Month: February 2015

Wine and Pizza Night

Nico and I started a little routine of when we don’t feel like making dinner (uh clean up), we just put in a store-bought frozen pizza and open a bottle of wine and call it a night! Def not a bad thing – but how much better would it be if that frozen pizza was actually homemade by you — topped with ingredients that you personally put on it, with no hidden fillers?

So — I had my girlfriends over for Wine Wednesday and we did just that. We popped open some wine bottles (& beers) and made pizzas from scratch! My friend’s dad owns a pizza shop, called Amici’s and he was sweet enough to let his daughter bring over all the ingredients we needed – including a pizza stone for my oven! (I need to get one of those)

We had homemade dough, homemade sauce – and all the toppings you could want.Processed with VSCOcam with f2 presetGrowing up with a father who makes pizzas for a living, the girl sure knew how to toss that pizza dough!

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 presetWe learned how to make the perfect circle – because to be honest, whenever I make a pizza, it is usually in some weird shape that’s not presentation worthy.

Here is what you do:

  • Start with a ball of dough
  • Place the ball of dough into flour to keep it from sticking to your hands (I used to only flour the surface and not the dough so I would get pieces of the dough that would still stick)
  • Place your hand over the dough and work with your knuckles or the palm of your hand from the inside out while turning the dough 1/4 – the rotating creates a ridge, and will also flatten the ball.
  • Toss it! {watch some You-tube videos before you do}

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After the dough was prepped, we loaded up the ingredients, (as Freddy watched closely in case something might casually fall down …ohh that little cutie!) used some of the pizza cardboard box to slide it into the oven on the preheated pizza stone and 10-15 mins later.. a cheesy-bubbly-DELICIOUS pizza was ready.

 

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 presetServe with a side salad and avocados if you’re extra hungry.

*I was able to freeze one of the pizzas we made, so next time Nico and I don’t feel like cooking dinner, we can put in a home-made pizza!! Now I just need to learn how to make my own wine…

 **If you live in the Boston area – head north to North Andover and try out Amici’s Pizzeria! Tell Leo that Karina sent you =)

 

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Weekly Hair Mask

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With all this outdoor  snow and indoor heat, my hair has been feeling rather dry lately! Over the weekend, after my shower, I smothered some of this Argan Oil Hair Mask all over my hair and let it sit while Nico and I picked out a movie to watch.

After 15 minutes, I rinsed it out and already felt my hair to be much smoother and I’m sure healthier since it got some solid deep conditioning it desperately needed.

Not to mention, the product smells AMAZING!  You can even use it as a daily conditioner, just leave it on for 10-15 mins once a week to get the deep condition.

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I got mine off Amazon!

 

*Sponsored Post

Sun-dried Tomatoes with Feta Turkey Meatloaf

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 I don’t think my mom has ever made a “meatloaf” – so I guess that’s why I don’t understand the negative perception that comes with the food – I’m almost embarrassed to tell people I’m making meatloaf and I love it (okay, I’m not embarrassed – I tell people all the time) What I mean is, a lot of people instantly go back to when they were kids and the horrors when mom told them meatloaf was for dinner… at least that’s the consensus I’ve gathered!

Here is proof— when asked random people: Why do people hate Meatloaf?— here are some responses:

  • Probably because they were subjected to the same meatloaf I was in school; hamburger with onion soup mix in it and some ketchup on top. It ruined meatloaf for me until I learned to make it myself and found out how it should really taste.
  • I always thought I didn’t like meatloaf. At a church potluck, however, it was discovered that I did not like MY MOTHER’S meatloaf… To answer your question directly, I’d say that those who don’t like meatloaf haven’t tried the right kind yet.
  •  ….because when you add the word “loaf” to a food, it just makes it so much more….appetizing. Just think! “Cabbageloaf,” or, come down to McDonald’s for our new McLoaf! Many do not know how to make a good meatloaf. It’s the kind of thing that can be good when it’s made right, but can really, really go wrong when it’s not.

So, ever since I met my fiance and had him cringe at me when I said I’m making meatloaf for dinner – I have been determined to get him to like it! And… what do you know.. he gets himself seconds whenever I make it. If you make it right – it can be delicious (not to mention SO easy)  especially for kids a great way to hide some veggies in it! I have made some with chopped carrots, kale, spinach, mushrooms…etc.

Even the doodle likes his veggies =)

Processed with VSCOcam with c1 presetThis recipe here is by far, one of our favorites. Enjoy with a side of sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts!

