PUPPY RECIPE: Pumpkin Peanut Butter Treats

Bozley has some crunchy treats that he likes...but he also likes soft treats. So I made him some Pumpkin Peanut Butter Cookies because he's spoiled like that. :P While I made these a chewy treat...they could just be cooked longer to make a crunchy cookie as well. :) Also, I used these bone-shaped silicone molds, but you could also roll out the dough and use cookie cutters instead. 

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Dog Cookies

Ingredients: 

1 cup Pumpkin puree (just 100% pure pumpkin)  

1/2 cup peanut butter (make sure it has no xylitol!)

1 3/4 cup oat flour (although any flour would be okay) 

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

2. Combine the pumpkin and peanut butter together and mix until smooth. 

3. Add oat flour and mix well.  

4. Either fill silicone baking mold with the dough or roll out on a floured surface and use cookie cutters. 

5. Place in oven for 10 minutes for a chewy treat...longer for a crunch treat. 

6. Store in an airtight container or freeze to have some on hand for later. 

Bozley loved them! :) 

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RECIPE: Chili Cheese Soup

Every time I make Mexican Cheese Soup Johnny calls it cheese dip...because it's so much like the dip that has Velveeta, Ro-Tel, and ground beef. So even though the dip is thicker...he still makes the joke every time. But last time I made it, Johnny thought a chili variation might be tasty...so I told him I'd come up with something. :) So tonight...I made Chili Cheese Soup. :) It was really yummy! 

Chili Cheese Soup

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 lbs ground beef 

16 oz Velveeta

1 can chili ready diced tomatoes

1 can chili beans (pinto)

1 can chili beans (dark red kidney) 

1 can peas (I would've chosen corn, but Johnny wanted peas) 

Directions: 

1. Brown hamburger and drain. Add to slow cooker. 

2. Cut Velveeta into cubes. Add to slow cooker. 

3. Combine the remaining ingredients in the slower cooker. Do not drain any of the cans! This is what makes it a soup. 

4. Heat on low, stirring occasionally until all the Velveeta has melted. 

5. Serve with your choice of topping: Fritos, cornbread, crackers, etc. 

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So much going on!

Things have been pretty busy lately!

We got the first dose of our Covid vaccines last weekend. We made appointments at Dillons, waited for less than 10 minutes, all went back to the room together, got the Pfizer vaccine, then waited 15 minutes to make sure we didn't have an allergic reaction. All I had was a sore arm for a couple days. That first night my elbow was also hurting and I finally grabbed an ice pack at bedtime because I couldn't get comfortable to sleep. The next day my arm still hurt a bit to lift it but it was gone the next day. I had the same issue with the tetanus shot, though, so I wasn't surprised. Ashlyn was the same way...and I think Aubry's arm was sore but not too bad. When I scheduled the appointments online, we were able to schedule both the first and second dose, so that appointment is in a couple weeks. 

Despite being vaccinated...I'll still continue a lot of the same things that have become our new normal. For example, Walmart delivery for grocery shopping! I started out using their grocery pick up service at the beginning of the pandemic. Then not too long ago I tried out their delivery since the fee was waived for the first three orders. I have taken full advantage of not needing to leave the house for groceries now! I also used my last paycheck to get Walmart+ mainly for the free delivery and no $35 minimum order...plus I can get my order within 2 hours if I need to. I am loving it! And...if I order produce or other food items that aren't good quality, then it's easy to "start a return" and they just refund the price paid back to your card. One time I actually got someone else's order instead of mine...and when I called, they said that my order was already being prepared again and would be delivered within the hour...and I could just keep the order that was delivered by mistake. Not that I needed a breast pump and baby formula...but I was glad that I didn't have to do anything or get out just to return it to the store.

Johnny has been working in the yard off and on. He had to replace some parts on our sprinkler system to hopefully get that working again. He also put down some grass seed and topsoil in the backyard where the bare patches were. Then it rained a bit yesterday so that was helpful! He just does what he can in between work. Since he's no longer doing pool work, he finally has the time to get some things done that he never had time for when he was working two jobs. 

We also got some new lighting! We've had these ugly brass light fixtures that were sold with the house 20 years ago and we've never actually liked them. So we found some "oil rubbed bronze" lights for the dining room, kitchen, and the light above the sink. We were looking for black but all the ones we liked were SO expensive. We got these three lights for less than the price of ONE of the other black light fixtures we liked. I can't wait to get them put up and see how it looks. :) We're going to be painting the living room, dining room, kitchen, and stairway sometime in the near future. Johnny brought home a TON of paint chip samples from his multiple trips to Lowes and I've narrowed it down quite a bit, but we still need to finalize exactly which shades we want. We've decided on an off-white and a green color...just gotta figure out which ones match everything the best. Then after we paint, we'll finally get the trim put back up (we never put it back after we replaced the flooring last year). :P 

The roofer is going to start Monday! Hopefully it won't take too long. 

