A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if I wanted her to bring me back anything. Would you believe me if I told you I asked for salt? I love picking up different varieties, whether we’re traveling or I’m just visiting a new shop. Maddie grabbed me a super cute one from her trip to Paris last year, and the Magic Unicorn Salt I get locally is another favorite. What’s yours?
One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a serious case of FOMO on the daily, gets hiccups more than anyone we know and has perpetual bed head. She’s quite the unique roommate but may be exactly what our home needed. 💛
I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw th I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw that @njdotcom had picked six bagel shops at the “best in the state,” and one was reasonably local, all the sudden I needed one. I was never one to fall prey to peer pressure, but I’m very definitely a marketer’s dream. 😂 Alfa Bagels is on Route 10 in Randolph and has a good assortment of bagels, including all the usual suspects, but with a few others like rainbow, Asiago and French Toast throw in for good measure. Their bagels always seem to have a nice chew, which I appreciate and I love their sesame one. My go-to order lately is a double toasted flagel with lox spread and tomato. Their lox spread is a little ho hum, but the bagel is delish. Check them out next time you’ve got a craving (or get motivated by a local news story 😝). What’s your bagel order?
✌🏻 ✌🏻
When you really really really want to be best frie When you really really really want to be best friends. 💛
When a stressful week with deadlines ends with Nat When a stressful week with deadlines ends with National Cheese Lovers Day, how could I not partake? Tbh, I wasn’t especially hungry, and the appetizers are always the best section of any menu, so the queso blanco from El Mejicano in town wasn’t too hard a choice. It’s smoky and cheesy and I could have licked the bowl clean, but a girl’s gotta have some boundaries. Happy weekend, friends! ✨
A friend saw this placard and said it reminded her A friend saw this placard and said it reminded her of me and dropped it off in our mailbox, which really touched me. 💛 Life is too freaking short not to make conscious decisions to do more of what makes you happy, and to cut out the things that don’t. Rainbow Rowell said it best, “So, what if, instead of thinking about solving you whole life, you just think about adding additional good things. One at a time. Just let your pile of good things grow.”
The face and the daily hiccups… 😍 The face and the daily hiccups… 😍
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Sweetnicks

Food and Life

Announcing the First WDB #1 Event

September 19, 2005 · Narrative

As a new food blogging event, make sure to check in here every weekend for the round-up on the canines in our midst. A spin-off from Clare’s regular WCB event, we’re giving equal time to the pups. :) Send me your links sometime every weekend to be included in the round-up (round-ups to be posted late Sunday night). Don’t worry if you send me your link after this post goes up, I’ll add it. ;) Appreciate trackbacks from your own blog. For this weekend, our first Weekend Dog Blogging Event, check out:

– Extra-cute Ziggy over at Soul Fusion Kitchen.

– Letta all tucked in for the night, snug as a bug in a rug, at Something So Clever — oh that face!

– Introducing Harley and Peanut over at Speculative Musings. Harley looks like a friendly grizzly and check out those soulful eyes on Peanut!

– Last Minute addition from One Hot Stove, introducing Dale. With a face like that, how can you not let him get on the people furniture? So cute, all curled up.

– and last, but certainly not least, our own cutie patooties, Eli and Bella. You’ll have to excuse the demonic flash in their eyes, it was hard enough getting them to sit still together!


The pups

Join us next weekend for Weekend Dog Blogging #2. And as the companion to WDB, we, of course, are participating in Clare’s Weekend Cat Blogging Event, with Callie, a very unwilling participant this weekend. You know how cats are, when they need you, they need you … and every other time, they can’t be bothered with ya!


An Unthrilled Model

You can check out the complete round-up of participating felines at WCB #15 here.

Now on with the food. The Neighbors came over for dinner tonight, and it gave me a chance to make up for NO COOKING all weekend! For dinner, I made my Beer Cheddar Soup to start, Brown Sugar Baked Chicken for a Main Course and sides were Mrs. Potato Head Potatoes, Marinated Mushrooms, Roasted Asparagus and Roasted Carrots. Can you tell I went to the Farmer’s Market this morning? Dessert was Banana Pound Cake. A total of 4 new recipes, and 3 will be repeaters. The Marinated Mushrooms were OK, just nothing special. The Mrs. Potato Head Potatoes (how can you not love a recipe with that kind of name?!) came from an as-yet unused cookbook of mine, Dressed to Grill, these were a definite winner. Not one speck left in the dish. The recipe needs a lot of babysitting, but easy to do and worth it. I picked up this cookbook from Amazon, for a whopping fifty cents. Just went to check and there are copies available for 4 cents, so go grab one while you can!


