HORSE COOKIES FOR A CAUSE!

        I have a few different foodie blogs underway, but i decided to start off with this one! This was

by far my most enjoyable recent! 

I am currently working with a few abandoned horses. One of the two has unfortunately become severely underweight. I started an online charity through GiveFoward to get these two horses the help they need. A generous handful of people have already helped my fund get on its feet. I was able to buy the underweight horse (Sunny) the high calorie feed that he needs, and I was also able to get him access to hay 24/7.  This will help keep his weight on and keep him warm through the long winter months. After a week and a half he is already looking better. 

I am trying to get him into a retirement shelter. Due to his age and his condition, I have been getting turned down left and right. One lady I talked to from Hope for Horses pretty much just hung up on me. The price of hay is sky high and the fact that he will probably need a vet in the near future makes most people only see dollar signs and not an animal in need. I'm doing my best to make him comfortable  and to accommodate him as much as possible. The farm he is staying at right now has been more than any horse in need could hope for, But again, the financial burden of him getting sick is scary.  I'm just trying to keep him out of the glue factory. Feel free to check out my donation page, https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/88s6/help-save-silver-and-sunny.  Any donations right now will be will be set aside for any needed medical attention. If i can raise enough emergency money, he is welcome to stay at the farm he is at. Any contribution will go a long way. :)

I started feeding him his new feed three times a day and I also have been encouraging everyone around the farm to give him these yummy, easy homemade horse treats! I made them with all organic materials with the help of my three year old daughter. She loves the cookies too!!! I got this recipe from    http://www.theequinest.com/treat-recipes/. 

Organic Ingredients

1 Cup grated carrots

1 Apple

2 tbs. Corn Oil

1/4 Cup Molasses

1 tsp salt

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup flour

                                                          THIS IS SUPER EASY!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix Carrot, apple, corn oil, and molasses together. Fold in salt, oats, and flour until well mixed. Spread out dough in one piece onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 20 min until golden brown.  Let cool, break into pieces, and serve. ( i used cookie cutters) :)

        

                                                

1 Cup grated carrots

                                               

1 Apple

2 tbs. Corn Oil

1/4 Cup Molasses

                                                1 cup rolled oats

1 tsp salt

1 cup flour

 I DOUBLED THE RECIPE AND LET IT COOK FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES. THEN I BROKE OUT THE COOKIE CUTTERS SO I COULD SHOW SUNNY SOME EXTRA LOVE. :) <3

My daughter loves eating them too!!

Sunny is looking better and better every day. Visit us on Givefoward.com    https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/88s6/help-save-silver-and-sunny. 

Welcome to our blog, Sarah B.!

Hello, readers!  Please help us welcome our newest contributor, Sarah B. of eclecticalley.com, to our blog.

"Hi! My name is Sarah. I am a stay at home mom. I run an online business selling vintage items, jewelry, and handcrafted art. I am big on cooking from scratch and I am a fan of canning. I have a slight obsession with my pepper plants and I am currently experimenting making hot sauce with the peppers I harvested and dried this past summer. My family and I do a variety of gardening and food preservation. We have backyard chickens for fresh eggs and fertilizer. We are always trying new techniques and methods of organic gardening and preserving. Embracing an organic, holistic lifestyle is one of my main goals. I have strong beliefs and try to live according to them. I am enthusiastic about animal rights, therefore I boycott factory farming. I also believe we have right to know what is in our food. Whether it is preservatives, additives, or GMO's I believe it should all be labeled and I actively fight for our rights as consumers to know. I love to help out and spend time with the horses on the farm across the street. The rest of the time I juggle between my business, family, and dogs. :) I have A LOT of projects going on and I am excited about bringing you all a long."

Slow Cooker Apple Butter

Slow Cooker Apple Butter

15 gala apples, peeled, sliced and cored
1 cup sugar (I used raw sugar, but brown sugar would be good here too)
1 1/3 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Place ingredients in slow cooker, stir.  Cook on low for 8 hours or overnight, or until apples have softened and turned to a dark, caramel color and the mixture has thickened to a spreadable consistency.

Stores well in the freezer or, using sterilized jars, process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes if you're below 6,000 feet elevation (or 15 minutes if you're above 6,000 feet elevation).

Enjoy on a warm baguette or toast.

"My name is Kassy.  I'm currently a stay-at-home mother of three.  I like to spend my free time crafting, cooking and, well, creating in general, I suppose.  When asked what kind of crafts I do, I'm usually left at a loss for words, as I have a severe case of "crafty ADD" and have WAY too many self-taught hobbies.  I have another blog called "Tinsnips and Scissors" where I share about the things I love, things that I've made (a tutorial or two), recipes and my weekly menu plans.  Head's up: I'm also an excessive user of punctuation..."

