New content to look forward to…

• Babies! No, I’m not expecting… I’m instead spoiling my nephew Miles. Be ready for photos, photos and more photos!
• Gluten Free! I’m almost a year into this journey and finally getting a hang of things. I’m hoping to share recipes, products to try and more!
• Zoo! My work is literally a zoo every day. I’m excited to share what is happening with my job at Blank Park Zoo. (Brent says to expect more bad jokes too!)
• Pins! Pinterest is my newest addiction, so I’ll be sharing my great finds with you.
• And of course more…

Until then my friends, give me an update on what is new in your world!

Or if you have yet to cave into this addictive site, just give me a hello!

Today was day 2 of the course and the focus was How They Look. The prompt was as follows:

Capture your loved one at their best (or at their worst).  Or both.                                What you’re trying to capture is the TRUE essence - expression - attitude – posture that SCREAMS your loved one.

I tried to catch a photo of Zoey sleeping since that is her best. Instead caught her mid stretch. I’ve always wanted a photo of her stretching. I love how she spreads all her toes apart and arches her back like a cat.

If you’d like to keep up with my other entries (since I won’t post them all here), visit the Flickr group. You’ll also be able to see everyone else’s entries as well!

As a kid, I tormented our dog and dressed her up in old baby clothes all the time. That was, of course, before they made stylish clothes for dogs and cats. I dress Zoey up every once in a while in a bandana or a holiday sweater, but I don’t think she needs an outfit for everyday. Heck I have enough laundry of my own, I don’t need to add Zoey’s clothes to the pile!

Last night while catching up with my Google Reader and my new favorite blog Craft Gossip, I came across this:

And… couldn’t stop laughing. Laughing out loud so much Zoey growled at me because she couldn’t figure out what was happening. The doggie is pretty cute, but you have to admit the collar makes you laugh! Best part of all, it’s recycled! Venture on over to Sew DoggyStyle and check out how you can make a collar for your furbaby!

You don’t have to have a college degree to serve.

You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve.

You only need a heart full of grace.  A soul generated by love.”

-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I only had enough cocoa for half a batch, so I put my math skills to work and halved the recipe. My advice: don’t be lazy, just drive to the store and get more cocoa! Halving the recipe included halving an egg, which an old wives tale says can’t be done! Well it can, simply put the egg in a small container with a lid and shake like crazy. Once the egg is completely combined, measure out 1 1/2 tablespoons and you are good to go- you have half a large egg!

These treats were way easier to make than I imagined they would be, except when it came to frosting them. My advice again: don’t be lazy, find your pastry bags! Generic brand sandwich bags always break, leaving you a mEsS! I frosted them in Green Bay Packers colors since I was headed to a Packers party, which was difficult to do as a die-hard Minnesota Vikings Fan. I guess it’s the price you pay when your team doesn’t show up to play… all season. They were a big hit and will be made again sometime soon!

Be sure to visit My Baking Addiction for the yummy recipe, which I only slightly adapted. I had unsweetened cocoa in the cupboard instead of Dutch processed cocoa. I added a dash of baking soda per ounce of cocoa to compensate for this ingredient swap!

This is Emma, my parents new puppy. She’s the newest member of the Obbink Family. She’s a labradoodle, but definitely acts more like a lab! I call her the “annoying little sister I never had” because she insists on tormenting me (in a good way) whenever I see her! Enjoy!

As a part of our ‘late’ Christmas celebration with my family, we enjoyed a ridiculous amount of food. Not surprising huh?! One of the best things we ate all weekend was a Ham Florentine Wreath. I was able to snap some photos while my sister-in-law Kara made the gorgeous meal.

Ham Florentine Wreath

2 8 oz packages refrigerated crescent rolls
8 oz thickly sliced deli ham, diced
1/4 c green onions with tops, thinly sliced
5 oz Swiss cheese, grated (1 1/4 cups)
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 t coarsely ground black pepper
2 plum tomatoes, sliced
1 egg, separated
1/4 cup almonds, chopped (we omitted)

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Unroll crescents into 16 triangles. With wide end toward center arrange 8 triangles in circle. Arrange remaining 8 triangles in center matching wide ends. Seal seams.

Mix ham, green onions, 1 cup cheese, spinach, mayo and black pepper. Scoop filling over seams of dough forming circle. Arrange tomatoes in overlapping circular pattern over filling. Top with remaining cheese. Lift corners of dough over filling one at a time slightly overlapping to form wreath.

Beat egg white lightly; brush over dough. Sprinkle almonds over wreath.

Bake 25 to 30 min or until golden brown. Slice, serve & enjoy!

This dish was so full of color that it made you anxious to take a bite! Try it sometime and let me know what you think. If you are anything like me, you won’t be able to have just one slice!

*This recipe was adapted from a dish served at a Pampered Chef party Kara attended.