January BarkBox Review!

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Don’t you love arriving home to a brown box on your front steps? “Yes, a package for me!” Correction – it’s not for you, it’s for your dog. I’ll explain.

Let’s play the who, what, why, when, and how game! Who is this BarkBox for? BarkBox is designed for your dogs! What exactly is a BarkBox? BarkBox is a special packaged gift containing 4-6 different dog products. These items can include toys, treats and/or hygiene products. They are very unique and are often items that aren’t available in the local pet stores. Treats are all-natural and generously packaged. Why does your dog receive this special gift? Your dog deserves it, that’s why! Puppies like surprises too! When do they get their BarkBox? BarkBox arrives at your mailing address every month (for however long your subscription lasts). How does this whole process even work? BarkBox is based out of New York City. It’s designed, packaged, and eventually sent to your front steps!

Now I’ll show you what BarkBox is all about! It’s great – and yes, I would know because Ani received her first BarkBox today!

barkbox package

barkbox large cartoon

Love the cartoon work on the box! So inviting!

barkbox cartoon

“YAP YAP”… “I HATE WHEN I FORGET WHY I’M BARKING”

Now let’s open the box! (I was very excited – more so than my dog)

barkbox inside

Love the paper!

barkbox opened

The goods!

I was very pleased with the items I received!

The Petsafe fuzzy toy was interesting (in a good way). It’s the first time I’ve seen a toy like this. It’s stuffing free! No mess if your pet decides to get creative. Quoting the card in the box: “The cover conceals an inner frame that, when bitten, mimicks the sensation of crushing a rib cage. A free-floating squeaker distributes wear and tear. Legs flail when shaken, encouraging tugging and tossing.” A violent description, but she loves it!

There was a Fetch & Glow ball which was a favorite! Ani pranced around showing off her new ball. I practically couldn’t get it out of her mouth. Also, it actually glows! Now we can play fetch all day/night long. The ball was an item from American Dog Toys.

We got treats! Ani’s favorite! There were two different bags of dog treats. Both products were Gulten-Free/Grain-Free, which is wonderful. Ani has been on a Gulten-Free/Grain-Free diet since she was a small puppy and I believe it’s been extremely instrumental to her health. The two brands were Max & Ruffy’s and Primal Pet.

Wow, there was even a chew! It’s a rabbit chew by Etta Says. This chew is an all-natural premium product. They’re great for dogs with protein allergies!

A closer look at the items!

A closer look at the items!

Finally, the woman who got it all! Doesn’t this face scream spoiled! Ani will be enjoying this BarkBox until our next! Can’t wait for February!

barkbox face

– Bayley & Ani

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Cinnamon Apple Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream

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I’m really in need of some pleasant weather. Living in Upstate New York, January isn’t a very promising month. Fortunately, this week I’ve had the privilege of enjoying some New Jersey weather which is surprisingly about 10-15 degrees warmer with no snow in sight! It’s been great and it has reminded me of an Upstate New York autumn day. I bet you’re wondering why I’m talking about the weather. Well it’s inspired me to whip up these wonderful seasonal cupcakes! These cupcakes are so rich and savory I promise they’ll leave you wanting more! And of course, like the rest of my recipes, they’re simple!

cupcake 1

Ingredients:
3 cups All-Purpose Flour
4 tsp Baking Powder
2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Salt
4 Eggs
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Dark Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Orange Juice
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 cup Vegetable Oil
2 cups Apples (finely chopped)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a medium size bowl mix together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a separate mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugars until creamy and smooth. Beat in the orange juice, vanilla extract, and vegetable oil. Add flour mixture slowly. Once the mixture is well combined and smooth add the chopped apples.

4. Bake 20-25 minutes.

Make sure cupcakes are completely cooled before frosting!

cupcake3

Ready to make some frosting? This Caramel Buttercream recipe is one of my favorites because, yet again, simple! Most recipes instruct you to make your own caramel sauce which is alright but it’s much more involved and requires more of your valuable time. I make my frosting with a caramel sauce already made and available! Yes, I buy Smuckers Caramel Sauce and it’s awesome!

