The dog days of summer…or opposite would be of Alaskan winters. Yes, this week it’s all about man’s best friend. More specifically your doggies. Changing things up with a fun treat for my fury friends. Coinciding so nicely with Lexi’s birthday.. She was my guinea pig and got to try them first, but isn’t it comforting knowing her brother and sister will be able to share the same treat?

Yawning and hiccuping are two new tricks babies at 18 weeks have mastered. Similar to the length of a sweet potato the #fakebabies are 5.5 inches long and are weighing between 5-6.5 ounces.

Sweet potatoes are high in fiber and beta carotene. They’re a popular and slightly healthier substitute to the regular potato with many cooking applications. Even with all the fancy recipes out there, my favorite way is just simply slicing them to roast with coconut oil. But, oh what fun it was to make these dog treats using canned, pureed sweet potatoes. I think when you know how much someone or some-dog will enjoy it, it adds so much more joy to the cooking process.

Following this recipe for the birthday girl.

www.allrecipes.com – Sweet Potato Dog Treats

Ingredients:

• 1 cup canned sweet potatoes
• 2.5 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup applesauce(unsweetened)

Method:

• Preheat oven to 350°
• Mix all ingredients together, to get a nice dough

• Roll out on floured surface, until about 1/2 inch thick
• I used a bone shaped cookie cutter to cut out, then placed on stone
• Bake for 35-45 minutes
• Let cool for 10 minutes, then move to wire rack

And of course I tried a bite, you know how much I like dog and/or cat food😉

Dog tasted and approved! Happy Birthday Lexi! And happy 18 weeks to the #fakebabies!

If I remember right you’re not a huge onion fan, maybe you’re a little onion fan. What to do? When the #fakebabies are the size of an onion, we eat onions. Maybe this will change your mind. Aren’t they cute? These baby onions, the cipollini, make me suddenly feel very Italian and the name cipollini literally means little onion in Italian. Although this specific onion doesn’t quite match up in size to our #fakebabies, but if they’re a sweeter aka tastier onion, we bend the rules. Why it’s good to be queen! And there are no rules!

At 17 weeks, babies are 5 inches long and just 5 ounces. The size of a large onion or four cipollini onions.

Also similar in size to a cassette tape. And now that the #fakebabies are developing sweat glands…. wait, what?… “I can’t hear you?!” Turn Up the Music, which now has me singing and dancing to the song by Autograph

“Now listen!
I want to shake, I want to dance
So count it off a’one two three
I feel the beat, I’m in a trance
No better place to be
Daytime nightime, anytime
Things go better with rock
I’m goin’ twenty four hours a day
I can’t seem to stop”

Back to business.

Onions have many benefits besides bad breath and repelling vampires; they help fight inflammation, lower cholesterol and decrease triglycerides.

And here’s the recipe you’ve been dying for (or not). Nothing can be bad when you add tahini to it right?!

www.saveur.com – Cipollini Onion Hummus

Ingredients:

• 4 oz Cipollini onions, sliced
• 1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 can drained and rinsed Chickpeas
• Juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 cup)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1/2 tsp salt

Method:

Saute onions in oil until brown and caramelized, about 12-15 minutes

Once done, take off to cool

Meanwhile, in food processor; mix together the chickpeas, 1/3 cup olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, garlic and salt. Add in about 2/3 of the onions and mix until smooth

Top with remaining onions

Enjoy with your favorite vegetables

And eat any remaining onions straight from the pan. They’re really good!

And when you have a can of chickpeas, you cannot let all that aquafaba go down the drain… So you make Chocolate Mousse! #bonusrecipe

Bain-Marie the chocolate. And once melted, take off to slightly cool.

Whip the aquafaba until stiff peaks form, then add the sugar (I put in 1 Tbsp, I gave you 2, so you have extra 😊) and a dash of salt and whip again for 15 seconds.

Very carefully fold in the melted chocolate.

Refrigerate.

Oh, how I wish I could actually send you an avocado, one of natures perfect foods, we wouldn’t even need a recipe, just a spoon!

But, they do have time management issues.

A fruit just bursting with healthy fat, perfectly made in its own bowl; and can be eaten whole with salt and lime, diced atop a salad or any self- respecting taco or mushed into guacamole.

How fun that this is the week tiny taste buds are forming, tasting the salty amniotic fluid, readying themselves to being future foodies!

For week 16, a Tex-Mex fusion, a very popular dish in Texas- Migas. This differs from the traditional Spanish or Portuguese meal where it’s more common to use stale bread and pork. But seeing as how I’m trying to incorporate an avocado, I’m making the Tex-Mex Migas and instead of using the standard tortilla chip, I’m using a guacamole chip, following this recipe.

www.gimmesomeoven.com – Migas with Guacamole Chips

Ingredients:

• 12 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 Tbsp olive pil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 jalapeño, diced
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 large handfuls of guacamole chips, roughly crumbled, I used 3… small hands #extrachips
• 2/3 cup salsa
• 2/3 cup shredded cheese
• Toppings: cheese, salsa, cilantro avocado, tomato… Anything goes

Method :

Whisk together eggs, milk, cumin, salt and pepper

Heat oil over medium-high heat and saute the onion and jalapeño, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent. Add garlic and sautee for an additional 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant.

Add the egg mixture and reduce heat to medium. Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently until the eggs are scrambled. Stir in the guacamole chips, salsa and cheese.

Cook for 2 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed.

Serve with chosen toppings!

Feliz dieciseis semanas! (Happy 16 weeks!)

Okay, two Spanish words/phrases for the day ✌️