Hello April!

Okay...so it's been April for a couple weeks already and I haven't really posted yet. It's been pretty busy around here.

Johnny is still working from home until June. We'll see if they extend it again after that. I really hope they do...it'd be nice if they could work from home indefinitely! It's been so nice having him at home all the time. :) Plus it's a lot more convenient this way and saves money on gas, etc. 

My handy husband has also been busy over the last few weeks working on some home improvement updates/repairs. The kitchen faucet install went smoothly. And it's SO much better than the old wobbly faucet. We updated to a faucet that has the pull-down sprayer and soap dispenser. I love that the pull-down sprayer can be used with the regular flow from the faucet or you can press the button to have it flow as a sprayer. It's also a lot taller than the old one which I really like. Johnny has also been working on the bathroom. After many trips to Lowe's and waiting for a part to be shipped, it's finally done! The pipes in the wall and the valve are still the same...but everything else has been replaced and the bathtub faucet no longer leaks! :) Johnny replaced the sink faucet, tub faucet and handle, showerhead, towel bars, and a toilet paper holder. He got a matching brushed nickel set...which I like a lot better than the chrome-colored fixtures that were corroded and broken. I mean...it was all builder-grade stuff that was installed when the house was built 20 years ago. Oh, and the towel bar doesn't fall anymore! I forgot and automatically reached over to hold the bar when I got my towel before I remembered I didn't have to do that anymore. :P We still need a new shower curtain rod and a new shower caddy that isn't all rusty. But hopefully with work being so busy I'll be able to pick those up soon. :) 

Milo is very suspicious of the new faucets in the sink and bathtub. He's also probably disappointed that the shower faucet no longer leaks so his water fountain is no longer his water fountain. :P So far he doesn't even go near the new faucet in the bathtub. And I snapped this picture of him looking at the sink faucet. lol. 

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We're also going to be getting some fill dirt so we can finally even out the backyard, replace the dirt that has receded so much from the house, and plant some grass in all the sparse areas (especially the backyard!). We had one company come out to give us an estimate...but they never actually sent us the estimate after they came out. So we contacted someone who was recommended to us by our roof guy and he came out today...so we'll see how much the estimate is and decide whether we'll do it ourselves or not. 

And as I mentioned...our roof guy. We also have to get the roof replaced because when it rains, it pours...literally! We got the claim settlement so now we just have to schedule to have the work completed and then we'll get the final amount for the recoverable depreciation when it's done. So hopefully that all goes well! Bozley will definitely NOT enjoy the roofing though...he was freaking out when Jim was just walking on the roof to take pictures for the insurance adjuster. :P 

So...that's about all we've been up to lately! :) 

Recipe: Pressure Cooker Mexican Beef Stew

I made something new tonight for dinner that Johnny thought might be tasty. Like most recipes that I've made (except for a couple of the family recipes I've posted), I took a few recipes I'd found and changed it up a bit. I've found I have a lot more success that way instead of following a recipe as it's written. :) And this was no exception. Johnny loved it! It tastes kind of like taco chili with stew meat. It's delicious! Well...unless you're weird like Ashlyn and my sister and don't like soups. :P 

Pressure Cooker Mexican Beef Stew 

Ingredients:

2.5 lbs of stew meat
4 tbs flour
1 pkg taco seasoning (I use McCormick mild taco seasoning)
2 tbs of oil, divided

1 small yellow onion, chopped
1/2 tsp dried minced garlic
1lb carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces 
1 can beef broth

1 can mild Ro-Tel tomatoes

1 can chili ready tomatoes

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can tomato sauce 

1 can golden sweet corn 

1 can green beans
top with optional shredded cheddar, chopped green onions, tortilla chips, crackers, etc.

Directions: 
Separate the stew meat into two batches, coat with flour, and sear in 1 tbs of oil in two separate batches. 
Remove stew meat. Sauté onions and minced garlic until onions have browned and softened, then remove. 
Pour beef broth and both cans of tomatoes into the pressure cooker. Add stew meat and onions, carrots, black beans, and corn. Stir in taco seasoning. Pour tomato sauce on top but do not stir.  

Close and lock pressure cooker. Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes. Let pressure release naturally for 15 minutes before  quick releasing the rest of the pressure. 
Remove lid and stir. With the keep warm setting on, add green beans and stir to heat through. 
Serve topped with whatever you like...such as cheese, green onions, and tortilla chips. I actually just topped mine with regular saltine crackers. 

*I used the 6qt Viva Instant Pot for this recipe.

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