Hot Cocktail Bar

Makes for a very toastie Winter...

There is nothing like a Hot Cocktail to warm the cockles of ones heart. Christmas Evening we had a house full of family and I wanted everyone to feel warm and cozy, so decided to have a Hot Cocktail Bar providing a little something for everyone. The kids even got into jazzing up their Hot Cocoa with whipped cream and Christmas Smooth and Melty's. Do you have scent memories? I do. My favorite is the smell of Glühwein wafting through the Christmas Markets in Germany. One sip, I was warm all the way to my toes as I strolled in the crisp December air. Himself and I have a nice collection of our Glühwein Mugs from markets all over Germany, they are perfect for the Hot Bar.

Click on this photo for more details, but I will list out some of the things I had out along with some other ideas I have for future Hot Cocktail Bars.

Mulled Wine or Glühwein: you can certainly purchase Glühwein, or make your own by pouring red wine into a crockpot with a cinnamon stick or two, orange slices, honey or sugar to taste but not too sweet, and a few cloves. Here are some popular add ins (a splash in you mug is nice, do not add to the pot)...
Brandy
Dark Rum
Amaretto- I like Disaronno
Vodka
Any others that you know of?

Wassail or Spiced Cider- I like mine without alcohol, but I have known some to add a splash of whiskey. What add ins do you like?

Provide a Carafe of hot water for these...
Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix- try these...top with whipped cream, Smooth and Melty's, and/or add a splash of eggnog, Bailey's, Peppermint Schnapps, Kahlúa, or Coconut Rum.
Homemade Hot buttered Rum Batter- add a splash of rum and top with whipped cream.

Coffee- provide half and half, flavored creamers, Baileys, eggnog, and sugar. Anything else?

Please share some other Hot Cocktail ideas you may have so that we can all have a toastie winter. Get it? Toastie?

Cheers!

Robin Sue

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Crab Pizza

New Year's Eve Perhaps...

My little son gave me Angry Birds (full version) on my iphone for Christmas and just let me say, nothing is getting done. That game is addictive. My family asked me this year what I wanted for Christmas, a very hard question to answer since I already have everything I needed, especially my family, faith, and good health. But I did tell them I wanted to be loved and cherished, and to be warm. Such creativity ensued. Layers of flannel, slippers, jammies, and diamonds. Then I burned the Christmas Brunch, because once a gal gets diamonds pinned to her ears, her brain some how short circuits and she forgets all about the hash browns in the fry pan.


One of the best things about Christmas is that we spend it with family. Ma and Dad come to town, and my brother and his family share Christmas dinner with us. This year I did things differently by setting up a very long table in the living room with a beverage bar, candy, napkins, plate and utensils, and the appetizers. No one had to travel far to fill up, and I was sure to have something that everyone liked. We like plenty of seafood during Christmas and I made my Crab Pizza, Shrimp Louis, and Clam Dip. All a favorite with everyone.


It was Ma's idea to serve the Shrimp Louis in the tiny 4 ounce Mason Jars and use my Grandma's cocktail forks. Everyone got a kick out of the presentation! After the appetizers we had a big Ham Dinner followed by dessert which was a tray of Ma's homemade Italian Cookies.

This Crab Pizza was a famous part of my old roommate Sara's Holiday Traditions. It was not a feast until someone showed up with the Crab Pizza. This is a beautiful way to highlight deliciously fresh crab meat.

Crab Pizza
Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese
cocktail sauce, the bolder the better
1/2 pound good lump crab meat
1 T. fresh parsley, minced
zest of one lemon
Club crackers, or any other plain cracker

Instructions:
On a large plate or pretty platter, spread cream cheese into about a 9 inch circle or square. Spread with cocktail sauce, maybe about 1/2 cup, just depends on how much you like. But do be sure it is bold with plenty of horseradish! Sprinkle with crab meat followed by a sprinkling of parsley and lemon zest. Chill until ready to serve. Serve with very plain crackers, like Club. Serves 8.

