National Rescue Dog Day

 Over 3 million dogs enter shelters every year.  (THREE MILLION DOGS!)  Each dog is in search of a loving fur ever home.  

Most rescue dogs overcome extreme obstacles.  Some are abused or raised in poor conditions.  Most are abandoned and left to the streets.  With training, these dogs can provide comfort to people as emotional support pets, help people with disabilities and provide comfort to elderly.  People with autism enjoy the therapeutic benefits of comfort dogs while military personnel with PTSD get relief from anxiety and depression.

How to celebrate today:

Volunteer at a shelter.  

Shelters are always looking for donations.  Old towels and blankets.  Some even have an Amazon list of needs.

Consider adopting from a shelter for your next pet.

You can use #NationalRescueDogDay on social media.

I will be spending the day (like every other day) spoiling my weird dog rescue dog, Pippen.  

Sourdough Bagels - Vegan

 I'm still rocking my sourdough breadmaking era.  Lately I have been making bagels. Once you have a good, homemade bagel, you can't go back to store bought.  These remind me of the tasty bagels we had while visiting Boston.

Don't let the bagel making process scare you off.  The first time making these might seem a little scary. Especially the three risings, boiling the bagels and then baking them. The second time you make these will be a breeze.  Trust me. 

Here's the recipe:

Vegan Sourdough Bagels

ingredients:

1/2 cup Sourdough starter (that has been fed)

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup water

2 TBSP Sugar*

2 tsp salt

Toppings:  Everything bagel seasoning**, poppy seeds, sesame seeds

directions:

In large bowl, mix the Sourdough starter, flour, water, sugar and salt.  Mix the dough using a wooden spoon and knead with your hands for about ten minutes. (Electric mixer with dough hook for five minutes). Dough should be very thick. Place dough in glass bowl and let proof for 8 to 12 hours.

After proofing (about 12 hours): Remove dough from bowl and knead for ten minutes.  Place back into bowl to rise again for another hour.  Two rises will moisturize dough and make it airy.

Using silicone baking mat on cookie sheet, divide dough into eight equal parts. Roll them into disks and poke a hole through each one using your thumb. Put back onto baking sheet. Cover with towel and allow to rest for 1-2 hours.

Preheat your oven to 425F. 

Place a large pot with water onto the stove to boil.  Add the bagels a couple at a time and boil for a minute on each side.  When done, place them back onto the baking sheet. Sprinkle on toppings of your choice (I make sure to press them in a little so they stick).

Place baking sheet into oven and bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

*Sugar, maple syrup or honey.  Your choice.  If vegan, then not honey.

**You can make your own Everything Bagel Seasoning by clicking here.

***Silicone baking mat or parchment paper for the win. Makes clean up easier.

****You can use bread flour or all-purpose flour. I have tried both and they both work.

If you make the Vegan Sourdough Bagels, let me know what you think in the comments below.

Enjoy!

National Limerick Day

There once was a man from Nantucket

Who kept his cash in a bucket

But his daughter, named Nan,

ran away with a man-

And as for the bucket, Nan-tucket.

You guessed it!  Today is National Limerick Day!

This day celebrates the birthday of Edward Lear, an artist, illustrator, author and poet.  Limerick poems became popular after Lear's book, Book of Nonsense, was published in 1846. A limerick is a very short, humorous, nonsense poem.  It contains five lines with an AABBA rhyming pattern.

How to observe #NationalLimerickDay

Write your own limerick poem.

Share on social media.

Enter a limerick contest.

Read some funny limericks.

I thought I would participate by sharing my limerick.

There once was a woman who lived by the beach

she loved to brag about it to everyone within reach.

   She walked her dog there everyday

    went in the sand to play

but had to keep her dog on his leash.

Let me see your limericks in the comments (and try to keep them clean!).

National Dog Mom's Day

 I have yet to find the source for this holiday. I'm happy that this day is set aside for us weird dog dog moms.  We really need it. 

Some activities for dog mom's day:

Go for a walk.  Oh, yea.  Don't forget to bring your dog.

Treat yourself.  Oh, and the dog, too.  Go out for a special treat.  Maybe get matching t-shirts?

Some interesting facts about dogs:

They are as smart as a two year old (sounds about right).  They can learn up to 200 words.

They can hear four times better than humans.  Especially when you open a dog treat bag or peanut butter jar.  And when you quietly grab their dog leash.

Being a dog mom improves your health.  Obviously, the person who said this never spent time with my weird dog Pippen.  Bad breath in your face.  Staying up all night because of a thunderstorm.  Having to lug 50lb dog food bags up and down the stairs.

Being a dog mom helps you socialize more.  Again, this person never had to walk Pippen.  I have to avoid people with dogs so he doesn't attack them.  He makes me antisocial. 

Being a dog mom makes you more responsible.  Responsible for letting the dog out, taking him for walks, feeding him, protecting him from the scary thunderstorms and fireworks.

Happy Dog Mom's Day to you.

Oh, and I expect a card and a real nice gift, Pippen!

Weird Random Journal Prompts

 I'm back!  After months of banging my head against the wall I finally figured out what to write about: headaches and how to get rid of the pain.  Just kidding.

