"Hear Doggy" Dog Toy

This week my pups were lucky enough to receive a Hear Doggy "squeaky" toy...but the beauty is, they hear the squeak and we don't! At first I wasn't sure how well that would work, but sure enough when we squeak the toy we just hear a poof of air, but they tilt their heads like something very interesting is going on! We owe thanks to Go Pet Friendly for giving us the opportunity to try out the Hear Doggy. Lois Lane and L.B. are having some issues sharing so we may need to get another one (even though they will still want the same one).  We got the purple elephant, but there are several different animals to choose from and they are all very cute! Great toy for the dogs!


Hear Doggy Purple Elephant Toy

L.B. likes trying to "kill" it

Is that a smile, Lois Lane?

And the bickering begins...

Buddy doesn't know what all the fuss is about (he doesn't know what to do with a toy).

Low Carb Cheese Quesadillas

I've been craving a quesadilla for a week or so now and remembered that I had low-carb wraps in the pantry and plenty of cheese...so I made some for lunch! Easy, fast and yummy! You can even add in meats, veggies and other condiments as you wish.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tbs Butter
• Low Carb Wraps (1 per quesadilla)
• 1/2 cup Shredded Mexican Cheese blend
• 1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese

Directions:

1. Melt butter in skillet on medium to medium-high heat


2. Lay one wrap in skillet


3. Top entire wrap with Mexican cheese blend


4. Top half of wrap with mozzarella cheese


5. When cheese starts to melt start lifting wrap and watch for the bottom to brown


6. Once bottom of wrap browns, fold wrap in half and remove from skillet


7. Cut, garnish and serve!

Loaded Baked Pota-fauxs

One issue I have with low-carb eating is the urge for baked potatoes...well urge no more! This recipe Food.com, with my own modifications, and will stamp those urges to the ground and make your brain think you're eating a yummy, delicious, sinful baked potato with all the fixin's.

Ingredients:

• 16 oz of Frozen Cauliflower
• 1 cup of Sour Cream
  (may sub with 4 oz of cream cheese & 2 Tbs butter)
• 1 cup of Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 1/2 cup of Bacon Crumbles
• 3 Green Onions (optional)
• Garlic - to taste
• Pepper - to taste

Directions:

1. Cook cauliflower until tender


2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees


3. Chop cooled cauliflower into very small pieces - (I prefer to run mine through the food processor for that smooth potato texture.)


4. Mix sour cream, 1/2 of the green onions, 1/2 of the cheese and 1/2 of the bacon, pepper and garlic in a medium bowl


5. Stir in cauliflower


6. Place in medium baking dish and top with remaining cheese and bacon


7. Bake for 20 minutes


8. Sprinkle remaining green onions on top before serving.

Halloween 2014

Most everyone I know is aware that I absolutely LOVE Halloween. I love the weather, the scary movies, the costumes, the candy....all of it!  Each year I decorate a little bit more and a little bit earlier, just so I can enjoy the decor myself.  Since we live in BFE we don't get any trick-or-treaters, but that doesn't stop me from enjoying Halloween.

Every year since we moved to our current house we've had a Halloween Costume party. This made our fifth year and although it was much smaller than most years, it was just as fun! We had a small party of 12, Jason made his delicious chili and by the end of the night we were mix-matching costumes.  You know, mature, adult fun. Since it was a small party the dogs were allowed to come out half way through, much to their delight.  Generally with large parties I leave them put up for fear of a door or gate accidentally being left open or Buddy swiping food off of the counters and tables. L.B. was a little freaked out by too many people, but Lois Lane and Buddy ate up the attention.

This year Jason and I dressed up as Bob and Linda Belcher from "Bob's Burgers", a cartoon show on Fox that is one of our favorites. If you've never watched it, you really should. It's good stuff! We also had a pair of pirates, a cow girl, an alien, a redneck couple, a U of L fan, a bear, and a couple non-costume attendees.  Fun times!

Halloween Party 2014 Photo Gallery

Girl's Night Out

Saturday night Christina and I were invited for a girl's night out by our girlfriend Beth. We kicked off the evening with dinner and drinks at our local Outback Steakhouse. Upon walking into the bar area of the restaurant, we saw our friends Lydia and Ben sitting at the booth right behind the one we were going to.

After dinner we all ended up at Ten Pin Lanes for a few more drinks and some bowling. I was horrible at bowling at first, but ended up winning the last game, but we still had a great time.

