My Funny Valentine

My boyfriend and I always joke that our dog Billie, looks like a sad clown. She has a black muzzle that gives her a 5 o’clock  shadow and black fur all around her eyes that kind of make her resemble a mime.  Her middle name is May for Maybelline because of all the make up it looks like shes wearing. Yes yes,my dog has a middle name, I also dress her up on occassion (I haven’t posted her Halloween pictures yet), pass your judgments.  I’ve become, in only a few months, a dog person.

I thought I’d take a break from chocolate, especially since my Valentine Bill, can’t have it and do instead a recipe she could enjoy:

Toby’s Tuna Triangles

Makes about 40 triangles

From Baking for you Dog by Ingeborg Pils

1 can tuna fish in natural juice

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 egg

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried oregano

9 oz cornflour

5 oz rolled oats

2 oz flour

Drain tuna, then blend with olive oil and egg in a blender.  I just mushed mine up with a folk.  Mix with the rest of ingredients to form a dough.  I found I had cornmeal, not corn flour so I improvised by using a few oz of cornmeal, and 8oz of spelt flour. I also added some scallions I have left over from dinner.

Roll out to 1/2 ” thickness and cut into triangles. Place cookies on baking sheet and bake at 350 F degrees for approximately 25 minutes. Store in a cookie tin.  Will keep for about two weeks.

Add a comment February 14, 2011

Christmas Sausage Cookies (for Dogs)

Once upon a time, not too long ago, I was on my way out the door of my apartment, when I saw two young kids with a puppy.  It turns out they’d found her abandoned in the park across the street.  She gave me one look with her German Shepard black lined eyes and I, of course immediately fell in love. We called animal care and control, filed a report, searched craiglist and the neighborhood for signs that she’d run away or gotten lost but as it turned out she was abandoned.  Its pretty sad when you think about the strays and abandoned animals who need good loving homes.  My cat is also a stray from the park who I found late one night crying outside my apartment.  I like to think I didn’t find them, Minnie my cat and Billie, my dog, but that they found me.

So this week as a nice favor to my lovely boyfriend, a constant supporter to all my cake endeavours and all eccentric endeavours not cake related of course, I’ve got Billie with me in the city where we found her last summer.  She visits often on weekends but typically lives upstate with my boyfriend who also couldn’t bare to bring her to a shelter after we found her.  Having a dog is hard, early walks, giving up lunch breaks to take her out– in the rain, the snow, the biting cold, but one look at her Maybelline eyes and you can’t resist, so I’m happy to have another roommate this week, though my cat is not sooo pleased.

So heres a little holiday treat for puppy girls like Billie.  Ever go into a store that carries a full variety of Bob’s Red Mill products and wonder Who in the World could possible use all that flour?

I’ve been perplexed by this question and this: what in the world is Spelt Flour anyway?  It turns out you’ll need a little variety in your ground grain reperatoire with these puppy treats. My dog makes me incredibly happy, even though she is still a puppy and has her moments of absolute zaney off the wall bonkers craziness, shes a sweetie. And thankfully she is not totally food obsessed. She does her fair share of begging, and she does love treats, especially these.  I think I have 2 buried in my couch currently– she likes to save her treats for later.

From Baking for Your Dog by Ingeborg Pils

9 oz whole grain Rye flour

3 1/2 oz rolled oats

1 oz lard

3 1/2 oz sausage meat

6 fluid oz water

Mix ingredients to form a dough.  I added some bacon left over from breakfast the day before, I also opted to use the bacon grease left from breakfast instead of throwing it away.  I should also mention that I didn’t use all the water, it just made he dough too gummy, so I suggest 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest in the refridgerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven for 320 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

On a floured surface roll our to 1/2 ” thickness cut out shapes with cookie cutters (dog bones came with the recipe book).  I cut mine a bit thinner, closer to 1/4 of an inch.  I used the rye flour to flour the surface, it adds a bit of texture.  Make  Place on cookie sheet and bake for 40 minutes.  Turn off oven and let dry within oven. Cookies will brown slightly on the bottom.  I flipped the cookies after cooking and then allowed them to dry.

These cookies are good because the aren’t super greasy, though they have a meaty flavor.  Billie loves bacon and sausage, however she likes to bury her treats when she gets them, making for some greasy pillows and cushions if I don’t watch her. These cookies are somewhat dry so if your dog is like Billie, you have little worry about. Store in cookie tin. Treat will keep for 2 weeks.

