Fun Things + Free Ice Cream!

It's only Tuesday and it's already a great week around here! 

This past weekend, Mark and I were in Greenville, SC for a wedding and we got to enjoy a nice Saturday morning at Reedy River Falls. (Wrigley included!) The weather was perfect and the dood loved making friends in the park. It was such a fun Saturday with my little family. 

The weather in Charlotte has been the bees knees and our yard and screened in porch have gotten lots of TLC over the past couple of days which makes for lovely outdoor living. With a new coat of paint and a new fan, everything feels so refreshed out there. Mark painted our screened in porch ceiling "haint blue" (Benjamin Moore Palladian Blue) and I'm loving the way it turned out! I have dreamt of a haint blue porch ceiling ever since I fell in love with Charleston as a kid. It's a light, breezy blue with a hint of teal. I knew that this was a Southern tradition in that it helps keep the porches cool in the Summer heat, but what I didn't know is that there is a legend that this blue painted ceiling helps ward off evil spirits! Just a little interesting nugget worth passing on. I plan on adding navy, coral and white in the form of accent pillows and other details out there. Our outdoor living space is well on its way to being in business for the season! 

My wonderful mom and sisters are hosting a baby shower for me this weekend and I cannot wait to celebrate with family and friends. Top secret projects have been going on at the Nido house and I am so, so, so excited! This little one is already so loved! 

And, to top it off, we have some special visitors coming to visit from California and they arrive today. Airport pickups are my FAVORITE!!

If you're in the mood for a treat today, it's FREE CONE DAY at Ben and Jerry's! One scoop of Mint Chocolate Chunk for me, please! 

Wrigley's World

Hi friends. It's the Doodle of the house here. I wanted to say hi and let you all know what I've been up to lately. Doggie dates, lots of walks and runs in our neighborhood, licking the dishes when my dad loads the dishwasher after dinner and nightly belly rubs. I even survived my first haircut last month! My mom says that my curls are Jackson 5 worthy and then she sings to me really loud. Ummmm okay. Apparently I have another celebrity look alike, too- Fozzie Bear? A nice lady at the park informed me of this last week when I was on a walk with my Goldendoodle girlfriend, Tag. Quite the spectacle we were. I personally think we resemble Simba and Nala as we walk side by side. Hakuna Matata. 

I try my hardest behave very well and take on a loving persona to impress my parents, but every now and again I break out in my reindeer interpretive dancing routine or try to climb up the fireplace to get my bone off of the mantle. Free entertainment, obviously.

It's rough living around here, but someone has to do it. This is the life people! I LOVE MY FAMILY! 

Peace, love and doodles. 

Frosty Paws {for the four legged furry foodie}

Dogs may have taste buds that are far less complex than ours, but that doesn't mean they don't appreciate a little something extra every now and again. Being a lover of food myself, I can't grasp the fact that Wrigley has to eat the same thing day in and day out. It just doesn't seem fair. So... I mix things up for him every so often. And I like to believe he loves me a little bit more for doing so.

I'm not the only one with a dog treat recipe today. My California sister, Danica, spoils her pups, too! 

Mr. Wrigley enjoys his Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits so much, that I decided it was time to add another doodle treat to the mix. I came across a recipe for Homemade Frosty Paws on The Daily Puppy and knew they would be perfect. We've been running with Wrigley and he loves to lick these up when he gets home from a 30 minute run. 

These frosty paws are technically for dogs, but the humans in our house think they're pretty tasty, too!

Frosty Paws

32 oz. organic plain yogurt
1 ripe banana
2 tsp. natural peanut butter
2 tsp. honey

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the banana and yogurt until smooth. Add the peanut butter and honey and pulse until completely mixed. Pour mixture into ice cube trays and freeze until solid (about 4-6 hours). My ice cube trays hold 20 cubes each and I filled two whole trays! These will last us over a month. The treats will pop right out of the tray when they're ready.

Store in an airtight container in the freezer.

I usually hold up the treat for the Wrigster and let him go to town for a bit before it gets melty. Once it's about halfway gone, I drop it to the floor and let him enjoy the rest on his own!

Wrigley loves his Frosty Paws!!!

