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Tuesday Cook Off ~ Peanut Butter Pumpkin Dog Treats
This week on our blog post Tuesday Cook Off we are focusing on our dogs. Since it’s fall season and our house loves pumpkin anything, my youngest decided it would be nice if our two dogs could have pumpkin dog treats. Now, if I was just looking for our black pug I would have probably gone to the store and picked out some pumpkin dog treats at Petsmart or Pet Club. Pugs have stomachs of steel. At least the pugs I have owned do 🙂 But since we have a pit bull also who are known to have very sensitive skin, I had to do some looking around and decided homemade was the best way for our pit bull. Our pit bull is on a grain free diet and it’s very hard to find treats that don’t make him itch. Did I forget to mention he is also he is a white pit bull which makes him even more sensitive to…everything!! But I still love him to pieces!
Recipe from My Baking Addiction
Yields: about 24 treats
Ingredients:
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1/2 cup oats (optional if your dog is on a grain free diet)
3 cups whole wheat, brown rice, or gluten free flour
3 Tbsp of all natural peanut butter
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In small bowl, stir together the flour, oats, and cinnamon
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin and peanut butter until combined. Stir wet ingredients into dry.
Pour onto a floured surface and roll dough out to 1/2 thick. Cut out using cookie cutter. The dough will be a little sticky, a dusting of flour for your hands and the rolling pin will help! Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown.
Place on cooling racks and let cool thoroughly. They will harden as they cool.
Do you have a great recipe you would like to share? Just email us at Linda@mybabypajamas.com. Please attach a photo if you can. If your recipe is chosen, you will win a $25.00 Gift Certificate to our website 
Who doesn’t want free kids pajamas? Please share this contest/giveaway!
Don’t forget where to find great footie pajamas, toddler pajamas and more, at My Baby Pajamas.
I just thought I would share an easy idea for a Halloween craft for kids. If you are a room mom for your child’s class and they are going to have a Halloween party you might be looking for ideas. My youngest son’s class is having a contest this Halloween party. It’s decorate a CAN contest. Use a coffee can for the base of the project.
My son is loving his ATA karate so he wanted to decorate his can somehow karate. Pictured is his coffee can and I think he came up with a great idea. He did a karate mummy with the eyes lighting up. He came up with the eyes lighting up himself and I was worried we would not be able to find anything. Well, the Dollar Store had our solution…battery powered tea lights. You can get them in square shape or circle shape. Great to know for all the upcoming holiday crafts 🙂
Halloween Coffee Can Craft
What you will need:
- battery powered tea lights (Dollar Store)
- coffee can
- gauze rolls (about 3 yards)
- karate belt
- nunchucks (Dollar Store)
Honestly, you could do all kinds of creative ideas for Halloween with a coffee can. I liked the idea of doing a pumpkin too!
What you will need to preserve your pumpkin
Did you crave a great pumpkin last year only to have it rot and turn to mush before Halloween? If you don’t want this to happen again this year…listen up. Here are some tricks to preserve your craved pumpkin this year. And they really work!! I have tested them 🙂
What causes a pumpkin to rot?
The skin of the pumpkin protects the pumpkin until you crave it. After you crave the pumpkin, fungi, bacteria, molds and fungi start to break down your pumpkin and causing it to turn to mush. Also, the oxygen in the air can easily break down the pumpkin or oxidation. Lastly, simple dehydration (drying out) can cause your pumpkin to collapse.
How do you prevent these things from happening to your pumpkin?
The first thing you want to do before you carve your pumpkin is clean your pumpkins skin with a damp cloth. Make a bleach solution of 1 tablespoon of bleach per quart of water and put it in a spray bottle. Spray the pumpkin inside and all cut areas of the pumpkin with the solution. This will kill much of the surface bacteria and mold that causes rotting. Let it penetrate and dry for about 20 minutes. Next, rub all of the carved or cut surfaces with petroleum jelly. This will keep out new bacteria and molds as well as dramatically reduce the dehydration! Wipe away excess with a paper towel! The last and final step is to spray the pumpkin everyday on the inside and carved and cut areas daily.