Tomorrow: How to Do a Hot Cocktail Bar.

Robin Sue

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Shrimp Louis and Shabby Apple Dress Giveaway

Ah the glamour of it all! Christmas Parties galore, then on to the New Year's Eve all night, champagne clinking celebrations. One year on Christmas Eve, our family tried to do The Feast of the Seven Fishes, popular in most Italian homes, but let me tell you, we only made it to five fishes. We were stuffed! After that experience, we have stayed true to one or two of our favorite seafood dishes, this Shrimp Louis being Himself's first choice. The very first year, I dumped the entire tray of it too, and had to start all over again. Nothing like Christmas bloopers.

Shrimp Louis
Ingredients:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tsp. horseradish
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. Tabasco sauce
1 tsp. dried minced onion, not powder
1/4 cup chopped red pepper
1 clove garlic
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
1/8 tsp. cracked black pepper, and more for sprinkling
1 T. lemon juice
2 tsp. lemon zest
2 pounds 26-30 count shelled shrimp, cooked, tails removed
1 heart of romaine, shredded
8 lemon wedges for garnish
8 parsley leaves for garnish

Instructions:
In a blender on medium speed, blend the first 13 ingredients- mayonnaise through lemon zest. Rough chop shrimp and toss with Louis Sauce. Divide romaine between 8 martini glasses. Divide out the shrimp mixture between the 8 glasses and place over the romaine lettuce. Garnish with a lemon wedge, parsley leaf, and a dash more of black pepper. Serve immediately. Serves 8.

MasonATE it...


_______________________________________

Now along with this lovely Hors d'oeuvre, a lady needs a proper dress, especially a classy little black dress as this All That Jazz Boogie Woogie. How very Mad Men! I love this style of dress and you all can use the following code to get 10% off for the next 30 days on all your Shabby Apple purchases!

brk10off

To top it all off Shabby Apple and I have teamed up to giveaway the Boogie Woogie Dress to one of my readers.


"Some things are just better together: peanut butter and chocolate, Ella and Shrimp Louis, love and dancing. We decided to pair two things we love—the soft, cotton jersey of our favorite t-shirt, and the gorgeous sateen of our Jazz Age collection—to create the Boogie Woogie, an indispensably comfortable-yet-elegant little black dress. A luxe jersey cap sleeve top is gathered at the waist with a wide satin sash, and a veritable bouquet of appliquéd, ruched flowers and leaves adorns the full sateen skirt that swirls just below your knee. A truly inspired combination,the Boogie Woogie has star potential."

For a chance to win this dress for yourself, mom, sister, wife, girlfriend, the girl that's "just" a friend (wink), or your favorite auntie please do these...

1. US residents, please leave a comment in the comments section, including your name and email, telling me your favorite cocktail or mocktail.
2. To spice things up, I will let you make 3 more comments if you "like" Shabby Apple's Facebook page. Tell them Big Red Kitchen sent you!
3. A winner will be picked by the random generator on Dec. 27th 10pm EST.

So, so, so many people forget to leave their email. I cannot contact you without it if you were to win.

The dress giveaway is sponsored by Shabby Apple, all opinions, recipe, and top photo are my own. The Boogie Woogie Dress photo and dress description are courtesy of Shabby Apple.

We have a winner! Pat R. Congratulations on winning such a pretty dress!
The dress giveaway is sponsored by Shabby Apple, all opinions, recipe, and top photo are my own. The Boogie Woogie Dress photo and dress description are courtesy of Shabby Apple.





Merry Christmas!

