Yummy, yummy, yummy

Good morning!  Today I am posting a recipe that you will love.  Well, you will love it as long as you like hot stuff.  I love hot stuff. And I love this recipe. If you don't love hot stuff your family or guests might. It is meant to be an appetizer, but heck, I have to confess that sometimes I make these little gems and eat them as dinner.  Beats the not-so-occasional-bowl-of-popcorn-for-dinner, but is almost as easy to make.  And a heck of a lot easier and less trouble than regular deep fried poppers.    The recipe came from allrecipes.com .   As will all the recipes posted here, it is quick, easy, and delicious. 

JALAPENO POPPER CUPS

12 mini phyllo tart shells

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped  (use gloves and wash your hands afterwards)*

1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce, or to taste

Bacon bits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place phyllo cups onto a baking sheet.

Stir together cream cheese, cheddar cheese, jalapenos, and hot sauce.  Spoon mixture into phyllo cups and sprinkle with bacon bits. 

Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.

ENJOY!!  Oh these are SO good.

* Whatever you do, do not rub your eyes after chopping the peppers. 

Stone walkway

Hey there ---- spring is in full swing after a brief (I hope) little tail-end-of-winter-I-don't-want-to-give-in storm over the weekend. Not sure what will happen today, but a return to nice weather would be fine by me. I worked last Fall to put in a rock walkway and I am happy I did it then and didn't wait until now. It was quite a project, but very satisfying.  I made a lot of mistakes along the way, not liking the first part of the walk after putting in the majority of it and learning better ways of doing it in the process.  But I think that is why it was so satisfying ---- learning from the mistakes and ending up with something worthy of the time and effort.  And it took a lot of time and a lot of effort! WHEW!!! I intend on taking out the first one quarter of it and redoing it in larger rock, but if I don't get to it this season, it will be OK.  I'll get to it eventually. It's in and the wet winter settled the ground nicely and I only have a few spots that will need to have some more soil added (you can that in the last picture). It hasn't taken but one season to make it look as if it has always been there.  I love it!  I leave you with a few pictures ...........

 Thanks for stopping by Two Dogs.  Hugs, Shawna

Let's boil eggs

With Easter just around the corner I thought this was the perfect opportunity to share a little something about boiling eggs. Believe it or not, there is a wrong way to hard-boil eggs. Doing it the wrong way gives you rubbery whites and yolks with that grey ring on the outside. Here's the steps to perfect hard-boiled eggs:

1. Place eggs in saucepan in a single layer.
2. Fill pan with cold water, covering eggs by 1 inch.
3. Place over medium-high heat, cover and bring to a boil. When the water just starts getting tiny bubbles around the edge of the pan, add a spoonful of salt and place lid back on.

4. As soon as the eggs come to a roiling boil, turn off heat and let stand, COVERED for 12 minutes. DON'T PEEK or you will lose all the heat in the pan.
5. Transfer eggs to a bowl of ice water. Let stand for about 5 minutes, then remove. Wall-ah. Perfectly hard boiled eggs.
6. Color those eggs and play Easter Bunny.

If you’re having trouble getting the shells off nicely, know that the freshness of your eggs will affect how they peel. The fresher the egg, the harder it is for the shell to come off.

Off the subject but I wanted to comment on the daffodils in my yard.  They are blooming in all their glorious beauty and despite freezing temperatures in the mornings, they recover every day and keep on giving that "ah, spring!"  feeling.  

Looking pretty sad!

Looking gorgeous!!!

I couldn't decide whether or not to post a recipe or a tip.  So I decided to do neither one and show you one of my favorite kitchen tools, the baker's blade.  I always figured a knife works as well, but boy was I wrong.  I made a batch of brownies the other day ------ hadn't been feeling well and thought perhaps it was because I hadn't had anything sweet and high calorie for a LONG time, so surely my ailments must be from lack of sugar and fat, right?   I whipped up the batter, lined my pan with foil (sprayed with an oil spray, of course) and then added LOTS of walnuts to the batter before I shoved it all in the oven.  I love lots of nuts in my brownies, but it makes them very hard to cut into nice even squares.  Not that that really bothers ME all that much; a brownie is a brownie and I'll eat 'em no matter what they look like, but they don't look very nice if you plan on giving any away.  When they came out of the oven I remembered the baker's blade I purchased from my local Avon lady (who just happens to be me) and had fallen in love with it the first time I used it, which was to cut scone dough.  Oh, it worked like a charm on that scone dough.  So I used it on my brownies and it sliced right through those walnut-rich brownies likety split!  Nice even, scrumptious little squares of chocolate delight that didn't crumble a bit when they were sliced with the baker's blade. Works wonders at scrapping dough off the cutting board, too. I can see myself using it to take cookies off a baking sheet.  It works pretty darn good at dicing, too, and it has that nice little area where you hold it so you can use the blade to scoop the diced whatever up and toss it right in your bowl. I challenge any knife to accomplish THAT!  I bet you would like to see a picture of it, wouldn't you?  All right, here it is...............................

