Today I had a little more time, so I did a little bit of my favorite thing... baking! I made the good ol' stand-by recipe (thank you, still, Kim!!) of Sopapilla Cheesecake as well as a new recipe of Brownie Cheesecake Bites. All of it is going to Bender's teachers (we-heart-them!) and my co-workers.
The Brownie Cheesecake Bites started with me doing a search for something new to try using cream cheese. Decisions, decisions. I've made brownies swirled with cream cheese, but when I saw these, I felt compelled into action.
The original recipe is from the Eagle Brand Milk site, but it uses a brownie mix and a completely different cream cheese mixture, so what I've done is actually very different. But my inspiration came from them, nonetheless.
Without further ado, here is a picture of the delectables:
Wow... that picture came out really big.
Anyway, they are rich and delicious and hit the mark for anyone craving chocolate and cheesecake both!
Additionally, I must mention that on the Just a Pinch site that I love, I won another blue ribbon! Whoot! It's for another brownie recipe. It's REALLY good. They're called Peanut Butter Crunch Brownies and they have a great combination of chocolate, peanut butter and crispy crunchiness.
Here's a picture of that one. Really, these are quite good, and if I'm honest, they're probably better than the ones I made today. I mean, who doesn't just love chocolate and peanut butter????
I don't have a better picture readily available, but you'll have to trust me on this one... t.a.s.t.y.
As for other recent events, I attended my first ever opera last weekend. I went and saw Tosca, which was performed in Italian with "subtitles" that were shown in a screen above the stage. It was great and I would definitely go to another opera based on this experience.
As for the little dog, he's been his usual level of naughty. He was less than thrilled with the whole bath thing yesterday. I took him to a place called Muddy Paws, which is a do-it-yourself dog wash. The have tubs that can be raised so you don't kill your back bending over (same with the drying tables) and they provide everything you need - shampoo, towels, brushes, etc. I learned a VERY handy trick for keeping Bender from shaking water off during his bath. Allow me to share for anyone who has to bathe a dog and knows what it feels like to get drenched when they do the shake. It's simple. When you feel them start to shake their head, immediately put your hand firmly on the back of their neck and hold it. It seems that if they can't shake their head and neck, the rest of the body doesn't follow. You have to catch it early enough though, or it won't work!
Anyway, despite it all, Bender is never above striking a few cute poses.
Here is a dog ready for me to turn the lights out at bedtime.
Here is a dog bored with working from home. So bored that he doesn't move even when I get up and move around.
Here is a dog that would completely freak out if he turned around and realized that the cat was all but laying on top of him. He is scared of Pepper. Pepper is the boss of the house and Bender is fully aware of the potential peril that comes with crossing this bossy cat.
And, lastly, here is Pepper, listening to the classical music I had playing from my iPad while getting ready for work. He was diggin' it.
Shasta is a little more shy, so no new pics of her this time.
Now you know what I know!!
Take care out there!
Traci
"We make a living by what we get... we make a life by what we give."
...Winston Churchill
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