Valentine's Day Treats for Peeps

Red Velvet Cake, an old Southern classic, is having a hipster moment in the New York area.  Every bakery has a red velvet cake or cupcake on the menu.  In fact like all cool things in New York, I think its moment is winding to a close.  That is really too bad because Red Velvet Cake is very tasty and it is of course the perfect treat for Valentine's Day.  I've made cupcakes, and cake, before, but this is my first time making Red Velvet Whoopie Pies.  Whoopie Pies are a desert with New England origins with a dispute raging as to whether they where first developed in Pennsylvania or Maine.   These Red Velvet Whoopie Pies are the perfect marriage of Southern and New England Desert traditions.

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies:

2 1/4 cups  all purpose flour

1/4 cup  Dutch-processed cocoa powder 

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup  unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup  granulated white sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup (180 ml) buttermilk

1 tablespoon liquid red food coloring

Cream CheeseFilling:

1/2 cup  unsalted butter, room temperature

1 - 8 ounce cream cheese, room temperature

3 cups  confectioners' (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies:Preheat oven to 375 degrees ) and place oven rack in the center of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Ina large bowl sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl ofyour electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment (can also use a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the egg beating well. Beat in the vanilla extract. In a small measuring cup, mix the buttermilk and red food coloring. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Drop heaping tablespoons (can also use a small ice cream scoop) of the batter onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches  apart. With moistened fingers or with the back of a spoon, smooth the tops of the cookies.

Bake for about 9-10 minutesor until the tops of the cookies, when lightly pressed, spring back(or a toothpick inserted into the center of a cookie comes out clean). Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Filling: Beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the cream cheese and beat until smooth. Beat in the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar, and continue to beat until smooth and creamy.


To Assemble:Take one cookie and spread a heaping tablespoon of the filling on the flat side of the cookie. Top with another cookie. If desired, take a little of the filling and thin it out, to piping consistency, with a little milk or cream. Place in a small piping bag or plastic bag and pipe lines back and forth over the tops of the Whoopie Pies. The assembled cookies can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for several days.


Makes about 17 sandwich cookies.

Lamb Love Loaf-A Valentine's Day Treat

"To get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with."

Mark Twain

Oh, Valentine's Day.  Is there a more complicated holiday out there?  For every happily united couple there is a person cursing the sea of roses, cards, and heart shaped balloons.  So is Valentine's Day a holiday really invented by the card companies in an effort to unload heart shaped merchandise?  We at Urban Hounds decided to investigate and it turns out the stories describing the origins of Valentine's Day are nearly as confusing as love itself.  Here is what we found out:


Part One: Saint Valentine





The Catholic church has several legends about saints named Valentine.  One of most poplar ones says that Valentine was a priest in ancient Rome, a sort of third century  Gavin Newsom.  When the emperor outlawed marriage for young men, feeling it would make them better soldiers if they had no wives or children, Valentine continued to perform marriages and was martyred because of it.


Part Two: Pagan Festival Co-opted by the Early Christians:






In ancient Rome February was traditionally the month of  fertility celebrations dedicated to the Roman God Faunus.  During the festival a goat, and yikes a dog!, would be sacrificed and Roman men would go about slapping young women with the bloody goats hide in an effort to make them more fertile.  How this helped anyone in the romance department is a bit beyond us.   Anyway, the early Christians new the Roman's didn't want to give up their goat hide slapping sex festival so they co-opted it making it about the St. Valentine story and a purer, less animalistic version of love.  


Part Three:  The Comercialism of Romance and the start of Valentine's Day Cards





In the 17th century it was already popular for people to exchange hand made cards on Valentine's Day as tokens of affection.  In the 1840s a clever woman named,  Esther A Howland, saw the market for store bought Valentines and began mass producing them in America.  Her idea certainly caught on and today over a billion Valentine's Cards are purchased in America each year. 




Dogs are not much for cards.  

Can you eat this?

so how do you honor the furry love of your life?  The one who is always there for you and with whom you likely share a simple love filled relationship blissfully void of the myriad complications in human partnerships.  Food is the obvious answer.  So this year mom showed her appreciation by whipping us up something special:  


Lamb Love Loaf

The nutritious ingredients

1 1lb ground lamb (lamb is fatty so you can substitute ground turkey if you wish but the hounds simply LOVE lamb so it seems an appropriate choice for the holiday)
1 sweet potato baked in the microwave (10 min on high)
1 apple diced
5 tbsp rolled oats
2 tbsp wheat germ (optional)
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp cinnamon (cinnamon is a natural anti-inflamatory making it a good choice for dogs with arthritis and it also helps to regulate blood sugar)


Preheat the oven to 350 and stir all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with foil and lightly grease the foil.  Spoon the lamb mixture into the pan and bake for one hour.   Serve to your furry special some ones!

Monday Mischeif-Easy Knitted Valentine's Day Dog Collars

Mom knitted us up some super easy Valentine's Day Collars.  They only take about an hour or less to make.  This would be a good first project for someone just starting out in knitting.  For the small dogs I cast on about 40 stitches of worsted weight yarn (the collars will be stretchy so the size is forgiving) on a size 4 40 inch circular needle.  For the large dogs I cast on about 90 stitches  Then I divided the stitches and joined in the round for magic loop.

