My First Bacon Toy

Okay, so I like random things, toys and bacon, however, even I wouldn't have remotely thought of creating the "My First Bacon" toy. What a peculiar item! Not sure who this would be appropriate for....and my FIRST bacon implies there will be subequent bacons in your future! I guess credit needs to be given to ThinkGeek for creating it. Apparently those Geeks are really creative.

My First Bacon

Apple Bread Recipe

I had my friend Jenn over for dinner last night and wanted a little something sweet to go along with the chicken croquettes I made.  I found this recipe for apple bread (http://www.food.com/recipe/apple-bread-20549) but I didn't have all the ingredients. I made substitutions based on what I had on hand, as well as to cut down the amount of oil used.  Here's my recipe for apple bread.

• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 t pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 c egg substitute (or 3 eggs)
• 2 cups splenda or sugar
• 1/4 cup oil
• 3/4 cup applesauce
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 2 cups diced apples (without skins)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts OR dried cranberries (I made both)
• 1 teaspoon flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix flour, cinnamon, soda, salt and baking powder together.

Beat egg substitute (or eggs) and add sugar and applesauce and oil.

Add vanilla and dry ingredients.

Stir in apples.

Mix walnuts OR cranberries in a tsp of flour and add to batter.

Pour into 2 greased loaf pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes (check then; the original recipe said to cook for an  hour but mine was done at 45 minutes).

YUM!

M & M: We Are Family

This year saw significant shifiting around of the pets in my house. First, a stray cat, who we named Mimi, decided my house was her home. S/he came to us last Christmas, in the middle of a snow storm. I tried to make her stay outside but, of course, eventually I gave in.  Who could you resist this (the kid or the cat)?

We thought Mimi was a girl. She was so young (8 weeks). Since we didn't see any male equipment, we decided to call her Mimi.  When I took her to the vet a month later, he said she was a he! Apparently Mimi was part of a catch, fix, release effort as she has a snipped right ear, which the vet said is a sign of a particular local animal "rescue" effort.  (I still can't believe that they nuetered a tiny kitten and released back into the wild during the dead of winter). In any case, we stuck with the name Mimi and now have a trangender cat.

In the spring, I decided to foster a special needs dog. Marcella (or Miracle) as she was originally called, is a blue tick coon hound who was born without a right front leg. She is the sweetest dog!  Again, who could resist this?  Clearly, not me!

M &; M (Marcella and Mimi) absolutely love each other!  Every night Mimi insists on snuggling with Marcella. They are such an adorable couple; they make my heart smile. I predict they will warm your heart as well.