Miss Charley

Time to tell you what is happening in Charley’s life… well she is growing very fast for starters!  She's over 20 lbs, half way to her full grown size!   

Fully potty trained!  YAY!  She caught onto that part pretty quickly.

Digging - UGG!  She is so good inside but once she goes outside, she digs and makes a mess.  It's can be frustrating for me to keep her clean but we try our best!  We have doggie wipes and doggie perfume to help between bath times.

Chase – she loves to play chase.  Good and bad, chase on my hour lunch break is not so fun for me.

Training classes – great!  She just graduated from her puppy class and has learned many great skills.  I’m pretty sure she was valedictorian. 

Yes those are bows in her hair! LOL!

Freedom – she has earned quite a bit of our trust and we are giving her more freedom.  At night she is no longer kenneled.  She doesn’t really like being in bed with us that much anymore, but loves to sleep on the floor at the foot of the bed.  Here soon we will test giving her some more boundaries during the day. 

Separation Anxiety – she totally freaks out when she can't be in the same room as us or if she knows we are leaving.  She so badly wants to come with us and is so happy when she does get to go in the car. 

SOOO over this photo shoot mom!

little doodle bug!

Ice cubes – I can’t even pour myself a glass of water without her right under my feet wanting her ice cube.   It’s funny when one gets stuck to the side of her face.

Attention – she loves attention!  Like most any puppy would!

Just like a little teddy bear!

Time Out – Believe or not, we’ve actually trained our dog that when she is in trouble, she has to sit against the wall and not move at all for 10 minutes.  If she moves, we barely have to yell and she goes right back against the wall.  She knows time out is serious business!  It’s the only punishment that really does seem to stick.  Time outs are rare, most of the time she is on pretty good behavior.

Playing with other pups – she likes to be the aggressor.  She tends to go after the weaklings.  She gets scared when another dog is more aggressive with her in play.

Waiting patiently at the Vet for vaccinations

She is fully vaccinated! Her appointment to get spade is only a few short weeks away.

Scardy cat – sometimes when we want her to come inside, we just start barking while she isn’t looking.  She is so scared of the sound of another bark, she runs right up the stairs into the house.  Sometimes we get weird looks from our neighbors when we open the door and just start barking...

Super COOL

So ya, slightly dangerous that she wants to be on the driver's lap

Tricks - I can now sit a treat on her paw and make her wait to take it until I give the command.  Pretty good for a pup who LOVES treats.

Chewing - I must admit (knock on wood), we have it pretty good.  Not once has she chewed up anything in our house.  Our shoes lay out, she never even attempts to chew on them.  We really don't put anything up that wasn't out before we had her.  She has hardly aknowledged our Christmas tree and gifts.  But she does LOVE her toys!  Toys and rawhides get lots of wear and tear!

We crack up when she falls asleep and actually starts to fall out of her bed as she is still sleeping, it's halarious

Our life has changed with Charley, she is truely part of our family.  It's funny... you know you are a pup parent when you roll over in bed in the morning onto a squeaky toy.  That happens quite often!

I don't take baths often but when I do... she tries to get in with me!  It won't be long before she will be able to get in if she really wanted to

Baths - I can't shower without her trying to get in with me.  Very intrigued by water.

It's too funny watching her watch TV.  Her favorite shows are Say Yes To The Dress and The Biggest Loser :)

 

So tired!  It's tough playing all the time

Now since her hair is growing out more, it is super funny when I come home over my lunch hour and I wake her up and she props her head up to look at me and she has crazy bed head hair!  I can tell when she has been sleeping for quite awhile just by looking at how wild her hair is.

Well that's all I can think of for now!  Miss Charley is loving being a Hyde and we love her to pieces!

Thanksgiving Day Highlights

We spent Thanksgiving Day with Aaron's side of the family up in Waterloo.  The highlight of our trip was meeting our new niece Aniston who was born in October.  She was such a good baby and cute as could be.

Adalyn (big sister, our other niece) is quite full of personality!  As soon as she walked in, she jumped right up on my lap.  It was funny watching her and Charley, Adalyn would grab Charley's toy and Charley thought she wanted to play tug-a-war and Adalyn was yelling "Charley give me the toy!!"  LOL!

