Paws are for Cookin'

Slow-Cooker Black Bean Soup

2014-03-25T09:11:00.000-07:00

This spring can't decide if it wants to be Spring or Winter. Last week it was 80 degrees and today its 40 with a chance of snow. Go home, Winter, you're drunk. So its cold, time to bring back something nice and warm - soup! This is an easy, dump-and-go, slow-cooker recipe. Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup 1 15oz can black beans 2 c broth (i used turkey) 2/3 c uncooked rice 1 onion, sliced 2-3

Giant V-day Candy Coated Sugar Cookies

2014-02-14T07:38:00.002-08:00

Isn't this the one day a year that's really about letting go and eating candy? Sure, love and all that too. My man loves candy, so I made him a super sweet treat this Valentine's Day. Sugar Cookie Recipe Makes about a dozen small cookies or four giant cookies 4 oz Butter (unsalted) 5 oz Sugar 1/2 tsp Salt 1 Egg 1 oz Milk 1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract 10 oz Cake Flour 1/4 oz Baking Powder Have

French Croissants

2012-12-31T06:50:00.000-08:00

Got a chance to visit France whilst on deployment with the Navy, and O-M-G there is a reason why France is the pastry capital of the world!! The first real pastry I had there was the croissant, a flaky, fluffy, buttery roll named after its crescent shape. BEST FOOD EVAR! One could easily live off these things (Who said man cannot live on bread alone? That's just silly.). I had a few other

Stovetop Popcorn - Way Easier Than Pie!

2009-11-11T09:44:00.001-08:00

I dont know why everyone doesn't do this. Or maybe they do and I just didn't know.Stovetop popcorn is better than that stuff you buy in a bag. Even better than what you get at the movies. Probably the best popcorn you've ever tasted.Trust me, you will never never never go back...Also its a super cheap snack with endless flavor possibilities.All you need are some popcorn kernels and a pot with a

Trying out new things

2009-11-08T11:20:00.000-08:00

Yay! This is my new layout! Only I cant seem to find the comments bit :( So for now, just leave me a MSG on the left there, in the chat window thing. I'm working on it folks. My HTML/XML skills are somewhat rusty.Well anyhoo. Just wantd to post this and see what it looks like..I LOVE YOU ALL! YOU KNOW IT!

Classic German Food

2009-11-07T10:26:00.000-08:00

Because, apparently, I'm mostly German. Or something. Well that's America for you.I love German Food. Its so carby and fattening. Its just delicious. Eat German food! With Beer! With Ale! With all your SCA or Amtgard friends!Eat it, not because its good for you, but because you just cant help yourself.Anyways this is one of my fav things to eat so I'm sharing this recipe with you. I really like

Not Exactly the Same Old Pumpkin Pie

2009-11-05T09:19:00.000-08:00

Let's face it, pumpkin pie is totally seasonal. And you get cravings for it, I know you do. Just once or twice a year, maybe, but even so.I wanted to find a pumpkin pie recipe that was a little more interesting. Its a wonderful pie, but it never hurts to spruce it up a little. And yes, I have to do everything fancy.This one isn't extreme or weird, really. Still canned pumpkin, still mostly dried

Ginger Cookies

2009-10-23T15:22:00.000-07:00

Its that time of year for ginger cookies. Really, you could eat these whenever but I always consider something baked with ginger nice when it starts to get cold out.This is actually a recipe from Allrecipes.com, the famous Big Soft Ginger Cookies recipe. I really cant take credit for it but I adapted it just slightly by using freshly grated ginger instead of powdered ginger and adding

So easy its Cheesy... Yaki Onigiri

2009-10-16T12:42:00.001-07:00

This onigiri recipe is sooooo easy and delicious and salty and crunchy and yum.Anything yakitori (grilled) is awesome and onigiri (riceballs) are no exception. These are rice balls that have been grilled (or broiled) so theyre crispy and flavorful on the outside, with a chewy inside.Theres a wonderful recipe for it in a book I've got called Lets Cook Japanese Food! Its a great book, if you like

Little Pies

2009-10-02T09:01:00.001-07:00

I don't own a pie pan.Alas, my old one got broken a while back and I just havn't gotten a new one.So when I came across this No Roll Pie Crust recipe, I felt sad for my lost pan. But I did have a couple of glass ramekins stashed somewhere. I decided to use them and make little pies, instead.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~No Roll Pie Crustfrom Joy the BakerNote: I x'd the cream cheese and milk and used heavy

Oatmeal Cookies

2009-09-28T08:27:00.000-07:00

MMmm. Cookies. My friend Leah (who now has her own blog!) is getting me way too excited about baking! She is soo evil, talking all about making cookies from scratch and stuff...So today I made Oatmeal cookies. Or I guess you could call them...Oatmeal Cinnamon Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies(the longer name makes it sound yummier, no?)based on the recipe from the book - Joy of Cooking1 3/4 cups

Italian Style Dinner

2009-09-27T10:21:00.001-07:00

Today's dinner is gonna be delicious and super filling! Its like spaghetti and meatballs but sort of fancier! Found this recipe while browsing Brown Eyed Baker's blog. I thought it was such a genius way of using up leftover rice! I always have leftover rice and I generally end up just tossing it out (which is just awful, I know).And I just LOVE rice balls. Japanese mochi, those Filipino fried

