**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. But, all opinions expressed are my own.
August 26th is National Dog Day. While we don't have any pets right now, our family has definitely been dog people throughout my life. We have had a few cats and other pets but, dogs are the animals we have loved the best. National Dog Day is what has inspired today's Friday Fave topic.
What is your favorite book about dogs? Oh my goodness! There are so many choices! Today we are sharing some of our faves. If you know any dog lovers, this is a list they will enjoy. Have you read all of these?
Dog Story Books:
Chapter Books For Young and Old:
Did we miss any of your faves? Let us know in the comments! If you haven't read some of these, give them a try, you never know when one made into a movie will make it onto From Cover to Reel! If you find any books on here you might like to read and want more, here are some other suggestions from past posts.
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**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. But, all opinions expressed are my own.
Alicia back with another Spanish recipe. My family is taking a country from our heritage each month and making one meal a week from that country. This month is Spain. We've already made Spanish Tortilla and Paella (which I will share with you today). My husband has Spanish blood in him, being from South America, but my Dad also has a bit of the Iberian Peninsula in his DNA as well. Unfortunately it didn't show up in my DNA results. But since he's my dad, I do have an ancestor from there! So we are excited to explore our Spanish heritage.
I was apprehensive at first because I can't say that I'd been exposed to much Spanish food in my life. Once in college a classmate brought Paella to share. It was good, but was a little cold from sitting in a bowl during the whole class. I would say I didn't get the whole effect, because the Paella we made at home last week was AMAZING! So far Spain is 2 for 2! I loved the tortilla, and I loved the Paella. What I'm finding interesting about Spanish food so far is that the ingredients are all familiar to me, but when I combine them in the Spanish way, it's a flavor I never expected! (And a very wonderful flavor to boot!) And the ingredients aren't wildly expensive so I can add the dishes to our regular dinner menu! Paella
Another thing you might think would drive up cost is the seafood. While that's what most people think of when we think of paella, you don't have to use seafood. We used a mix of shrimp, chicken, and sausage (chorizo). Oh and if a recipe calls for chorizo, it's not Mexican chorizo that we know of in the states. Chorizo means sausage so you can choose your favorite kind of sausage. We used Polish kielbasa (Hillshire Farms). It was so yummy.
And my last tip is about choosing the right pan. We actually bought a 14 inch wide pan with low sides. It wasn't called a paella pan, but looked like the paella pans I saw elsewhere. The only problem we ran into was we only have a 2 burner electric glass-top stove. The biggest burner we have is about 8 inches wide. As such, the middle of our pan was hotter than the edges. It was not such a big deal and everything did get cooked. We just made sure to stir it often and covered it with foil to keep the heat in. Another way to remedy this is to use 2 smaller pans instead of making one large dish. Whatever works for you, just please promise me you'll make this dish!
**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. But, all opinions expressed are my own.
Do you have any of those types of cookbooks that were put together by organizations, like a church group or a club? I have a few from different places. Some of my old favorite recipes come from these cookbooks. I often look through them for inspiration, or just for fun! That is what I was doing the other day when I came across a Stuffed French Bread Sandwich contributed by my sister's friend, Cathy Campbell. It looked really tempting so I was excited to give it a try.
With a few variations, here is the original recipe.
My husband really liked this recipe. I thought it needed a little more zip. Not super spicy. just maybe some bell pepper or some sour cream to give it some tang. Try it and see what you think. But, my husband is a real meat and potatoes kind of guy, so he thought this was just great.
Well, I kept thinking about it and I thought about the fact that I usually eat French bread with Italian food and spread it with garlic butter. That is when I came up with the idea to make a Stuffed French Bread Spaghetti Sandwich! I did it, pasta and all! Guess What! It is super good. It is similar to a meatball sandwich, but even better! Here is how I did it.
Finally, wrap the loaf in foil and bake it for 20 min. like you did the first loaf.
These sandwiches are so good and easy to serve. I am now imagining other versions that would be delicious! What combinations are you thinking about? Let me know and we can try them together!
**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. But, all opinions expressed are my own. Sometimes I think about what kind of a friend I am. I have some very dear friends who mean the world to me and I know in my heart that throughout our relationships, they have been much better friends to me than I have been to them. I just can hardly believe how kind and thoughtful they are and I truly want to be more like them. When my sister passed away, our dear friends from the East Coast were traveling in the North West. But, when they heard about my sister, they went out of their way to come down to Arizona to see us, just for a few hours before we left for California for the funeral, to give us their love and comfort. That was such sweet, touching display of friendship. The 3rd week of August is National Friendship Week and the 4th week is Be Kind and Thoughtful Week. With school starting and with all of the focus on treating one another better so kids don't end up broken, these two special weeks are a very timely reminder. So, for Friday Faves we are talking about what being a friend means to us. "True friendship comes when the silence between two people is comfortable." ~David Tyson Two of my dear friends live many states away from me now. But, when we get together, we can pick up talking as if we had been together the day before. We can be silent with each other and it is not uncomfortable. We can laugh with each other and be understanding of each other. I love that about our friendships. "Sometimes, being with your best friend is all the therapy you need." Lindsey and I both agreed that quote is so true! I especially feel that way about my husband, who is my ultimate best friend. When I've had a rough day, just being able to talk to him and know that he loves me in spite of my short comings or insecurities is great therapy. I hope I am that kind or support for him! Whenever my friend from Michigan is in town for the winter months, we always meet at a favorite restaurant and sit and talk for hours. I know that it has been therapy for both of us as we chat about our struggles with life, worries about our children and all of the happy things as well. I cherish those moments with her. Alicia mentioned her friends who are so loving and giving and never give a second thought to helping her out if she needs it. I know Alicia is not a very needy person, so that is really sweet to notice those people in her life. I found a quote that I really love and turned it into a printable. You can frame it or make it into a card. But, I hope you like it. I am going to put it up to remind me of the qualities that I want to improve on when it comes to being a friend. Here are a couple of more quotes that I really liked. This next one reminds me so much of Madalynn and her best friend, Charley. I can't tell you how often Charley has come over and I have found these two girls asleep, one on the couch and one on the love seat. "Real friendship is when your friend comes over to your house and then you both just take a nap." And who hasn't had this "AHA!" moment? "Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: 'What! You, too? I thought I was the only one." ~C.S. Lewis I have friends of all ages and sizes that I have made long ago and very recently who fit in with that description. It is so much fun to find a "kindred Spirit" as Anne of Green Gables would put it. So, here is how I am going to strive to be a better friend:
So, what do you notice about friendship? Are you the friend you would want to have? Tell us your thoughts, and have a wonderful weekend!
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Creators of Hot Cocoa Bombs! (copyrighted)
Author
Helen Reynolds: Mother of six children , grandmother to eleven! I love to cook, craft and create things and I especially love doing that with my family, So, when my lawyer daughter, Lindsey, my artist daughter, Madalynn, and I came up with the idea of Hot Cocoa Bombs, this blog was born. Then, one more daughter, with her technical and science skills, plus creativity has joined in to round us out! Read more about us here! Archives
May 2024
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