Then Adalyn took Aaron's phone and was trying to take pictures with it and she would hold it up and look at all of us say "Cheese Kids!"  Oh my gosh, it was the funniest/cutest thing ever!  She was cracking me up!  I don't know how Chantal keeps up with her each day, she has a ton of energy!

Here are some pics of the weekend....

And here she is!  Aniston Adele Hyde!

Aaron's brother Eric with Charley

Cute!

So tired!

Big sister Adalyn

Addie and Charley having fun playing

With my sister-in-law Chantal

Aaron has his hands full but having fun with the girls

Thanksgiving Day Tips

I only have a few... as I'm not an experienced Thanksgiving Day preparer but I always have a small turkey meal for Aaron and I every year in which we just had this past weekend.  I'm just going to share a few tips that I feel are worthy of passing along!

Turkey seasoning - this year I tried a seasoning from my Taste of Home subscription (please get yourself a subscription of this!  It has CHANGED my life!)  It's a very easy rub, common ingredients you should already have in your pantry, and has a nice flavor that isn't overpowering. 

Brush raw turkey with olive oil (HYDE SHORTCUT - spray that bird with Pam!)
1 tsp. each of: minced garlic, seasoned salt, italian seasoning and pepper.  Rub all over the turkey.

Bread - I love bread at resturants but we don't eat bread at home.  Rarely do we even have a loaf of bread in our house.  But I decided to make a tube of bread and give it some flavor!  Unroll tube of dough, take a tub of Philladelphia Cooking Cream - Italian Herb and Cheese and spread over dough.  Take some Kraft shredded cheese and sprinkle over top.  Starting at one end, roll the dough back up and bake.  Now when you slice into it, it will have herbed cream cheese inside it.  FANCY PANTS!

Dessert - Pumpkin pie, pecan pie, cheesecake, blah, blah, blah.  I do love desserts but why not make something outside the norm that is easier but yet impressive!  Plus it's only 194 calories a serving!  Like it matters... by the time you get to dessert, you've consumed over 1,000 at that point anyways right?!?!  

Don't have a trifle?  Use a glass bowl. 

Really good with some post-dinner coffee

 PUMPKIN TRIFLE

Ingredients

• 1 package (14-1/2 ounces) gingerbread cake mix (I recommend making two pkgs, I wish I would have!)
• 1-1/4 cups water
• 1 egg
• 4 cups cold fat-free milk
• 4 packages (1 ounce each) sugar-free instant butterscotch pudding mix (don't let this scare you, I'm not a big butterscotch person and was worried about this but it was not too much at all) 
• 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I garnished the top with this as well)
• 1/4 teaspoon each ground ginger, nutmeg and allspice (I didn't have any allspice and so I just omitted it)
• 1 carton (12 ounces) frozen reduced-fat whipped topping, thawed (I used two cartons and was glad that I did)

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, water and egg, beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Pour into an ungreased 8-in. square baking pan.
• Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. When completely cooled, crumble the cake. Set aside 1/4 cup crumbs for garnish.
• In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Stir in pumpkin and spices until well blended.
• In a trifle bowl or 3-1/2-qt. glass serving bowl, layer a fourth of the cake crumbs, half of the pumpkin mixture, a fourth of the cake crumbs and half of the whipped topping. Repeat layers. Garnish with reserved cake crumbs. Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving. Yield: 18 servings.

AND MY LAST AND MOST IMPORTANT TIP!!! REMEMBER TO BE THANKFUL THIS THANKSGIVING! :)   HAVE A WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!

Chicken Marsala and Pimento-Cheese Potato Gratin

As promised from a prior blog post, here are two recipes that pair well together and are DELISH! My picture really doesn't look as appetizing as it was, but trust me the flavors of this dish are incredible. Perfect for a date night at home, not one I would recommend during the week, as both of these are work and take time to prepare. Normally I would never make something that is this time intensive but it is so good I will definitely make it again very soon. Let me know if you try either out and what you think!

