Its been a very long time since I shared treats for Mitzie on here.
I did a post on making your own dog food not too long after she was born, but I haven't done anything since, and I'm not sure why.
As a very important member of our family, she certainly demand equal time and attention!
I've always said I wouldn't feed her anything I wouldn 't eat myself, and thats not really true.
You will never catch me munching on her low fat dry food, nor the low fat wet that she gets a tiny taste of every day! But these, I would eat. In fact Todd tasted them and thought they were really tasty!
There isn't really anything unusual in them . . . flour, egg, sharp cheddar cheese, oil, water.
The original recipe called for garlic, but I have always understood that garlic and onion were poisonous to dogs, and so I did not include it.
They end up being rather like a thick, crisp, crunchy cracker! I used my bone cutter to cut them out, and they turned out quite cute I thought.
But you can use whatever shape you like. Little bears would also be cute!
I cut the recipe in half as I wasn't sure if she would like them, but next time I will cook the full recipe, because she is rather fond of them, and they will keep quite a while.
I am pretty sure you could also freeze them for longer storage.
I got about 23 from half the recipe and my cutter is about 3 inches in length.
They certainly smelled really good while they were baking!
Mitzie loves cheese and whenever I am using it in the Kitchen, she hangs about waiting and hoping I will drop some, and yes, I confess . . . I do always give her a tiny tidbit for a treat!
Today her patience was well rewarded! She was very happy with this and could not wait to tuck in. It was hard to take a photo of her eating it, as she was a big happy, tail wagging blur, crunching away on her treat!
*Cheesy Dog Treats*
Makes about 50
Place the flour, cheese and vegetable oil into a
food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse 5 or 6 times. Scrape
down the sides of the bowl.
Pulse again until the mixture resembled
coarse meal. Beat together the water and eggs. Turn the motor on and
drizzle this mixture into the food processor through the feeder tube
only adding the wet ingredients until the dough becomes a ball.
Tip out
onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead a few times. Divide
into two manageable balls.
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Line several baking sheets with baking paper. Set aside.
Roll each ball of dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out into shapes and place spaced slightly apart on the baking sheets. Reroll any trimmings and recut until you have used it all up.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully turn over. Return to the oven and bake for a further 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and then store in a loosely covered container at room temperature.
Note - These are rather high in fat, so be judicious in handing them out! I only give Mitzie 1/2 of one at a time. She loves them.
Now that's one very happy camper! When she's happy, I'm happy! Have a great weekend!
This is something I actually made last week and am just now getting around to showing you! Meat Loaf Subs! I will guarantee this is a sandwich your family will love!
If you are a fan of meatloaf then you are sure to love these quick, easy and incredibly delicious open face sandwiches!
A simple meatloaf mixture is spread onto toasted submarine bun halves. They are then glazed with a traditional meatloaf glaze before being baked in the oven until golden brown and nicely glazed.
With a final smattering of cheese scattered over top to melt, these always go down a real treat!
The meatloaf mixture is really simple. I use cornflake crumbs. But you can use bread crumbs or oats, etc.
I blitz the milk, onion, egg and seasonings in my mini food processor until smooth, and then mix it into extra lean ground beef.
I don't like a lot of chunks in my meatloaf. I never have. I think it is a texture thing. At any rate, it works well for this because you don't really want chunks in this.
You could add a stick of celery or a piece of green pepper as well if you wanted to. I usually do to my regular meat loaf.
If you really wanted to be decadent you could also add some sliced partially cooked streaky bacon to the top after you brush them with the glaze.
I think one slice for each, cut in half crosswise, would work beautifully.
I like to serve them with oven chips and some coleslaw on the side. You would almost think you were chowing down at your favourite dinner with food like this!
All that's missing is the milkshake! Easy enough to rectify!
*Meat Loaf Subs*
Serves 6 generously
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 TBS brown sugar
1/2 tsp dried mustard powder
240g grated four cheese blend (2 cups)
Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Cut your buns and
place them cut side up onto a baking sheet. Toast in the oven for about
5 minutes until golden brown.
Blitz the cornflakes until they are crumbs in a small blender. Pour into a bowl. Put the onion, milk, 4 TBS of the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, seasoning salt, pepper, garlic powder and egg into the food processor and blitz until smooth. Pour into the bowl with the cornflake crumbs and mix together. Crumble in the beef and mix well together. Divide the mixture between the buns, spreading it out with a fork to cover all of the surface, right to the edges to an even thickness.
Mix together
the remaining ketchup, brown sugar and dry mustard. Brush some of this
on top of the meat mixture on each roll. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes
until cooked through. divide the cheese between the buns and return to
the oven to melt. Serve hot.
