Sunday, January 24, 2021

Change a Pets Life Day - What You Can Do

What better way of celebrating Change A Pet's Life Day than celebrating our local shelters, our kitties and shining of what WE can do to change a pets life!

Here are a few Shelter Videos we made in the past still played today which  illuminate these  organizations and adoptable occupants.


What YOU can do to change a pet's life this winter

1) Adopt or foster a kitty who doesn't have a home
2) Volunteer at a shelter
3) Donate to a shelter (it can be toys, food, or office supplies doesn't have to be $$$)
4) Spread the word about adoptable cats
5) Photograph cats at your local shelter to present them in their best light for potential adopters
6) Organize or assist at shelter events
7) Share your own cats' stories - let people now how their lives have change
8) Do something for your cat that he/she loves - a special brushing, a extra play session, a new toy
9) Bring out that scratch-cat house you've been saving for a special occasion and let him/her explore (or a new "box" or crunchy paper bag if you do't have one
10) Sing to your cat (yeah we do that, we humans) in a soft voice. (Most like it) (no really!)

The shelters were honoring in our videos today are
http://www.maryskittykorner.org
felinerescueofstateisland.org *

*This is the organization that rescued Us!

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We are joining the Cat On My Head's Sunday hop today!








Saturday, January 23, 2021

Happy National Pie Day - Paprika Peach Pie


  You didn't know that in addition to being gorgeous, we could also cook, did you?  Well,  National Pie Day  gives us a chance to strut our stuff!  In fact, we believe in immersing oneself in one's work, as you can notice!

There exists actually a Peach & Paprika pie, and a Paprika-Peach pie, which can be found on .  Here are two of them whose kind authors gave us permission to post their recipe! 

CELINE'S EATS BLOG (USED WITH PERMISSION)

Paprika Peach Pie

Yield: One 9-inch pie

Adapted from Four and Twenty Blackbirds

Ingredients:

  • All-Butter Crust for a 9-inch double-crust pie (recipe here)
  • 2 1/2 lbs. peaches (about 5 cups of sliced peaches)
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 3 tbsp organic corn starch
  • 1 tbsp sweet paprika*
  • 1/8 tsp ground white pepper
  • 1/4 tsp ground allspice
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 to 2 dashes Old Fashion bitters (or a few splashes of water)
  • Egg wash (1 large egg whisked with 1 tsp water and pinch of salt)
  • Raw sugar, for finishing

Directions:

In the refrigerator, set aside one pastry-lined 9-inch pie dish and a round of dough for the top (recipe and directions are here). If a lattice design is desired for the top crust, use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut the dough into 1-inch strips, or strips with a width of your preference. For the pie shown in these pictures, I used a mixture of 1/2-inch and 1-inch strips.

Peel the peaches and cut into 1/2-inch slices. Place the sliced peaches in a large bowl and sprinkle with the lemon juice. Add the granulated and brown sugars, corn starch, paprika, white pepper, allspice, ginger, salt, and bitters (or water), and toss well to combine.

Leaving behind the excess juices in the bowl, spoon the peach filling into the prepared refrigerated pastry-lined pie dish. Arrange the pastry round or lattice on top and crimp as desired. For a step-by-step tutorial and video on assembling the lattice crust, refer here.

Arrange the oven racks to the bottom and center positions, and preheat the oven to 425°F. Chill the pie in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes to relax the pastry and allow the butter to chill (which will produce a nice, flaky crust). Brush the pastry with the egg wash; if the pie has a lattice top, be careful not to drag the peach filling onto the dough or it will burn. Sprinkle with the desired amount of raw sugar.

Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet on the lowest rack of the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the pastry is set and starting to brown.

Lower the oven temperature to 375°F and move the pie to the center rack, and bake for 30-35 minutes longer, or until the pastry is a deep golden brown and the juices are bubbling.

Remove the pie from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack, about 2-3 hours. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. A scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side never hurts either!

PAPRIKA-PEACH PIE from "THE TABLE" BLOG (used with permission)

Ingredients
         For the crust
         2 1/2 cups flour
         1 tbs. sugar
         1 tsp. salt
         2 sticks (1 cup) butter, very cold
         1/2 cup ice water
         
         For the pie filling
         6 peaches, sliced (about 5 cups)
         2 tbs. lemon juice
         1/3 -2/3 cups sugar (to taste)
         1/4 cup brown sugar
         3 tbs. potato starch
         1 tbs. sweet paprika
         1/3 tsp. white pepper
         1/4 tsp. allspice
         1/4 tsp. ginger
         1/4 tsp. salt
         2-3 dashes Angostura bitters
         1 tbs. cream

         turbinado sugar, for dusting

Instructions
1  Make the pie dough: Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Using a pastry cutter, cut in the cold butter until just blended. Add the ice water, and then fold the ingredients together with a spatula until they're just moistened. Be sure not to overwork the dough. Divide the dough in half, and form each half into a disc. Wrap the discs tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour but up to two days.
To make the pie: Take out a disc of the dough and roll it out in a circle to fit the pie pan. (I always roll out the dough between two sheets of wax paper because it's easier to transfer from the counter to the pan). Lightly press the 1  dough in the bottom of the pie pan, and then refrigerate the pan and the crust.