Chicken Marsala (source: Food Network)

Ingredients:

• 4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)

• All-purpose flour, for dredging (I used Corn Starch to make it gluten-free)

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 4 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced

• 8 ounces crimini or porcini mushrooms, stemmed and halved (I used procini mushrooms)

• 1/2 cup sweet Marsala wine

• 1/2 cup chicken stock

• 2 tablespoon unsalted butter

• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (I didn’t use)

Directions:

Put the chicken breasts side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them; pound with a flat meat mallet, until they are about 1/4-inch thick. Put some flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly.

Heat the oil over medium-high flame in a large skillet. When the oil is nice and hot, dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, shaking off the excess. Slip the cutlets into the pan and fry for 5 minutes on each side until golden, turning once – do this in batches if the pieces don't fit comfortably in the pan. Remove the chicken to a large platter in a single layer to keep warm.

Lower the heat to medium and add the prosciutto to the drippings in the pan, saute for 1 minute to render out some of the fat. Now, add the mushrooms and saute until they are nicely browned and their moisture has evaporated, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Pour the Marsala in the pan and boil down for a few seconds to cook out the alcohol. Add the chicken stock and simmer for a minute to reduce the sauce slightly. Stir in the butter and return the chicken to the pan; simmer gently for 1 minute to heat the chicken through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

Pimento-Cheese Potato Gratin (source: food.com)

Ingredients:

• 3 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste

• 1 1/2 lbs yukon gold potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch-thick round

• 3/4 cup heavy cream

• 3 shallots, finely diced (I didn’t use)

• 1/4 teaspoon crushed dried red chili pepper flakes

• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

• 1 (9 ounce) jar roasted red peppers or 1 (9 ounce) jar piquillo peppers (I used roasted red peppers)

• 2 tablespoons reserved liquid from roasted red peppers or 2 tablespoons piquillo peppers

• 2 cups coarsely grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F

Bring 2 quarts water and 2 teaspoons salt to a boil in a 3- to 4-quart pot. Add potatoes and cook for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Combine cream, shallots, chile flakes, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, black pepper, and reserved liquid from jar of peppers in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook until chile flakes have begun to stain the cream, about 2 minutes.

Add half the cheese and stir until melted, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Layer a third of the potatoes in a 6-cup baking dish, overlapping if necessary. Scatter half the roasted peppers on top of potatoes (cut up any peppers that have remained whole so that they lie flat). Repeat until all peppers and potatoes have been used.

Pour cream mixture over potatoes and peppers; gently shake dish to distribute liquid. Cover with aluminum foil and bake on middle rack for 15 minutes. Uncover dish, sprinkle remaining cheese over top, and place dish on top oven rack. Bake until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned on top, about 8 minutes. Serve immediately.

Family Fun

We had a fun weekend back at my parents.  My sister Heather and I threw a baby shower for my brother Cody and Jolie.  My nephew is due on December 2nd!  His grand arrival will be here in just a few short weeks. 

Also, my Aunt, Uncle and cousins were back from Milwaukee so we also had our Thanksgiving with the family while everyone was back.

So I basically am going to blog our weekend via pictures below since I took plenty :)   

Everything looked so pretty and I was happy how it all turned out

The sign in table we threw together at the last minute, no more tablecloths, okay let's just use baby blankets then!

Jolie and Cody

I hope this is the last diaper cake I have to make in awhile...they are so cute but too much work!

Heather, myself and Cody

Adorably wrapped gifts!

Showing off the baby bump, looking pretty good for 3 weeks out

First game... guessing the size of the baby

Second game..baby triva

Third game... trying to guess what the baby food is

Gift opening!

Grandpa Nick sent a fun gift of his favorite team

Aaron and I's gift... a pack and play

Switching gears to our Thanksgiving... Charley, center of attention

Cousin Colin and Grandma playing with Charley

Heather and I striking a pose

A pooped out pup!

Cuddling with Grandma

Mama to-be Jolie

The girls... Jolie, Heather, Mom, Aunt Stacy, Cousin Jennifer

Stretching out for football, Grandpa, Uncle David and Aaron

Heather could not get enough of Charley

Next time we are back, there will be a baby to spoil!