Our pumpkins a week after carving
Tuesday Cook Off ~ Lemon Chicken
School is back and the first quarter for my boys is done. Fall break was last week and the sports begin to pick up. Now is the time my oldest starts basketball season with practice two nights a week plus a game a week. Add that on top of my youngest sons martial arts schedule which is 5, yep 5 days a week. He doesn’t have to go that often but it’s his choice and my husband and I let him. Thank goodness it is only 2 miles from the house 🙂 Anyway, with the boy’s busy schedules plus work for my husband and I, dinner during the week gets hard. So I went searching for an easy recipe that does not take long to prepare and is delicious. Well, this Lemon Chicken recipe is awesome and so so easy!! It does have to cook for an hour but that’s not a problem in our house because someone is usually home preparing dinner while the other one is driving the kids around. We like to tag team in our house. One parent takes and the other picks up or one parent handles one kid after school activities and the other parent handles the other kids activities.
This recipe smells delicious as it’s cooking and the boys ate it up!! I served it with couscous and a salad. It was the perfect dinner and the boys thought I cooked all day 🙂
Recipe from Annie’s Eats
Yields about 6-8 servings
Ingredients:
2 tbsp. lemon zest
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp. fresh rosemary leaves, finely minced
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
2-4 lbs. of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or drumsticks
2-3 tbsp. melted butter
Thinly sliced lemons, for garnished
Directions:
Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper in a large zipper-lock plastic bag. Seal the bag and shake well to blend. Place the chicken pieces in the bag with the marinade, pressing out excess air and sealing once more. Refrigerate and let marinate for 2 hours. I marinated my chicken for about 4 hours. Also, when I combined the ingredients in the bag I didn’t think it was going to cover all the chicken. The favor was perfect!
Preheat the oven to 425˚ F. Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and transfer to a baking dish, skin-side up, reserving the leftover marinade. Brush the top of each piece of chicken with melted butter.
Bake for 50-55 minutes, until the skins are crispy and well-browned. Halfway through baking, pour the remaining marinade over the chicken pieces in the baking dish. Once fully baked, cover loosely with foil and let rest 10 minutes before serving. Transfer to a serving platter, garnish with lemon slices and serve.
Do you have a great recipe you would like to share? Just email us at Linda@mybabypajamas.com. Please attach a photo if you can. If your recipe is chosen, you will win a $25.00 Gift Certificate to our website Who doesn’t want free kids pajamas? Please share this contest/giveaway!
Don’t forget where to find great footie pajamas, toddler pajamas and more, at My Baby Pajamas.
In less than three weeks I have another half marathon. Am I ready? I hope so. It’s been really hot in Arizona until about 2 weeks ago. Running my long runs was hard in the hot weather. But I have done my best and that is all I can ask of myself. Running is definitely a love of mine and it’s kind of like a small club. If you meet another runner…you become instant friends. And meeting another runner is happening more often because the sport of running has definitely grown over the last 10 years. Which excites me because there are more races popping up everywhere. Race day is what gets you through the training! I look forward to race day! Getting up at the crack of dawn before everyone else and lining up with a ton of other people just like you and crossing that finish line…it doesn’t get better than that 🙂
This blog post came about because of some beginner runners I just met. They asked me to post my first half marathon-training plan. I used the Runner’s World Magazine plan for training. In fact, I still use a lot of it but now add more intervals.
On the rest/crossX train days I either will rest, do yoga at home or walk my dog a couple of miles. Your body will tell you what to do. Good luck!
| Week | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| 1 | Rest orCrossX | 3 Miles | Rest orCrossX | 3 Miles | Rest orCrossX | 3 miles | 5 Miles |
| 2 | Rest orCrossX | 3 Miles | Rest orCrossX | 4 Miles | Rest orCrossX | 3 miles | 5 Miles |
| 3 | Rest orCrossX | 3 Miles | Rest orCrossX | 5 Miles2 miles at race pace | Rest orCrossX | 3 miles | 6 Miles |
| 4 | Rest orCrossX | 3 Miles | Rest orCrossX | 5 Miles2 milesat racepace | Rest orCrossX | 3 miles | 7 Miles |
| 5 | Rest orCrossX | 3 Miles | Rest orCrossX | 4 Miles | Rest orCrossX | 4 miles | 8 Miles |
| 6 | Rest orCrossX | 3 Miles | Rest orCrossX | 4 Miles3 miles at racepace | Rest orCrossX | 3 miles | 6 Miles |
| 7 | Rest orCrossX | 3 Miles | Rest orCrossX | 6 Miles4 miles at racepace | Rest orCrossX | 3 miles | 10 Miles |
| 8 | Rest orCrossX | 3 Miles | Rest orCrossX | 6 Miles4 miles at racepace | Rest orCrossX | 3 miles | 12 Miles |
| 9 | Rest orCrossX | 3 Miles | Rest orCrossX | 6 Miles4 miles at racepace | Rest orCrossX | 3 miles | 9 Miles |
| 10 | Rest orCrossX | 3 Miles | Rest orCrossX | 5 Miles2 miles at racepace | Rest orCrossX | 3 miles | RACEDAY! |
What to get your family involved? Have them join you for your 3 mile runs. My youngest sometimes rides his bike as I run. He only does this on my 3 mile runs. Do you run with your family? What training guide has been useful for you?