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Snowed in Boston… we (and our pets) have had enough!

unnamed (1)Freddy is starting to go stir crazy – o.k … I lied. Freddy has gone stir crazy! I mean who hasn’t in Boston?  My seasonal depression has reached its limit and I don’t think I’m alone! The airlines have reported more than a usual amount of travelers heading out of Boston than in recent years… can’t say we’re surprised. We need some Vitamin D STAT!IMG_2828I used to go on long walks every day with Fred and head to the dog park a few times a week. Now, the dog park is nowhere to be found and the long walks have turned into us letting Fred out in the somewhat shoveled out path in the backyard for 5 minutes tops – Boston has estimated about 7 feet of snow in the past 4 weekends with temperature/wind chills getting down to -25 degrees some nights! So, unfortunately for our pups, shoveling and plowing out the dog parks is not on the Mayor’s priority list and neither is their owner’s desire to walk in the freezing temperatures— wait— walk? where exactly? or HOW? People are skiing around town!

Freddy’s trainers the other night told us that many dog owners have been asking for Help, explaining that their dogs are starting to get aggressive….

So what can we do inside the house to keep these pups entertained? 

  • Hide and Seek
    This is by far my new favorite game to play with Freddy. Have your dog sit and wait while you go find a hiding spot. Call them once when you’re hidden and praise them enthusiastically when they find you. Freddy runs up and down the hall peering in every room and then repeats until I call his name a few times. It’s really cute. He gets SO excited when he finally finds me.
  • Find The Treats
    Grab some smelly treats and have your dog stay while you go hide them around the house. Start with some easy hiding spots and work your way up once your dog is accustomed to using his nose. When we started working on this game I would let Freddy watch me hide some of them and then he would use his nose to find his way to the others. I do this when I leave the house in the morning, so he can have an activity to do while I’m away. I love seeing if he finds all the treats…. and he usually does!

    You call to a dog and a dog will break its neck to get to you. Dogs just want to please. Call to a cat and its attitude is, “What’s in it for me?” – Lewis Grizzard

  • Teach Your Dog The Names of Their Toys
     I didn’t realize this, but dogs have the ability to learn hundreds of words. Freddy’s favorite toy is Mr.Elephant. I started calling his little stuffed elephant “Mr.Elephant” while we were playing with the toy. Once he could pick it out, I started to play with a different toy, calling it “Nemo”. He has so many toys so I’m excited to teach him the names of all of them to keep him busy.
  • The “Go Find It” Game
    I always ask Freddy to go find Mr.Elephant and bring him to me. I love doing this while I’m cooking and he’s bothering me to play.  We have a small toy container that Fred goes to pick out the toy! I try to keep this fun for him by rewarding him with a treat or quick game of tug when he brings me the correct toy. This game is a good mental workout for them.
  • Basic Obedience Training
    Freddy knows (almost) all the basic obedience commands. Does your dog? One thing I need to make sure we have is a reliable recall and stay. Living in the city, it doesn’t leave much room for dogs to be off leash and run where they please (which is why I’m super excited to take him to Vermont this Spring!), so its super important to make sure Freddy comes to me when I call him. Even well-trained dogs need a refresher course now and then to keep them sharp and this is perfect weather to practice just that! All dogs should have a basic sit, down, stay, drop it, and come here. We are still working on Drop it with Fred — that is one strong jaw!!
  • Tug of War
    Tug of war is extremely tiring, both mentally and physically. The good news is you don’t need a ton of room to play so it can be done indoors.. It’s a simple way to exercise your dog as long as you follow a few basic rules. Caution: This game should probably be played on the ground! I was playing tug of war with Fred on the bed, which is pretty high – and the doodle decided to let me win? – I can never win at this game so I clearly was not expecting this and flew off (dramatically) the bed, slamming into the door – which slammed into the wall and finally landing on the hard wooden floor. My bruises look like I was beaten…. and I was… by my dog! at tug of war!
  • Teach Them To Say Please by Sitting
    I have tried to teach Fred that sitting politely is the key to gaining our attention– this requires you to completely IGNORE any other actions — as in barking, crying, nudging your hand– Don’t be afraid to teach your dog how to act – without guidance they develop bad manners. Our dogs look to us for cues all the time, they like to know what’s expected of them. Reward polite behaviors handsomely, with consistency your dog will get into the habit of asking for things in a polite manner.
  • Make a Dog Play Date
    I had to babysit one weekend and what little kids don’t love a puppy? Well, they asked me to bring Freddy with me! and he got to play with the family’s 3 year old Cockapoo. A dog playing with another dog is the BEST workout they can get— Fred slept the rest of the day after that! and so did his friend, Rocco!
  • IMG_2747*Ideas adapted from puppyleaks.com*

 ‘Money can buy you a fine dog, but only love can make him wag his tail.’ – Kinky Friedman

Weekly Recap

Where have I been? Well, let’s see, between starting a new job, being pounded with over 2 feet of snow and then slammed again with another foot ….and taking care of a sick puppy — I’ve been a little busy. 