Such a great time that when Lydia and Ben called it a night, we continued on to R Place Pub to shoot some pool and have a few more beverages. (I was the DD and had my last beverage well before we were done bowling.)

As a summary of the evening: good food, good drinks, great friends, many laughs, new stories made, jukebox music, funny drunk bar flies, out too late.  Summary - Fantastic night out!  :)

Low Carb Mozzarella Sticks

We love, love, love buffalo wings but have been pining for the finger foods that so often go with them. Pine no more! The hubby has found a way to make low carb mozzarella cheese sticks!  And they are oh so simple - next we'll try onion rings and pickles!

Ingredients:

• String Cheese or Mini Babybels
• 1 Egg
• Italian Bread Crumbs

Directions:

1. Beat egg in shallow dish.


2. Dredge string cheese sticks or Babybels through egg.


3. Roll around in bread crumbs.


4. Freeze for 30 to 60 minutes to help hold everything together.


5. Deep fry until golden on the outside.


6. Serve with ranch, southwestern ranch, marinara or other sauce of choice.

Low-Carb "Fat Head" Pizza Crust

Original Recipe from FatHead

One of the biggest downfalls for me of maintaining a low-carb diet was my infinite love for pizza and good pizza crust. With this low-carb, flour replacement crust, it is a downfall no more! You won't even know it's low-carb!  This recipe is for the crust only - add sauce and toppings of your choice.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 Cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• 3/4 Cup Almond Flour
• 2 Tbs Cream Cheese
• 1 Egg
• Garlic Powder or Salt
• Cookie Sheet
• Parchment Paper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Combine mozzarella cheese and cream cheese in a medium size microwaveable bowl.


3. Microwave for one minute, stir, and microwave an additional 30 seconds, stir again.


4. Stir in egg and almond flour.


5. Wet your hands to keep the dough from sticking and spread on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. (If the dough is stringy, pop it back in the microwave for  another 20 seconds to re-soften).


6. Sprinkle garlic salt or garlic powder over the dough.
   

   

   Dough before baking















7. Poke  holes in dough with a fork to avoid bubbles.


8. Bake for 8 minutes. Poke a hole in any bubbles.  Bake for an additional 4 to 6 minutes or until slightly brown on top.


9. Add pizza sauce, spices and toppings at your discretion (these will add to carb counts).


10. Pop back into the oven long enough to warm toppings and melt cheese.


11. Ooooh and ahhhh over how much it tastes like regular crust pizza! And you don't need a fork like most low-carb pizza recipes - eat with your hands by the slice!

When we make this pizza we put a layer of low-carb pizza sauce (Great Value from Wal-Mart), pizza seasoning (or oregano and basil), pepperoni, red onion, mozzarella cheese, bacon crumbles, black olives and crushed red pepper flakes.  Topping combinations are endless!

Entire Crust: 765 Calories; 55.8g Fat; 55.6g Protein; 11.9g Carbohydrate; 2.3g Dietary Fiber; 9.6g Net Carbs

No Bake Cheesecake

 Ingredients:

Photo from http://yourlighterside.com

• 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 Tbsp sour cream
• 1 egg
• ½ tsp lemon juice
• ¼ tsp vanilla
• 2-4 Tbsp sugar replacement sub (taste as you go)

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a microwave-safe bowl.


2. Cook on high heat for 90 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds incorporating all ingredients.


3. Refrigerate until serving (at least one hour).

Optional: Top with fresh fruit, whipped cream and nut meal.

Makes one, one-cup serving.

Nutritional Information per serving:
Calories: 299, Carbohydrates: 2.5 g, Fiber: 0 g, Net Carbohydrates: 2.5 g, Protein: 11 g, Fat: 27.6 g.

Original recipe from Your Lighter Side

Mock Potato Salad - Low Carb

 Ingredients:

From Linda's Low Carb Recipes

• 16 ounce bag frozen cauliflower 
• 4 hard boiled eggs, chopped 
• 2 stalks celery, chopped 
• 3 green onions 
• 3 tablespoons yellow mustard 
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise 
• 2 tablespoons dill pickle relish, optional 
• 1/8 teaspoon celery seed, optional 
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste 
• Pinch dill, optional

Directions:

1. Cook the cauliflower until soft, but not mushy; drain well.


2. Cool, then cut in small pieces.


3. Mix the mustard with the mayonnaise, then mix all ingredients into the cauliflower.


4. Chill at least 2 hours.

Makes 6-8 servings
Do not freeze

Per 1/6 recipe: 215 Calories; 19g Fat; 7g Protein; 6g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 4g Net Carbs
Per 1/8 recipe: 161 Calories; 14g Fat; 5g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 3g Net Carbs

Artichoke Parmesan Dip

Ingredients:

• 1 (13.5 ounces) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 clove garlic, crushed (can use 1 teaspoon jarred, chopped garlic or 2 tsp powdered garlic)
• Paprika

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.


