sunsets have my heart pt 2

 

sunsets have my heart pt 1

 well…so do sunrises. 

get ready for lots of photos :)

 Happy Pi (3.14) Day!

Horse Tricks: Hug

 For the past month or so, I've been teaching my horse Zebedee how to "hug" (wrapping their neck around you while you put your arms around their neck :) He is very eager to please and picks tricks up quickly, and this one has been going very well! 

Teaching a horse to hug is actually quite simple. 

First, you just get in position; facing his neck/shoulder and putting both arms around the base of his neck).  I always work this on his left side. 

Then you use the cue word-I use "Zebedee, hug!" As you say the cue word take your right hand and pull the leadrope gently so his neck comes around your back. I hold it there for three seconds before release and reward. 

Zebedee was given a lot of treats from his previous owner, when we got him he was incredibly pushy because of this. I try to limit the amount of treats he gets so he mostly gets verbal praise and lots of pets, both of which he responds well too. All that to say-I've seen people train their horses to hug by positioning themselves, using the cue while simultaneously holding a treat in the left hand. 

 

Lemon Crinkle Cookie Recipe

 I made lemon crinkle cookies for my dad’s birthday today! I love making them because they’re easy, quick to make and foolproof. Plus, they’re a family favorite :) 

Ingredients: 

    1 cup softened butter

    2 cups granulated sugar

    1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    2 whole eggs 

    2 tsp lemon zest 

    2 Tbsp lemon juice

    1/2 tsp salt 

    1/2 tsp baking powder 

    1/4 tsp baking soda

    3 cups AP flour 

    powdered sugar for rolling 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a baking stone or line a cookie sheet.  Using a handheld beater or stand mix, beat the butter and sugar together until combined. Add in the vanilla, lemon, and eggs and beat until well mixed. Then add the dry ingredients. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough in your hands and then in the powdered sugar. 

Bake for 9-11 minutes, until the edges are starting to set. They will firm up more as they sit, so be careful to not overbake. Let them cool for 3 minutes on the stone before transferring them to a cooling rack. Enjoy! 

From the Coffee Shop

 I’ve made a mistake…I went to the coffee shop…and I got the same thing I did last time. I haven’t been wanting to add a syrup flavoring because it’s already almost an extra dollar to get it dairy free…but next time I will! But, here’s a picture of it anyway! 

My decaf soy latte (same mug as last time :o)

My friend got an Almond Joy (almond and coconut mocha) 

So Beautiful

 

It is feeling like spring, folks. 

(At least in Seward, Moose Pass is 6 degrees right now) 

Allergy Friendly Quesadillas

 I made these for my meals that I packed…they are so fast and easy to make, simple to pack, and delicious. I used Siete’s Almond Flour Tortillas, refried beans, diced chicken and Daiya cheese. The thing about dairy free cheese is that it’s not actually cheese. Less is more. If you have more, it’s disgusting, sticky, and overpowering. 

I just spread a thin layer of the refried beans on a tortilla, added a thin sprinkle of cheese, a few pieces of chicken and put it on our stovetop griddle (you can also use just a pan) until it was golden brown, flipped it and let it cool before I put some avocado in it. They are really good and completely allergy friendly! 

Dairy Free Nice Cream

 

This is what I made today! Super simple, delicious and easy to make dairy free ice cream! All you need is frozen lemon juice, chilled coconut cream and sweetner (maple syrup or stevia). I think I juiced four or five lemons for this and I used one can of coconut cream. I added some frozen fruit just because. It’s very tart and summery! I put it in the freezer and stirred it every once in a while for a few hours. Very good! 

Allergy Friendly PB Banana Cookies *recipe testing*

 These peanut butter banana cookies were really good! Here’s the link to the recipe I used Click HERE

Combine 1/4 cup mashed banana 

    1 cup crunchy peanut butter 

    2/3 cup coconut sugar

    2 Tbsp maple syrup 

    2 tsps vanilla extract 

    1/2 tsp baking soda. 

    1/2 tsp salt 

    Coarsely chopped peanuts (opt)

    Granulated sugar (opt) 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. 

You can choose to roll the dough in granulated sugar and chopped peanuts if desired.

Stir together all the other ingredients in a medium bowl. The dough will be thick and sticky. Let it sit for 15 minutes. It will thicken as it sits. Roll the dough in the peanuts and sugar and place on a baking sheet. Leave 2” between the cookies. They spread a lot! Bake for 8-10 minutes until the edges begin to look crispy. They will dry out as they cool, so don’t overbake (guilty).  They’re crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. They are so good!! 

Note: I don’t know if the issue was me…but the dough never seemed to actually thicken (there was no way I could roll it). I just kinda plopped it onto the baking stone and sprinkled peanuts on top. They also seemed like they took longer to bake, but I did slightly overbake a batch. I definitely will be trying this recipe again, so we’ll try again. But, they still taste really good! 

Summer

 For the first time in forever *literally singing* I am excited for summer! I know, I am strange, but summer has never had an appeal to me. It’s always been the time where schedules and routine go out the window, the heat is mostly unbearable, and it’s kinda…boring but chaotic at the same time. Of course, some of these things have changed over the years (especially now that we have horses) so here are some things I’m looking forward to this summer! 

1. Work - I’m excited to get back making some money…I’ve got a good feeling about this year. 

2. My Birthday - 2023 is my sweet sixteen, and I usually hate getting older (i know, strange) but I’m very excited for my birthday this year 

3. Getting my license - I am so so so excited to get my license, mostly because I will be able to work more and get together with friends. 

4. My Project - if you haven’t seen my last blog post, I am doing a ‘23-‘25 project where I basically document tons of moments. There was this quote I saw once and it went something like ‘moments not remembered don’t become memories’ or some thing along those lines. I’m on a mission to make memories! 

5. The Farm - I love being a farm girl. I love chores and working with the animals and all the things. So, I’m really excited to go on trail rides, work on training, grow my herb plot, not have to freeze and work around the weather :) 

Those are just five things I’m looking forward to! Again, I have a good feeling about this summer and I’m so excited to see everything that happens! 

2023-2025

Starting NOW, I am going to be doing this idea I saw that really resonated with me. 

I will be taking a ton of pictures up until my graduation (2025) with friends, family, food, beautiful things…pictures of special moments. 

I love those little things that bring me joy in the day to day but they’re so easily forgotten or covered up by the inevitable annoying or frustrating things. 

Hopefully, documenting all these moments will remind me how blessed I am and I can’t wait to make a video at the end!