Mrs. Potato Head Potatoes

The Brown Sugar Baked Chicken was easy and delicious. I made a rub using brown sugar, chili powder and orange extract, rubbed it all over chicken thighs and baked it for about an hour. Can’t get easier than that!

And lastly, the Banana Pound Cake. The Neighbor is taking this one into work tomorrow. What better way to start off the week? The batter made enough for a full bundt cake and a small loaf, so we dove into the loaf after dinner, and it’s really good. Very moist from the bananas, nowhere near as dense as a typical pound cake. A definite repeater. The Neighbor will have to delurk to let me know co-worker feedback on the bundt version.


Banana Pound Cake

You’ll be impressed to know that I already have dinner for tomorrow cooking away … Rio Grand Pot Roast is in the crockpot. The Husband and The Neighbor’s Husband are going to a football game tomorrow night (Giants vs. Saints), so we’re on our own. A little bit of Mom Juice, dinner, our anti-gravity chairs and we are all set.

Until tomorrow…

Sweetnicks’ Beer and Cheese Soup
Approximately 5 servings
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
2 medium carrots, finely chopped (1 cup)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 can or bottle (12 ounces) beer (I use Guinness)
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (8 oz)
pinch white pepper

Melt margarine in saucepan over medium heat. Cook onions and carrots in margarine, stirring occassionally until tender. Stir in flour. Gradually stir in beer, broth and salt. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Remove saucepan from heat. Stir in sour cream, cheese and pinch of white pepper. Continue stirring until cheese is melted. Serve.

Banana Pound Cake
(modified by Sweetnicks)
3 teaspoons plus 3 cups sugar, divided
1 cup butter, softened
6 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (use 3 medium)
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
1 teaspoon banana extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream

Glaze:
1-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-4 teaspoons milk

Grease a 10-in fluted tube pan. Sprinkle with 3 teaspoons sugar; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and remaining sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in bananas and extracts. Add flour, baking soda, and sour cream, beating until just combined. Pour into prepared pan (pan will be pretty full). Bake at 325 for 75-85 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing pan. In a small bowl, whisk the glaze ingredients until smooth; drizzle over cake. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 12-15 servings

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Posted In: Narrative

Comments

  1. Molli says

    September 19, 2005 at 2:09 am

    You got me b/c the book was 4 cents plus shipping. They must be making money on the shipping.

    Reply
  2. Alicat says

    September 19, 2005 at 2:45 am

    Banana pound cake?! What a good idea! I might have to make that soon! :) Thanks for hositing the doggy round up, Letta is looking forward to next weekend! :D

    Reply
  3. Joe says

    September 19, 2005 at 2:58 am

    Great roundup of all the pups! We will have to see if they doggies cooperate next weekend for the camera. I’m sure they would love more attention!

    Sounds like a big list of winners for tonight! I love the name of the potatoes!

    Reply
  4. Clare Eats says

    September 19, 2005 at 3:37 am

    Congrats on your first WDB round up, you did a great job :)

    Reply
  5. rowena says

    September 19, 2005 at 9:53 am

    So sorry that I missed this event but I’ll try to remember the next one coming up! What a great idea!

    Reply
  6. Jenn in CT says

    September 19, 2005 at 11:05 am

    Can you post the pot roast and potato recipes? Pretty please?

    Reply
  7. Nic says

    September 19, 2005 at 1:12 pm

    Ah, equality in all things pet-related!
    Those potatoes look fantastic!

    Reply
  8. Anonymous says

    September 19, 2005 at 2:12 pm

    Any chance I can get the potatoe recipe. And yes, I know I owe you a few recipes as well.

    The Sister In-Law

    Reply
  9. Sylvie says

    September 19, 2005 at 2:36 pm

    Great roundup. Ziggy and I are looking forward to #2.

    Thank you for hosting.

    Reply
  10. angelika says

    September 19, 2005 at 2:48 pm

    Hi there – GREAT IDEA ! We have been thinking about that…Due to several family get-togethers hosted by myself on the occasion of a birthday event we have unfortunately missed WDB 1 – but we will joint # 2 for sure !
    Gino and angelika

    Reply
  11. Cate says

    September 20, 2005 at 3:15 am

    Molli – no way you can pass up a 4 cent bargain. I think you’ll like this one!

