Pumpkin Snickerdoodles... Pure Fall Comfort

Fall has finally made her way into our San Diego weather, and as the morning temps dip into the chilly 60's locals relish the warmth of jeans and sweaters.  However by mid-morning San Diegans find themselves shedding those layers as the sun warms back to our normal 70's and life remains pretty much the same.

Many of us crave the comfort of that warm sweater or a snuggle with a loved one, and while the weather may not cooperate, a comforting cookie often does wonders for the soul.

Kona and Tavo

Cookies provide warmth and a moment of happiness even on hard days, and this week we desperately need that moment.  

Regular readers of Liv Life will remember our two Maltese pups, Kona and Tavo.  Littermates, these little guys have brought undying love into our lives for the past six year.

But last weekend we lost our precious little Tavo.  A severe allergy reaction led to incessant scratching around his neck and then moved into seizures.

With numerous vets and specialists shaking their heads saying the dreaded words, "I've never seen anything like this before, I really don't know what to do ...", they reached for every medicine in their arsenal.

Plowing through every allergy medication and then moving on to incredible doses of anti-seizure meds, little Tavo's symptoms never ceased and last Friday began to worsen.  And when he began letting out little whimpers of pain we knew the time had come to let him go.

The first real loss in Liv's life, Tavo's death has hit her, and all of us, hard.  With a huge hole in our hearts we've done our best to console Kona and keep him busy with lots of love and attention.  He seems to be adjusting, but our hearts still hurt with loss.

Cookies help momentarily though, and I'm putting these Pumpkin Snickerdoodles from Cooking Classy up there with some of the best cookies I've ever had.  Not in the mood to create, I followed her recipe exactly, only substituting Earth Balance Butter Alternative for the butter and adding a dash of nutmeg with the cinnamon sugar that the dough is rolled in before baking.

With a tender texture and warm Pumpkin Pie Spice flavors, the coating of cinnamon sugar pops a sweetness in your mouth that can't help but make you smile.  Pure comfort bringing a moment of happiness into any day - even the bad ones - we've found a new fall favorite.

Pumpkin SnickerdoodlesTraditional snickerdoodle texture melds with warm Pumpkin Pie flavors for melt in your mouth happiness!  I've found a new favorite cookie.

This recipe comes from Cooking Classy and I followed her recipe exactly with the exception of using Earth Balance Butter Alternative to make them dairy-free and then adding a touch of freshly ground nutmeg and a pinch of ginger to the cinnamon sugar that the dough is rolled in before baking.  Click on the orange words below for this fabulous recipe:

Click here for Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Recipe courtesy of  Cooking Classy

 In memory of our sweet Tavo (2009-2015).  We miss you little dog.

Heart-Healthy Fluffy Vegan Pancakes

Little white balls of fluff... who knew they could worm their way into your heart so easily??  Just four years ago we brought these Maltese litter mates home at 10 weeks of age and weighing just over a few pounds each.  They tested every bit of patience I had as they chewed, bit and peed their way through my house, and on more than one occasion I was sorely tempted to send them back.

But then something happened.  They settled into a routine, they did their business outside and they looked to me with undying love nearly every moment of the day.  I'm not sure exactly when, but I began loving these guys with all my heart.

They follow me throughout the day and one or both of them usually hops onto my lap whenever the opportunity is given.  Their big brown eyes exude happiness and pure love to our whole family and my heart simply breaks when they are sick.

Unfortunately, these last few weeks we've seen our share of sick pups.  One experienced a severe allergic reaction on Christmas Day and had me up worrying about him most of the night.  The vet gave meds the next day, but his sad little eyes didn't understand that the meds would take a little bit of time to work.  Needing medicine throughout the night to help him breathe, I slept little for days as I listened for any struggle during the night.  Luckily, his attack has passed and now we wait for a blood test to see what might have caused the whole experience.

Then a few days ago I treated the two to an after dinner treat of grilled mahi mahi, an old favorite that we haven't had in quite some time.  Apparently... too long of a time, and the change in diet caused the next pup to become sick.  Lethargic, weak and with the saddest brown eyes you've ever seen, my husband and I took turns holding the boy for two days until his digestive system bounced back on track.

With both boys finally feeling better, my heart is bursting with love and I'm hoping to keep it that way.  Hence... we've been eating these better than I ever thought they could be heart-healthy pancakes for the last few days for breakfast.

Not really looking for a vegan pancake, I stumbled across a similar recipe while searching for heart-healthy versions.  With no added oil or eggs, these pancakes feature whole grains, hints of vanilla, and refreshing chunks fruit in the form of blueberries or banana (or any other fruit your heart desires!).

