Long walk with Xander

Chris and I walked Xander this morning, and we found a fenced in area at the school where we decided to let him off his leash so he could run. He did a lot of sniffing (that's the hound in him!), but then he also ran for a few short bursts. It was really funny to watch him go tearing across the lawn. Now he's completely knackered and is resting on the wood floor where I imagine it's nice and cool. Hopefully this will help keep with his behavior problems a little bit.

I don't think I mentioned that the other day we finally put him on anti-anxiety medication. Chris got home on Monday and found that he had gotten into the garbage and spread it throughout the house. (My fault for not tying the garbage bin shut.) If the meds don't work, I really don't know what we'll do with him. I'm *this close* to finding a new home for him, and I NEVER thought I'd say that about any animal.

I have to admit, the walk felt pretty good for me, too! The weather is gorgeous and I need to keep exercising. I'm starting to get fat... ;)

Earth Day Giveaway!

In honor of Earth Day, check out the My Sentiments ExactLee blog and enter her giveaway!

http://www.mysentimentexactlee.com/2009/04/in-honor-of-earth-day-kiss-my-face.html

Simplest Loaf Cake

I got this recipe out of the Parade magazine that comes in the Sunday paper. I haven't tried it, but I'd like to, so I'm going to post it here and then throw away the paper copy (since it will get lost in my "drawer-'o-recipes" anyway! (And of course I'll substitute some of the ingredients with healthier choices).

Serve this easy cake plain, with ice cream and berries, or toast it and spread it with jam.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 flavorless oil, such as canola

1) Preheat oven to 350 and generously butter an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2-inch loaf pan (6 cup capacity). In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

2) Whisk the eggs, sugar, sour cream, and vanilla together until well blended. Add the dry ingredients and stir until smooth. Finally, pour in the oil and use the whisk to gently but thoroughly fold it into the batter.

3) Put the batter in the loaf pan and bake 50-55 min, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 5 min, then unmold and cool to room temp right side up.

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Back when I was in high school, I used to make Cinnamon Rolls from scratch on Christmas morning. I had an extra packet of yeast from when I made King Cake for Mardi Gras, so I decided to mix up a batch of Cinnamon Rolls for Chris.

I made the dough, rolled it up, sliced it into individual rolls, then froze the dough. Last night I took a few out and put them in a baking dish in the oven (oven wasn't on, but I wanted to put them in an enclosed space) to thaw and rise. This morning we had a pan full of puffy rolls, which I then put in the toaster oven to bake. They turned out well...probably could have used a bit more cinnamon and sugar, but I think next time I'll just try to roll the dough out thinner and that way I should be able to fit more "stuffing" in them.

I got this recipe from Cooks.com, and it was very good!
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,174,150187-253196,00.html

HOMEMADE CINNAMON ROLLS

4 1/4 to 4 3/4 c. all-purpose flour 1 pkg. active dry yeast 1 1/4 c. milk 1/4 c. granulated sugar 1/4 c. butter 1 tsp. salt 2 eggs 6 tbsp. butter, softened 1/2 c. packed brown sugar 2 tsp. ground cinnamon Step 1: In a large mixer bowl combine 1 1/2 cups of the all-purpose flour and yeast. Heat the milk, granulated sugar, the 1/4 cup butter and salt just until mixture is warm (120 to 130 degrees) and the butter is almost melted, stirring constantly. Step 2: Add milk mixture to flour mixture; add eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds; scrape sides of bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can. (Dough will be soft.) Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough (3 to 5 minutes total). Shape dough into a ball. Step 3: Place dough in a lightly greased bowl; turn once. Cover; let rise in a warm place until double (about 1 to 1 1/2 hours). (The dough is ready for shaping when you can lightly and quickly press two fingers 1/2 inch into dough and indentation remains.) Step 4: Punch dough down. On a lightly floured surface, divide dough in half; shape each half into a smooth ball. Cover; let rest for 10 minutes. Step 5: On lightly floured surface roll half the dough to 12x8 inches. Spread with 3 tablespoons softened butter. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle half over rectangle. Roll up from a short side. Seal edges. Make a second roll with remaining dough, butter and sugar mixture. Step 6: Slice each dough roll into 8 pieces. Arrange slices, cut side down, in a greased 13x9x2 inch baking pan. Cover; let rise until nearly double (about 30 minutes). Step 7: Bake rolls in a 350 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until light brown. Invert at once onto a wire rack. Cool slightly. Drizzle rolls with Maple Nut Glaze or Powdered Sugar Glaze. Serve warm. Makes 16 rolls. POWDERED SUGAR GLAZE: Combine 1 cup sifted powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and enough milk (about 3 to 4 teaspoons) for drizzling consistency. FREEZING AND REHEATING: Bake and cool rolls as directed, do not glaze. Wrap in moisture and vapor proof wrap. Seal, label, and freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat in a conventional oven, wrap frozen rolls in foil. Place in a 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until warm. Drizzle with your choice of glaze. To reheat in a microwave oven, wrap 2 of the frozen rolls in microwave-safe paper towels. Micro-cook on 100% power (high) for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until warm. Drizzle with glaze.

