Dinner for Garrus
My sweet Garrus has epilepsy. We have been working for two years to get his meds figured out. In August, he had horrific cluster seizures. They were very scary and he had to be pheno loaded. It took him over three weeks to recover. He couldn’t walk during that time and had to be carried up and downstairs. We almost lost him. Fortunately by adjusting his meds he was able to rebound and is currently doing incredibly well. He is peppy, getting into trouble, and chasing his ball. In looking back at his seizures, it seems as though food, or something he has gotten into, has been a trigger. I started researching homemade dog food and pieced together this recipe. It is all good, healthy food. It freezes well and will last for most dogs two weeks.
Ingredients:
2 lbs ground chicken
1 1/2 cups brown rice
1 (15 oz.) can low sodium red kidney beans, drained
1 1/2 cups butternut squash
1 1/2 cups carrots
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
1 1/2 cups frozen green beans
4 cups water
I put everything in a 6-quart crock pot
and cook on low for 6 hours. Be sure to stir it several times during the cooking process.Cool and refrigerate or freeze.
This recipe is Garrus approved!!
Deb’s Cinnamon Rolls
Cinnamon Rolls
I am known for my cinnamon rolls. The boys who hang at my house constantly request that I make cinnamon rolls. Each year on Easter I bring these to church for the parking crew. Over the years I have been asked many times to share my recipe, but I have been a tad selfish with it. I’ve decided it’s time to play nice and share!
DOUGH:
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
- 1 cup milk
- ¾ cup plus 2 tsp. sugar
- 1 ¼ tsp salt
- 7 ½ tsp active dry yeast
- ½ cup warm water
- 5 large eggs
- 9 cups all-purpose flour
Heat the butter, milk, ¾ cup sugar and salt in a small saucepan until the butter is melted. Don’t let the mixture get too hot. Set aside to cool. In a large mixing bowl, sprinkle the yeast over warm water, add the remaining 2 tsp. sugar, stir. Let sit for 10 minutes until bubbly. Add the cooled milk mixture, the eggs and mix until combined. Add the flour one cup at a time until it forms a stiff dough. Knead by hand or with the dough hook on your mixer until the dough is satiny. Butter a large bowl to put the dough in. Turn the dough in the bowl until all sides are buttery. Cover the bowl with a dish towel or plastic and let sit for an hour until the dough has doubled. Punch down the dough and roll out into a 24” X 36” square. (My boys make fun of me because I use tape to mark of the dimensions!)
FILLING:
- 4 cups firmly packed brown sugar (I like dark brown sugar)
- 1 ¼ cups (2 ½ sticks) butter
- 3 T. ground cinnamon (I love high quality Saigon Cinnamon)
Butter two 9 X 13 baking dishes. Beat the brown sugar, butter and Saigon Cinnamon together until well combined. Evenly spread the filling over the dough. I use my hands to get it over the entire surface of the dough. Roll the dough lengthwise and cut in 2 inch sections. Makes 12 large rolls. Place 6 rolls in each buttered dish. Cover with a kitchen towel or plastic and let rise for an hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the rolls for 20 – 30 minutes, until lightly browned.
ICING:
- ½ pound cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup whipping cream, may need more to thin
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract – (I make my own and will be sharing my recipe)
- 3 to 4 cups powdered sugar
Beat the cream cheese, whipping cream and vanilla together until well combined. Add the powdered sugar until creamy, you do not want stiff icing. Ice the rolls and serve while warm.
These are so big that sometimes I cut them into fourths!
ENJOY!!
Sarah’s 40th Birthday!
When my dear friend Sarah turned 40 a group of her friends got together and threw a Breakfast at Tiffany’s surprise party. I was in charge of decorating and cookies. Using Tiffany blue, white and black I swathed tables in tulle and put white roses in small vases. I also pulled out my mercury glass candle sticks and votive holders to add a touch of light to the house. It was very simple but elegant.