Robin Sue

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Eggnog Yule Log and Giveaway

When I was a little girl, Ma used to make fresh eggnog at Christmastime. So thick and rich, this proved to be a great treat. I can remember Ma's pretty Poinsettia Cake, how she used to give tiny bottles of booze to my uncles, her big bowl of nuts and oranges on the table, old fashioned tinsel on the tree, and how incredibly creative she was at stuffing our stockings. Moms sure do know how to make Christmas special! One thing I love having during the Christmas Season is a Yule Log. In the past, I have served my Red Velvet Cake Yule Log and last Thanksgiving a Busch de Merci a Pumpkin Cake Roll Yule log. This year I bring you the Eggnog Yule Log created for Safest Choice Eggs- 12 Days of Eggnog. Using leftover, homemade eggnog made with Safest Choice Pasteurized Eggs, I made a rich and decadent eggnog pastry cream which was then rolled up inside a light and fluffy blanket of angel food cake for this delightful and festive Yule Log.

Here's to dreaming of a White Christmas...


Eggnog Yule Log

For the Nog- adapted from Safest Choice™ Classic Eggnog
6 Safest Choice™ eggs, separated
¾ cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
Set aside egg whites for the Cake Roll. In a large mixing bowl beat together 6 egg yolks and sugar until pale yellow, creamy, and fluffy. Add cream, milk, vanilla, and nutmeg, stirring until smooth. Recipe makes about 4 cups of Eggnog. Set aside 2 cups for the Yule Log and enjoy the rest with a sprinkle of nutmeg.

Eggnog Custard
2 cups Eggnog
½ cups milk
1 T. sugar
4 T. corn starch
½ tsp. Kosher salt
1 T. Butter
1 T. Dark Rum, optional
2/3 cup, heavy whipping cream whipped, store in refrigerator until later
In a medium pan, over medium heat, whisk together eggnog, milk, sugar, corn starch, and salt. Continue stirring until mixture becomes very thick. Lower heat and stir one minute more. Do not get your custard too hot, and do not stop stirring, or you will scramble the eggs! Remove from heat and stir in butter and rum. Pour into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, being sure the film touches the custard to prevent a thick layer. Store in refrigerator until custard is completely chilled. Meanwhile bake the cake roll.

Cake Roll
½ cup sifted cake flour
2/3 cups sifted powdered sugar
6 egg whites, room temperature
¾ tsp. cream of tartar
¼ tsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp. vanilla
½ cup sugar
Preheat oven to 350°. Whisk together cake flour and powdered sugar; set aside. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar, salt, and vanilla until soft peaks form; about 4 minutes. Beat in sugar, two tablespoons at a time until well incorporated and the egg whites form stiff and glossy peaks. By fourths, fold in the flour mixture until smooth. Pour batter into 8x11 inch jellyroll pan with sides that has been lined with waxed paper, do not grease. Bake for 9 minutes. Cake will look puffed and golden. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Assembly
Fold whipped cream into the eggnog custard and spread over cooled cake. Starting at the long end, start rolling the log toward you while peeling the waxed paper from the cake. Place the log on a pretty platter and cut a one inch slice from one end and place it on top of the log. Decorate with mint leaves and candy mushrooms made from bell-shaped or kiss-shaped chocolates, and mini marshmallows that have been threaded onto a toothpick. Sprinkle the log with powdered sugar and nutmeg. Chill until ready to serve. Serves 10.
Note- to get the powdered sugar to stick to the chocolates, (which are Nestle Crunch™ Jingles) I dipped the chocolates in water then rolled them in powdered sugar.

GIVEAWAY!
Giuliano Hazan’s Thirty Minute Pasta Book
Coupons for Safest Choice
Two spatulas
Two stress eggs- my kids like to throw these at me, gets me every time!
Pen

1. So if you are a US resident, leave a comment letting me know your favorite Holiday Movie.
2. A tweet out or Facebook mention will get you another comment.
3. I must have contact information (email) to contact the winner.
4. Contest ends 10pm EST 12/22/11, winner will be chosen with the Random Generator.

Also, "like" Davidson's Safest Choice Eggs FB page for their latest updates.

CONTEST CLOSED! The winner is Heather!
"Heather (Heather's Dish) said... lately my favorite movie has been Christmas Vacation, although Home Alone is my all-time favorite tree-decorating movie :) this is beautiful!"








