Man's best friend

Bounce is already taking after his handsome "Dad." Let me count all the ways Bounce takes after my dear hubby:

• Bounce eats his meals much faster than I think he should.
• Bounce can be very clumsy and knocks things over.
• Bounce is so irrestibly snuggle-y.
• Bounce is very photogenic (as you can obviously see).
• Bounce LOVES Natural White Cheddar Cheetos (no - he didn't get to taste them but man on man did he want to!).
• Bounce greets me excitedly ever day after work with a big hug and kiss.

Aren't I lucky to have these two boys in my life?

The Hoag Boys

How cute are my boys?!? I am one lucky girl!

Recipe Repertoire

The other day I got a wild hair and decided to try a new dessert recipe. That same day my coworker and friend, Jennifer handed me a recipe for homemade granola from a blog she recently discovered. So over the weekend I tried both recipes and enjoyed both. And I had a realization. When we got married we got lots of new cookbooks and recipes. And we also got lots of shiny new kitchen gadgets that needed a little more breaking in. So I committed to trying at least one to two new recipes each week.

So far here's my list so far:

Pineapple Pie
I wanted to make dessert for Valentine's day and this stood out to me for some reason. The pie was very easy to make and delicious. The meringue topping? Not as easy and I didn't get the texture quite right. It tasted good but was more of a marshmellow consistency than meringue. Better luck next time!

Homemade Granola
MMMMM. Nom Nom Nom Nom. This was pretty easy to make and DELICIOUS. Matt already requested a round two. Definitely give this recipe a try! I used cocoa roasted almonds instead of the cinnamon roasted almonds and recommend you do the same. Just writing about it is making me crave the granola on top of vanilla yogurt!

Meatloaf
Mmmm. Also good! This was my first attempt at meatloaf and I really wasn't sure if I really even like meatloaf. Matt and I made a discovery and a secret non-ingredient that made this recipe a hit in the Hoag household. The non-ingredient? Onions. Yep, the recipe called for them. Did I include them? Heck no. We both dislike onions and agreed that meatloaf sans onions will be a recipe standby. I used the recipe out of this cookbook that I got because my dear friend Brenna recommended it to me several years ago. I filed away that recommendation until I got married and swiftly registered for it and thankfully recieved it!

Baked granola
Also a hit in the Hoag household...though it wasn't a homerun. It was good but not to die for. I plan on playing around with the recipe a little next time around.

Pasta with boursin, asparagus and pine nuts
Mmmm. This isn't exactly a new recipe. Brenna made it when I visited one time and it is actually when she recommended the cookbook I mentioned earlier. I've made this dish before but didn't follow the recipe exactly. I think the last few times I made it I omitted the dill. This time I included the dill and it made all the difference.

I've already tried out a new recipe for this week and it was yummy but you'll have to wait to hear all about it! I didn't take any pictures but realize I should probably start snapping pics of all this tasty goodness so you can drool a little. :)

A week in the life of Bounce Hoag

Meet Bounce! He's our new Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier. We picked him up on Sunday, February 7th at the age of 7 weeks. We picked him out of four boys in the liter and we are sure we got the best dog. He's certainly a lot of work and cutting into our eight hours of sleep, but he's adorable and we love him so much. Here's what his first week as a Hoag looked like...

Day One: Sunday, February 7
Today two new people came and played with me and my three brothers. They oooohed and awwwed at us a lot. Then they carried me out and we rode in the car for forever. We stopped and I got to play in the grass. They were very excited for me for some reason.
I got weighed today and came in at 3.5 lbs. Not for long though, I feel a growth spurt coming on!

Day Two: Monday, February 8
I guess I don't get to see my brothers anymore. That makes me sad so I whimpered at night when I am supposed to be snuggling with them. But I did get to sleep next to my new BFF, Mr. Bananas. All day long I hung out with Mr. Bananas and Matt. I slept a lot. And I found something that I love to chew and sleep on - slippers! The blue Gonzaga ones are my favorite. I guess I'm supposed to be a fan of Gonzaga or something... I also got some poop on myself so I got a bath.

I don't mind baths so much and then I get to snuggle up in a towel afterwards. Not so bad, but it does tucker me out! Day Three: Tuesday, February 9
Today I pooped on Mr. Bananas. And on the Gonzaga slipper. I swear I didn't mean to! I also learned how to untie shoes. I am one smart dog!
Day Four: Wednesday, February 10
Snow snow snow! I got to play in the snow! I learned today that I like to work out, rather, I like to sleep on weights - working out through osmosis. Day Five: Thursday. Februay 11
I got to meet lots of people today. 5 in total! 4 neighbors and my friend Colin came over to meet me. I like people. And people like me, they all told me I was cute! Oh, and have I mentioned that I sleep a lot? I do. I sleep lots, whenever and WHEREVER I feel like!

Day Six: Friday, February 12
I think my name is Bounce. Though I'm not sure. I hear "Bounce" most often but sometimes they call me little rascal, punk, cutie, knucklehead, pup, terror and klutz.

Day Seven: Saturday, February 13
I gained a pound! I weighed in at 4.4 lbs today. I also went on an outing to the pet store to get new treats. I'm picky and don't like the first ones we had. I met more people at the store and they all thought I was cute. I even got offered a new home - thankfully Cara said no thanks!

I woke up from a nap and Colin came over again. This time he brought his wife Jess and they brought me a gift! Three bones for me to chew on! They think I'm cute too.

Day Eight: Sunday, February 14
Happy Valentine's Day! I love my new family!
I finally grew into my collar and got to go on my first walk today. It was SO fun. I ran around in at the park and got so tired that I couldn't walk home.