Winston & Nina Update

Both Winston & Nina are home tonight. Neither of them had any serious side effects from the gum, thank the Lord! The both did have elevated liver enzymes, meaning that enough of the gum did get into their system to affect the liver. I was surprised about this because we made Winston vomit 15-20 minutes after he ate the gum, and we did the same to Nina in about 40 minutes. Xylitol is some dangerous stuff with dogs. We are very happy to have them home this evening. Thank you everyone for your good thoughts & prayers. 

Not So Good For Dogs

Our home is quiet today, with only two dogs. This morning our Pugs Winston & Nina got into some Orbit gum, which is very toxic to dogs. I gave Winston hydrogen peroxide to make him vomit, which he did several times. Winston is usually the culprit when it comes to getting into things he shouldn't. I wasn't sure if Nina got into any of it, but she was walking around the house with a piece of the box in her mouth. So this morning we made a trip to the doggie ER to make sure they would be okay. You can visit the ASPCA website for an article on the toxicity of Xylitol, an artificial sweetener found in gum & candy along with other foods.  

Cardiac Rhythms

This week I'm studying cardiac rhythms, cardiac surgical procedures along with all those cardiac drugs. Oh my aching head! Our big test is next Monday... so I have a lot of studying to do till then. No baking or surfing the web (too much that is) for me this week. 

Waiting

Sad little faces... wondering why I have a book in my lap instead of them.

Water Rescue

Being a fireman on the beach means there's a good chance you'll need to save someone in the water. Earlier in the week Wonderful Husband and his crew spent the afternoon training for water rescue. 

Friends

Winston is very much attached to people, as most Pugs are. When we are on the couch he MUST be laying on us or at least have his chin on some part of us. Well since I was up and about making dinner tonight Winston was unable to settle down with me. So he choose to use Oliver's rolled up towel for a pillow, and in return Oliver used Winston as his pillow. 

Cute Overload

I was watching Martha Stewart this morning and they mentioned the blog Cute Overload. You really need to check it out if you like cute animal photos. There is even one of a pug with a pacifier in the mouth, must have stole it from the baby, (http://mfrost.typepad.com/cute_overload/2008/09/operation-pacif.html). The site is sure to put a smile on your face today.

Milk Alternative

I've never been a big fan of drinking milk. It's okay in cereal, but other than that I'm not one to want a tall glass of milk. So on my search for looking for a milk alternative I tried soy milk. I never could really get use to the taste of it, with or without the vanilla. Recently I tried this almond milk. I purchased the vanilla flavor first, it was good but a little too sweet for me. So the next time I purchased the original flavor. It was just right. I does taste like almonds, so you'd have to like almonds to drink this. I personally think it's a better alternative to milk than soy. It give cereal a nice nutty flavor and in protein shakes for breakfast you can't really tell it's almond milk in there. 

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

Someone out there has to make these cupcakes & let me know how they taste.... they look so good. I found the recipe on the blog Confections of a Foodie Bride.

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

1 1/8 cup (9 oz) frozen Pink Lemonade Concentrate, thawed*


White cake mix (yes, the boxed stuff)


3 egg whites

2 Tbsp vegetable oil


Non-stick spray


1 recipe Lemon Buttercream Icing (recipe follows)

* For a less tart cupcake (and these babies do pack a punch), try reducing the amount of pink lemonade. 3/8 cup water and 3/4 cup pink lemonade will cut the tartness.

In a stand mixer, add the cake mix, egg whites, vegetable oil, and the pink lemonade concentrate. Mix on low for about 30 seconds and then increase to medium speed for 90 seconds (the batter will still be a bit lumpy; take care not to overmix so you don’t end up with dry cupcakes).
Spray each cupcake liner with the non-stick spray and spoon the batter into a prepared muffin pan (fill the cups between 2/3 and 3/4 full). Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick registers “done” in the center cupcake. Remove the pan from the oven and cook 5 minutes. Remove the cupcakes and cool completely on a baking rack.
Once the cupcakes have cooled, make the icing and ice the cupcakes.

Lemon Buttercream Icing
3 cups + 3 Tbsp confectioner’s sugar
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
1/8 tsp salt
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Red food color (to color icing and sugar, optional)
1/4 cup granulated sugar (optional)
Add the butter, confectioner’s sugar, salt, lemon juice, and food coloring (if using) to the stand mixer and mix on low using the paddle attachment until combined. Turn the speed to med-high until the icing is fluffy and uniformly pink. Add the icing to a pastry bag fitted with a 2D tip and ice the cupcakes.
Optional - Add the sugar and a couple drops of the food coloring to a food processor. Process until the sugar turns pink. Spread the sugar onto a plate and let dry for 15 minutes. Sprinkle onto freshly-iced cupcakes.

Source: Adapted from Wilton
Originally uploaded by Confections of a Foodie Bride.