homemade dog treats II

Just a follow-up…Henry and Jess loved the dog treats. A few comments on the recipe…I didn’t put 1/2 lb. bacon in them - it sounded like a lot to me and when my dogs have too much fat, their stomach can’t handle it.

Having said that, I didn’t put any bacon grease over top before baking but I would do that in future because they do come out a little hard.

Anyhow, give it a try - your dogs will love them!

homemade dog treat

My sister found another yummy treat recipe from Rachael Ray. In fact, here’s a link to her site where you can find lots of yummy homemade dog treat recipes! Rachael Ray Dog Treats.

I’m going to give this one a try this weekend…

INGREDIENTS

1.  Preheat the oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with foil.
2.  In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain, reserving the grease. Let the bacon cool slightly, then crumble.
3.  In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal and crumbled bacon. In a large measuring cup, stir together 1 1/3 cups warm water and the broth and pour into the dry ingredients. Add the EVOO and stir together to form a loose dough. Knead on a work surface until smooth.
4.  Divide the dough into balls of the appropriate size for your dog (about 1 inch for large dogs and 1/2 inch for small dogs) and set on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with the reserved bacon grease. Bake until firm to the touch, 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely.

Enjoy!

thank your dog casserole

A yummy holiday feast for your best friend from the queen of 30 minute meals, Rachael Ray.

1 Tablespoon EVOO
1/4 pound ground turkey
1 small carrot, chopped or grated
1/4 cup unseasoned stuffing bread cubes
1/2 Tablespoon butter
1/2 Tablespoon flour
2 cups turkey or chicken stock

In medium skillet, heat the EVOO. Add turkey and cook until light brown. Add carrot and cook for 5 minutes. Add peas and lower heat to low. Stir in bread cubes and remove from heat.

In small skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, then add 1 cup turkey stock and cook, whisking constantly, until the gravy thickens, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Soften the stuffing with the remaining 1 cup stock. Place in a bowl for your pup and let cool for about 5 minutes. Top with the gravy and let cool for another minute before serving.

Bon Appetite!

and another thing about treats…

I forgot to mention - don’t forget to go and see your local grocery store’s butcher. You can buy real bones for your pups and they are MUCH cheaper than the prepackaged ones - and dogs love them.  You just have to ask for them, they aren’t out on display. One note: have the dogs eat them outside - they tend to smell a bit.

chunky

Ok, so I like to give my dogs treats. I started out with all the exceptionally good (and pricey) stuff. Then I started with the less expensive but give it to them more often treats. I’m not sure if it was that or the fact that I was feeding them twice a day and most days, Henry would only eat one meal and Jess would then eat three (!). Anyhow, Jess soon lost her girly shape (and her neck) and became a bit of a fatty, fatty, fat, fat. She looked sweet but didn’t run quite as quickly as before and when the vet said she was 15 lbs overweight and it was going to seriously damage her health that was the turning point.

I changed their diets to one meal a day ( Iams Dog Food is great and so is Purina One Dog Food and they aren’t too pricey). I also give Jess baby carrots as treats - she loves them and the vet said to give her as many as she likes!

I’m happy to report that after only four months, my Jess is back to fighting fit weight and they now just get treats occasionally - Happy Hips Treats are one of their favorites - Henry can smell them from two rooms away.

Moral - too many treats make doggies fatty, fatty, fat, fats.