Foster #2 : Daisy

Say Hello to Foster #2... Daisy. She may just be the cutest little pup ever. Daisy has the best personality and loves other dogs. She's also a total snuggle bug, I can't even go to the bathroom without her following me. 

We're not exactly sure why Daisy was dropped off at the shelter. I can't imagine why someone would want to give up this sweet little pup. After the first week, Daisy finally got a haircut. Doesn't she look like a completely different dog?!

After just 1 week I became 110% attached. The thought of giving her to someone would bring me to tears. I had to sit down and really think about why I was doing all of this. Every time I foster a dog, I pull them out of the shelter and allow another dog an opportunity at freedom. Chicago Animal Care and Control puts down hundreds of dogs and cats a month. It's absolutely heart breaking. It's a constant rat race to save animals. After a heart to heart with myself, I realized that I couldn't keep Daisy. I had to find her a new home. 

After hearing my daily stories about Daisy, a friend and co-worker Karen applied to Rain Dog Rescue, to adopt Daisy. She herself does a lot of volunteer work at Animal Care and Control and was quickly approved. 

Here she is in her new home and with her new sister. She just adores other dogs.  

Karen gave me Daisies as a thank you for her new baby, now named Sophia <3 

I'm told the pain of loosing her will get easier... :(

Honey Jalapeno Chicken Rub

This recipe is awesome. I usually buy the thin chicken breast tendreloins from Trader Joe's, which are perfect when making this dish. Since they chicken pieces are so small, they tend to cook very quickly, which helps keep them juicy, and the honey in the recipe caramelizes in no time. Remove the jalape ño seeds for a less spicy version. If you don't want to grill the tenders, they can be broiled about 5 inches from the heat for about 6 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 jalapeño peppers, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 pounds chicken tenders
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Sour cream for serving

Instructions:

1. Preheat the grill and oil the grill rack.

2. Whisk together the honey, soy sauce, oil, garlic, jalapeno, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Toss the chicken in the marinade and let stand for at least 10 minutes. 

3. Grill the chicken until well browned and cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. Serve the chicken sprinkled with the cilantro and with a dollop of sour cream on the plate.

Quick and Easy Taco Bell Jalapeno Sauce Recipe - Great for Taco Night!

I mean who doesn't love Taco Bell at 3 AM? My favorite item... Quesadillas! I think the reason I like them so much is because of the spicy Jalapeno Sauce they put on it. I knew I had to figure out the receipe...

Jalapeno Sauce - Inspired by Taco Bell

1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
4 Tsp Minced Jalapenos (Jared)
4 Tsp Jalapeno Juice (from the Jar)
1 1/2 Tsp Sugar
1 Tsp Cumin
1 Tsp Paprika
1/2 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
Dash of Salt

Mix it all together and refrigerate for at least an hour. Oh and you could also add some garlic powder to the recipe, I'd say 1/8-1/4 teaspoon, but no more because it will over power the sauce. The sauce will last up to a month, but don't worry you'll probably eat it all before then ;)

My New Vintage Kitchen Table from the 60's!

I've been living in my apartment since May with no table. That's right NO TABLE. It's been a pain in my ass. I have to sit eating on my bed or on the floor at the coffee table (which is actually my grandfathers old cedar chest).

Earlier this summer my friend moved into this awesome bungalow in North Riverside (a suburb of Chicago). It is beautiful. I love everything about it. Hopefully one day I can have a place like theirs! Anyway... She offered to give me her old pink and gray 60's table that the previous owner left in the basement. Of course I jumped at the chance as I love everything vintage. The only problem was getting it to my apartment. For months we tried to plan and coordinate, but nothing ever worked out. Then Sunday morning I got a call at 8 am, "I have my parents van, want me to go pick up that table for you?" UM DUH!!

And now my little studio is complete. The best part is that it has an adorable Pink and Gray table! YAY

I'm seriously in love!! Every time I look over at my table I smile.

Deliciously Easy Roasted Vegetable Recipe

As I mentioned before, I love vegetables. One my favorite girlfriends gave me this amazing roasted veggie recipe. YOU HAVE TO TRY IT!

You can choose any vegetables you like. I usually eat...