Caramel Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:
1 cup Butter
1/3 cup Caramel Sauce
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 cups Powdered Sugar
Pinch of Kosher Salt

Directions:
1. Beat butter in electric mixer for 1 minute (until smooth).

2. Add caramel sauce and vanilla extract. Continue to beat for about 2 minutes.

3. Add powdered sugar (in increments) and salt. Continue to beat, increasing speed or until smooth.

4. Frost your cupcakes!

cupcake 2

Enjoy!

These cupcakes won’t disappoint!

-Bayley & Ani

Wheat-Free Dog Biscuits

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“Gluten-free”, “grain/corn-free”, “100% natural”, “no artificial coloring/flavors”, “made in the USA.” Don’t these terms excite you? These terms excite me! I think it’s great that our society has focused on improving our dogs’ health. Our animals are a part of our family and they deserve to eat just as well as we do. Fortunately, so many dog food brands give them that opportunity. Isn’t that great!? I’m going to show you how to make your own wheat-free dog biscuits! They’re super easy, super fun, and dogs love them!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Oatmeal, old fashioned
1/3 cup Applesauce, unsweetened
2 cups Barley Flour
2 tbsp Olive oil
1/3 cup Cheddar Cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
3 tbsp Water

(I told you they were easy)

But wait it gets better…

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with a nonstick baking mat or parchment paper; set aside.

2. Put all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, mix together! (manually)

3. Roll out mixture between two sheets of plastic wrap. Once mixture is rolled out, remove plastic wrap and cut out biscuits with your bone-shaped cookie cutter.

4. Place biscuits on baking sheet and place in oven for 30 minutes. Biscuits should be browned and firm.

5. When baking is finished remove biscuits from baking sheet and place on a wire rack to cool.

dog cookies unfinished

This mixture is extremely simple. Took seconds to combine ingredients. Formed very nice!

cookie cutter

After I removed the top layer of plastic wrap. Rolled out nicely!

dog bones

The finished product!

Don’t these dog biscuits look yummy? I think they smelled pretty yummy too because I had a couple furry friends lingering around the kitchen! (even before they came out of the oven!) Unfortunately, Ani wasn’t able to try them because I’m out of town babysitting her two friends, Riley and Sasha! I promise I’ll save you some Ani!

dogs and dog bones

Riley and Sasha were fans of the wheat-free biscuits!

Riley and Sasha loved these biscuits! These are guilt-free dog treats and by guilt-free I’m talking about us! I know we all want to show our pets how much we love them and sometimes we use treats to show our love. These treats are healthy, sugar-free, and GUILT-FREE! Now that doesn’t mean we should over feed them, but it’s nice knowing that we’re loving our pet and keeping them healthy at the same time!

I hope your babies enjoy their treats!

–Bayley & Ani

Wait, Who’s Ani?

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This is Ani!

ani.jpg

She has no shame…

Ani is a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier who loves her life (she told me). I will admit I wasn’t a true dog person before owning her. Don’t get me wrong, I’m an animal lover, but I never really had this type of connection with a dog before. I loved her and she loved me back and it was noticeable.

Her face is priceless which makes me love her over and over again. If you need a smile just keep this face in mind!

Her face is priceless which makes me love her over and over again. If you need a smile just keep this face in mind!

Ani is about 9 months old – but this photo was taken when she was 8 months old. I said her face is priceless, don’t you agree? If not please look again.. Maybe this will help..

ani2

Ani enjoys relaxing too..

She definitely has a personality which makes our relationship so much stronger. I know when she’s scared, I know when she’s excited, and I even know when she’s pretending she’s a tough little watchdog (she’s all talk). Did you want to see one of Ani’s smiles? This is one of her best qualities!

ani smile

Look at those teeth!

Didn’t you smile when you saw her toothy smile? I bet you did. Anyway, this is my girl who continues to amaze me each and every day. I never realized I could care about another creature this much which truly amazes me! I knew I would love her but I didn’t understand the immensity of that word. I do now.

If you love your Wheaten or any breed of dog I’m sure you’ll understand! Hopefully I don’t look like that crazy dog mama, but maybe I want to be that crazy dog mama? You decide!