Having my doubts about the texture without the egg, I simply had to see if these pancakes could live up to the hype.  Would my family reject them in favor of our usual version with eggs and oil?   Would the texture be dense and dry?  Could a pancake without an egg really be good?

I'm happy to say yes to all of the above, and the reception to these flapjacks was quite the opposite of my doubts, even garnering a, "Mom... these are the best pancakes you've ever made!  Can we have them again tomorrow?".

Tweaking the ingredients to suit my taste, I had these pancakes cooking up as some of the lightest and fluffiest pancakes ever, and this vegan version earned its place as a keeper.

I didn't tell anyone about the "things" I left out, but I feel good enough about this breakfast to serve it to family members struggling with heart issues, and with my two Maltese pups lounging on my lap as I type, my heart is full as can be.

 

Homemade Dog Treats - aka Bowzer Bites

I think I just may have the most spoiled, finicky and difficult to feed Maltese dogs around.  IF we find a food they deem "good" enough to eat, that food occasionally doesn't agree with their super sensitive digestive tract, and even if it does, occasionally they will still turn their noses up at it.  Usually enjoying their imported from New Zealand (read uber expensive), dehydrated lamb, they still occasionally impose hunger strikes in the hopes of finding something new and tasty.

Being a mom, when the boys don't eat, I worry.  Not that they are in danger of starving or anything (I really can feel their ribs if I push hard enough...), but I know they might get low blood sugar or something and we simply can't have that.

Checking the labels of doggie treats from local pet stores I'm continually unimpressed with the number of ingredients I can't pronounce, and even more unimpressed with the additions of sugars, salt and chemical preservatives.  Hence, we've started DIY Doggie Treats or... Bowzer Bites.

Homemade dog biscuits are not only easy to make, but they allow you to control what goes into the treat so you don't run into any "sensitivity" issues if your dog is so prone.  Even if your dog has no sensitivity issues, one simply rests easier knowing exactly what ingredients are going into your pooch and that the ingredients you choose are "real" food.

After years of begging and convincing my husband and I that we were "irreversibly harming" them, Liv and her brother convinced us that not just one, but TWO Maltese pups would be the perfect solution to their damaged psyches.  Arriving as 2 lb of pure white fluff, I didn't want to like them... let alone love them.

You see, 10 years earlier we had lost our beautiful Golden Girl, Yanah, and I never really recovered from it.  Hearing any sound similar to her collar jingles sent me to tears for the first few months, and continued to bring sadness for over a year.  Finally, pushing the grief away, I swore never to have another dog which would only pass away all too soon.  And I lasted 10 years.

Then the white fluff balls arrived, full of energy and spunk at 10 weeks of age and they proceeded to relieve themselves on every soft household item they could find... my entryway carpet being a favorite location.  Having to set an alarm to get up in the middle of the night to let them outside brought me back to my kid's baby years, and the constant watching of them was even harder than potty training the kids.  It wasn't too hard not to get too attached to them...  For about a week.

Then the snuggles and puppy kisses started to take their toll.  I felt those little strings in my heart tug, and I became their protective mama.  When they got sick, I sat in the chair and held them all night.  We celebrated when they learned to ring the bell to go outside, and even saved a small clip from their first haircut.

I fully admit it... I love these little guys.  They have completely wormed their way into my heart and I dread the day that they will age and I will lose them.

Today as I made a quick stop at the vet, I held the door open for an older woman who was clutching her little white ball of fluff and frantically rushing to enter.  She looked up at me and the tears began to flow.  She sputtered, "I think I've lost her... my baby.  I think she's gone.".  And she was.  The vet came and took the bundle while leading the lady (she was at least 80) into one of the private rooms.  But I could hear her sobs through the door.  And I sobbed along with her.

Understanding her pain, I immediately wanted to give her a copy of my friend Stephanie's new book, Golden Angels - Lessons in Love and Loss from Buddy Girl and Daisy Mae.  Stephanie's book is currently in e-book format, but she's working hard on her Kickstarter Program to get the book into print.

Stephanie lost her Golden, Buddy Girl, a little over a year ago and turned to writing to help her through her grief.  With 13 soulful essays combined with 13 recipes to feed the soul, her e-book became popular, but people are asking for hard copies to gift to people who lose their beloved pets and she's looking for help to get the book published.

So today we add the Liv Life Maltese Approved Bowzer Bites to Stephanie's Kickstarter Blog Hop entitled "The Dog Days of Summer".  Join us as we head on over to see what else she's got cookin', and grab a few treats for your pup!

