Making it Official Like

In 2005, I start my Animal Communication and Animal Reiki business, Sacred Paws.  In 2007, I burned out.   I had been selling holisitic products as well, so I needed to get a tax id number.

Turns out, that most people really just wanted the collars I was making “on the side”.  So I had been using that business name for taxes etc.

I’m off work today and I’m going to the County Clerks office to file my dba for Sew Crazy Dog Lady.  I will be closing up everything for Sacred Paws, but keeping the website and blog up..  I have to post more info…  I found that I’d really rather just inform and educate rather than work.

oh and sew.. I’d rather be sewing…and knitting ! which is my new passion.. I think I’m going to change my karate blog from Karate-Kyu to KicknKnit ..  right? why not?

enough for now.. this short and quirky post is done..  hoping I can post more now that my job is settled down a ibt.

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I did not fall off the face of the earth

… although lately, that is what it feels like.

I haven’t been reading and commenting on blogs, much less writing my own blog posts.. why?

Blame the economy.

I’m actually one of the fortunate ones who is doing pretty ok in the midst of this mess. I work for a mortgage company that has been around for a very long time AND has a economic genius running the show.

I’m busier than a long tailed cat in a a room full of rocking chairs. With the economy so in the toilet, interest rates on mortgages are low.. which means everyone wants to refinance.. and it means that in our relatively stable housing market (compared to other parts of the country) this area is a first time homebuyer’s dream.. if your credit is good and you have saved up some money that is.

So.. I’m busy..

and stressed.

But things seem to be smoothing out a bit.. I’m catching up and I’ve done a little bit of sewing here and there.

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ParmaQay and the “Cow”

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In Lieu of a Real Post

I shall give you food.

I like to call this the  “Stop your heart Chocolate Espresso Cake”

Another recipe I got from culinary school.  It requires only a little bit of skill.  Getting the darn thing out of the pan and glazing it.  (more on how I messed that up later)

Ingredients:

1 lb unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brewed espresso
11 oz semi or bitter sweet chocolate, chopped (or use chips)
5 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
8 eggs, beaten (like beaten like you were going to make scrambled eggs.. don’t kill ‘em. Just beat ‘em up a bit)
Before you start:

Preheat oven to 350

Prepare your pan.
You need a 10″ cake pan. Grease it with crisco or butter and then place a round of parchment paper in the bottom. Grease the parchment. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP.
Find yourself a baking dish that your pan will fit into. You will be baking this in a water bath which is why you are using a regular cake pan, not a springform pan. Set your cake pan inside your baking dish to hang out.  It helps if your baking dish has handles since you will be hauling this back out of the oven full of really hot water.  If it doesn’t try putting it on a cookie sheet so at least you have something to grab.

Put a kettle of water on to boil

Method:

In a 2 quart saucepan, bring the butter, sugar and espresso to a boil.
Remove from heat and add the chocolate and whisk in all at once (seriously, get those arm muscles going)
Whisk in the eggs
(note: the recipe says to “whisk in the eggs” but it assumes a lot. What you really want to do is TEMPER the eggs first. Then whisk.)

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  It should be nice and smooth (and smell amazing)

Put your baking dish with the pan in it in the oven, pour the boiling water in the baking dish until it comes up to about the middle of the cake pan.

Bake your cake for about 30-35 minutes until it’s set. Remove (carefully) from the oven and the pan from the water bath.
Out of the oven

Let cake chill over night. (really… I mean it)

The next day you are going to have to unmold it. I like to use a cake board (or a round piece of cardboard, maybe cut out of the side of a box and covered with foil) because I usually have to BANG the pan to get it out. Tips to follow.

Run a metal thin knife around the edge of the pan. Put the cake board on top of your cake and invert.
Is is stuck? Of course it is.

Here is what you do.. Turn on the burner on your stove (gas is the best but use what you have). Once it’s hot, put the bottom of the cake pan on your burner and SPIN the cake pan quickly. This will melt the crisco that is sticking to the parchment and will help the cake release. Flip the cake back over and BANG the cake on the edge of the counter. It should fall out. You may have to do this a few times.

Voila!
Unglazed cake

Remove the parchment from the top of the cake. Put the the cake and cakeboard on a cooling rack over a sheet pan (commonly known as a cookie sheet)

The unglazed cake

Make your French Chocolate Glaze.

In a saucepan, Combine
2 1/2 ounces of water (that’s um.. 1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon)
1 Tbsp Corn Syrup
3 Tbsp Butter

Bring to boil and remove from heat. Whisk in 8 ounces of semi or bitter sweet chocolate chips.