1 comment December 14, 2010

Vote for Chrissy TOO

Its time again to place you vote (EVERY SINGLE DAY…3 times a day if you vote from work, home and a fancy cell phone) for my friend Chrissy.  She has made it to the top 20 of the contest, and now the second part of the contest has begun.  Don’t know who this fabulous gal is? Look below and you’ll get a 90 second snippet into just what she is all about.

Still on the fence?  Well if you tune in to my kitchen escapades on a semi regular basis, and enjoy what you see then you owe a swift click (in the way of a vote) to Chrissy.  Aside from being one of my dearest friends and roommates all through out college, and trust me I’m not easy to live with, Chrissy was a super supportive friend when I first started baking as more than just a hobby.  Once upon time she sent me a lovely little birthday care package with a lovely cupcake cook book that turn my baking reperatoire on its head.  Needing a place to catalog all my ideas, Chrissy was the one to scream from the roof tops that I needed a blog, just like her.

So here is one more Apple inspired recipe.  Apple Carrot Dumplings.  But before you go rearranging your Thanksgiving menu, I should state these are for four legged dinner guest.  After all as you’ve seen a vote for Chrissy is a vote for Puppies, Cookies, and Love.

Apple Carrot Dumplings From Baking For Your Dog by Ingebrog Pils

1 apple

1 carrot

5 oz spelt flour

5 oz coarse rolled oats

2 eggs

3 tbsp molasses

water and flour as reqired

Finely grate apple and carrot. I peeled the apple with my peeler and then threw both the skins and the apple into the bowl. Combine with other ingredients. If necessary add water and/ or flour to get a smooth texture.

I found I didn’t need any water or flour and just mixed and mashed with my hands.

Preheat over to 350 F degrees, and line cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Using a Tablespoon scoop dumplings and place on sheet.  Bake for 30 minutes, then turn off oven and allow dumplings to dry inside as heat reduces.  Store in a paper or linen bag.  Dumplings keep for approximately 3 weeks.

So heres the deal: I promised if she got in the top twenty that I’d do a little give give give away.  Heres what I have to offer:

Wilton Ruffled Cupcake Liners

Rose Piping Kit

and

Duff’s Cake Tattoos

So comment everyday after you vote and get a couple of friends to vote too!! (just comment so I can see). The first 4 will get the goods. VOTE here!!!

Also to come a lovely give away of Cake Eccentric Eccentrique Chic Aprons!!!

5 comments November 22, 2010

Puppy Cupcakes

I thought I’d close out this week with a fun little project out of the book Hello Cupcake! I also happen to be leading this project for kids tomorrow morning, so yes, it’s a little shameless self promotion.  Its also a great little finale to birthday week for my friend Chrissy, because if you know Chrissy you know her dog Seamus, a gigantic Weimaraner/ Lab/ Great Dane.

The fun thing about these cupcakes is that you not only use frosting, but you have a great excuse to get some cookies and candy–as if you needed an excuse.  Mini M&M’s, Tootsie Rolls, Jelly Beans (though I really hate that licorice flavor YUCK!), Famous  Chocolate Waffers, Airheads, Marshmellows…really you can use anything.  This project is actually a great way to get rid of all the Halloween Candy nobody really eats–Tootsie Rolls anybody?  If you don’t have all these on hand you can certainly improvise.  Frosting can step in, and should you have Fondant and not candy you can use that too.

Each cupcake (there are 10 different dogs in the book) starts out with a nice layer of frosting (you should have light and dark shades of grey, black, and brown–chocolate).  Add a few mini marshmellows to make a snout, and decorate with icing piped through pastry bags or –as the Hello Cupcake! suggests just use a ziplock bag.   Candy is in place for all the facial features.  Mini M&M’s for eyes, Big M&M’s for noses– if you are not into black jelly beans either, Fruit roll-ups or Airhead or pink Starbursts for Tongues—totally necessary for puppies, and flattened Tootsie Rolls for ears on some pups, Cookies for ears on others.

This is my puppy cupcake version of Seamus.   If you are looking for a litle inspiration Hello Cupcake! is great! It approaches decorating from a simplistic level.  You don’t need to get couplers and piping tips at specialty stores—though obvious I love all these things.  Super creative projects, made with everyday foods and tools all found in a grocery store.

Here’s to the weekend!

1 comment August 15, 2009