Snow Day!

Today marks my district's fifth snow day this school year. I don't know about you, but I start to feel pretty anxious if I'm not productive on days off. I thought I'd kick off today by waking up early and cooking an indulgent breakfast just for me! Obviously if you need to, I guess you can share with your family members since it makes 12 servings.

The recipe is from Alexandra's Kitchen and you can find it here!

I already had almost all of the ingredients already. And believe me, I'm not one of those cooks who has a fully-stocked pantry- this is just a really simple recipe. I just had to go out and grab 2 cups of blueberries before I could start baking away.

Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake

• ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 tsp. lemon zest or more — zest from 1 large lemon
• 7/8 cup* + 1 tablespoon sugar**
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups flour (set aside 1/4 cup of this to toss with the blueberries)
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• ½ cup buttermilk***
  
  * 7/8 cup = 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons
  
  ** This 1 tablespoon is for sprinkling on top
  
  *** To make homemade buttermilk, place 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup. Fill cup with milk until it reaches the 1-cup line. Let stand for five minutes. Use only 1/2 cup of the prepared mixture for the recipe.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cream butter with lemon zest and 7/8 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour, then whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the blueberries.
4. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan (or something similar) with butter or coat with non-stick spray. Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle batter with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness. If necessary, return pan to oven for a couple of more minutes. (Note: Baking for as long as 10 minutes more might be necessary.) Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

The recipe says to bake for 35-45 minutes at 350 degrees, but I baked it for 45 minutes and could have probably baked it for another 5 or 10 minutes to get that perfect golden brown, but I was too impatient to eat it!

Last Minute Deal: BarkBox for November + $5 off

As of an hour ago, I am officially on Thanksgiving Break!!! So I want to do one non-teaching post to introduce you to my favorite subscription ever. Have you heard of BarkBox? If not & you have a dog, you need to visit their website {here}.

I am a dog lover. I have a 1-year old miniature schnauzer named Brooklyn.

I subscribed to BarkBox for my first 3 months and got my 1st box last month in October. Brooklyn loved everything in the box, but I think I enjoyed it even more. There were toys, treats, coupons and supplies like disposable bags.

I first heard about BarkBox through another blog and was dying to get it. Luckily, one day I stumbled upon a groupon for the subscription at almost 50% off. Right now, TODAY, this groupon is being offered {here}. Normally the subscription is between $17-$22/month, but you can get a barkbox shipped to your door for as little as $11/month if you want to buy the six month subscription today through Groupon.

Seriously, you won't be disappointed. If you're not sold on the idea, get the 3-month subscription through Groupon. It's only $35 for 3 months!

This month (November), this is what I received in my BarkBox-

An antler chew toy. These aren't B's favorite usually, but since it's on a rope, maybe she'll like this antler chew more. I wish I could get her to like them, they're all natural and have no residue like all the other crazy chew sticks she likes.

Two $10 gift cards - to chewy.com and dogtv. I heard about DogTV on the radio. It's a TV channel for you to leave on for your dog when you leave him at home. So ridiculous that someone invented it but I'll try it for free! No way I'm paying for it though.

There was actually another $10 gift card I discovered after I took all the pictures- to Rover.com (a petsitting service website!)

These are actually the treats I buy Brooklyn, so I was happy to see them in the package. They're made in the US and I can pronounce all the ingredients!

I was super excited to see this toy in the BarkBox. It's chew-resistant (B is a chewer!) and I can freeze it (with peanut butter or other stuffing) or stuff treats in it! Anything to keep B busy!

Smoothie for dogs - Pumpkin flavored! I've seen these before and am super excited to try them! 

Brooklyn playing with the "Bionic" toy. I put some peanut butter in it.

I looked up all the prices of the toys, treats and such and all the items in the BarkBox this month. The value of the November BarkBox adds up to $60.99 by my calculations. It's a great value and you get to try out all different treats, toys and companies every month.

Go to their website {here} to find out more about the company. They're small, family-owned and 10% of the monthly proceeds all go to a local shelter or rescue.

If you miss the groupon, go to the website using this referral link for $5 off your first month!
https://barkbox.com/r/NbGMTWZEJL/

Are there any subscription boxes you've tried out? I'm considering birchbox... I've heard great things.

I hope everyone has safe travels over the holiday!