Sunday, January 22, 2012

At Least the Dog is Eating Healthy!

Well...

Embarrassingly enough, it has been WAY too long since I posted last and a lot has happened.  I started a new job in Downtown Minneapolis, so in addition to putting a lot more effort into my outfits, I've also had to put more of a concerted effort in bringing food with me so I don't have to pay an arm and a leg for it since I'm a lot further from home now!  So sorry to say that blogging has been put on the back burner, too!  But now I'm back!

I did, however, have an adventure in Organic Dog Biscuit making over Christmas!  My family knows we put a lot of emphasis on eating nutritiously (with the occasional snack). We believe that what goes into Wally, our dog, is just as important as what goes into us, as long as it doesn't break the bank.



My sister bought me a book called appropriately "organic dog biscuit cookbook from the Bubba Rose Biscuit Company: Care For Your Dogs The Way They Care for You!"  It's a great alternative to reading a lot of the ingredients on store bought, even specialty so- called "gluten and corn free" dog treats, which may have added junk in them, too!


I invited my husband to make them with me, and because we care about nutrition for our dog just as much as for us, he happily obliged.

We made the "it's a formal affair" and the "cheese fries" ones.  The ingredients involved are super fresh, most have an oat or rice flour component, and some need refrigeration after cooking, others don't!  A sampling of ingredients involved may include: molasses, honey, organic salt-free peanut butter, ground turkey, etc.  It's a great mix of types and styles.

After you make the dough, you roll it out and use your favorite cookie cutter.  Some recipes have a recommended shape, others are more open to interpretation.



They don't rise too much (if they are made with oat flour), and I recommend following the baking instructions-  you want them crunchy, not chewy.  Our round cookies were a tad chewy just because I didn't really think about this logic before pulling them out early.  Dogs don't have our same standards for cookies.  :)

These ones were dipped in white chocolate (which is safe for dogs- regular chocolate, especially dark, is harmful to dogs).  The recipe also called for carob, but most grocery stores I went to don't carry it in this economy, so we improvised.


The Cheese Fry Treat turned out like this:


And Wally, our Boston, helped with the clean-up so he made our efforts worthwhile since he helped.  Just kidding, but he's cute and I wanted to include him in this post. This spoon was used for peanut butter!

Has anyone else attempted anything like this?  Making treats for their dog?
OR
Any great cookbooks to share or links to gluten-free, dairy and corn-free baking?