2  Peel and slice the peaches. Toss them with the lemon juice, 1/3 cup of sugar, brown sugar, potato starch, sweet paprika, pepper, allspice, ginger, and salt. If you think the filling needs to be sweeter, add additional sugar. Add the ingredients to the pie pan, and then return the pie to the refrigerator.
3  Roll out the second disc of dough to make the top crust. Lay the crust across the pan and crimp the edges. Return the pie to the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes, or until the crust is cold.
Preheat the oven to 425. Brush the top of the pie with the cream, and then sprinkle with the turbinado sugar. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes, and then lower the heat to 375. Continue baking for an additional 30-35 minutes, or until the top is golden and the filling is bubbling. Enjoy!

- from Thetableblog.com  We encourage you to bake one...today!

There are two other blogs which post recipes for this mouthwatering pie (which combines all of OUR special ingredients!)

https://sincerelysyl.com/2018/07/29/paprika-peach-pie/

https://www.ediblebrooklyn.com/2014/easy-pie-two-summer-recipes-four-twenty-blackbirds/


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We feel any pie using our names as ingredients is bound to be delicious!

We are joining Athena and  Marie's Art hop today!

Friday, January 22, 2021

National Answer Your Cats Questions Day


 It's NATIONAL ANSWER YOUR CATS' QUESTIONS DAY! After a half day search we found the purr-rect holiday! And we have a question for OUR human. "WHY DON'T YOU PAY MORE ATTENTION TO US?" (We fixed that by crawling inside her laptop!) What would YOU kitties ask your human if you could?


There are a lot of other questions we COULD ask...


Here are Peaches' questions:

Why does Paprika bother me all the time?

Why don't you pay more attention to me when I'm "in the mood?"

Why don't you leave me alone when I ask you to?

Why did you buy that un-tasty discount cat food last week?

Why can't I have Paprika's dinner too?


Paprika's questions:

Why do you make such a fuss when I go take a little stroll amidst your fragile shell collection/ Can't you see I'm being careful?

Why do you pay so much attention to Peaches?

Why do you get so mad when I take a bite out of your silk plant?

Why can't I have butler service every day instead of just part of the time?



Tuesday, January 19, 2021

National Popcorn Day brings Mayhem in the Peaches-Paprika Household

 

POPCORN PAPRIKA! What a mess! We were just minding our own business w
hen we were ATTACKED BY POPCORN! Well it was kinda fun really, & we got a lot of exercise dodging all the kernels. Peaches had the most fun cause she got to turn upside down. Then she told me it is NATIONAL POPCORN DAY!

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Popcorn started becoming popular in the mid 1800's and by 1900 horse-drawn popcorn wagons proliferated. And who has not enjoyed a huge tub of buttered popcorn at the movies sometime in their lives!You can read all about National Popcorn Day here!

Sunday, January 10, 2021

2021 Bloggers Journey - Our Answers

 A heartfelt thanks to Colby once again of the Puppy in Training blog for picking up the ball and getting the 2021 Pet Bloggers Journey rolling. I am looking forward to reading a bout  everyone's challenges, accomplishments & activities this year and share my own. Colby posed 10 blogger questions to answer and these are my answers. Hope some of you will enter & post yours too!


1.  WHEN DID YOU FIRST BEGIN YOUR BLOG AND FOR THOSE STOPPING BY FOR THE FIRST TIME, HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN BLOGGING & WHAT IS YOUR MAIN TOPIC?


This is our sixth year.  Our blog is humorous & entertaining featuring the adventures of Peaches & Paprika, my two quirky tiger-calico sisters, originally rescue kitties who survived three shelters & a  narrow escape with death row. There are three main parts of our blog: holidays, slideshows and cat adventures.

a) Holidays for Cats:  We focus on celebrating "fun" untraditional holidays - such
as National Brownie Day, International Beer Day, Day of the Cowboy hoedown, National Ice Cream Day, Rose Day, Best Furriends Day, Hairball day, Pick a Flower Day...well you get the idea.   Our readers are entertained by learning about little known holidays while enjoying Peaches & Paprika's cavorting about in crazy costumes, backdrops and poses.

b Slideshows:  We also host slideshow celebrations for special events in which any bloggers (as well as our lively Facebook readers) participate-- such as Independence Day, Catmas, St. Catrick's Day and more.  Our slideshows are fun for all and build community amongst bloggers and readers.

c. Peaches & Paprika adventures:  
Of course we also feature the day to day "adventures" of Peaches & Paprika, stars of our blog, who have  experiences common to many pet owners.  As an example, in 2020 they were subjected to RELOCATION to a new home , every cat's worst nightmare...and on top of that, a noisy RENOVATION...well you get the picture.  We narrate these down to earth events with realistic photo cartoons and slideshows, sometimes humorous, sometimes poignant  to entertain our readers but also to share our experiences.