    Angelika – hope to see you guys join in next weekend!

    Sylvie – glad you could join in. Hope to see you and Ziggy next weekend!

    Alicat – I have since renamed it Banana Coconut Bundt Cake. It’s just not dense enough to be considered pound cake. Try it – you will NOT be disappointed!

    Clare – thanks! I learn from the master. ;) What would I do without you?!

    Joe and Rowena – hope you guys join us next weekend. Joe, I’m a sucker for recipes with fun names, and this one was no exception.
    Nic – they were; I hope you try them.

    Sister-in-Law and Jenn in CT – potato recipe going up tonight. Jenn in CT – the pot roast was a dud, and a complete waste of $20 worth of meat. Happy to pass on the recipe, if you still want it, but I don’t recommend it.

    Reply
  12. Catesa says

    September 20, 2005 at 4:45 pm

    love the dogs!! that pound cake looks so good, i could eat the whole thing right about now ;)

    Reply
  13. Randi says

    September 22, 2005 at 3:41 pm

    how did i miss the dog blogging thing? Im off to look for some pics. My boys are my children, my furry children.

    Reply

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A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if I wanted her to bring me back anything. Would you believe me if I told you I asked for salt? I love picking up different varieties, whether we’re traveling or I’m just visiting a new shop. Maddie grabbed me a super cute one from her trip to Paris last year, and the Magic Unicorn Salt I get locally is another favorite. What’s yours?
One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a serious case of FOMO on the daily, gets hiccups more than anyone we know and has perpetual bed head. She’s quite the unique roommate but may be exactly what our home needed. 💛
I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw th I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw that @njdotcom had picked six bagel shops at the “best in the state,” and one was reasonably local, all the sudden I needed one. I was never one to fall prey to peer pressure, but I’m very definitely a marketer’s dream. 😂 Alfa Bagels is on Route 10 in Randolph and has a good assortment of bagels, including all the usual suspects, but with a few others like rainbow, Asiago and French Toast throw in for good measure. Their bagels always seem to have a nice chew, which I appreciate and I love their sesame one. My go-to order lately is a double toasted flagel with lox spread and tomato. Their lox spread is a little ho hum, but the bagel is delish. Check them out next time you’ve got a craving (or get motivated by a local news story 😝). What’s your bagel order?
✌🏻 ✌🏻

Pinterest

A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if I wanted her to bring me back anything. Would you believe me if I told you I asked for salt? I love picking up different varieties, whether we’re traveling or I’m just visiting a new shop. Maddie grabbed me a super cute one from her trip to Paris last year, and the Magic Unicorn Salt I get locally is another favorite. What’s yours?
One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a serious case of FOMO on the daily, gets hiccups more than anyone we know and has perpetual bed head. She’s quite the unique roommate but may be exactly what our home needed. 💛
I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw th I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw that @njdotcom had picked six bagel shops at the “best in the state,” and one was reasonably local, all the sudden I needed one. I was never one to fall prey to peer pressure, but I’m very definitely a marketer’s dream. 😂 Alfa Bagels is on Route 10 in Randolph and has a good assortment of bagels, including all the usual suspects, but with a few others like rainbow, Asiago and French Toast throw in for good measure. Their bagels always seem to have a nice chew, which I appreciate and I love their sesame one. My go-to order lately is a double toasted flagel with lox spread and tomato. Their lox spread is a little ho hum, but the bagel is delish. Check them out next time you’ve got a craving (or get motivated by a local news story 😝). What’s your bagel order?
✌🏻 ✌🏻
When you really really really want to be best frie When you really really really want to be best friends. 💛
When a stressful week with deadlines ends with Nat When a stressful week with deadlines ends with National Cheese Lovers Day, how could I not partake? Tbh, I wasn’t especially hungry, and the appetizers are always the best section of any menu, so the queso blanco from El Mejicano in town wasn’t too hard a choice. It’s smoky and cheesy and I could have licked the bowl clean, but a girl’s gotta have some boundaries. Happy weekend, friends! ✨
A friend saw this placard and said it reminded her A friend saw this placard and said it reminded her of me and dropped it off in our mailbox, which really touched me. 💛 Life is too freaking short not to make conscious decisions to do more of what makes you happy, and to cut out the things that don’t. Rainbow Rowell said it best, “So, what if, instead of thinking about solving you whole life, you just think about adding additional good things. One at a time. Just let your pile of good things grow.”
The face and the daily hiccups… 😍 The face and the daily hiccups… 😍

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