Tuesday Cook Off ~ Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
There is nothing better than a peanut butter cookie…except for a peanut butter cookie with chocolate chips! We all love peanut butter cookies in this house but last week my youngest son asked if I would make a peanut butter cookie with chocolate chips. I think I found a winner! This recipe makes thick and chewy cookies, just the way we like our cookies in this house. Plus, the cookies almost melts in your mouth. They are truly delicious! Don’t like chocolate chips in your peanut butter cookies? Not a problem, we have a awesome peanut butter cookie here.
The only thing I did different in the recipe is refrigerate the dough for about an hour before cooking. This helps with the cookies spreading too much during cooking and leaves you a nice thick cookie. This recipe also freezes very well! That’s always a plus in this house. Just take cookie out of freezer about 5 to 10 minutes before you would like to eat it. Delicious!
Recipe from: Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
Recipe yields 4 to 5 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 cup (16 tablespoons) butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups smooth or chunky peanut butter
- 1 ½ cups firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ tablespoons milk
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups chocolate chips (or a combination of peanut butter and chocolate chips)
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl combine the butter and peanut butter and beat the mixture until it is light and fluffy (you can do this with a hand mixer or with an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment). Add the brown and white sugars and mix until well combined. Add the eggs and mix for 1-2 minutes, until the mixture is well combined and light in color. Add the milk and vanilla and mix. Add the dry ingredients and mix just briefly. While there are still large spots of flour, add the chocolate chips (or peanut butter chips or both) and mix until the flour is completely mixed in and the mixture is well combined. Let the cookie dough sit for 15 minutes before scooping onto the baking sheets. It will firm up as it sits.
- When ready to bake, scoop tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto silpat or parchment-lined baking sheets leaving about 1 to 2 inches in between the cookies to allow for spreading as they bake. Bake for 10-11 minutes, taking care not to overbake in the slightest! Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes after baking before removing them to a cooling rack. This will help them set up and be firm enough to transfer without having them overbake in the oven. The cookies may look slightly underbaked but they will firm up as they cool. Resist the urge to eat them warm as they taste much better cooled.
- I pop baked and cooled cookies into the freezer (in a large tupperware or freezer-safe ziploc bag) and they taste great out of the freezer, especially if they are left to sit at room temperature for a few minutes.
Do you have a great recipe you would like to share? Just email us at Linda@mybabypajamas.com. Please attach a photo if you can. If your recipe is chosen, you will win a $25.00 Gift Certificate to our website Who doesn’t want free kids pajamas? Please share this contest/giveaway!
Don’t forget where to find great footie pajamas, toddler pajamas and more, at My Baby Pajamas.
Straight from the oven 🙂
Getting a Rescue Dog
Thinking about getting a dog for your family? If you are, please consider a rescue dog over buying a dog from a breeder or pet store. I know it seems buying your family dog in a pet store is the better choice but do your research before you buy your dog. A lot of pet stores get their puppies from puppy mills and the puppies live in horrible conditions after they are born.
Each year millions of innocent dogs and cats are tortured, neglected, abandoned, and abused. These strays struggle to survive under stressful and often horrific circumstances . Ultimately, these animals end up in municipal animal shelters or welfare organizations, and if they are too weak or ill, or in any way display aggressive behavior (keep in mind that they are terrified and traumatized in their new environment), they will be euthanized.
There are many reasons animals need up at a animal shelter or rescue organization. A lot of times it’s not because they were a stray dog wondering the streets. A lot of times the animal is surrendered to an animal welfare organization or shelter because of various reasons (i.e., divorce, separation, relocation, financial loss and so on) that we may never comprehend. Sometimes it’s because owners didn’t realize how much work a puppy was going to be so they give it to a shelter.
If you have a certain breed in mind be sure to check your area because I would bet there is a animal rescue for that particular breed.
Choosing a rescue dog over a purchased puppy from a pet store will not solve the pet overpopulation problem; remember only responsible pet owners and breeders can do that! However, choosing a rescue dog or cat does give many animals a chance they otherwise would not have. Adopting a rescue dog can be the best decision and addition to the family you ever made. Rescue a dog and get a devoted friend for life. Plus, you will be saving his life 🙂
Meet our rescue dogs: Chance is a Pit Bull/Lab mix who is one and half years old. He is such a gentle soul and just loves to run! Zeus is a Puggle. He’s 3/4 pug and 1/4 beagle. He really is all PUG. If you know the breed…need I say more 🙂 Both have been such a wonderful addition to our family.