I knitted in 2 by 2 rib (knit 2 purl 2) until the collars where the width I wanted then I bound off in the pattern.  That's it!  I sewed some little pink heart buttons on with the left over yarn and they were done.


One ball of Knit Picks worsted weight yarn in Gypsy was more then enough for five collars.

Early Valentine's Day Recipes

Valentine's Day Three Years Ago

Tuesday is a school (or work night) so that makes it a little hard to make a special Valentines Day Meal.  So my solution was to make some special things this weekend.

For breakfast:

Rum Raisin French Toast

• 3/4 cup rum raisin ice cream, melted
• 3 eggs, beaten to blend
• 1 tablespoon dark rum rum
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 8 slices raisin nut bread (good thick bakery bread)

• 4 tablespoons butter
• Maple syrup

Preparation

Combine melted ice cream with next 3 ingredients in glass baking dish. Dip raisin bread into ice cream-egg mixture and let soak 2 minute per side.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Place 4 bread slices in skillet and cook until brown, about 2 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining butter and bread. Serve immediately with maple syrup.

For Dinner:

Pasta with White Bolognese

Extra Virgin oil

1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped.
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lb mild Italian pork sausage meat
1 lb ground beef(not lean)
1 1/2 cups dry Italian white wine
1 cube beef bouillon dissolved in 2 cups simmering water
1 1/2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms rehydrated in 3 cups lukewarm water
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 lb rigatoni
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preparation

1. Add 2 turns of olive oil in the large pan. When the oil shimmers, add the onion, carrots and celery and saute until glassy and just tender, about 5 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Add the sausage and beef to the pan, breaking it into walnut-size pieces, and brown well.
2. Pour in the wine and keep at a rapid simmer until the pan is almost dry. Then pour in 1 1/2 cups beef bouillon and lower the heat to medium. Simmer gently, uncovered, until the bouillon is nearly gone, stirring now and then. Meanwhile, chop the rehydrated porcini into small pieces, reserving the liquid.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add mushroom liquid to the sauce to cover the meat halfway(about 1 cup) along with the porcini and continue simmering until the sauce is loose but not soupy, about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and pepper, it should be highly seasoned. When the consistency is right, fold the cream in. Remove from the heat and cover.
4. When the pasta water is at a full boil, add the rigatoni and cook until still firm, but not hard, in the center. When the pasta is almost done, scoop out 1 cup of pasta water and reserve. Drain the pasta and then return it to the pot. Pour the pasta sauce on top and fold in with a wooden spoon. Add past a water if the sauce seems dry.

Cheesy Garlic Bread

• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, room temperature
• 1 garlic clove, pressed
• 1 1/3 cups crumbled feta cheese
• 1 1/4 cups (about) grated Parmesan cheese, divided (about 4 ounces)
• 1/2 cup (packed) grated Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
• 12 3/4-inch-thick slices pain rustique or ciabatta bread

Preparation

 

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 475°F. Mix first 3 ingredients in medium bowl. Mix in feta, 1/2 cup Parmesan, Jack cheese, and onions. Spread 2 tablespoons cheese mixture onto each bread slice. Top each with 1 tablespoon Parmesan; press to adhere. Place on baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Bake until cheese is golden and bubbly, about 12 minutes. 

Mom's Bike Friday Comute

Every weekday morning mom wakes up early to have breakfast  and check her e-mail.  Then she says good-bye to us and dad

and rides her Bike Friday to her job teaching in Manhattan.   When mom gets close to the path train she can see the NYC skyline.

When she reaches the Path Station at Exchange Place she sees this incredible view.

 

The Bike Friday folds up in a few seconds and gets small enough to fit easily on even a crowded commuter train.

 One stop and she is at the World Trade Center.  

The school is only a few blocks away.  Here is the view from mom's classroom's window

 On the way home she passes this NYC dog park that always has a great mix of  breeds: retrievers, bulldogs, bostons, labs, chihuahuas, shelties, spinone italianos, mutts.  Mom has spotted them all.

 The commute home is mostly uphill.  So mom is tired when she gets to the door but we are so happy to see here and get out into our back yard.   There is nothing like coming home to a joyful dog.

 Mom's whole commute takes only 30 minutes door to door and she is home everyday by 3:30.  Pretty great for a big city commute.   We are wondering what is your 'rents commute like?

We've Been Tagged

We have been tagged by our friends at Bassett Momma:





1.) Describe yourself in 7 Words.


Mom: Dog lover, Cat lover, Loyal, Opinionated, Passionate (or quick tempered), Homebody, Fan Girl


Tubby: Cute, Cuddly, Self Confident, Epicurean, Hedonistic,  Joyful, "Multum in Parvo" or a lot in a little.


