Mondays with Brinks

Happy Halloween!

Pop on over to Harbor Cottage to see what Angie is up to.

Just Desserts, Take 2

Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats, Snickerdoodles, and Molasses Cookies.

We take Halloween sweets seriously in this family.

(recipes to follow)

Mondays with Brinks

(The things he does when he thinks no one is watching...)

Happy Monday!

Don't forget to pop over to Harbor Cottage for another cute puppy pic!

Just Desserts

I had a lot of free time last week.  I spent most of it baking.  These apple dumplings are a new favorite.  They're super easy to make, and taste like a million bucks...if a million bucks were wrapped in cresent rolls and smothered in a sugary mess of goodness.  You can find the recipe here. 

This blackberry cobbler might not look so hot in my crappy photo, but it makes my "Top Ten Foods I've Ever Tasted" list for sure.  It was also super easy.  I recommend you make it.  I recommend you make it now.  Here's how:

Blackberry Cobbler

(makes 1 9x9 cobbler)

3 cups fresh or frozen blackberries
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 tbsp cornstarch
3/4 cup boiling water

1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees, and place berries in a 9 inch square pan.

2.  In a medium bowl, mix together 3/4 cup sugar, flour, baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt.  Add the milk and melted butter and mix well.  Pour the batter evenly over the berries.

3.  In a small bowl, mix the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, cornstarch, and 1/2 tsp salt.  Sprinkly evenly over batter. 
4.  Evenly pour the boiling water all over.  Bake for 50 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbling. 

NOTE:  If you use frozen berries, the bake time will be longer.

Mondays with Brinks

Happy Monday!

Don't forget to stop by and visit Angie at Harbor Cottage!

Brinks has a message for you.

Dad came home!!

Things to do when your husband disappears for a week:

1.  Take your legwarmers for their first adventure.

2.  Buy a new teapot.

3.  Make a blackberry cobbler.  (Recipe to come.)

4.  Get all dressed up for no apparent reason.

5.  Let a rabbit explore your house.

6.  Realize that your dog is so fluffy you can't see his eyes.

7.  Find a friend for said fluff muffin, and puppysit.  (Everyone, this is Clyde.  Clyde, this is everyone.  Clyde is staying with us until Friday.)

Mondays with Brinks

Brinks misses his dad today.  (And maybe I do a little bit too.)  Can you tell? 

Don't forget to visit Kelsey and Angie over at Harbor Cottage today for more cute puppy photos! 

PS -- Can you believe how teensy Brinks was when we first brought him home? 
I just can't get over how much smaller he is in that first photo than in the 
more recent ones! 

Barnaby Bunny and Brinksy Boy to the Rescue

After a full week of working 14 hour days, husband left in the wee hours of Saturday morning for training in the ever-mysterious "field."  He is beyond excited to run around playing a really intense game of lazer tag (I kid, kinda, a little bit) with his friends for six nights and seven days.  I'm beyond miserable.  What with our post being in the process of shutting down, this place already feels like a ghost town and I dread feeling even more alone than I already do.  Plus, it's no fun taking out the trash myself.  That is not my chore, I tell you!

It doesn't help that this short goodbye brings back all too vivid memories of the other, longer, more awful ones.  It also doesn't help that I know without a doubt that this won't be the last goodbye by a longshot. 

But anyway.

There is one good thing about this week.  And his name is Barnaby Rockjaw Kindred.  And he is our new bunny.  And, oh, is he precious!

At first Brinks was confused.  He growled with disdain, thinking he was being replaced.  Am I not cute enough, Mom?? he whined, sadly.

But then we told him:  "But Brinksy, don't you see? This is your pet."  And after some intense sniffing from both parties involved, Brinks licked Barnaby square on the nose, and now they're best of friends.  For real.

Kyle approves of Barnaby as well.  Mostly because he picked the middle name.  But also because Barnaby (who is two years old) comes to us pre-litter trained, and his food is cheap.  And maybe a little because he's fluffy and cute, but don't tell him I said so.

Barnaby and I are thick as thieves.  This little guy knows full well who gives him his foodstuffs.  Plus, he's fluffy.  Just in case you didn't notice.  I mean, with all this puppy/bunny cuteness going on, maybe I'll even survive until Friday.

Our New Home, Take 2: The Library

I get so many comments about my books whenever they pop up in the background of a photo that I decided to dedicate a whole post to them.  I reorganized the shelves today, which provided the perfect excuse to start photographing.

Things started out very messy.

Luckily I had a helper.

A couple hours of alphabetizing, shuffling, and breaks to play fetch later, things looked like this:

Come closer...

Closer...

Take a gander at the "to be read" shelves.

Note that some of my Harry Potters are so worn I had to buy a second copy.

Admire the decor.

Thumb through Kyle's two shelves.

Flip through a magazine.

If you're feeling ambitious, try and decode some of this little beauty.

Then check out my autographed copies.

So whatcha think?  I'm pretty impressed with it, myself. 

Today has been a foodish sort of day.

In the wee hours of the morning I was up making just over three dozen assorted muffins for husband to take to work (let's just say it's a long day) and share with his friends.  The light ones are banana with chocolate chips, and the dark ones are double chocolate.  There were also some blueberry, not pictured.

Then I made these beauties:  Peanut Butter Nutella Brownies.  They're delicious, but rich enough to melt your teeth.

And last but not least, dinner tonight was the best chicken parmigiana I've ever tasted.  Ever.  In my entire life.  You'd better believe I licked that plate clean.  I recommend you make it soon, and then think of ten thousand excuses to keep making it.

Want some recipes?

• Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Double Chocolate Muffins
• Peanut Butter Nutella Brownies
• Chicken Parmigiana

Autumn Has Arrived

Really the Americans are delusional (with all due respect) in calling this "fall" when it's so clearly an ascension. A climb into one's own skin, into layers of clothing, into routine and those sparkling mornings. 

-- Iida

Autumn burned brightly, a running flame through the mountains, a torch flung to the trees.

-- Faith Baldwin

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.

--Albert Camus    

There is a harmony
In autumn, and a lustre in its sky,
Which through the summer is not heard or seen,
As if it could not be, as if it had not been!

-- Percy Bysshe Shelley

Everything is exploding with color here, even though the heat is still scorching.  Brinks and I enjoyed our walk immensely.  I wouldn't mind a bit if things went on like this forever -- blue skies, puffy clouds, golden leaves, and warmth.  It's perfect.

Mondays with Brinks

This week on Mondays with Brinks:  playtime with our puppy-cake. (We call him all sorts of strange things. But that's another post.)

(biiiig puppy yawn, just before he crashed for a nap)

Don't forget to visit Kelsey and Angie at Harbor Cottage, too!  Link up in the comments if you want to join our weekly puppy photo challenge!

Happy Weekend! (Dinner with Friends)

(My first real drink!)