When it’s slightly thickened, but not super hot, pour over your cake. Mine got a little gloppy and cool before I could pour it on.
Glazed
Let set and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Cutting this thing is a bear. Use your longest knife and dip into hot water after every cut. Or! do what I did and heat your blade up on the gas burner. You will want to wipe off the chocolate after every cut. Please resist the urge to lick it off… you don’t want to cut your tongue… and you will be temped… resist!

If you have any questions on how to make this, let me know. It’s really easy.. but I included a lot of little details to help you.

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Among the Missing

I’m not really.. I’m just SUPER busy at work. I’ll be back soon. Promise!

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More Valentine’s Day Collars

These are only in flickr right now.  Hopefully tonight I’ll get them up in the shop!

They are all 1 inch wide and adjust from 14″ to 20″ but for most of them you can special order any size!  Some patterns look better at diifferent sizes so I’ll be sure to recommend what size dog collar would look the best!

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Valentine’s Day is coming

And I’ve spent the weekend making collars… (among other things.. like cleaning/purging my home office and going to Karate Class for the first time in ages)

but I’m too tired to post all the pics..

I’ll just share a few.

Big Hearts Dog Collar

Tiny Red Hearts Back View

Oh yeah, and I know I’m tired because I really goofed up the background with photoshop trying to make them look cleaner.

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Ah .. Memories

This is from December of 2005

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Let it Snow!

Wow! We have gotten almost a foot of snow! The girls are very happy

ParmaQay :Snow face

StoVoQor: Snow and Drool

I’ve also started a group on Flickr.. if you have pics of your dog in one of my collars, please add it to the pool! I’ve already added some but if you want to show off your dog, that would be the place to do it!

www.flickr.com

items in Sew Crazy Dog Lady Fashion Show More in Sew Crazy Dog Lady Fashion Show pool

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You know you want it

Baklava

Baklava

I got this recipe from my International Baking and Pastry Class. My Father in Law is Arabic and he loves this recipe so I’m guessing it’s pretty authentic.

Ingredients:
1 package of Phyllo sheets (comes frozen. I can usually only find Athens brand) Stick it in the fridge overnight to thaw.
5 cups chopped walnuts
1 Tsp. Cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar
1 lb of butter, unsalted.

For syrup:
1 cup honey
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water
½ lemon
1 cinnamon stick

Method:

Take phyllo out of fridge and let it come to room temp while you prep.

Melt butter. If you feel so inclined, skim off the milk solids that float to the top.

Mix together: Walnuts, Cinnamon and Sugar. Set aside.

Lay out your Phyllo on a piece of waxed paper (or parchment paper).
Cover with another sheet of waxed paper and weigh it down with tea towel. (if you work slow, dampen that towel a bit). As you take out sheets of phyllo, cover it back up.. if it dries out, it’ll crumble into nothingness.

Brush melted butter on the bottom of a 9×13 pan.

Lay in one sheet of phyllo. The easiest way is to hold it be the corners of the short end and sort of drape it over the pan. .. like pulling up a sheet on the bed.

Brush phyllo with butter. repeat until you have 12 sheets of phyllo in the pan each brushed with butter.

spread 1/2 of the nut mixture in the pan.

Lay a sheet of phyllo over the nuts, brush with butter (this one will be tricky.. it will try to run away from you.. just hold down one end and brush the other until you’ve got it covered.

Repeat until you have 8 sheets of phyllo, each brushed with butter.

spread the remaining nut mixture in the pan.

(I bet you know what comes next!)

Lay in a sheet of phyllo, and brush with butter… repeat until you have 12 sheets layered but do not brush the last with butter. Brush with water instead. (I just misted it with my water bottle)

carefully score into trianges.. (I did diamonds but that can be tricky).

Bake at 350 for about 1 hour. I put my pan on a cookie sheet so that there is some insulation for the bottom of the pan.

While that is baking, mix together in a sauce pan.

1 cup honey
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water

add 1/2 lemon (just toss in a 1/2 a lemon.. scrub the peel first) and 1 cinnamon stick broken in two.

Simmer for 10 minutes and set aside.

When the baklava is golden brown, take out of the oven. Remove the lemon and the cinnamon from the syrup and pour it immediately over the baklava (another reason for the sheet pan.. it might simmer over!)

Let cool. Follow your score marks to cut the baklava and serve at room temperature. (and for goodness sakes, do not put powdered sugar on it.. I had it served to me once Ice Cold with powdered sugar .. with a side of whipped cream and chocolate syrup.. at an EGYPTIAN restaurant.. I sent it back)

May be wrapped in plastic and foil and frozen

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