Oh sorry about that, those are just the brownies.  Never mind the two missing on the end.  I was feeling faint.  What could I do?

Here it is.  The baker's blade. With a nice plate of brownies in the background.  Never mind the two different exposures on the pictures either.  I had my mind on chocolate and not much else.                

Thanks for stopping by Two Dogs.  Have a lovely week.  Hugs, Shawna

Foo-Foo drink anyone?

Mornin' All! Enjoying the extra sunlight at the end of the day?

Today's Two Dog's post involves saving money and who of us does not want to do that? I love lattes and cappuccinos. A lot. But let's face it, in today's economy it is hard to treat oneself (and they ARE a treat. Some of us might consider them a necessity, but.......) on too regular a basis. And I love saving money. A lot. So several years ago, even before the big downturn in available funds, I ran across this little machine in the nearest Walmart and for the price of 9 foo-foo coffee drinks I got my very own espresso maker. Now I know it's not the "real" thing (those cost HUNDREDS) and the drinks are not "exactly" the same, but it does a fair job and I save a lot of money that can go elsewhere ----- think scrapbooking and card stuff :-)

The long dohickey on the right side is the milk steamer and I don't use it. It works well enough, but is a real pain to clean and I am an instant gratification/let's not make it harder kinda gal so I choose to warm my milk in the microwave while the little wonder is making the espresso and then use one of those little handheld blender thingymabobs to whip some air into the warmed milk. They are battery operated and work really well. (I have actually whipped small, very small, batches of heavy cream with it.....). So what I have in about 3 minutes is my version of a foo-foo drink. Flavored with vanilla and a little cinnamon sprinkled on top if I am feeling especially 'stravgant. Just a thought. Remember Two Dog's philosophy: Save where you can so you can spend where you want. Thanks for stopping by. Hugs, Shawna

It's been a wild ride around here.  All the snow that has been falling (40 inches from a couple different storms) has meant a lot of shoveling.  I am regaining my muscles.  And falling into bed exhausted at night.  But the crafting time has been nice *grin*. 
Today I wanted to share a little tidbit of information with you regarding shaving your legs.  I know ---- I dread that little chore, too, and truth be told I don't shave them all that often in the winter.  Adds a bit of insulation, you know?  When it starts getting long enough to braid, then I begin to think it is time to do something about it.  :-)  When that defining moment arrives and I DO screw up my courage to sit on the edge of the tub with legs exposed to the cold and get 'er done I use hair conditioner instead of shaving cream.  Cheap hair conditioner.  It's less expensive than shaving cream and actually works better.  It will leave your legs wonderfully soft and moisturized.  What are you waiting for? Go --- run right to the bathroom and try it! And let me know what you think.  Thanks for stopping by Two Dogs.  I leave with you a couple pictures of Toonie Mae Hound, Princess Dog of Burney.

          Just taking care of business is SO exhausting! And mom is so cold she can't get a clear picture.

If this photo looks a little weird, it is because it is on its side.  I went back into my photo program and resaved several times and each time it loads into my blog on its side.  Sorry about that, but this was a pretty impressive icecicle and I wanted to share.  Have a wonderful week.

Fabric softener

Hi there!  So glad you could stop by Two Dogs today. Did you have a nice weekend?  It was absolutely gorgeous here but that's about to change darn it.  Guess one can't complain, really, since it truly is still winter. Oh well, there's lots to do in the house and I have several paper crafting projects in the works, so I will be content to snuggle in and just go with it.  Like I could change it, right?  *grin*.
Today I want to tell you about yet another use for vinegar.  Vinegar as fabric softener.  You can't get anything cheaper than vinegar, and it really does work. Adding 1/2 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle of your washing machine saves you from buying a separate laundry softener. The vinegar works naturally to soften your laundry and it also breaks down your laundry detergent for a cleaner rinse.  This means less detergent is left on your clothes for those with sensitive skin. And don't worry about that vinegar smell sticking around; the odor disappears as your clothes dry. So do you use white or apple cider vinegar?  I don't find any difference and actually use whatever I have on hand.  And I always have vinegar on hand! Have a wonderful week my friends.