"Top Fives"

The new trend on Facebook is to pick your "Top Five" in a variety of categories. For a lot of them, it's hard to pick just 5, and for some of them, it's hard to say which ones I'd rank as my favorites.

I did one on Broadway shows, and I picked:
Rent
Wicked
Avenue Q
25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Stomp

But I forgot about Les Miserables and some other really great shows.

Then I was invited to do one on five concerts I've seen, so I decided to pick the five BEST shows I've seen, but even that is hard! I picked:
U2
Collective Soul
Nickel Creek
Goo Goo Dolls
Toby Keith

But left out Sara Bareilles, Blue Man Group, Maroon 5, etc...

The hardest for me, though, is movies. I haven't done that yet, and will have to work on building my list. I'm going to use my blog to tweak my list before I post it:
Love Actually (no brainer--best movie ever made)
10 Things I Hate About You
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Zoolander
Austin Powers International Man of Mystery

More that I like but a little more on the serious side:
Save the Last Dance
Ever After

Tzatziki Sauce

I actually went looking for this recipe for Tzatziki on the Stonyfield Farms web site. Stonyfield Farms makes ORGANIC yogurt and it's the only kind of yogurt I buy.

If I may get up on my soapbox for a moment--Yes, organic products, including yogurt, are more expensive than non-organic products, but if we continue to spend a little more money for a better-quality product, the prices WILL come down! So think about it, and consider choosing organic next time you make a food purchase. Even if it's ONE ITEM, it still adds up. We're all in this together!

Tzatziki Sauce

A classic, creamy dip often served with traditional Greek dishes.
Try it with cut vegetables and pita wedges.

Ingredients:

1 cup Plain Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt
2 cucumbers
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tbs. white vinegar
2 Tbs. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Peel, seed, and coarsely grate cucumbers. Drain and combine with garlic, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Blend in the yogurt. Refrigerate for 1 hour, then serve.

From our Oikos Organic kitchen.

Noodles and Spinach with Tofu

I got this recipe from the newspaper (written by Dawn Lewandowski) a long time ago and still haven't made it.

1 lb whole wheat spaghetti, cooked
1 lb frozen or fresh steamed spinach
1 to 1 1/2 lb firm tofu, in 3/4 inch cubes
2 to 4 T sesame oil
2 to 4 T tamari or soy sauce
2 to 4 t minced garlic
2 T peanut butter
2 T tahini (ground sesame)
2 t sesame seeds

For the sauce:
Pour a Tablespoon or two of sesame oil into a large frying pan or work over medium heat. Add a Tablespoon or two of tamari, a teaspoon or two of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon peanut butter, and 1 tablespoon tahini. Stir until mixed to a thick consistency, about 30 sec.

Immediately add tofu and stir to coat. Stir intermittently, allowing tofu to brown before stirring. When tofu is browned sufficiently, remove tofu from pan and set aside, covering to keep warm.

Repeat the sauce process above, being perhaps a bit more liberal with oil and tamari. Add cooked spaghetti and mix through. Add spinach and mix again. Heat and taste test for flavor. Add tofu when spaghetti is hot. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon sesame seeds. Toss and serve.

(You may use peanut butter rather than sesame oil, omit tahini, add more peanut butter and peanuts, or use only the sesame products. Works well with broccoli and other vegetables as well.)