1 Red Pepper

1 Yellow Pepper

1 Purple Onion

1 Large Zucchini or 2 Small Zucchinis

3 Large Potatoes or 6 Small Potatoes

(feel free to add Asparagus, Tomatoes, Mushrooms, Brussels Sprouts, or even Turkey Sausage)

Cut up veggies and put into glass pyrex. Drizzle with olive oil, a splash of vinegar, salt, pepper, a sprinkle of sugar. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes at 425 F. When you remove from the oven sprinkle with herbs of your choice. I would recommend rosemary, thyme, and red pepper flakes.

YUM

How to Make Cold Vegetable Pizza - Perfect, Easy Veggie Appetizer Recipe for Parties!

Vegetables are the best! I actually prefer them to fruit, which is probably why I love my mom's Vegetable Pizza Recipe. It tastes fresh, creamy, and cool. 

This recipe is extremely easy to make, but does take some prep time. When you make it, I would recommend placing each veggie within each square, as opposed to just throwing the vegetables all over the pizza. It just gives a nicer presentation. 

YUM!

Vegetable Pizza Recipe

What you'll need...

2 Cans (8 oz each) Crescent Dinner Roll Cans

1 Package (8 oz) Cream Cheese, Softened

1/2 Cup Sour Cream

Dried Dill

1/2 Cup Broccoli

1/2 Cup Cauliflower

1/3 Cup Cucumber  

1/2 Cup Chopped Tomatoes

1/3 Cup Green, Red, and/or Yellow Peppers

1/4 Cup of Chives

(Obviously you can switch up to the veggies, depending on what you like. You could add anything! Carrots, Olives, etc.)

Start by heating your oven to 375 F. Open the crescent rolls, unroll, and press into the bottom of an ungreased 15x10 pan. Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool. Now get to chopping those veggies and place to the side. Next mix cream cheese and sour cream. Spread this mixture over the cooled crust. Now (in my opinion) it's important to cut your pieces. I recommend 4 rows by 8 columns. Then sprinkle generously with dill. Lastly, add your veggies. I usually start with 1 type (i.e. broccoli) and put a piece on each square, then move onto the next vegetable. This gives it a nice neat and clean look (as seen above). 

Unfortunately this doesn't store very well, because the crust gets soggy, so it's best served immediately. 

Hope you love it as much as me!!

-Xtina

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My Favorite Veggie Pickling Recipe - You Can Even Pickle Peaches!

When my girlfriend ask me if I wanted to try pickling with her I jumped at the chance. Who doesn't love pickles? So we hopped in the car, headed to Whole Foods, and wandered around the produce section asking ourselves what we should pickle. 

While discussing our pickling we met a very interesting man who told us that he pickled all the time. He suggested we try beets, brussel sprouts, and peaches... Yes peaches.

The recipe we had was very simple. The most time consuming part was cutting all the veggies. The great thing about it is that you can pickle just about anything!

This recipe takes about 40 minutes to prep and is best if you let it refrigerate over night. 

Makes about 2 quarts 

FOR THE BRINE:

10 Cloves Garlic, Peeled

2 Cups White Vinegar

6 Tsp Kosher Salt

Several Sprigs of Fresh Dill

1 Tsp Celery Seed

1 Tsp Coriander Seed

1 Tsp Mustard Seed

1/2 Tsp Black Peppercorns

1/2 Tsp Pink Peppercorns (if you have them)

FOR THE VEGGIES: 

Anything you like! Here we did...

Cauliflower

Asparagus

Pickle Cucumbers

Carrots

Beets

Brussel Sprouts (forewarning - if you use them, cook them a little bit beforehand so that they are soft)

and a separate jar of Peaches

You can also add Red Hot Chiles or Jalapenos to make it spicy!

Veggies

Spices

In a medium saucepan bring 4 cups of water to a boil, reduce heat so water simmers and add garlic. Cook for 5 minutes. Add vinegar and salt, raise the heat and bring to a boil, stirring until salt dissolves. Remove from heat.

In 2 clear 1-quart jars, place a few sprigs of dill (we ended up tripling the recipe). Divide the seeds and peppercorns between the jars. Using tons, remove the garlic from the brine and place 5 cloves in each jar.

Mixing it all up

Pack the jars full of vegetables. You want each jar to be tightly stuffed.

YUM

Peaches and veggies, before we poured in the brine

Bring the brine back to a boil, pour it over the vegetables to cover completely, let cool, then cover and refrigerate. The pickles will taste good after a a couple hours, but will taste better after a couple of days. These will keep for about 3 months.

After pouring in the brine, the beets started turning the water bright PINK

Now we wait...

If you've never had pickled peaches, try it, they're surprisingly good!

I can't wait to dig in!