Quinoa Salad with Avocado, Black Beans and Chipotle Lime Dressing

Have you ever had one of those days where it all starts out so wonderful, everything is going just perfectly and then it feels like someone rips the rug out from under you?  You know the feeling... waking up to a tasty breakfast followed by a nice brisk walk in the fresh early morning air, playing tug a war with your favorite rope after chasing your ball and then it happens.  They take your collar off.  Usually that means one thing... a bath.

First you are put in the empty bath tub along with your brother and high hopes that they just put you there to contain you so you won't chase the cat  (you know she is 19, nearly blind and can't see where she's going, but it's darn fun to chase her anyway...).  A paper cup is all the entertainment you need for a few minutes as she reaches for those bottles of something.  And then it happens.  Water.  Lots of water.  Thankfully the water is warm, and actually after a while it's really not so bad.  You really do start to feel better without all the dust and grime that has accumulated over the last couple of weeks and now you actually smell pretty darn good.  But then... Lather, rinse, repeat.

Lather, rinse, repeat...

What to do after a bath?  What better than tear around the back yard, rolling on the ground and chasing your brother until you are truly out of breath and panting, you then collapse under a lounge chair for a quick rest while she is doing something in the kitchen - like she always is.  Hopefully it's chicken.

After a nice brush out your hair is gleaming, but your eyes begin to droop.  Thankfully it was chicken along with some other salad thing that she was putting together (but that was for the people) and now with a full tummy you begin looking for a place to lay your head.  Thankfully there are usually a pair of arms somewhere or a nice lap to crawl onto.  After all, it's been a tough day.

Snicker-Poodles

Nope... not a typo.  We bring you the ever popular "Snicker-Poodles".  Wrapping up our Spring Break adventure in Central California we have a treat for the Pups.  While some of us were back in the Yosemite Valley shooting away with our lenses, Liv and Fran whipped up a batch of treats for the canine members of our families.  

Liv found a new friend!

Arriving three days earlier at Tom and Fran's house we were thrilled to meet Wrinkles!!  Wrinkles is a full of life, 5 month old Golden Retriever with the sweetest personality.  He's working his way through his toddler years and starting to realize that there are some rules in the world, but as any true toddler would, he tests his boundaries on occasion bringing smiles to all of our faces.  Wrinkles is filling a portion of our friend's empty hearts with their recent loss of Who, another golden who passed away about 8 months ago.  Yes, his name was Who!  A bit confusing on occasion, but the name suited him and we had many laughs reminiscent of "Who's on first".

Tom and Fran have been family friends since I was a wee-one myself and staying with them is always a true pleasure.  Both retired from the education field they now pursue new hobbies in addition to welcoming their new canine friend.  Fran has amassed a somewhat gigantic pig collection over the years with her home sporting pigs of all types (figurines, dishes, towels, lamps, pillows, benches, hood ornaments, etc) tastefully incorporated into the decor.  Some 10 years ago we arrived for a visit with my then 4 year old son and we had told him on the drive up that he should count the pigs at Aunt Fran's house.  He excitedly began the moment we arrived with the pig stepping stones in the front of the house.  A few hours later he came to us crying saying "Mommy... there are too many pigs, I can't take it, they are everywhere!  I can't count them!!!"  We have laughed at his expense for year since then and always enjoy seeing what new pigs Fran has added to her collection.

Garden pig decor

Tom on the other hand turned his eye to photography and wine-making.  Planting his own vineyard a number of years ago, Tom's hobby has developed into delectable wines.  With the '08 Zin being my favorite we are eagerly awaiting a taste of the '09 version which is nearly ready.  Presenting us with Cabs, Zins and a few other blends we had quite a fun time tasting and generally partaking of the ambrosial liquid every evening as we reminisced about our day and edited our photos.

Bringing the pig/wine theme together they have titled the Vineyard the Eggboldt "Swinery", which perfectly suits their personalities.  First place ribbons from the Fresno Fair have been handed out on more than one occasion and hung lovingly on the wall of their stand alone tasting room.  While the wine is not for public sale, all of the ambiance of a true, open to the public winery surrounds their personal vineyard - right down to the musty/winey aroma when you enter the tasting room.

Wrinkles loves playing in the vineyard and can frequently be seen charging around the still dormant vines, thankfully not digging them up.  After his afternoon romp he was more than excited to partake in his own Snicker-Poodle tasting.  With a recipe from The Good Food Cookbook for Dogs, Liv and Fran put together a tasty afternoon for this toddler.  Filled with oatmeal, flour, and applesauce and then spiced with cinnamon and honey these treats had the house smelling like their snickerdoodle cookie companions and we had one happy Pup.