This post has been sponsored by Davidson's Safest Choice Eggs, all opinions, photos, and recipe are my own.

Robin Sue

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1,2,3 Done! Wensleydale, Gingersnaps, and Rosa Regale

I never understood the cheese plate after a big meal. I like my cheese flights before the meal and dessert after, that is until I had this flavor combination introduced to me by my CrossFit Partner, Dave. He brought Wensleydale with Cranberries served with Ginger Snaps to our CrossFit Christmas party last weekend and had us gals rushing over to try it once he likened it to eating cheesecake. Cheesecake? I like Cheesecake. This will make a showing on my Christmas table this year, and I plan to pair it with a crisp and bubbly, chilled bottle of Rosa Regale, one of my favorite Christmastime bottles of cheer.
1,2,3 done. And Done!

Christmas Time Cheese Plate Pairing
Wensleydale with Cranberries- at room temperature
Ginger Snaps- the more "gingery" the better
Rosa Regale

This would also be lovely in a gift basket for a hostess gift, teacher gift, office gift...

For more 1,2,3 Done Small Bites...
Hot Olives
Nutella Bites
Girl's Night Out

Thanks Dave, I owe you a lunch for this one!

Robin Sue

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Pumpkin Roll Pancakes with Cinnamon Cream Syrup

Christmas Morning Perhaps...

Do you remember when I made 18 Pumpkin Roll Cakes for our school's bake sale? I have made a few since then, even one a few weeks ago for Ma's birthday. Then I thought, wouldn't it be cool to have Pumpkin Cake Rolls in Pancake form, just like Cinnamon Rolls in Pancake form? After several batches I had that very thing- Pumpkin Roll Pancakes. And the syrup? Oh my!



Cinnamon Cream Syrup will make you swoon for sure. If the filling is too much for you, then do not pass up on this syrup, it is that good.

Pumpkin Roll Pancakes with Cinnamon Cream Syrup
For the Syrup
1/2 cup light Karo syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

In a medium size saucepan, heat sugar, Karo, and cream over medium heat and while stirring constantly bring to a boil- takes about 5-7 minutes. Once the mixture comes to a rolling boil stir for 2 minutes, remove from heat and add vanilla and cinnamon. Place in a microwave safe pitcher until ready to serve.

For the Filling
8 ounces Cream Cheese
1/2 stick butter, 4 T.
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar

In a large bowl, blend all ingredients until smooth and creamy. Set aside until ready to use. Or made a day ahead and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. Remove from refrigerator at least 30 minutes to soften up.

For the Pancakes
1 1/2 cups milk, I used whole
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree

1 1/2 cups flour
3 T. sugar
2 1/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp. cinnamon

3 T. melted butter

In a large bowl whisk together wet ingredients. In another bowl whisk together the dry ingredients. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet until smooth then stir in the melted butter. Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Rub with a little butter to prevent sticking. Using a 1/3 cup dry measuring cup, start pouring your pancakes, which should spread to about a five inch disk. When bubbles form and the edges are set then gently flip. Keep the pancakes warm until the entire batch is cooked. Will make 12 pancakes.

Assembly
Once all your pancakes are made, remove one at a time from warmer (I like to heat a saucepan for one minute then remove from heat to a trivet on my counter, cover with a tea towel then pan lid- works like a charm) and spread with 2 tablespoons of the filling. I like to spread the filling on the first side of the pancake, the side that hits the griddle first, and leave the lighter second side out. Prettier that way. OCD? As you make these place them seam side down in a casserole dish and cover with foil to keep warm. Reheat the syrup in the microwave and serve hot with the pancakes. Serves 6-12. These are rich!

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
Baked Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Sorry about the glitches with this post. When I published it this morning safari decided to delete the content instead of publish. Argh.