Ball Cat Toy

We recently adopted a new family member. His name is Charley and he's a six-month old kitten with so much more energy than we're used to.  Our other kitty, Fluffy is a fifteen year old ragdoll who is very mellow and mild mannered.  Charley is the exact opposite.  I'm pretty sure that I've seen him try to climb the walls.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ball Cat Toy

materials:

aran weight cotton yarn

US G/4mm crochet hook

yarn/tapestry needle

small amount of poly-fill

two or three small bells

(you could also add a little catnip)

stitch guide:

magic ring: create a loop to work the first round into (see video here for further explanation)

sc: single crochet

increase: sc two into the same stitch

decrease: sc two together

directions:

Row 1: sc 6 into magic ring
Row 2: increase around (12 sts)
Row 3: *sc 1, increase 1* repeat around (18 sts)
Row 4: *sc 2, increase 1* repeat around (24 sts)
Rows 5-8: sc around (24 sts)
Row 9: *sc 2, decrease 1* repeat around (18 sts)
Row 10: *sc 1, decrease 1* repeat around (12 sts)
--at this point, partially stuff the ball and add the bells, then finish stuffing--
Row 11: decrease around (6 sts) 

weave in ends

Apparently, he likes it.

"My name is Kassy.  I'm currently a stay-at-home mother of three.  I like to spend my free time crafting, cooking and, well, creating in general, I suppose.  When asked what kind of crafts I do, I'm usually left at a loss for words, as I have a severe case of "crafty ADD" and have WAY too many self-taught hobbies.  I have another blog called "Tinsnips and Scissors" where I share about the things I love, things that I've made (a tutorial or two), recipes and my weekly menu plans.  Head's up: I'm also an excessive user of punctuation..."

Bisquick Heath Bar Chocolate Chip Cookies

Bisquick Heath Bar Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from this recipe
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 egg
2 3/4 cups Bisquick baking mix
1 cup milk chocolate chips (6 oz)
1/2 cup crushed Heath bar

Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, mix butter, sugar, vanilla and egg. Stir in Bisquick mix.  Fold in chocolate chips and Heath. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.



"My name is Kassy.  I'm currently a stay-at-home mother of three.  I like to spend my free time crafting, cooking and, well, creating in general, I suppose.  When asked what kind of crafts I do, I'm usually left at a loss for words, as I have a severe case of "crafty ADD" and have WAY too many self-taught hobbies.  I have another blog called "Tinsnips and Scissors" where I share about the things I love, things that I've made (a tutorial or two), recipes and my weekly menu plans.  Head's up: I'm also an excessive user of punctuation..."

Oreo Brownies

For my first post, I would love to share this amazing recipe I adapted the other day. Oreo creme filled brownies. These are super simple but a little time consuming since you must let the brownies cool completely before spreading the creme. Onto the recipe:

Ingredients:

Brownies: full disclosure, I used a box mix so please feel free to use your favorite recipe or your favorite box mix.

Creme Filling:

• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 Tbsp. hot water 

Chocolate and Oreo Topping:

• 2 cups milk chocolate morsels
• One row of Oreos (about 10-12 Oreos)

 Directions:

1. Bake brownies  in a 9x13 pan
2. Allow brownies to cool completely, I placed mine in the refrigerator as soon as the pan had cooled off
3. Create creme filling by combining the shortening, vanilla, sugar, powdered sugar, and hot water and mix with beaters or stand mixer until smooth (approximately 2 minutes)
4. Spread creme filling over brownies. To do this, we placed different dollops of creme topping in different sections of the brownies. We then used our hands (wearing gloves) to spread completely over the brownies. The spoon made it difficult to smooth without ripping the brownies
5. Melt chocolate in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl. Every 30 seconds I checked the chocolate and stirred to ensure it wouldn't seize up
6. While you are melting chocolate, place your Oreos in a plastic bag and smash up. I just used my hands to crush them but I am sure a roller would work too
7. Pour melted chocolate over the creme covered brownies and be sure to cover entire pan
8. Quickly add Oreos on top of the warm chocolate to ensure they will stick
9. Cool brownies again in the fridge to harden chocolate
10. Use a sharp knife dipped in hot water to cut into the brownies and store in an airtight container.
11. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from this recipe here: http://makingmemorieswithyourkids.com/2014/03/oreo-cream-filling-brownie-bars/

"My name is Sarah and I am the owner and lead designer at Classy Media. Ever since I was a little girl, I loved creating new things or upcycling old things into something beautiful. I have a close knit family full of creative minds. My love of crafting was sparked by my Grammy and my Mom. I can be found knitting, baking, experimenting with cooking, taking photos, designing, and reading. I love finding creative ideas online and making them my own."

Welcome to our blog, Sarah!

We've recently invited some fellow foodies and crafters to join our team and would like to officially introduce Sarah of Classy Media, LLC as our newest contributor!

"My name is Sarah and I am the owner and lead designer at Classy Media. Ever since I was a little girl, I loved creating new things or upcycling old things into something beautiful. I have a close knit family full of creative minds. My love of crafting was sparked by my Grammy and my Mom. I can be found knitting, baking, experimenting with cooking, taking photos, designing, and reading. I love finding creative ideas online and making them my own."

Welcome, Sarah!