A Request:

I would like you all to please keep Kate's (Freckled Hen) Daughter, Hadley , in your thoughts and prayers this week to come.
Sweet Hadley, We wish you a speedy recovery!
Kate, I pray that God will give you and your family strength.
We send you our love and eagerly await the good news of Hadley's recovery!

Happy Halloween!

A couple of Be-Witching Porches on this All Hallows Eve!

Have a Spook-Tacular Day!

Last But Not Least.....

Last but certainly not least is Dunkin'.

He came to us last year awhile after I had lost my special little buddy who had been with me since I was 14.

I was devastated.

Shelters kept emailing me pictures of dogs that needed homes.

Which would result in me bursting into tears and having my poor husband try to comfort me.

I felt awful for not taking every dog that needed a home, but the only dog I wanted was MY

dog.

My dear sweet and very intelligent husband said that God would send us the dog we are supposed to have when the time was right.

Then one day, on a trip to town, I saw this little guy running around,looking confused.

What happened next, was only what I can explain as a sign from God (or at least only something you usually see in movies:)

I walked up towards him and said "Hey, little guy, who do you belong too?"
He then proceeded to run toward me and jumped right in my arms and licked my face.

I took him to the nearest town and asked around, everyone told me that he had been running around the area for days(some said even weeks)

No one wanted to help him because " He had yucky open sores on him" and looked "scrawny"

So, he came home with me.

I posted signs and put up ads and no one called.(thank goodness, because he had already wiggled his way into out hearts!)

So,that is the story of Dunkin' , my little furry angel:)

P.S.

This concludes the introductions to our animals (or what I call "our Kids")

I do have some fish, but they do not photograph well, they refuse to let me take a decent group photo of them......

Have a great weekend, Folks!

Scare Away Vampires and Husbands......

I love garlic.
Not sure if it is my Italian Roots or what,but I am certain I am one of those people that walk around with garlic breath that everyone wrinkles their nose and talks about.
My Italian Mama was never afraid of the stuff,putting it liberally in soups and dishes and my Daddy has an extreme love with onions.
So,as a child I never had a chance and grew to love the strong root veggies ( I even enjoy Horseradish,thanks to my Daddy:)
But,for some odd reason Hummus had escaped my taste buds till just the last two years.
This recipe for Hummus makes the little tubs of Hummus you buy in the grocery store look like imitators.
This stuff is GOOD!

Hummus

4 garlic cloves,minced and mashed
2 15 oz cans of garbanzo beans
2/3 cup of Tahini (roasted,not raw)
1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Toasted Pine Nuts and Parsley for garnish (optional:)

In food processor (or I use my little hand-held Blender )
Combine garlic, beans, tahini, lemon juice and water and oil.
Process till smooth.
Add salt, starting with 1/2 teaspoon then more if desired.
Spoon into serving dish and Garnish.
Serve with Pita Chips (my favorite:) or with veggies.
Its even good spread on bread for a sandwich instead of mayo.

What is Up With This Chick?

That's what y'all are saying about me.
First of all, you will think I have quirky taste buds (which I do) and secondly that we are only eating cookies in this house as of late (that's not entirely true....)
But,When I stumbled upon this recipe it was so different I couldn't do anything but whip up a batch.
I couldn't stop eating them. (just ask my hubby:)
So, even though you think I have flipped off my rocker, humor a Crazy Person and try this recipe; I think you will be pleasantly surprised.


Blackberry Sage Thumbprints


2 cups of flour
2/3 cup cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup of unsalted butter at room temp.
1 cup of packed brown sugar
2 large eggs (use the yolks only!!)
2 teaspoons of finely shredded lemon peel
1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla
5 teaspoons fresh minced sage or 1 1/2 teaspoons of dried,crushed sage
3/4 cup of blackberry preserves,room temp.


Preheat oven to 350

In medium bowl combine first four dry ingredients.set aside.
In mixer bowl,Beat butter for 30 seconds.
Add brown sugar,beating till combined well with butter.
Beat in egg yolks, lemon peel, vanilla and sage,scraping sides of bowl to make sure everything is incorporated.
Add flour mixture in 3 increments,beating well after each time.
Cover and chill batter in fridge for one hour.
Shape chilled dough into 3/4 inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet,two inches apart.
Using the end of a wooden spoon or your thumb,make a indentation in the center of each cookie.
Place a 1/4 teaspoon of Blackberry preserves into each indentation.
Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes till bottoms are slightly browned.
Cool on cookie sheets for a couple of minutes before transferring to cooling rack.
Enjoy!

The Girls

These are "The Girls"

The Grey Kitty is Minnie.

She was a wild kitten we found in one of our sheds,not sure what happened to her mother, but since she was a wild cat, probably not anything good.

She was just a scared,timid little thing who would just peek her nose out between the boards stored in the shed.

After a months of coaxing and feeding treats she would come out and let me touch her.

Now,she is a indoor kitty with a HUGE attitude, Manly and I can not believe she used to be wild:)

The Black Cat is Miss Ivy (And Yes,she thinks the "Miss" part is very important!)

Minnie is our House Clown, Miss Ivy is a Lady.

She came to us after some people couldn't care for her anymore due to allergies.

She has the most expressive face, you can tell if something has "displeased" her.

She will carry a grudge for days (which involves you on the floor staring under the bed pleading with a pair of angry gold eyes)

She does enjoy opening cupboard doors and sleeping in grocery bags.

So,now you have met "the girls"

Have a Awesome Friday!

Double Ginger Cookies

I love Ginger.

I love Ginger Tea (can settle an upset tummy and help with those 'monthly discomforts')

I love even the scent of Ginger.

So,this recipe I especially love since these cookies are extra ginger-y due to the fresh grated ginger that is in them.

Bake them on a rainy day they will make the house all cozy and yummy smelling:)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teas. b.soda

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teas. salt

1/4 cup butter

1 1/4 cup of sugar

2 eggs

2 tabs. dark corn syrup

3 tabs. grated peeled fresh ginger

1 teas. ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

In medium bowl combine dry ingredients; set aside.

In another bowl cream butter and one cup of sugar; add eggs, corn syrup and grated ginger and mix till combined.

Blend in flour mixture and chill in fridge still dough is slightly stiff.

In small bowl combine cinnamon and 1/4 cup sugar.

Form dough into 1/2 inch balls and roll in cinnamon sugar and place on greased cookie sheets and bake 10-12 minutes.

Cool on wire rack (if you can resist them that long;)

One of the "kids"

I am posting this because of my new friend, Robin, over at Various and Sunday.

I realized that I had never introduced you all to my "kids".

So,starting every week for the next 4 weeks I will introduce you to one of them.

This is Dinah Jo.

We have had her about a year, and she is a rescue.

Her owners moved to California,leaving her to starve to death in her yard.

She finally got out of the yard and started to hang around the Harvest Trucks,hoping they would throw a little food out to her.

One of these Harvest Truck Drivers was my handsome and kindhearted Manly, who saw her emaciated little frame and her frightened eyes, and just couldn't leave her there to fend for herself.

The problem was that her "wonderful" owners (typed sarcastically,of course) obviously hadn't been very nice to her.

She would come with in 10 feet of you, if you would throw food to her.

Otherwise,she wouldn't come any closer.

It was like trying to capture a wild animal.

We finally got her caught,but the weeks that followed were not easy.

And I certainly wasn't popular at her first Vet visit, she didn't bite anyone ,her defense was to pee and poo all over them......

However,here we are a year later with our "wild" dog...