Robin Sue

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Party Food: Mini Chicken Quesadillas & Cinnamon Sugar Chips

Time for party food that everyone loves! My oldest son challenged me to make Chicken Quesadillas to fit in his Mason Jar for lunch. He suggested that I cut them to the size of the jar. In taking him up on this challenge, I came up with this great little party treat that are perfectly spiced, hold together as a nice little finger food, and freeze well for make-ahead party planning. I also solved the problem of those pesky scraps of tortillas by turning them into delicious (and very addictive) Cinnamon Sugar Chips. Salty/Sweet all in one recipe. Challenge completed. Challenge won.


By stacking your tortillas like this, you can get 50 mini tortilla rounds. The scraps look like moons and stars. No?


We almost ate the Cinnamon Sugar Chips faster than the Quesadillas. Dangerous little things.

Here enters the Mason Jar Meals. I stacked three quesadillas in 8 ounce wide mouth Masons for snacks, and five in half pint jars for lunch sized portions. Also a nice jar of Cinnamon Sugar Chips were a very welcomed treat in their lunches. I stored the jars of Quesadillas in the refrigerator, and the jars of chips on the counter.

Mini Quesadillas
10 (8 inch) flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken
4 ounce cream cheese
1 1/2 cups Mexican blend cheese, like cheddar jack
1 tsp. chipotle powder
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped fine

3 T. melted butter
Kosher salt for sprinkling

Cinnamon Sugar- (2 T. sugar with 1 tsp. cinnamon)

Stack the tortillas and using a 2.75 inch biscuit cutter, cut five stacks of disks to equal 50 total rounds. Mix the cream cheese, Mexi cheese, chipotle, and peppers until smooth and fold in chicken. Brush 25 disks lightly with melted butter and place butter side down on a large cookie sheet. Top with about 1 1/2 T each of chicken mixture, top with remaining tortilla rounds and brush lightly with butter. Sprinkle tops with a little Kosher salt and bake for 15 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Quesadillas will be golden but still soft. Remove to serving tray and serve with sour cream, salsa, or guacamole. Makes 25 rounds. Now leave that oven on and make your chips!

For Cinnamon Sugar Chips
While your quesadillas are in the oven, break up the remains of the flour tortilla bits and toss with remaining melted butter in a large bowl- you should have about 1.5 tablespoons of butter left. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture and toss until all the tortilla bits are coated. Spread over a parchment lined cookie sheet. Once your quesadillas come out of the oven, pop these in and bake for about 10-11 minutes, flipping in 3 minute increments until the chips are golden, and crispy- watch closely as they like to burn on the edges of the pan. Pour into a bowl and sprinkle with a bit of powdered sugar if you like and serve immediately. About 60 chips.

Freezer Suggestion- You can make the Quesadillas up ahead of time by assembling them minus the butter. Store in and airtight container in the freezer until ready to use. Place tortilla scraps in a ziptop freezer bag, layered between waxed paper and freeze. Remove from freezer when ready to use. Let thaw at room temp for about 30 minutes. Melt 3 T. of butter and brush both sides of the quesadillas with the butter, place on cookie sheet and sprinkle with Kosher salt. Bake as directed above. Follow the above instructions for the chips. There you go! Instant party from your freezer. I can also bake these Quesadillas ahead, place in Mason Jars, and freeze for my kids lunches. Baked chips will not freeze well.

Scroll through all my Mason Jar Meal Ideas.

Robin Sue

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Italian Wellington

"Holy Moly, holy moly, holy moly!" That's all I could say when Himself asked me to marry him over a beautiful dinner of Beef Wellington almost 19 years ago. It is sad that not many restaurants serve this British Classic any more, but you can imagine my thrill when my friend Maggie served it to us last New Year's Eve. I love that delicate puffed pastry, the liver Pâté, the Duxelles, and that juicy, pink beef fillet. I priced out a beef tenderloin recently and had to move on, just too pricey for this time of year. Now we do like to splurge at Christmas a bit on fancier foods, but this would take the whole kit and caboodle of my food budget. I needed to figure something out, and fast.