2. Mix artichoke, mayo, cheese and garlic together in a medium mixing bowl until well blended.


3. Pour the mixture into a greased, oven-proof casserole, sprinkle a little paprika over the top. Bake for 45 minutes. Serve hot with pepper strips, cucumber rounds, celery sticks, low-carb fiber crackers or pork rinds.

Makes 4 servings each with 3 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber for a total of 2 grams usable carbohydrates and 10 grams of protein. (This does not include vegetables or crackers, only the dip itself).

Vermin Control

I was out in the shed today looking for camping supplies and just poking around minding my own business.  Jason came out to help me and while I was standing right in front of the stack of plywood he quietly said, "Don't move fast, but slowly look up".  At first I though maybe there was a spider hanging from a web in front of me.  So I looked ahead and slowly moved my gaze upwards until I spied the snake.  Lucky for me it's just a harmless rat snake getting a free meal in the shed that is usually overrun with mice.  Had Jason not been there I very well may have grabbed the plywood without paying attention and gotten bit...because it was a snake!  ( Get it...had it been a snake it would have bitten me...hehe. )

End of summer succulents... They sure grew a lot!

Wow, these things got huge!  If you recall, during the spring we bought a bunch of small succulents to plant around the house. These particular plants started out about the size of a coaster,or smaller, and are now about the size of a saucer. Some of the others ended up with some really cool colors and growth as well.  We will be bringing all of these guys into the house this winter in hopes that we can put them back out next spring without harming them.  They are so pretty and such low maintenance. It's nice to not have to worry about our plants dying when we leave for camping trips and vacations during the summer.

Awesome Orb Weaver

Isn't she beautiful! This orb weaver is currently living out her last days at our friend's house. On our last pool day of the summer we noticed she had made an egg sack about 5 feet away from her web. She will die at first frost, but the egg sack, if left alone, will hatch in the spring with many baby orb weavers.  Pretty cool...but then, I do love spiders.

Cake is GOOD!

Laila Bug turned one! We had a small celebration at the park where Laila opened presents and had cake/cupcakes. Luckily the rain held out and we were able to celebrate her first year.  My time flies...

Favorite Pedi Ever!

So I generally don't like to show photos of my feet because, just yuck, but today I got the cutest pedicure ever!  I wanted something a little different so went with a light blue/green color ( I generally sick with pinks, reds, or French pedicures ).  One of the girls there does nail art when asked, for no extra charge! So expecting  a small, simple flower like I had gotten previously I asked for  some flower art.  And THIS is what I ended up with instead!  How cool is that! I love it!  You can't see it well in the photos, but the middle of the flowers and the insides of some of the leaves are silver. I will definitely be going back here!  If you are local, it is LA Nails in Oldham County in LaGrange, Ky.

Groundhog Visitor

This little guy has been hanging around our back yard and sunning on the lower back deck. He's (or she) is fairly small so I'm thinking he just recently left momma groundhog to be on his own. We were seeing him every day, but after an afternoon of target shooting we seem to have scared him off, which probably isn't a bad thing. It was neat seeing him up so close - cute personality in these little guys!

The Bardstown - Dinner & Show

The Stage Setup for "Bug"

Tonight we went on our monthly date night and decided to try something new.  We headed down to "The Bardstown" on Bardstown Road in the Highlands to have dinner and watch a play.  The Bard's restaurant has a  Shakespearean-themed menu that includes their signature Bard Burger or Steakspeare, vegetarian "To Bean, or Not to Bean" Black Bean burger, First Folio Fish, and much more.  You can eat and see a show or go just for dinner or simply meet with friends for drinks.

Jason and I had the signature Bard Burger with the seasoned fries - wow, it was delicious! In fact, everything on the menu looked good. After we ate we had about a half an hour to kill so ordered a couple of drinks and chatted at the table while waiting for the theater doors to open ( it is separate from the dining room, but you can still order drinks during the show ).

