Anyone who's known me for more than a minute knows there are
two things in this world that make me happiest: cooking, and a sale! So in
rifling through the supermarket circular that starts tomorrow I discovered that
the majority of my “normal” purchases are scheduled for discount. Fantastic!
Sadly, the
pantry and fridge are bare today… so… how to bridge the gap?
Can I live on popcorn and dry Rice Chex? Check!
Is there enough coffee? Check!
Totally thought I was in the clear until I reached for the puppy
treats. Four dogs, two treats, and it was only 8AM. Cripes…
Then it occurred to
me why the hell I had four jars of baby food in my pantry! I’d read a recipe on
the online for homemade dog treats that used baby food. Clearly after
purchasing said supplies, I decided it was entirely too much effort. Today
however, the idea of marketing this afternoon AND tomorrow morning seemed like
a challenge I was not up for – ever – unless they started selling wine in the
market and it was sample weekend.
I found the recipe on the online again. Don’t bother. It’s
everywhere and, if you follow the much-publicized directions, the outcome is
disastrous. Here’s my revised version, just in case you find yourself in a
treat emergency before the state transition to wine in the market.
4 oz baby food
1 cup regular flour
1 cup rolled oats (think this through if your dog scratches
for no apparent reason, in which case, use 2 cups of flour – but NOT whole
wheat!)
Preheat your oven to 350.
Put the wet food in the bowl first. This is actually really
important I would discover. Add the flour/oats a bit at a time mixing really, really well. In
the end, we’re looking for cookie dough consistency. Remember though, the more
flour, the less flavor.
LIGHTLY flour a cutting board and a rolling pin, then turn
out your dough. Roll to about a quarter inch. I suppose if you’re fancy you could use
cookie cutters for shapes, but frankly, if I had that kind of time, I’d go do
Mr. Man’s laundry. I used a pizza cutter and, since my dogs are small, made
half-inch by half-inch bits.
Put the bits on parchment paper atop a cookie sheet. Bake
for 25 minutes. If you got all “look at me!” with your shapes, or the treats
are bigger, I imagine you’ll need about 30-35 minutes. Keep an eye on them either
way.
Pull them out and let them cool. Stuff a few into a brown
paper wine bag (What? That’s the only kind I had.) and the rest into freezer
bags – which, do I need to tell you, go into the freezer?
The taste test across four flavors ranked thusly:
Banana
Carrot
Turkey and gravy
Beef
Civic duty for today: Check!