With Ma's voice echoing in my head, I heard her say, "Go with what you know." I know the Italian dishes I grew up with and quickly turned to a pork tenderloin at more than half the price of a beef tenderloin to create my Italian Wellington, the new kissing cousin of the famous Beef Wellington.


Hollowing out a loaf of Italian bread and filling it with a seared pork tenderloin smeared with artichoke tapenade in place of the Duxelles, and rubbed with mustard and garlic, then topped with a bit of liver Pâté and enrobed with prosciutto, this Italian Wellington is absolutely mouth watering.


Loving my Pink Ties from Ma!


Italian Wellington with Balsamic Cream Sauce
1.5 pound pork tenderloin
Kosher Salt
black pepper
2 T. olive oil

From the tenderloin, remove excess fat and silver skin- that sinewy layer. Cut one end of the pork tenderloins so that they will fit down inside a one pound loaf of Italian bread. You can see I used the tenderloin pair instead of one since I wanted a big meal to serve many. Sprinkle each one with Kosher salt and pepper. In a large skillet over medium high heat, heat oil and sear all sides of each tenderloin. Remove to a plate to cool and save drippings and excess juice.

1 pound loaf oval Italian bread
4 ounces prosciutto slices
1/2 cup Artichoke Tapenade, found in olive isle at grocer
2 ounces mild, fine liver Pâté, optional but classic
1 tsp. Coleman's English mustard, or other favorite
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using a serrated knife cut out a large rectangular "lid" from the top of the loaf and pull out the excess innards saving for another recipe or serving with the leftover liver Pâté (and a nice glass of wine.) Be sure to save the "lid" that you cut to top the Wellington for baking. On a large piece of plastic wrap, lay out the prosciutto, forming a large rectangle that will enrobe the entire tenderloin. In the center of the prosciutto, spread the Artichoke Tapenade into a smaller rectangle the size of your tenderloin pair. Now get that seared tenderloin pair and place them together over the center of the Artichoke Tapenade and brush with mustard. Mix together the garlic, salt, and pepper and rub it into the pork tenderloin. Spread the Pâté on top of the tenderloins and pull all the prosciutto up and over the pork to completely enrobe all the ingredients. It helps to use the plastic wrap to do this. Then I wrapped it all very tightly in the plastic wrap and placed it in the freezer for about 5 minutes to let it all set. Place the bundle down into the loaf of bread, seam side down, removing the plastic wrap as you push the bundle down. Top with the bread lid and tie shut with kitchen string or silicone ties, like mine. Place loaf on a cookie sheet and cover with foil so the bread does not burn or get too crusty. Bake until internal temperature reads 145 degrees. I got distracted and took mine up to 153, and still had a very tender juice, pink pork tenderloin. Mine took about 55 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before slicing. Meanwhile make the sauce. The sauce is optional, but my family loves it!

Balsamic Cream Sauce- not pictured, we ate too quickly!
1 1/2 T. flour
1 1/2 cups good chicken broth
1 T. Balsamic Vinegar
3 T. heavy cream
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

In the pan you seared the pork in, heat the drippings over medium heat being sure to add any drippings from the plate you used to cool the just seared tenderloins. Add the flour and stir into the drippings, scraping up the good bits from the bottom of the pan. Once thickened slowly whisk in the broth, stirring until thickened. Add the Balsamic and cream, then salt and pepper to taste- I enjoyed a heavy hand of black pepper with this sauce. Slice the Wellington into 1 1/4 inch slices and serve with Balsamic Cream Sauce. Serves 8.


Note-You may use only one of the tenderloins instead of the pair for small Italian Wellington Medallions to be baked in a French baguette, cut to the size of the tenderloin, in place of the large Italian loaf. These are lovely for heavy Hor d'ourves at your Christmas or New Year's Cocktail party. The bake time for these would be about 25 minutes, being sure to wrap these completely in foil as they will crisp up very quickly.

