my stylish boots? I was actually wearing a nice outfit underneath my winter apparel, but I didn't snap any pictures. It's really hard for me to get any outfit pictures because the only person I have to take photos is Boyfriend, and though the man is wonderful in almost every way, he lacks a creative eye.



I often wonder what it would be like to live in a place without snow - especially when I have to shovel out the car - but the snow is so beautiful, it's kind of hard to resist; making snowmen is too much fun to do without! You do need to be careful while making them at my house though, because with two dogs the backyard is kind of like a poo minefield.



I guess I'll just have to settle for a nice warm meal until the weather heats up :)

Hope everyone is having a loverly day!

Hugs and poops,

Nichole