The play we saw was called "Bug".  As per the site description:
"Bug focuses on Agnes, a divorced waitress who loves cocaine and is on the run from her abusive ex-husband Jerry. She meets Peter, a former Army soldier who is now a drifter, and they begin what is at first a platonic relationship. What follows will be a chaotic turn of events that includes bugs, paranoia, the return of Jerry, twisted conspiracy theories, and more."

It was a very fun experience and a perfect date night.  We will most certainly be going back again!

Eggplant Parmesan - Baked

This Baked Eeggplant Parmesan is a wonderful vegetarian dish and is almost like a meatless, noodle-less lasagna. Very yummy!  We like to serve with a side of baked zucchini coated in olive oil and garlic and garlic bread.

Prep time: About 20 minutes
Bake time: 1.5 hours
Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Medium to Large Eggplants


• Olive Oil


• 2 Large Eggs


• 3/4 Cup of Italian Bread Crumbs


• 3 tablespoons Italian Seasoning


• Salt & Pepper


• 48 oz  Tomato Sauce  (I like 1/2 smooth and 1/2 chunky)


• 1 1/2 Cups of Shredded Mozzarella Cheese


• 1/4 Cup of Shredded Parmesan Cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush 2 baking sheets with oil. ( Put foil over baking sheets for easy cleanup ).  Set aside.  Peel eggplant and slice into 1/2 inch thick rounds.


2. In wide, shallow bowl, whisk 2 eggs and 2 tablespoons of water. In another wide, shallow bowl, combine breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. ( If you have finely shredded parmesan cheese you can also add it ).


3. Dip eggplant slices in egg mixture and dredge in breadcrumb mixture to coat both sides. Place on baking sheets.


4. Bake eggplant until golden brown on bottom for 20 - 25 minutes.  Flip slices, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and bake again for 20 - 25 additional minutes.


5. In a 9 x 13 baking dish, spread 2 cups of sauce along bottom of dish. ( Add a dash of Italian seasoning to the sauce ). Arrange half the eggplant over sauce. Cover with 2 more cups of sauce and then 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Repeat with another layer of sauce, eggplant and mozzarella cheese. Finish the top with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.


6. Bake 20 - 25 minutes until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving

Sometimes They Get Along

These two are a funny pair. Lois Lane (the black one) is the only female dog we have and is aloof and thinks of herself as a Queen and a person moreso than a dog.  L.B. (the red chiweenie) is a total dog who loves his toys and wants to play with all dogs, no matter their size, breed or color. L.B. is quite wary of Lois Lane though as she isn't much the playing type and doesn't really seem to care for L.B. too much. Once in a while we'll catch her playing with him, but mostly he steers clear of her and her gnashing teeth.

So imagine my surprise to snap this shot of them bird watching out of the bedroom window. They like to do this while I work out (our workout room is the other half of our bedroom), but generally will only lay there one at a time. They laid like this throughout my entire workout watching their birds together today. Maybe they are growing to love one another!

Three Cheese Vegetarian Lasagna

Photo: Brian Woodcock

Recipe modified from Cooking Light

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 ounces shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided (about 1 1/2 cups) 
• 1 ounce fresh Parmesan cheese, grated and divided (about 1/4 cup) 
• 1 egg, lightly beaten 
• 1/4 cup torn fresh basil
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, minced 
• 1 (24-ounce) jar lower-sodium pasta sauce 
• 9 cooked lasagna noodles
• Cooking spray

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375°.


2. Combine ricotta, 2 tablespoons parsley, oregano, thyme, salt, black pepper, 1 cup mozzarella, 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, and egg in a small bowl. Combine basil, red pepper, garlic, and pasta sauce in a medium bowl.


3. Spread 1/2 cup pasta sauce mixture in bottom of a small glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3 noodles over pasta sauce mixture; top with about 2/3 cup ricotta mixture and 3/4 cup pasta sauce mixture. Repeat layers twice, ending with 1/2 cup pasta sauce mixture. Top evenly with the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and remaining 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until bubbling and cheese begins to brown.

NUTRITION INFO:

• Calories: 339


• Fat: 11.8g


• Saturated fat: 6g


• Monounsaturated fat: 3g


• Polyunsaturated fat: 0.5g


• Protein: 20.2g


• Carbohydrate: 39.2g


• Fiber: 2.6g


• Cholesterol: 66mg


• Iron: 2mg


• Sodium: 564mg


• Calcium: 424mg