Thinking for getting a rescue dog? Do you are ready have a rescue dog? If so, how has it turned out? Would you get another rescue later?
Meet Zeus
Meet Chance!
Tuesday Cook Off ~Crock Pot Sweet Sesame Chicken
My kids love take out Chinese food but it’s not the healthiest for you at all. When I came across this recipe for sesame chicken (one dish we like to order at take out), I knew I just had to try it. It’s much healthier than take out and you use chicken breast too. This recipe is so easy and prep time is about 10 minutes. Really this recipe was a win win for the whole family. I made this recipe this weekend when we were painting my youngest son’s bedroom. It was great because I took the 10 minutes to prep the recipe and then set it and forgot about it until dinner time. You have to love that!!
Recipe from: Family Fresh Meals
Ingredients:
- 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Salt and pepper
- 1 cup honey
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup diced onion
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 3 Tablespoons water
- Sesame seeds
Directions:
- Start by seasoning chicken lightly with salt and pepper and place into crock pot.
- In a bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic and pepper flakes.
- Pour over chicken.
- Cook on LOW for 5-6 hours or on HIGH 3-4 hours,
- or just until chicken is cooked through.
- Remove chicken from crock pot with a slotted spoon, leaving sauce behind.
- Dissolve 2 teaspoons of cornstarch in 3 tablespoons of water and pour into crock pot.
- Stir to combine with sauce. Replace lid and cook sauce on HIGH for ten more minutes until the sauce has thickened.
- Shred chicken with two forks and then return to pot and toss with sauce before serving.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve over rice or whatever you like!
Do you have a great recipe you would like to share? Just email us at Linda@mybabypajamas.com. Please attach a photo if you can. If your recipe is chosen, you will win a $25.00 Gift Certificate to our website Who doesn’t want free kids pajamas? Please share this contest/giveaway!
Don’t forget where to find great footie pajamas, toddler pajamas and more, at My Baby Pajamas.
Tuesday Cook Off ~Candy Corn Cookie Bark
I have to admit something to you…I love candy corn. I am not a big candy person at all. In fact, the only time I eat candy is in the fall when you can buy candy corn. So I guess fall has arrived in Arizona because it’s now on the shelves at the stores. Also the evenings are getting cool here in Arizona. The mornings are also every nice. So time to break out the candy corn. Did I forget to tell you that my son’s also LOVE candy corn!
So each holiday I see on Pinterest the candy bark and all the holiday colors of candy. I always make a mental note to buy the ingredients and make the bark. It’s not hard at all. Well, I finally got my act together early and this weekend the boys and I made the Candy corn bark. It’s so easy and so good! Honestly, this will make an awesome hostess gift during the holidays. It’s something different and delicious and who doesn’t like a gift you can eat 🙂
Recipe from: Your Home Based Mom
Candy Corn Cookie Bark
Ingredients:
- 14 whole Oreos, broken up. You can use the Halloween Oreos but I used the regular
- 1 1/2 C pretzels, broken into pieces. I used the small pretzels
- 1 lb. white chocolate, almond bark or melts found in the bulk food section. I used the white almond bark
- 1 C candy corn
- brown and orange colored sprinkles
Directions:
- Cover a large cookie sheet with wax paper
- Spread broken cookes, pretzels and about 3/4 C of the candy corn onto the waxed paper
- Place white chocolate in a container and microwave for 1 1/2 minutes
- Stir and then microwave for another 30 seconds until melted and smooth
- White chocolate melts faster and burns easier than chocolate
- Drizzle the melted chocolate over the cookie mixture, spreading with spatula if needed to coat evenly
- Sprinkle remaining candy corn and colored sprinkles over the chocolate while it is still wet
- Place cookie tray into refrigerator until set and firm
- Remove and gently break bark into small pieces
- Store in air tight container
Candy Corn Cookie Bark
Do you have a great recipe you would like to share? Just email us at Linda@mybabypajamas.com. Please attach a photo if you can. If your recipe is chosen, you will win a $25.00 Gift Certificate to our website Who doesn’t want free kids pajamas? Please share this contest/giveaway!
Don’t forget where to find great footie pajamas, toddler pajamas and more, at My Baby Pajamas.
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