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Freddy is my first pet. If he was a human child, I think I could help if there was a fever, throw up etc. I speak from experience -been up all night with plenty of babies and young kids to know I can handle it (babysitting since I was 12)…but an animal- now that is something I was NOT even slightly prepared for- how could I have been?

It all started my first week of work, Nico was traveling and I was stuck one day, so decided to give doggy day care a try. After getting some good feedback and everyone telling me to stop worrying and “just do it” I had Fred get picked up by a dog service and taken to “day care”.

All seemed fine and well the next day, until I went home for lunch & he threw up…hmmm..was I suspicious? (more than I already was to begin with)… you bet ya!

I just HAVE to share this screen shot of the convo I had with my parents that day when I told them Fred threw up…

Hilarious? Yes? Did it freak me out? mhmm

It only started to worry me (MORE) when he threw up again, hardly touched his food and he had diarrhea that night.

At first, I was convinced that he was just anxious that Nico was gone for a few days – (he threw up the first time we got him when Nico traveled), but now I was starting to think it was something else…so I switched him to a bland diet of boiled hamburger meat (extra lean) and white rice for 3 days (Vet recommended- I called them)

Nothing happened the next day as far as Fred’s bowel movements, so that was good and he was loving the meat and rice diet. Nico came home that night and all seemed well again. Saturday, we went to tour that day care facility and Freddy needed to get “evaluated” for 30 min so we were asked to leave. This was to see how he played with the other dogs that were there.

I didn’t like that.

Nico said I was being crazy.

Anyways, next stop was the groomers. Freddy’s first groom!! 2.5 hours later and we didn’t recognize our dog:

IMG_2346They let us know that he would be shaking his head a lot because they plucked hair out of there…and he shook…a lot.

The next morning, I noticed what looked like dried up blood in his ears – and his diarrhea was back.

We were slammed with a snow storm so we were outside a bit and Freddy was LOVING the snow.. loving it….

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 That night, bad bowel movements returned and no water or food was touched all day. Nico took him to the vet in the AM.

He was given 2 types of medicines- one for the diarrhea and one for being nauseous and he was injected with electrolyte fluid because he was borderline dehydrated. That was ALL the information I got.

So,

I called the vet and asked how his ears looked to her..silence..she FORGOT to look. Not ok.

I took him back after work and we got an ear swap done, came back with a yeast infection- which they treated and he still has the ointment in his ears (stays for 2 weeks)

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I asked a million questions to conclude that he must have caught some type of “puppy virus/flu” – things that young kids get from school especially during the colder months. Oh fabulous. $330 later….

He was not in the mood for puppy crazies the rest of the day/night and the following day. It was pretty bad! He just lay there like a helpless, motionless body. My heart broke. Cue the dramatic music…

I left work early the next day after talking to my boss and used a syringe to force water down.  Every 15 min, as Freddy lay on his bed. Finally he stood up, I forced down more water/his pills and I made him boiled chicken and rice- which he LOVED.IMG_2432

He was coming back around by that night and his puppy crazies are finally returning. I am back to not knowing where the matching pair of my shoes have gone…but that’s okay with me.

Conclusions:

I was VERY BUSY (not even mentioning all the training and new information I’m being flooded with at work)

A Prius is NOT a good car for the snow.

Goldendoodles have sensitive stomachs and are prone to get ear infections, so, I just ordered this product:093824-808529348_1_640

Highly recommend if you have a floppy ear dog where moisture can build up. I’ll take a video to show you how to use it on your pup.Use it after a bath or anytime your pet could of got a lot of moisture in their ears.

Even if your pet is all up to date on vaccinations, viruses exist for dogs(and cats) – especially puppies as their immune systems aren’t built up yet – same as for children.

I got pet insurance.

Force water (I got the electrolyte infused water from Target) using a syringe if your pet is not drinking for more than 48 hours – better yet- get him injected for electrolyte fluids at the vet.

Always go with your instincts – of course- you can’t shelter a pet or your children forever… I was sheltered by my mom a lot – which was great and I’m healthy and all – but to some extent, children, as well as animals (see Puppy Socialization post) need to get out there in the world, even if you just want to protect them forever, their immune systems will build up and get stronger after being exposed to the world.

Hopefully Freddy’s immune system will boost up and be stronger and he can be back to being our healthy, happy little dood.