Mangia!

Robin Sue

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For the Dogs: Pupcakes

Do you remember this past summer when I hosted my Cooking Salon at the Lake Anne Farmer's Market? These were small, intimate cooking classes right in the Market. After doing several Salons I had realized that I not only had humans in my audience, but our four-legged friends as well. Many dogs tugged at their leashes as their humans passed them by my tent, wanting to stop and sniff out what I was cooking, and hoping to get a little taste too.


This lead me to host a Cooking Salon for dogs. Oh yes I did! I had a cooking class for dogs. Well, actually for the dog's owners.


This is Zooey licking her chops, waiting very patiently to dig into her Pupcake.


Here is the portrait of our Rottie Diamond that I did back in 1992 as a Christmas present for Himself. She was the most wonderful dog in the world, and such a great companion to us. Back then, we fed her what the doc recommended, which was a famous brand of food. There was no Internet, or any need to question her doctor. Prior to hosting the Salon, I researched the current trends in feeding dogs and found that their diets closely mimic some current human trends: primal, dairy-free, grain-free, gluten-free, raw, and organic- just to name a few. When the 2007 pet food recall hit, pet owners started questioning how they fed their pets resulting in further research, and more healthier options for them. If Diamond were alive today, we would be feeding her a completely different diet, that's for sure.


We do not have a dog right now, but my boys walk and train Remi, a very special friend, three days a week. They love that dog!

This summer I had the opportunity to talk to many dog owners at the Market and found that their dog's diet was very near and dear to them, almost to the point of offense when they heard about my Pupcakes. OK, OK, so you do not feed your dog grains, but let me tell you, in my area, folks pay big bucks for Pupcakes to be served at their doggie birthday parties. Yes, it's true.

Place a few of these little treats in your favorite furry friend's Christmas Stocking.

Pupcakes
2 cups oat flour
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 eggs
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 ripe banana, mashed
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup unsweetened dried cranberries
1/4 cup white chocolate chips, safe for dogs!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl mix oat flour through mashed banana until smooth. Gently fold in blueberries, cranberries, and chips. Divide between 9 standard cupcake liners in a muffin pan and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool and frost with...

Frosting
2 ounces cream cheese
1/2 tbls. honey

In a small bowl mix honey and cream cheese until smooth. Place in a small plastic bag and snip off end. Squeeze decoratively over “Pup”Cakes. Decorate with additional blueberries and cranberries or a raspberry. Store in and airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.
Makes 9 Pupcakes. Portion out according to your dog's size.

NOTE- These can be baked in 4 ounce Mason Jars for longer term freezer storage.


Oh, and don't forget to...




Danger Zone- Foods potentially poisonous to pets.

Robin Sue

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Hot Olive Appetizer

Himself and I like to have lunch dates. When the weather is pretty we especially like to dine outside, sip some wine, and snack on Hot Olives before our meal. And let me just say, these little guys are hot, not spicy hot, but temperature hot. Those little pits are like a furnace once heated. One of my favorite seasonings this time of year is orange zest, especially with chocolate, but when added to this dish, it really shines forth. If you want to look like an entertaining rock star, serve this olive dish, put out a nice crusty loaf of bread, and keep the wine flowing.

Hot Olives
1 1/2 cups assorted olives from your favorite olive bar
1/3 cup good extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
zest of one orange

In a large skillet heat olives and oil over medium heat for about five minutes or until hot. Add in the garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Remove from heat to a serving dish. Stir in orange zest and serve with crusty French bread and beverage of choice. Serves 4-6.

More Easy Appetizers
Spinach Artichoke Dip
Bacon Bites
Tiny Brie Bites


Ooh The Fairy Hobmother has struck again. After finding my comment here on Grace's blog, the Good Fairy has gifted me with an Amazon gift card, just in time for Christmas! For the joy to continue, become the Fairy's next host by making a wish, and leaving your comment here.

Robin Sue

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