Dog Days of Summer

As you all know by now, I have a little beagle named Otto, who I’m head over heels in love with.  I, of course, have no question that he is the cutest little guy on the planet, and like to take every chance I get to spoil him. 

That being said, he’s a bit of a problem child.  He has chronic allergies which means I have to be pretty careful about what he eats.  Being free of common allergens (wheat, corn, eggs, dairy, soy, etc.), these homemade dog biscuits are the perfect treat, not only for Otto, but for any dog. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

• ¼ cup coconut oil
• 1 Tablespoon molasses  
• 1 cup shredded apple
• 1 banana
• 1 cup Brown rice flour
• ½ cup oat flour
• 1 cup Rolled oats

This is really easy to put together, so go ahead and turn your oven to 350° before you begin.  Measure ¼ cup coconut oil, while it’s solid, and set it aside.  If you don’t have coconut oil and really don’t want to go buy some, you could probably substitute apple sauce, or maybe peanut butter.  I will be showing you another fabulous use for coconut oil in the near future, though, so just go buy some.   

Try not to flip it across the countertop and onto the floor like I did.

Peel and grate an apple.

Back to the coconut oil, place the bowl into the microwave for 15 – 30 seconds, until it’s mostly melted. 

Add the molasses.

Stir in the grated apple.   

Peel your banana (slicing is optional) and smash it with a fork. 

Add the banana moosh to the bowl, and stir. 

Add the oats.

Stir until they’re well incorporated. 

Add both flours, don’t worry about sifting or whisking, just dump them on top. 

Then stir them in.  The mixture will look somewhat crumbly. 

If you squeeze it in your hand, though, it should feel like a slightly stiff dough and should hold its shape nicely. 

If that doesn’t happen, add warm water, 1 tablespoon at a time until you get the right consistency.  I didn’t have to add any water to mine.  Press all the crumbles into a log/mound in the bowl. 

Move that to your rolling surface.  I rolled the dough on a sheet of parchment so it wouldn’t stick, but you could do it on a floured surface if you prefer.  Either way, press it into a disc shape. 

Then roll it until it’s about ½ inch thick.

I came across this cute dog bone shaped cookie cutter in a kitchen store awhile back, and picked it up figuring I’d get around to making these eventually.  It’s very little, so that I don’t have to worry too much about calories, but you can make any size and shape you want.  If you have a big dog, make big biscuits.  I made some of mine with a small round cutter, as well, just to mix it up. 

Push firmly, straight down with your cutter.  The cutout will probably stay inside the cutter, making it easy to move it to the baking pan and just gently pop it out. 

These aren’t really going to spread, so don’t worry about leaving a lot of room between them. 

Man, I am good.  Somehow I managed to get exactly the number of cuts out of the dough as it took to fill my pan. 

That’s not garbage, though. 

Scoop it together and press it into a square shape. 

Then roll it to ½ inch again.  The secret to rolling a square is to roll diagonally.  Roll toward each corner, going in a circle until to reach the thickness you want, pressing the edges together if they start to crack.

Then, using a pizza wheel cut it into rectangles.  Wow, I must have been cooking while intoxicated again.  Oh well, Otto doesn’t care one whit what shape they are.  If you want, you can actually cut them all this way, rather than using a cookie cutter.    

Place the pan of cut biscuits into the 350° oven and bake for 35 – 40 minutes.  They should be starting to brown on top.  You’ll also notice that your whole house smells amazing, and no one would ever guess you were baking dog biscuits.  You’re going to wish they were cookies for you by the time they’re done.   

Turn the oven off and prop the door open with something.  Allow the biscuits to cool in the oven for an hour or longer. 

When they’ve cooled completely, place them into an airtight container.  I like to use glass jars for stuff like this. 

Aren’t they just the cutest little things?  On top of that, you know exactly what you’re feeding to your little four legged friend.  They deserve the best, don’t they? 

And what does Otto think of them?  He absolutely loves them!  So much, in fact, that of all the pictures I tried to get of him eating them, this was about the only one that wasn’t a total blur of movement, chomping, licking, and tail wagging. 

What kind of dog do you have and what is his favorite treat? 

*Outtakes  

 

   

A Berry Summery Salad

After last week’s Ricotta Filled Strawberries, I had a bunch of berries left over, which was good, because with the temperatures still in triple digits, I’m not turning on anything in the house that might generate heat, and berries are a great way to make a salad more interesting.  I can hear Seeley grumbling now.  She doesn’t think berries belong in a green salad.  Well, we’re just going to have to agree to disagree on that one.  This salad is fabulous, and berries bring the perfect sweet tart juicy goodness to the mix. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Lettuce
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Crumbled feta
• Nut clusters
• Balsamic vinegar
• Olive oil
• Salt & pepper

Personally, I can’t stand prewashed and processed lettuce in a bag.  If you like it, go for it, but I think it’s worth chopping your own.  That being said, lettuce really has to be washed well.  See all the dirt in there? 

The best way to wash lettuce is to chop it into manageable pieces and then put it into a lot of water so it has plenty of room to be swished about.  I happen to have a salad spinner, which, if you make salad more than about once a year, is a must have, I think. 

I’m pretty sure I hear Seeley grumbling again… something about “Where the hell am I going to put a salad spinner?”  Well, if it helps any, it doubles as a salad bowl when you take the strainer part out, and you could use it as a storage bowl for just about anything.  Anyway, I rinsed my lettuce 3 times to make sure all the sand was gone.  You can do that in a large bowl or even in a sink full of water.  This next part, however, you can’t do with a regular bowl.  Pop the lid on.

And let ‘er rip! 

Look at all the water that came off.  It must have been at least ½ cup.  I’ve heard of people putting the wet lettuce into a pillow case and spinning that by hand, but in my hands, that would just be dangerous. 

Next up is the dressing.  For this salad, we’re making a strawberry balsamic vinaigrette.  Drop 4 large-ish strawberries into your blender or food processor.  It won’t be enough substance to make a puree just yet, but small chunks are fine at this point. 

Add 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper.

Now you should be able to get a pretty good puree.  Then, with the blender still running on a low speed, slowly drizzle in ¼ cup of olive oil. 

Ok, dressing’s done.  How easy was that?  Now onto the berries.  How many you need, depends on the size of your salad.  For 1 whole head of lettuce, you’ll probably want about a cup of each.  Just rinse the blueberries, and then chop the strawberries into blueberry sized pieces. 

Next are the nuts.  I absolutely love these cashew clusters from Costco.  They make a fabulous snack, so why not use them in a salad?

The only problem is, they’re a little big, so you’ll want to chop them up a bit.  You can, of course, substitute any kind of nuts you’d like. 

Personally, I like my salad tossed.  It just isn’t that much work, and it’s so much better that way.  Just drizzle on a little of your dressing, and toss until everything is coated. 

Throw in the berries, nuts, and a sprinkling of feta. 

Toss again and voilá!  A beautiful and delicious salad perfect for any hot summer day. 

The combination of sweet berries, tangy balsamic, and cool, crisp lettuce, is definitely a treat. 

What is your favorite summer salad?