Hello, 2013!

2012 was definitely an adventure for me. I enjoyed having many new experiences like changing jobs, gaining new friends, visiting Vegas for the first time, getting into better shape, and moving into my own place.

I've also been through some more difficult times but always try to keep in mind I can learn something from everything. I tend to believe things happen for a reason, although the reasons do not always present themselves to us  in the most digestible and visible ways. We don't always like the things that happen and we don't always want to learn the lessons. But the thing is that we don't have control over everything that happens in our lives, but we do have the choice to learn the lessons and become a better person or ignore the lessons and continue to make the same mistakes.

So what do you want out of 2013?

I'm not one to make New Year's resolutions. I think they are dumb because January 1st isn't the only time to start something new or make decisions about improving your life. But I do believe it is a good time to reflect on your life and what you want. There is something about a new year that is refreshing, a new start. Not only that, but there is a feeling of leaving things behind from the old year, moving forward, accepting your mistakes as mistakes, and putting those sad, angry or embarrassing moments behind you.

So what do I want?

• I want to make the most out of having my own place for the very first time in my life.

• I want to write more. I always say I'd like to, and I never make the time for it, but that is about enough of that. No more excuses. As a blogger, I don't consider myself an actual "writer". I have plenty of English major and Journalism friends who are very talented, and I am in no way near the writer any of them are.

• I want to make decisions about my life. Not decisions about if I want regular or decaf coffee or Sheetz vs. Rutters. I want to make decisions about what I want and what is important to me to be genuinely happy and content with my life.

• I want to master cooking for one.

This post wasn't about food or cooking or recipes for my favorite dessert. But I think it is nice to share a little about myself every so often. Maybe it will help you identify with me and bring you back to reading more often (as long as I keep writing).

Holiday Dog Treats

Tis the season for holiday presents! We give presents to our friends and family, and how could we leave out our pets? For pet owners, pets are part of the family, too - so what can we give them? How about some home made treats? They are easy to mix, only a few ingredients needed, then roll them out, and cut out shapes like you would for your sugar cookies or gingerbread cookies! It's easy to make these festive by using seasonal cookie cutters. You can make them any size you want - customize them as small treats for your small dogs or big treats for your big dogs! Plus, I've read that pumpkin is kind of like Activia for dogs!


Ingredients:
2 1/2 C flour
2 Eggs
3/4 C pureed pumpkin
2 T Peanut Butter
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon

Note: It is much easier to stir this recipe with a good sturdy spoon rather than trying to whisk. The dough will be very thick. Also, I measured in approximate amounts of pumpkin and peanut butter rather than measuring exactly. When the dough was ready to roll, I needed a little extra flour to balance out the extra (I'm sure) wet ingredients.

Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 350 F
- Stir flour, eggs, pumpkin, pnb, salt and cinnamon. The dough should be stiff but workable to roll out. You may need some additional flour to help roll the dough and prevent it from sticking.
- Roll out dough and cut in any shape desired.
- For smaller sized cookies, bake about 25 minutes. Cookies will puff a little and brown slightly. If making larger or thicker cookies, you may need to bake them for 35-40 minutes. I rolled my dough to about a 1/4 inch thickness for small dogs. If you have a large dog, you could probably do a 1/2 inch thickness.

The recipe made a nice sized Ziploc bag full of treats. I think I baked about 3-4 trays worth. Of course the number of cookies you will get will depend on the size you make them! Happy baking!