I wrapped boxes in Tiffany blue paper and tied them up with white satin ribbon and placed them on tables as decoration. I used some of these boxes to tie balloons to. It was so pretty.
The house looked terrific and Sarah was completely surprised. We all wore black dresses and pearls. It was such a great day.
Mom’s Monster Cookies
These are my “go to” cookies. They are so easy to make, I don’t even have to haul out the KitchenAid and you can customize them to your taste or what you have in your cupboard! The boys who hang out here have never had any complaints!
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
1 cup melted butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 beaten eggs
3 cups flour
2 cups chips (anything you have – I like Snicker bits, Heath bits & chocolate chunks)
2 cups chopped nuts (again, it is anything you prefer)
Melt the butter. When the butter has cooled a bit, mix in the white sugar and the brown sugar. Add vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Add the eggs and stir. Stir in the flour then add the chips and nuts.
Drop onto a greased cookie sheets – I prefer using a Silpat mat! Bake at 350 degrees for 9 to 11 minutes. Don’t over bake. Let cool then move to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Makes about four (4) dozen cookies.
ENJOY!! These boys did!!
Gran’s Pickles
My parents grew up in a wonderful town in the High Sierra mountains, Bishop. I spent many summers in Bishop and have such precious memories of those days; climbing the tree in my Gran and Papa’s front yard, playing in the yard at my Grandma and Grandpa’s house and swimming at Keough’s Hot Springs. One of my favorite things about Bishop is Mt. Tom! Bishop has my heart like no other place.
These sweet pickles have such great memories for me. My Gran always had these in her fridge. They take nine (9) days to make, but are worth the time and effort.
Start with 14 cucumbers. Place them in a large bowl. Cover with boiling water and let stand for 24 hours. Repeat this process for five (5) days. On day six (6) cut the cucumbers into pickle sized pieces, this is a personal preference. Return the cucumbers to the bowl.
In a large saucepan boil the following ingredients:
8 c. sugar
2 T. pickling spices
2 T. kosher salt
4 c. apple cider vinegar
Boil these ingredients for 5 minutes being very careful not to let boil over – trust me on this!!
Pour hot liquid over cucumbers.
Let stand for 24 hours then drain off the syrup into a saucepan. Bring the syrup back to a boil and let boil for five (5) minutes. Pour the hot syrup back over the cucumbers, almost pickles! On day nine (9) of the process, pour the syrup into a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn down to simmer and add the cucumbers, heat until the cucumbers are warm.
Pack the pickles into jars and top with hot syrup. I submerge the jars in boiling water to make sure that they are sealed.
ENJOY!!
Welcome! Thank you for visiting my website.
For years my friends have encouraged me to start a blog. This week after prayerful consideration, I’m jumping in.
Here are things I am passionate about; my faith, my family, entertaining, cooking, gardening, organizing, loving on people and helping people get healthy. I am a high school substitute teacher. I know that many of you may think I’m crazy, but I love high school kids, I was a youth leader for 20 years. I am also the Special Needs and Day Camp director at my church and a Plexus Ambassador.
Nothing makes me happier than planning parties and events or entertaining. I love things that are elegant but simple and inexpensive. It is important that my home be comfortable and inviting. I joke that I gave birth to one child, but I am the mother of many. When Cameron’s friends were all still in high school I could feed 6 to 10 on a Friday night. Sadly, for me, they are all in college now so our house is very quiet.
I can’t wait to share ideas with you. These are things people are always asking for me to share; entertaining tips, decorating ideas, recipes (yes, there will be some of the ones I’ve never shared), cleaning ideas, and health tips. I’m a nut about holidays, especially Christmas!
I have been married to my amazing husband for 23 years. Scott works as a consultant to pay the bills, but he has so many other talents. This beautiful website is his work. We have one son, Cameron, who is going to school for game design. We also have two crazy dogs Garrus and Tali. Our life is busy and at times non stop.