–Bayley & Ani

Super Easy Banana Cupcakes

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I love using Pinterest to find cupcake recipes which is where I found this awesome one for Banana Cupcakes! This recipe is super simple, convenient, and most of all delicious. It’s simple because the ingredients are easy to find. Anything I didn’t already have I found right at my local grocery store. It’s convenient because like I previously said, I found most of the ingredients already in my house! (Inexpensive also!) Lastly, it’s delicious! I think the cupcakes are pretty self explanatory as to why they’re so delicious. Who doesn’t like bananas?

cupcake

Ingredients:
2-2/3 cups of All Purpose Flour
1 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 sticks of Butter – room temperature
1 cup Light Brown Sugar
3/4 cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Bananas, mashed (ripe bananas)
1/2 cup Buttermilk
1 cup Coconut (shredded) – I didn’t use coconut because I knew someone with a coconut allergy – perfect with or without

Directions:
1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk your flour, baking soda, & salt into a medium bowl. Set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl (LOVE my KitchenAid Stand Mixer) beat butter. Add sugar and beat for a few minutes. Add eggs, one at a time at low speed, then add vanilla. This mixture should look smooth – now add your mashed bananas.

3. Now begin adding flour mixture (dry ingredients) and buttermilk alternatively, beginning and ending with your dry ingredients.

4. Begin filling your cupcake cups (about 2/3 full). You should fill about 18-20 cupcake cups. Bake for about 18 minutes.
helpful hint: I prefer using PaperChef Culinary Parchment Large Baking Cups! Nothing sticks – awesome!

5. Once removed from the oven and cupcake pan let cool completely before frosting – trust me it’ll slide right off!

Note: I have tweaked this recipe to make it my own!

What’s a cupcake without the frosting, right? I made a Cream Cheese Frosting which is by far my favorite and the easiest frosting to make. This frosting is perfect for this Banana Cupcake recipe because it doesn’t overpower the banana flavor. People have asked why I didn’t think to use a banana frosting. I think a banana frosting takes away from the fresh banana taste!

So you’re almost there… I bet you’re excited for the finished product! I promise you’ll go back for more.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

Ingredients:
1 stick Butter – room temperature
1 8 oz package of Cream Cheese – room temperature
2-3 cups of Powdered Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

helpful hint: Remember any brand of cream cheese and butter works! I use my market’s store brand. Less expensive for the same great product.

Directions:
1. Using your electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until creamy, about 3-4 minutes. Don’t forget to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl periodically.

2. Add vanilla and continue mixing. Slowly begin adding powdered sugar at a low speed. Trust me it will fly everywhere if the speed is too high.

3. Once your frosting is thick and creamy (to your desire) begin frosting your cupcakes!

(I added yellow sprinkles just for some color!)

YAY! You’re finished. I hope this recipe worked for you and I hope you enjoy your cupcakes! If anyone has any feedback for me comment below! Thanks!

– Bayley & Ani

Hi Everyone!

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Hello bloggers! This is my introductory post and I hope it sparks your interest! This blog involves two of my favorite things which are my dog and my baking. I’ll start off with my dog. Ani is a 9 month old Wheaten Terrier who pretty much consumes my life. She’s energetic, yet relaxed. She’s a diva, yet doesn’t mind getting her paws dirty. She’s queen bee, yet runs to mama when her feelings are hurt. She’s my perfect puppy and I couldn’t/wouldn’t imagine her any other way. She’ll make me smile even on my worst days and I’m sure she’ll do the same for you. However, like I said, she’s just one of my two favorite things.
My second favorite thing I enjoy doing is baking. I’ve never been much into sweets and to tell you the truth things haven’t really changed, but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy creating them. Personally, my favorite desserts to bake are cupcakes; cupcakes of all shapes, sizes, flavors, colors, etc. I’d like to consider myself a creative person and I began my infatuation with creating cupcakes when I didn’t have anything to focus my creative juices on! Cupcakes were just the trick and I’ve developed a real love for creating them. To sum this all up, I love my dog and my cupcakes! Enjoy!

– Bayley & Ani

ani me