This post is password protected. You must visit the website and enter the password to continue reading.
Pet Care Articles
Check out these helpful articles we found around the internet:
Protected: We now have the first evidence of a 20,000-year-old dogs in Italy: Premium Member Content
Posted in Pet Care Articles
Tagged 20000yearold, Content, Dogs, evidence, first, Italy, Member, Premium, Protected
Leave a comment
Our 2020 Family Holiday Cards
Those of you who have been reading here for a while know that even though I don’t often get personal about my private life (especially when it comes to my kids), I always share our family holiday cards with you all. And I say this every year, but it’s worth repeating: sharing family holiday cards might not seem like a deep dive into our personal lives, but there is something very intimate about them. They are the most special greeting we send to our closest friends and family at the end of every year, and they represent our gratitude for those people. Well, I’m grateful for you all as well, and that’s why I choose to share these with you in a post every November.
Also, let’s face it. 2020 has been a real a-hole of a year, and that just makes me want to share greetings of peace and love and joy more than ever.
Honestly, I can’t think of a year I have ever not sent out holiday cards. They are one of my absolute favorite seasonal traditions. (I even have a line of them of my own, although they’re a much different style than the ones I send out myself these days.) And six years ago, I discovered a holiday card company that not only had the hippest cards around, they went above and beyond to make my life easier. So please allow me to gush for a minute about them, my beloved Postable.
Before I start my annual professing of love for Postable, I want to say that Postable did not (and has never) paid me to review them. This is just one of those time that I have fallen in love with a brand, gotten to know them, and feel inspired to spread the word of their awesomeness. Again and again. What initially drew me to them way back when was their huge selection of beautifully designed, fully customizable cards that are all 100% post-consumer recycled and/or tree-free 100% (envelopes too). Once I had their cards in hand, I was impressed by other things too – from the quality of the cards themselves to the quickness of their shipping.
I think my favorite thing about Postable, however, is that they do all the freaking work you guys. Not only do they print my cards, they stuff the envelopes, address them, stamp them, and mail them for me too. So basically, I have not had an envelope cut on my tongue in years, and that is glorious. And the process of getting them made and sent couldn’t be easier. I choose a card design (which is by far the longest part of it because the options are endless), upload my photos, greetings, and names, choose my font, choose an envelope color, click on the addresses saved in my address book, and hit order. A few days later, my cards arrive in my loved ones mailbox, which leaves me way more time to binge watch dark holiday comedies and eat peppermint bark in bed.
Thank you one again to my friends at Postable for making the holiday season a little brighter by creating beautiful cards and making it beyond easy to get them sent. After the year we’ve all had, I appreciate thie more than ever. I’ll also mention once again the people who work for the company are genuinely kind humans too. So kind that they are giving you 20% off your entire order with code BEAN20. So get over to their site right now and start designing, friends. Happy holidays, and happy holiday card giving!
This post is in collaboration with Postable.
Spicy Veggie Burrito Bowl Casserole
This post is in partnership with La Morena.
I have been talking a lot with my kids lately about the fact that even though this holiday season will look different for us (and most people), there are so many ways we can still make it special – for ourselves and for others. One of the ways we can do this is through cooking our favorite foods. The act of spending time together in the kitchen as a family, making delicious, comforting things to eat, has always been a big part of the holidays. Sharing our food has been as well. And while we may not be able to host parties or have big holiday gatherings this year, we can still cook foods and share them with neighbors and community.
One of our favorite foods to cook and serve (during the holidays and throughout the year) is a vegetarian burrito bowl casserole. Burrito bowls are staples in our house, and creating a casserole from them takes an everyday dish up a notch. My son and I recently had so much fun making a spicy version of this delicious meal and delivering it as a gift to a neighbor. We plan to continue to do this throughout the holiday season, but today we’re choosing you to share the recipe with!
Spicy Veggie Burrito Bowl Casserole
Serves 8-10
1/3 cup La Morena Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce, sliced
2 cans black beans, drained
1 can corn
1 can refried beans
1 can pinto beans, drained
3 cups cooked brown rice
2 cups shredded cheese (we like a mix of cheddar and Monterey jack)
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 teaspoon salt
Garnishes:
Scallions, sliced
Tomato, diced
Avocado, diced
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat black beans, corn, La Morena Pickled Jalapeños and La Morena Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce in a sauce pan with spices until warm. In another pan, heat pinto and refried beans. Spoon pinto and refried bean mixture into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Spoon on rice. Layer on the jalapeño/chipotle pepper/black bean/corn mixture. Top with shredded cheese. Cook in oven for 20-25 minutes. Top with garnishes and serve.
