Happy St. Patty's Day

Since I have a little bit of Irish in my blood, I just wanted to say Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I was just thinking about St. Patrick's Day, while I was growing up. My family got way into it. My mom would always make the traditional Cornbeef and Cabbage. I made it last year trying to recreate my childhood memories (although I haven't quite mastered it like my mom), but with Dustin being out of town this year, I didn't feel like cooking Cornbeef and Cabbage for 1.

I remember that each year at dinner, my dad would always pour his beer into glass and it would magically turn green, our milk was green, everything was green! It was the one day of the year that our beverages (and usually some other random things) were miraculously green. My sister and I seriously truly believed that it was magic. We thought it was sooo cool!

I seriously think there is something wrong with me, because I really do like these commercialized holidays. I loved them growing up and even though I don't get into them quite as much as I used to, I still think they are so great! Once we have kids, I will probably be just like my parents... getting way into these holidays. I wouldn't trade those memories for anything. I can hardly wait!

Crazy Quique? Or Crazy Mommy and Daddy?

I would have to say that Quique's favorite day of the week is Saturday. I think that this is mainly because she gets to spend the day with her mom and dad and it usually involves a trip to the park. To emphasize the fact that she likes to be with her mom AND her dad... about a week and a half or so ago, I woke up at like 2am and couldn't sleep. After 30 minutes of staring at the wall and trying to finagle around my sweet puppy who was virtually taking up my half of the bed, I decided that I needed a change of venue and maybe then I could sleep. I grabbed my pillows and some blankets and headed off to the couch. Not longer after I got settled, Quique came in wagging her whip of a tail to come give me some loves. After a little bit, she then proceeded to go back to bed. As she was walking toward the hallway she turned back and started whining. Then she came over to me and started whining. I told her to go back to bed and she whined the whole way down the hallway. I heard her jump on the bed and continue to whine. Apparently she wants her mommy and daddy sleeping together in the same bed.

Anyway, she loves Saturday mornings when we slowly make our way out bed. Once we're up, it usually means that she gets to go somewhere with us. She always waits for a some sort of cue whether it's Dustin asking her if she wants to go (the magic word in our house) or watching us put on tennis shoes. This morning we took her to Tanner Park. It's pretty much like Disneyland for Dogs. She gets to see and play with tons of dogs, sniff all of their smells and even take a swim in the streams. You would think that when it's 30 degrees outside and the water is freezing she wouldn't want to swim. But even though you can see her breath and the water is freezing cold (it's even cold in the summer) she always has to go for a swim. She's crazy, but we find so much joy in watching her so happy, plus it's a good little hike for us too!

So on the way home from the park, we decided to stop at Ma and Paw's Bakery. Yes it is a bakery for dogs. Dustin went in for one thing in particular... a bully stick. Have you heard of it? Well, it comes from the anatomy of a bull. Stick may help you determine which anatomy I'm speaking of. Got it? For those of you who are totally clueless to my clues, it's pretty much made from a bull's penis and dried. Gross? Definitely. But the dogs love it! We decided to see if Quique would like it. So after getting that and a freshly baked Chicken Taquito for her, we headed home.

I think at first Quique wasn't sure about the bully stick, but before we knew it, she was going to town on it and before we knew it, she had eaten the whole thing. Dustin and I were sitting on the couch reading and I was like "what is that smell?". Apparently when purchasing the bully stick they had regular or deodorized. Dustin asked if the smell was bad and they told him that it is strong for some, but fine for others. I'm definitely going with the deodorized bully stick next time. Should there be a next time? Am I crazy for giving this to my dog? A smelly bully stick? All I can say was that once she got going on it, she certainly seemed to like it.

Comfort Food

On Thursday night we had our monthly Dinner Club. This month Liz was in charge and the theme was Comfort Food. Comfort food was exactly what I needed this week so I was very excited. We had lasagna, Creamy White Chili, Cream Cheese Potatoes, Macaroni and Cheese, and Chocolate Caramel Oatmeal Bars. I definitely don't want to think about the amount of calories I had, but it was sooo good and sooo worth it!

For some reason I had a hard time figuring out what I was going to bring. There are plenty of foods that I find comfort in, but I just couldn't figure it out. Since I was in need of comfort food on that evening, I tried to think of a food that would bring me some comfort. I finally decided on Stuffed Mushrooms. At first, I wasn't exactly sure why I picked it. Cream Cheese, Sausage and mushrooms certainly are some ingredients in any comfort food. But I think that sometimes comfort food means more than just the actual food, but sometimes that memories that go along with it. I remember the first time I had these stuffed mushrooms. My Uncle Jay made them for Christmas Eve and I fell in love with them. I begged him to show me how me made them. My uncle always looks for a way to torture me and he had fun with this. Finally he taught me how to make them. I remember hanging out in my Grandma's kitchen. My uncle was of course harassing me and my Grandma was harassing my uncle in defense of me. It was so much fun learning how to make these mushrooms. I was flooded with memories of my uncle and my sweet Grandma who passed away 5 1/2 years ago. I am so grateful that I was able to move out here and spend so much time with her before she passed away. She continues to live on within me and I am blessed so often with the memories that I have of her.

All of the food on Thursday was so good, but I think I felt the most comfort in the memories of my family.


Stuffed Mushrooms

2 (8 oz) pkg Cream Cheese, softened
1 (16 oz) pkg Jimmy Dean Sausage
35-40 good sized Mushrooms
Milk
Garlic Powder to taste
Dried Parsley

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat skillet to medium-high heat and cook sausage. Once sausage is fully cooked, allow to cool and absorb excess grease on paper towel.
2. De stem mushrooms and place mushrooms on a aluminum foil lined baking sheet.
3. Drizzle olive oil over mushrooms and bake at 325 degrees for about 5-8 minutes (mushrooms will start to brown).
4. Meanwhile, stir cream cheese with a little bit of milk until smooth. Add Garlic Powder to taste. Finely chop sausage and then combine into cream cheese mixture.
5. Generously feel each mushroom with cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle a little bit of dried parsley on each mushroom (for color).
6. Bake mushrooms at 350 for about 10-15 minutes (until heated through). Serve immediately. Enjoy!