2.  NAME ONE THING ABOUT YOUR BLOG OR ONE BLOGGING GOAL YOU ACCOMPLISHED DURING 2020 THAT MADE YOU PROUD:

A. I GOT AN AWARD FOR MY BLOG & OTHER CWA AWARDS


Our blog won the CWA Certificate of Excellence award and we were also honored to have 5 additional Certifications of Excellence awards - two for photography and  photographic art, two for videos and also a Social Media award for our Facebook page.

MUSE AWARDS

Two Videos also won coveted CWA MUSEs awards: Bloggers' Catriotic Slideshow on July 4, as well as Bloggers 3rd Annual Rainbow Memorial Show in May: a slideshow honoring pets who crossed the bridge.  I believe both events meant a lot - in different ways - to those involved.


B. I PUBLISHED 3 BOOKS TO AMAZON
    
I'd written them last year.  But didn't know what to do after that. Book 1 entitled Our First Year in Connecticut was about Peaches & Paprika's journey and Book 2 was about Peaches' & Paprika's celebration of 100 holidays in photo cartoons. Book 2 got really long, so I divided it into 4 seasonal books & named the series Celebrations.  The Autumn & Winter Celebrations books (about 60 pages each)

have been published and the spring & summer books are scheduled for later this year.  I also have an "all in one" book entitled Peaches & Paprika: Celebrating All Year Long.



3.  WHICH OF YOUR 2020 POSTS WAS MOST POPULAR WITH YOUR AUDIENCE?  WHY DO YOU THINK IT DOES OS WELL?

A) "Paprika's Outrageous Behavior With Dinner Guests"had a great response.  It was just funny.

B) "Relocation from a Cat's Point of View" - I think this has a universal appeal!


4.  WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST BLOGGING CHALLENGE YOU FACED IN 2020 AND HOW DID YOU TACKLE IT?  Though I wrote the books I didn't know what to do after that to format them & get them on Amazon. I managed to navigate all that technical stuff & got the books up there though paying a publishing company. Not easy for picture books. I did my own  covers to save $, next time around might get professional help.  It was fun, though. And the "Celebrating All Year Long" book in December ended up  getting the Kindle #1 New Release ribbon in two large categories for a few weeks and getting 32 positive reviews as of today


6.  TELL US ONE THING YOU LEARNED IN 2020 THAT CAN HELP US ALL BECOME BETTER BLOGGERS.

If you really want to do it, there is a way.

7. IN THE PERFECT WORLD, WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF AND YOUR BLOG 1 YEAR FROM NOW?

Using my blog as a base for a pet portrait business and continuing to write books.

8.  IF YOU HAD $1,000 TO SPEND ON YOUR BLOG, HOW WOULD YOU SPEND IT?

I'd pay someone to change over my blogger blog to Wordpress because I'm really chafing under all the blogger restrictions re formatting, etc.

9  WHAT IS ONE SKILL YOU'D LIKE TO LEARN OR IMPROVE IN 2021

I'd like to learn TOPAZ, a photo editing software program that's somewhat complicated so I can go further with my photo editing skills.

10.  IF YOU COULD ASK THE PET BLOGGING COMMUNITY FOR HELP WITH ONE CHALLENGE YOU'RE HAVING WITH YOUR BLOG, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

It's more a challenge with my social media account, my Facebook page specifically.  I now have 12500+ followers, with daily active engagement of 100-400 on my posts.  I keep my readers engaged with fresh content, well-photographed photo cartoons of my cats, holiday celebrations they've never heard of. More importantly, I involve them and their cats in monthly or special themed slideshows in which their cats participate (that's my specialty).  Some have been with me 2-3 years.  There must be a way to generate a revenue stream with all these engaged readers but I  have really not figured out how to make that happen.  Thought they'd be big purchasers of my book but only a few bought it. It was suggested to me to start a pet portrait business where I do the same kind of editing I've done for free: enhancing their cats...portraits, special occasions, etc.  Any feedback or other suggestions appreciated.  if there are 12k followers there must be a way to generate income.  

Thanks in advance and if you've gotten this far, thanks for reading about my journey.

We are joining Puppy's in Training 2021 blog journey as well as The Cat On  My Head Sunday Hop today.













Friday, January 1, 2021

Happy Mew Year Slideshow from Peaches, Paprika and Furriends

 WATCH THE SHOW! (Below)


Our 2nd Annual HAPPY FUR-BALL MEW YEAR SHOW (Slideshow) has been posted for all to enjoy.  

The show features thirty FEARLESS FUR-BALLS who were NOT afraid to change their colors - including two mystery bloggers you will recognize!

Click HERE or on the graphic above to view!



Meanwhile, here is our Mew Year graphic, wishing you the most IMPROVED of all years in the decade!


Love, Carol, Peaches & Paprika

PS: We are joining Cat Blogosphere, Athena and Marie and The Cat on My Head this weekend.