My Friend Leah's Cake Mix Biscotti

2009-09-26T13:07:00.000-07:00

My friend Leah is da bomb.And she made these biscotti, which are, also, da bomb. So many bombs! OMg.So this is her recipe and pictures. Shes on livejournal as Leafu if you want to msg her, if you have any questions or just want to talk to her cuz shes cute. Cheers!Ingredients:1 boxed cake mix1 cup flour1 stick butter (melted)2 eggsoptional - nuts, toffee bits, chocolate chips, etc. Preheat your

Yum Cooking

2009-09-24T07:37:00.000-07:00

Yum cooking is like comfort food. But more fun. Maybe healthier. Sometimes. Whatever. Its yummy and that's why its Yum Food. Tonight's Yum Food is:Baked Chicken (leg/thighs) - just two leg/thigh pieces baked with a little Italian (oil&vinegar type) salad dressing on top.Baked Garlicky Potato Fries - using the recipe from The Purple FoodieAlso some delicious jalapeno poppers/armadillo eggs - which

Granola bars! Yum!

2009-09-22T13:16:00.000-07:00

This is an excellent recipe for granola bars. Unless of course you're the type who likes those hard crunchy types of granola bars... I know you'll love these. Even if you don't like granola bars, everybody loves these! They DO!Yay, granola bars! Mmm! So good. And it only takes a few minutes of 'actual work' to make these. They have to sit for a few hours to harden up, but that is hands-free.I'm

Curry and Chai

2009-09-21T11:01:00.000-07:00

I've had these packets of Tazo Chai tea sitting around for ages. Sorry, Im not usually a tea person. I'm a coffee person. Well, honestly, I'm the type who likes their coffee drowned in sugar and cream. Frappuccinos? OK! Black coffee? Eww. Tea? Good every so often, but not enough cream and sugar. I get this hankering for hot tea every so often, so I like to go out and get some 'fancy' tea.

Chocolate Pudding Brownies

2009-09-20T13:37:00.000-07:00

This recipe came about because I wanted to make cupcakes.I didn't have any confectioner's sugar so I could possibly make cupcakes because they would just be wee cakes with no frosting and thats no good. I'm sure we agree.So I decided to make brownies. But while I was going through my pantry for something inspiring, I found a box of chocolate pudding mix. Then I was like, hey, they make pudding

Coconut Fish and Sweet Potato Noodles

2009-08-31T08:34:00.000-07:00

I was feelin' kinda tropical yesterday. Dunno why. I guess because it's starting to actually cool down here in Texas (AT LAST!) and its breezy and lovely out. Even the morning glories on my back porch stay out most of the day now. :)Anyway, so I made a tropical-themed dinner last night. It was yummy!I didn't take any pictures but, well, use your imagination. Better yet, make this for dinner! I

Toddler Snacks - Meatballs

2009-08-31T07:42:00.000-07:00

Its hard to find good food anymore. At least, pre-made food. Lots of stuff you buy is just greasy and fatty and sugary... So sometimes its important (when you have time) to just make the kid somethin' healthy.I just LOVE this book - The Toddler Cafe by Jennifer CardenBright colors, beautiful photos, delicious looking food... Its just the thing to addict me and make me buy it and stare at it for

Jelly-Roll Sponge Cake and Mochi Experiments!

2009-08-02T07:29:00.000-07:00

Been a while since I posted. I've moved to a new city and a big new house, hurray!Yesterday I made a beautiful Jelly-Roll style cake. My first one ever! Yay for me! And it turned out beautifully. And it was actually really easy.I always read all these horror stories about people making roll cakes and having them crack all over the place. Maybe its because I used a sponge-style cake? But

Blueberry Almond Yogurt Banana Bread

2009-05-07T06:59:00.000-07:00

I love putting yogurt in banana bread! Yogurt just adds a delicious creamy-moistness. Mmm! This is a wonderful recipe, specifically for using yogurt.I made a batch of this and divided it into two freezer bags, labeling them for later. That way when I want some sweets I can just grab it out and bake it :) You could, of course, just bake a couple of loaves and freeze them, which is really faster.

No-Flour Brownies

2009-05-05T13:52:00.000-07:00

OR Almond Butter Dark Chocolate Banana Brownies REDUXThis is another brownie recipe. Yay for brownies, right?Actually I was going to make the same brownies for A&S this evening BUT I realized I don't have any flour :(But I've seen flourless brownie recipes before. So I did a little research. SThese are technically gluten-free!This recipe is from Like Merchant Ships but topped with almond

Baked Mac + Cheese

2009-05-05T10:04:00.000-07:00

Mac and cheese is one of the ultimate comfort foods. That and chicken 'n dumplings. Oh, and chocolate cake... :)~I've seen a lot of shows on the food network involving baked Mac n Cheese, but I actually haven't ever made it myself. Yeah, I actually stick to the boxed, powdered cheese sauce kind... Sad but true. Meh X(But from here on out, I may just go all out and do it this way. Its absolutely

Almond Butter Dark Chocolate Banana Brownies!

2009-05-04T07:34:00.000-07:00

Almond Butter Dark Chocolate Banana BrowniesMakes 1 Pan of brownies (serves at least 10)Brownies:1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted1 cup sugar2 eggs1/2 cup self-rising flour*1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder1/4 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon vanilla extract* or 1/2 All-purpose flour plus 3/4 tsp. baking powder plus an additional 1/4 tsp saltTopping:1/4 cup Dark Chocolate Chips, melted1/4 cup Almond