Pioneer Woman at Heart

One Flourishing, Frugal and Fun Family!

One family learning to live off the land, cut back on expenses, and to live a simpler and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Adopted Motto

"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

Friday, February 3, 2017

Kitchen-ness ~ Dogs

Here is what has been cookin' up this week (and last):

Banana, strawberry, blueberry bread.  I used Giada's recipe for banana-blueberry bread, but left out one banana and added a cup of chopped frozen strawberries.  It turned out very moist, and delicious.  It was a much welcomed, "after school" snack.





I had 3 somewhat, over ripe bananas, and I wanted to make more than one loaf of banana bread.  I whipped through some online recipes (quick and painless), and made banana-blueberry bundt cake.  I used my home canned applesauce (50-50 with canola), and used my homemade lemon extract in the drizzle.  

Baking this winter, is keeping me sane.  I made us a batch of hummus too (no photo).  I used 1 can of organic cannellini beans and one can of chickpeas this time.  It was creamier and still delicious.  It's what I had in the pantry.

My Army daughter stopped in for a visit recently.  Luckily, it was a good night to stop in.  I baked a double batch of pumpkin-sage macaroni (just google it, you should find it online), crock pot BBQ pork chops, wild rice and peas, and a steamer pan full of broccoli.

 King

 Zuri

Jesse

I took some updated photos of the "pups" yesterday.  I took so many due to their ambitious activity.  For once, Jesse was not sleeping like the 'ol dog typically does.  He was bee-bopping around as you see in the photo.  Zuri thinks the camera is a bad thing (always for some reason).  She refuses to look at it, ha ha!  King just stares at me confused and curious.  

King is still a "food shark" and Zuri is his partner in crime.  Jesse is the tattle teller.  He can usually give me a look or behave a certain way to warn me the "trouble two-some" are into something.  I've learned to keep things as high as a mountain when I'm in the middle of making something, and have to leave the kitchen for some reason. The sink has be be clean of dirty dishes too. 

Everything is rinsed right away.  I even lined the edge of the sink with duct tape to see which one was the culprit.  Unfortunately, the duct tape ended up all over, and not attached to anyone.  Keeping the dishes washed is just a must (until we can completely train them to stay out of the kitchen, or buy a long gate for the other entrance).

Zuri eats curtains too.  Especially when her kennel is close to the window and she wants out of it.  Before anyone gets out of bed at 6am.   Don't believe me?  There was a lot of jaw-dropping going on one morning here.

This used to be a 56 inch by 63 inch floral panel.  The rod is destroyed too.  She consumed some of it, the torn up remains were inside her kennel.  It's a bad photo, but I took it quick to show Hubby (who was not even as happy as I was).  It cost me $24.00 to replace the curtain, and these are temporary curtains until I decide what I want in that room (has been that way for 9 years, ha ha!).  I'll need a new "temporary" rod too.

I keep hoping that the "pups" grow out of their "puppy" behavior sooner than they are.  Hubby realizes that a fence really is needed to allow them to release some bottled up energy. Zuri is great off her leash.  If she is out with Jesse or by herself.  She runs and runs and looks so happy.  King?  Well, let's just say, that's not happening. 

Enjoy your Friday folks.  It's bitter cold here again.  Stay healthy, warm and wealthy.
  

 

10 comments:

Mama Pea said...

Everything you cook and bake looks so delicious! (And I'm sure tastes that way, too.) The white enameled strainer in the top picture looks exactly like the one I have.

Your dogs? You have MUCH more patience with them than I would! Now that I think back, it took nearly four years before our last dog grew out of her "puppy stage." Guess I like the slow, lovey-ness of older dogs!

Cold here, too. -2.4 degrees as we speak. Feels like winter. Hahaha!

Tracy said...

That's made my day reading that re your dogs. I was nodding along the whole way through. We have a black Labrador who is 13 and on his "last legs" according to the vet. Those legs sure are strong if there's a plate in the sink with a hint of anything on it.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Oh Mama Pea, you have no idea how much my patience is running out with the dogs. Jesse is the older one and behaves (most of the time), but he is now getting into a begging stage when food is around. He'll whine now. He never did that before. He may be that way because the puppies get into everything. I am constantly buying new toys for them too. They can chew them up, even thick ropes, in no time. As for the metal strainer, I bought it at a flea market the afternoon of the day Hubby had his heart attack. I do love it, so the kids are not allowed to use it (ha ha!).

Susan said...

I am going through the same thing - but with only ONE! There is nothing that Bertie cannot destroy - slowly and deliberately. I love Jesse's sweet old face. It reminds me of Scrappy. Old dogs are my favorites, bless their hearts. I think it takes a good 3-4 years for puppies to settle down. Let's hope we can live through it. That mac and cheese looks so GOOD! I may try a GF version, as it's 5 degrees and I'm in need of comfort.

Kim said...

With all that baking this winter I am sure your house smelled divine. I so remember those puppy stages. And I know you have heard it a million times but they just need to stay busy. Physical exercise is a must and the fenced area does not have to be huge. But mental exercise can wear them out just as good. We used a huge Kong and would put peanut butter and a dog biscuit inside it. By the time they got it all cleaned out they were exhausted.

My husband always said, "either we keep them busy or they will do it themselves and we won't like it"! Good Luck!

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Susan, I should write a book about these two, oye! I hope we can both get through the puppy years. The macaroni is delicious. I used my pumpkin puree I froze last fall. Yum.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Tracy, ha! King is the largest and can get to the highest of highs. I have to put stuff up on my dehydrator, and way back, to cool when baking.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Kim, I try to walk them several times a day, but with my bad back, I have not walked far with them. When the kids get home, they take them out and let them run. I sure hope we have time for building a fence.

Sam I Am...... said...

Everything looks so yummy! Jesse looks just like my Abby (passed on). She was the best farm dog/friend I ever had! She went everywhere with me...even to the store (of course she stayed in the car) but we were pretty much joined at the hip! Miss Peeps has done her bit of destruction around here too! She even broke a cherished piece of Beleek Irish china that I got as a gift when I graduated from college and I had purposely put it up high thinking she couldn't get it....really? There's nothing she can't climb...I should have named her Spiderwoman! LOL! So sorry about your curtains and rod.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Sam I Am, that window continues to be curtain-less, ha ha! I have the new panel, but not the rod.