Norbert: Loyal, Cautious, Affectionate, Calm, Peaceful, Playful, Handsome

Ping: Charming, Snuggly, Feisty, Foodie, Languid, Elegant, Spirited


Bob: Gourmand, Stubborn, Somnolent, Cautious, Follower, Adorable, Portly


Dr. Zira: Sweet, Early Bird, Snacker, Cautious, Homebody, Independent, Snoozer


Baby: Chunky, Restful, Lovely, Moody, Affectionate, Independent, Demanding


Scooter: Clever, Quick, Slinky, Surefooted, Sneaky, Elegant, Quiet


Ernie: Pushy, Secretive, Affectionate, Moody, Beautiful, Unique, Hungry


2) What Keeps You Up at Night?


Mom: Worrying about the dogs and my husband, thinking about my job, bills, considering the passage of time


Tubby: Cats moving around in the early morning


Norbert: Bob taking up too much room in the bed.  I get out and then I cant get back in so I bark until mom and dad move Bob.


Ping: Same as Tubby


Bob: Absolutely nothing


Dr. Zira: Various old lady issues


The cats: We sleep all day and stalk about at night


3) Who would you like to be?


Mom: myself with a bit more money and a few less years (or possibly that JK Rowling)


The Hounds and Felines: Ourselves only a bit younger


4) What are you wearing right now?


Mom: An orange dress from Anthropologie and jewelry and boots from the same store


Tubby, Norbert, and Ping: Our birthday suits


Bob: A blue harness


Dr. Zira: A pink bobble sweater from Pug Notes


The Cats: Our birthday suits


5) What Scares You?


Mom: Things happening to the dogs or my husband, time moving too fast, rats


Tubby: Nail Clippers


Norbert: Strangers in hats and hoodies, tall men


Ping: Absolutely nothing


Bob: Plastic bags, the snow shovel, empty boxes, the garbage can, mail boxes (and so forth)


Dr. Zira: the car, the groomer, and loud noises


Baby: The cat carrier, the vet, the front door 


Scooter: The cat carrier


Ernie: The cat carrier, strangers (I hide if anyone comes to the house)




6) The best and worst of blogging:


Mom: The best is discovering all of the wonderful blogs and making dog loving blogger friends.  The worst is the blogging addiction!   


Hounds and Felines: The best is mom making us extra treats for blog posts and learning about new things to buy us and the worst is mom spending time on the computer!


7) The last Website I visited


Basset Momma



8) What is one thing you would change about yourself


Mom: I'd like to live more in the moment and also being a better writer wouldn't be bad


Hounds and Felines: We'd like to reclaim our fleeting youth, and Bob would like to be a bit more confident


9) Slankets


All of us: "What's a slanket?"  After google search Mom: No, I am happy with my snuggy.  Hounds and Felines: No!


We are tagging:


1) Tank

2) Pupparoos
3) Redberry Cottage
4) Bunk
5) Sid
6) A Wonderful Dogs Life
7) A Day in the Life of Pugs
8) Payton

No pressure to anyone I tagged but if you want to answer the questions and pass this along please do!
4) What ar4. What are yoght now?3. Who would you like to be?


Mo0mDescribe


hhh



Vaby


Babb





 yourself in 7 words.

Pictures of the Week-Pet Project 365 (and an award)

I love that Lulu and Wally and Kol's Notes have come up with the wonderful idea for Pet Project 365.  I often wish I had better documented my dogs early years, particularly those of Tubby, Norbert, and Ping as I didn't have access to a digital camera during their formative period.    Certainly I have some pictures, but its not nearly enough.   I don't want to make that mistake ever again so now I'm a pet photo fiend snapping every cute thing they do.  Even if my photography skills are decidedly less then perfect, limited as they are to point and shoot, my models are adorable and the images I preserve now can serve as reminders long after my current canine and feline companions have departed.  Hopefully, in the course of the project I can improve my cat photography skills, which are truly horrific, cats just wont stay still!  Here are two of my favorite pictures from this week:

The little guys on the deck

The boys in bed with their Dad

We are also very honored that are friend Tucker who has one of the best blogs out there, I particularly loved his posted on Halo Pet Foods new vegetarian food (boo Halo foods).  Has given us the Lief Award




Tucker says that Lief means sweet in Dutch.  I am so flattered that a well established blog like Tucker's chose to honor ours.  I remember when Tucker contacted and encouraged us very early in our blogging days and I really appreciated it.   I have decided to pass the award onto three blogs that I really enjoy and consider particularly sweet. (I truly love every single blog I follow so it was very tough to pick just three).  Here it goes

1) Stewey Unscene: A dog, a chair, and his wardrobe, what could be better!  Stewey is one of the cutest dogs Ive ever seen and an amazing model.  His wardrobe is sure extensive and his mom uses it and some very clever props to take wonderful pictures.   This is one of those most creative (and sweetest) blogs I have seen.

2) Basset Momma: This blog is a wonderful tribute to the simple pleasures of pet ownership.  Its very sweet to see how much these dogs are loved and how much love they give in return.

3) Life is Art...Art is Life:  An adorable puggie, Archie, and some wonderful crafts and projects.  Plus Melissa makes the most beautiful doggie sweater vests, as well as may other dog inspired crafts and paintings.  We have several of the sweaters and trust us, they are as sweet as they come.

Again I could have shared this award with every blog I follow as I think they are all sweet!