Blog: The Pony Express
Recent Posts
- Mmmonday! Delicious Remodel
- Erasure
- We heart cardstore.com!
- Wednesdays with Wally: Dogs in Ties
- Mmmonday! Curried Cauliflower Cheez Soup
- Wednesdays with Wally: Berkley Illustration
- Wednesdays with Wally: My Heroes
- Wednesdays with Wally: Puppy Love
- Molly Bosley, you stole my heart.
- Mmmonday! Eggnog Cookies
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Mmmonday! Delicious Remodel
You may have noticed that my Mmmonday posts have been missing for a while. I have a really good reason, I promise! My husband and I bought a little fixer-upper a handful of miles north of Boston, and I have been up to my elbows with the fixin’ and the uppin’. As I told a friend, I’ve been too busy to booze it up! I did take a break once (maybe twice) to spend some time with friends, and on this particular evening I wanted something delicious that would help me forget about the amount of construction dust I was generating in our new house. Thus, the Delicious Remodel was born.
There are some familiar characters here; you’ll remember both the Root and the St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram from previous Mmmondays. Added to the mix is the Old Overholt Rye. I’m not a whiskey drinker (due to some unfortunate, uh…judgment calls in my youth), but this bottle of rye has been just right this winter. I credit the Toxic Moxie at Franklin Café with my new-found love.
All measurements listed here are estimates; feel free to experiment based on your personal tastes, but be careful not to overwhelm the delicate flavors of the Root with the allspice!
1 1/2 oz rye 1 oz Root splash of allspice dram
Shake with ice until slightly frothy. Strain into glass and forget about that pile of sheetrock.
Erasure
These little cuties totally brought me back to my days of eraser collecting as a kid. I remember coveting everything from miniature popsicles (complete with tiny sticks) to high top sneakers. Like my collection back then, these are just too precious to use! Check out more at Ginko Papers.
We heart cardstore.com!
Check out these sweet Valentines Day cards we created especially for cardstore.com. They’re printed on high-quality, 130 lb matte recycled cardstock and ship within 2 business days. Go ahead and show some love!
Wednesdays with Wally: Dogs in Ties
I just love this series of photographs by Christine Edwards called “Dogs in Ties”. What a handsome bunch!
via Mixed Plate blog
Seeing these dapper lads, I was inspired to dig up this old photograph of me sporting a snazzy vintage necktie!
Mmmonday! Curried Cauliflower Cheez Soup
Nope, “Cheez” is not a typo, this is a thick and creamy VEGAN soup! It comes from a new-to-me cookbook called The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook. It’s full of amazing dairy-free recipes for folks who are lactose intolerant, looking to reduce their fat consumption or are concerned about animal welfare.
I’m not a big fan of spicy foods (kind of an understatement) so I would cut the cayenne by half next time I make this recipe. Other than that, it was delicious!
Curried Cauliflower Cheez Soup
6 cups vegetable broth or water
1 large head cauliflower, broken into bite-size florets
1 large onion, diced
1 cup diced celery
2 cups plain nondairy milk or water (I used plain soy milk)
1/2 cup sesame tahini
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/2 cup flour (I used whole wheat)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons grated fresh gingerroot
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons turmeric
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1/4 teaspoon each: pepper, cayenne, ground cloves
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1 tablespoon dried dillweed
Combine broth or water, cauliflower, onion and celery in a large soup pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower is tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Combine remaining ingredients, except peas and dillweed, in a blender and process until very smooth. Pour into soup pot with cooked vegetables. Stir in peas and dillweed. Cook and stir until thickened and flour no longer tastes raw. Do not boil. Adjust seasonings if needed. Serve hot.
Wednesdays with Wally: Berkley Illustration
What’s not to love about these animal portraits by Berkley Illustration? Nothing, nothing at all. They are just fantastic, be sure to check out their etsy shop where you can purchase very affordable prints and other goodies. I just hope they do a schnoodle portrait some day, we make great subjects.
Wednesdays with Wally: My Heroes
As I snooze comfortably on my soft bed in my warm house, with my loving family, I can’t help but think of the people and animals struggling to survive in Haiti. I am reminded to never take for granted the food, water and care that I am given each day. It is only by luck that I live a comfortable life, something that every person and animal deserves every bit as much as I do.
Please take a moment to read about the incredible dogs that have been lending a helping paw in Haiti after the recent devastating earthquake there. The National Disaster Search Dog Foundation has sent teams of people and dogs to help locate survivors in the rubble that remains. You can help support their mission in Haiti and disasters elsewhere in the world by donating to their cause.
Thanks to all the people and animals who together have made this world a better place to be.
xo Wally
Wednesdays with Wally: Puppy Love
So, I was browsing through the February issue of Country Living, the one with the adorable blond on the cover, and spotted a Two Trick Pony card! It’s featured on page 39 amongst other cute and clever Valentine cards by Hello Lucky, Katie Muth and Chewing The Cud.
Check out Two Trick Pony’s card shop right here and start your Valentine’s Day shopping early!
xo Wally
Molly Bosley, you stole my heart.
I was sleepily catching up on blogs this morning, when a post on “My Love for You is a Stampede of Horses” woke me right up. Meighan featured the dioramas and cut paper pieces created by Molly Bosely, and I went from zzzzz to !!!! in two seconds flat.
Molly’s dioramas are inspired by a lifetime of wildly vivid dreams, and that sense of a whirling, tilted reality is strongly conveyed in these pieces. As a vivid dreamer myself, I am helplessly drawn in to these delicate paper fantasies. Beautiful work, Molly.
You can see more of Molly’s dioramas here, or purchase one for yourself here.
Mmmonday! Eggnog Cookies
It doesn’t feel like the holidays in our house until we’ve made these yummy eggnog cookies. Sometimes I’ll even make them at other times of the year because they are so tasty!
I tried something a little different this year. Instead of rolling out the dough and using cookie cutters, I attempted to use a cookie press (known as a cookie shooter in my house growing up). Unfortunately the dough was too dense for the press, so I improvised! Here’s the step by step instructions:
Step 1. Remove the metal plate from the end of the press and squeeze the dough (see below for recipe) out about 1/4 inch.
Step 2. Cut dough with a sharp knife to form 1/4 thick disc.
Step 3. Press the metal disc with the pattern into the dough to create a raised pattern on the surface of the cookie. It works best with the patterns that have larger holes.
Step 4. Bake at 400 for 6-8 minutes or until slightly golden on bottom.
Step 5. Once cooled, brush each cookie with glaze (see below for recipe) using a pastry brush and let harden.
Step 6. Impress yourself and guests alike with these simple and delicious cookies!
EGGNOG COOKIE DOUGH
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup butter (softened)
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
Combine sugar, butter, egg, salt, spices and vanilla, beat on medium until light and fluffy. (2-3 minutes)
Add flour, beat on low for 2-3 minutes.
RUM FLAVORED GLAZE
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon rum extract
Combine ingredients and stir until smooth. Add water slowly to reach desired consistency.