The key to the delicious spiciness in this dish is the
I hope you enjoy making (and eating!) this yummy recipe as much as we do this holiday season. And I encourage you to pay it forward and make this casserole, or any our your other favorite dishes made with delicious La Morena products, as a meal to give to a neighbor, friend, or family in need. Because even though it’s a different kind of holiday season, we CAN still be kind, generous, and compassionate to others. That is ultimately what the holidays are all about anyway!
Just the Good Ol’ Boy
Sagan turned 11 months old on Tuesday. He is just a good boy all around.
He’s turned into fetching fool. That Herm Sprenger ball gets a lot of use!
Today’s the Day
I know, I know, we’re all sick of people screaming at us on the internet to vote. It admittedly annoys me too, even though I’m one of the people pushing for it. The thing is, this is probably the most important election of our life times. And I get to have a say. So do you. If you haven’t done it yet, it couldn’t be easier. Put on a mask and go to your local polling place and in a few minutes, you helped make history.
I don’t have any other blog content scheduled for this week. I just don’t know what to expect, and I’m worried about how people from both “sides” will react. If there is unrest, I would feel like I was being inauthentic posting about, like, what throw blankets to buy for winter. I do have some content scheduled for Instagram and Facebook, but it’s possible those might be put on hold too.
Honestly guys, I feel like there aren’t enough mindfulness exercises, Xanax, or CBD in the world to calm my anxiety about this election. That’s just me being honest. So much is at stake. Maybe you can just wake me up when it’s over?
Trick-or-Treat?
It’s October, and for many of us that means Halloween celebrations! Other than fun costumes and decorations, Halloween is synonymous with treats. But just how many treats are ok for your furry friend?
The post Trick-or-Treat? appeared first on Halo Pets Blog.
Please Vote!
If you’ve been living under a rock and somehow haven’t seen the news, tomorrow is Election Day. If you’re not one of the more than 95 million people who voted early, please let your voice be heard tomorrow. Can’t stomach any of the mainstream candidates? You can always write-in Oliver Winston Churchill Finelli, a 2-year … Continue reading Please Vote!
Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
Thanksgiving is still a month away, but I’m already thinking about what is arguably my favorite thing to eat (after tacos, duh): mashed potatoes. I mean just hand me a giant bowl full of buttery mashed potatoes and a giant spoon and I will be happy for days.
My favorite mashed potatoes, which I will be serving on Thanksgiving Day, feature shredded parmesan, which takes the flavor up a serious notch. If you’re a mashed potato fan, I think you’ll love these as much as I do.
Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
Serves: 6-8
INGREDIENTS
3 lbs russet potatoes
3 cups milk
4 Tablespoons butter
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 green onions, chopped
salt and pepper
Peel and cut russet potatoes into chunks, place into large pot, and cover with milk. Simmer milk over medium low heat (never allowing to come to a full boil), stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes or until tender. Add butter, 3/4 cups of the parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Then hand mash until well combined to desired consistency. Scoop potatoes into a serving bowl and top with remaining parmesan cheese, chopped green onions, and salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Happy Halloween!
Happy Halloween! This is definitely the most unusual Halloween we’ve ever experienced (and that’s saying a lot, considering it snowed like five inches here in Chicago on Halloween last year), but we are making the best of it. We’re creating a socially distanced trick-or-treat table at the end of the driveway, and our kids will be visiting some other houses we know where people will be doing the same. Since we’re not doing a full on trick-or-treating adventure this year, we also plan to do a fun candy hunt in our house and have a movie marathon. The silver lining to Halloween in a pandemic is that my husband, who is usually on the road with the band, is home this year and actually agreed to a family costume. (Those that know him in real life are probably as shocked as I am. It’s bananas.) I’ll share the family costume this weekend on my Instagram, but for now, here are some photos of past costumes.
We hope you have your own kind of spooky fun on this unusual Halloween.
ALSO FIND US HERE: INSTAGRAM // FACEBOOK // TWITTER // PINTEREST
Retiring this Space
WordPress has given me a new, very clunky editor that does not allow me to use this software the way I use it. I have been in contact with WordPress trying to get this issue resolved, but I am unable to.
I am in the process of getting a new site set up. For Premium content subscribers, this means that it may take some time for me to get everything squared away. If you have any questions, please use the contact form to contact me.
The new editor is design for people use use mobile devices to blog. And that’s not me.
The domain will still be up if you’re looking for older content, but new content will not appear at this site.
I was barely able to post this. LOL. It’s that bad.
I’ll update everyone with the new site when it gets established. I don’t know how long it will take. But I am working on it.