Doodle in Training

For the past five weeks, Wrigley has been in obedience training school and on Friday, we brought our Doodle home! Our house was quite quiet without the little monster romping around but we are happy to have our snuggly boy back where he belongs. There were many, many tears when we dropped him off at the end of January, but I can say now with confidence that this might be the best thing we will ever do for our dog. Not only did Wrigley get daily training sessions, several times a day, but Mark and I also had several sessions, at least an hour each so that we know what Wrigley was being taught and so that we can reinforce it in our own home. With a tiny baby only a few months from arriving, I now have more peace of mind knowing that our family dog will be well behaved and as loving as ever.

Welcome home, Wrigster!

Rigatoni all'Amatriciana

I wish this recipe was as fancy as the name sounds, but in reality, it's an easy and delicious pasta dinner that was always a quick go-to in our kitchen growing up. My parents learned to make this from my Godmother (a REAL chef) and it's just divine. I had to apologize to Mark for waiting OVER TWO YEARS to introduce him to this dish. Thanks to my non-paleo friendly, carb induced pregnancy cravings when nothing sounded tasty in October, I found all the ingredients for this pasta in my kitchen and had it on the table in no time. I just did what I remembered my parents doing, maybe made a few alterations and in the end, it tasted like it came from the Nido Kitchen, which is ultimate success! We devoured it again last night and the leftovers are already gone. It's almost better the next day.

The distinct flavor of bacon simmers together with garlic, onions and tomatoes to bring together a rich, yet simple sauce. I prefer this sauce served over Rigatoni and topped with freshly grated Romano cheese. 

Rigatoni all'Amatriciana

1 lb. Rigatoni pasta 
6-8 slices of good bacon, chopped
1 yellow onion, diced (or more if you are an onion lover)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can crushed tomatoes (no salt added)
salt + pepper to taste
Romano cheese to serve

In a large, heavy bottom sauce pan (I just use my French oven so I can toss in the pasta at the end), cook bacon on medium heat until cooked. Add onions and garlic, and simmer for 3-5 minutes, until onions are translucent. Add crushed tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until sauce thickens. Toss with rigatoni and serve with freshly grated Romano Cheese. 

...Wrigley's nickname of the week has been Wrigatoni. It only seemed fitting that he wanted in on the Rigatoni dinner action. Ohhhh Wrigley.

For the Four Legged Furry Foodie

Amidst the delicious holiday baking that happened in my kitchen this Christmas season, it dawned on me that my curly little (giant) doodle monster deserved some special Christmas treats, too. Dogs may not have the sophisticated palates of us humans, but that certainly doesn't mean they can't be spoiled every now and then.

I found this dog treat recipe via Pinterest and it couldn't have been easier. With only four ingredients, I feel good about giving these to the Wrigster. We made one batch of these cuties and packaged them up for some of Wrigley's furry friends and still have a tupperware full in our pantry. Christmas trees, fire hydrants and hearts! What more could a dog want? 

We loved spreading a little Christmas cheer to Doodles and dog cousins far and near.

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits
recipe via Brown Eyed Baker

1 cup all natural peanut butter
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup milk
1 tsp. baking powder

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

In a large bowl, combine flour and baking powder and whisk together. In another bowl, mix milk and peanut butter. Add wet mixture to dry mixture and mix well, creating a dough.

Knead dough and roll out to 1/4" thickness on a floured surface. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly brown. 

Store in an airtight container.

 *These treats have been taste tested and approved by Wrigley Leonard Moore.

Doodle Shenanigans

This little doodle of ours is a constant source of entertainment.

Exhibit A: He just learned how to steal Mark's hat.

This four legged furry friend of ours is the BEST.

Peace, love and Doodles :)

Wrigley the Doodle

I suppose I have taken an unintentional blog hiatus but we have been busy enjoying life and fully embracing my favorite season! Truthfully, it's refreshing to unplug every now and then and spend time away from the noise of blogging and social media. I might even stay in hiding until the election is over. Plus, it's been so beautiful here! Crisp days and nights, clear Carolina blue skies and lots of fall baking. As excited as I am that the holiday season is just around the corner, I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to October. Can't it just stay for a little bit longer?

In other news...say buongiorno to Wrigley!

On Saturday, we added a four legged furry friend to our family and we are so in love! We knew we wanted dog but since we were renting our house in Illinois, we couldn't have one. Clearly, the first order of business once we got settled in Charlotte was to get a pup to call our own. My doodle dreams have finally come true! Wrigley is an 8 week old Labradoodle and truly the sweetest puppy ever. He has been so calm, has the sweetest personality and is just so easy to love.

Wrigley, we love you!