Journaling seems to be quite a popular activity for most people.  There are a variety of journaling you can get involved in: Bullet journals, gratitude journals, smash journals, art journals just to name a few. I was searching on Pinterest to see if they could offer any suggestions but keep coming up with the same old, tired suggestions.  Here is a quick list of examples:

• What made you smile today?
• Name one thing you’re grateful for right now.
• Who made your day better today?
• What’s one thing you love about your morning routine?
• What’s a small win you had today?
• What’s a childhood memory that still brings you joy?
• What is something you’re proud of yourself for?
• What was the best part of your week?

I understand that you have to start somewhere when you begin your journal writing journey. I'm not here to discourage anyone. It's great to have a list of ideas that can get you started. While these questions are good if you are starting out, I think there needs to be a follow up list of questions/prompts.  I mean, how many times can you write about what inspires you?  You need to spice up that journal a little!  Really dig deep and put those thoughts on the page.  

I want to see you reach that writing goal and came up with a few prompts to get you going. No better time to start than the present. 

Let's start this list so you can get into journaling! 

1.  Name some annoying celebrities.

2.  The strangest scenario that you have been involved in.  Pretending to be someone's mother at a trampoline birthday party so you can sign their parental waiver.  No, that one's too easy.  

3.  The worst pick up lines.  While at Walmart, "Hey, Baby!  I'm really diggin' your pajamas." Ok, wait, that might actually work, but you get the idea.

4.  The one food/drink everyone is crazy about and you pretend to like it but deep inside can't stand the sight/taste/smell.  That might have to be any type of beef product for me. 

5.  If you could torture one well known person, using only tools that they are familiar with, who would it be and how would you do it?  I'm thinking Marie Kondo and putting her in one of my kids rooms.  The only way she can leave is if she cleans and organizes it.  You may think that's easy for her, but I know which kid's room she would be going into and....yea, she might be there for a really long time. Heck, we may never see her again!

I hope these prompts help you out.  Let me know what you think in the comments.

Vegan Sourdough Cheeze It Crackers

I have officially entered my sourdough bread making era.

I'm a little late jumping into the whole bread making scene.  It seems like everyone was making bread during Quarantine/Pandemic.  I thought I should try to catch up and join in on this sourdough game.  I mean, I've been waiting a LONG time for "someone" to bake a loaf for me.  "Someone" tends to brag about his bread and even sends photos.  One of these days I'll get some bread from "someone".......

I started to branch out a little with my breadmaking.  The first crackers I tried were a little too flour-y (I'm sure that's a word).  Then I stumbled upon these vegan cheeze it crackers and, well, all I can say is they were a big hit in our house.  In fact, I now make a double batch of these crackers every time I make them!

Enough chit chat, here's the recipe: 

Vegan Sourdough Cheeze It Crackers

Ingredients:

1 cup flour*

1 cup sourdough starter unfed/discard**

4 TBSP Olive Oil

3/4 tsp salt

3 TBSP Nutritional Yeast

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp rosemary (optional)

Coarse Sea Salt/Pink Himalayan Salt to sprinkle on top

Directions:

Mix first seven ingredients together in bowl. Dough should be smooth, not too sticky.

Cover dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Oven 325F

Divide dough in half. Place half on silicone mat (or parchment paper)*** and roll dough until it is 1/16th inch thick (REALLY REALLY THIN). You will have uneven edges, and that's ok. Make sure that the thickness is even, or it will not bake evenly.  Sprinkle tops with salt.

Cut through the dough (I used a pizza cutter for this) into little squares (1x1")

Bake time is 20 minutes. Once starting to brown, turn tray so the crackers will brown evenly.

Remove crackers from oven and let cool before placing in sealed container.

Makes about 100 crackers.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

*Can be made with white whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour

**perfect recipe for those of you who have sourdough discard

***I use silicone baking mat and don't flour it. Feel free to flour the mat/paper prior to rolling out the dough.

****I use rosemary bc I like rosemary.  Feel free to omit.

*****Want to double the recipe?  

Try this:

2 cups flour

2 cups sourdough starter

8 TBSP Olive Oil

1.5 tsp salt

6 TBSP Nutritional Yeast

1 tsp garlic powder 

2 tsp Rosemary

Salt to sprinkle on top

If you make these Vegan Sourdough Cheeze It Crackers, let me know what you think in the comments below.

Enjoy!

Moving - Homeless

 Once we closed on the sale of our house, we were homeless.  Well, we had a home that we were going to move into, but it was being rented out for the summer.  With no place to go, this gave us the freedom to travel.

Our first stop, Oak Park, IL.  Yea, not too far from where we lived.  We stuck around for a few grad parties and last minute goodbyes.

We traveled through many states, including, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado and Wisconsion.  We made sure not to drive through Illinois on our return.

During our homelessness, we realized that we were able to live on a minimal number of things (clothing, shoes, etc.) It made us wonder what we packed into our storage units.

Some sites we took in:

The Corn Palace

Wall Drug Store

80Ft Dinosaur

Mt. Rushmore

The Badlands

The Black Hills

Deadwood - Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickok

Devil's Tower

Breckenridge

Snowmass Mountain

Boulder

Buena Vista

We ended our homelessness by picking up My Weird Dog Pippen (earlier than planned) and drove to our new home.