When I lived in Canada we probably went to eat at the local diner once every couple of weeks. My ex would get the club sandwich and I would get the hot turkey sandwich. Always a real treat, and always served with fries and coleslaw. Good food at an affordable price.
There used to be a diner in the Grosvenor Arcade in Chester but they charged abuot £10 for a hotdog! (without the drink) That is the equivalent of $14 American. For a hotdog. I can get one of those at Costco for less than £2 and it comes with a drink. In any case, why eat out when you can get tasty diner food at home! Bon weekend!
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I am on a quest now to lower the fat, salt and carbohydrates of what we are eating, and to that end I cooked a delicious chicken dish for us the other day that I had adapted from a cookery book entitled "The Ultimate Diabetes Cookbook" from Diabetic Living.
Garlic Cashew Chicken is a lovely melange of crisp and colourful vegetables, flavourful chicken strips, with a nicely spiced sauce, and brown rice . . . and plenty of garlic. Yum!
I cut the recipe in half and it worked very well. I only used two small sized chicken breasts, which I sliced into strips crosswise and then browned in a non-stick pan I had sprayed first with low fat Fry Light Avocado Cooking Spray. We don't get Pam cooking spray over her so . . .
After that you take the chicken out and you stir fry the vegetables . . . onions, carrots, bok choy, green peppers, garlic. . . one serving of this provides you with a full serving of vegetables.
I didn't have bok choy so I just used sliced cabbage and it worked well. You make a simple sauce using chicken stock, hoisin sauce, freshly grated gingerroot, cornflour, and red pepper flakes. This sauce has lotsa lotsa flavour. It is really tasty. I love hoisin sauce.
You stir the chicken back into the sauce and vegetable mix along with some cooked brown rice and then the whole thing gets poured into a casserole dish, tightly covered and baked.
Then you uncover it and sprinkle the top with cashew nuts and chow mein noodles. We cannot get the fried chow mein noodles over here (and its a good thing too because I could eat them like potato chips and they are not that good for you.) So I just used some cashew nuts. Banged back in the oven to toast the nuts . . .
And with a final sprinkle of sliced spring onions, this went down a real treat. I did serve Todd some additional brown rice on the side of his because he is not needing to watch his carbs and can use the extra calories. One of our neighbors brought him a piece of their wedding cake last evening as well, so he was one very happy camper.
*Cashew Garlic Chicken*
Makes 6 servings
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Spray a 2 litre/2 QT baking dish with low fat cooking spray and set aside.
Whisk together the chicken stock, hoisin sauce, fresh ginger, cornflour, red pepper and black pepper. Set aside.
Bake for about 20 minutes, until bubbling and the chicken is no longer pink inside. Sprinkle with the cashew nuts and chow mein noodles (if using). Return to the oven for a further 4 to 5 minutes.
Sprinkle with the sliced spring onions and serve.
This really was delicious. Don't let the long list of ingredients put you off. Once you get them all assembled the dish goes together really quickly. I was able to enjoy the extra serving today. I made something suitable for Todd to eat, so he wasn't left out and I got to enjoy another healthy meal. I'd call that a bonus! I hope you will try it. I think you will really enjoy it, and maybe even more so in knowing that you are eating quite healthy as well. At 340cal per serving and 40g of carbs (and even less if you leave out the chowmein noodles) this is a winner/winner chicken dinner! Bon Appetit!
I have had a long and hard think about this in recent weeks, and I have to say that I have decided unequivocally that my favourite pie is Lemon Meringue. This was not an easy decision for me to come to because . . . well . . . I love pie. IF its in a crust I am all over it . . . sweet, savoury and inbetween!
So what is it about Lemon Meringue Pie that gives it that edge, albeit a tiny one, above all the other pies . . .
Perhaps it is the fact that I adore the flavour of lemons . . . cheek achingly tart . . . but with a touch of sunshine that never disappoints . . .
That quivering, mouth puckering and yet sweet, almost translucent filling . . . almost like a jelly, but more unctuous and richer . . . like a golden jewel. When we were children, my mother used to keep out some of the filling without the crust, and add a big of milk to it for my brother. It was thought that pastry was hard for small children to digest. It looked delicious that way but . . .
Then there is the pastry. What is a pie without pastry? I favour my recipe for Butter Lard pastry. It is crisp and flaky. Yes, it does make two crusts, but you can always freeze one disc of pastry for future use. Wrapped up tightly it will keep for several months. Simply bring to room temperature when you want to use it and roll out as desired.
Then there is meringue. I was awfully tempted to add an extra egg white to mine the other day so that it would be piled gloriously on top of the pie, but I did not. If you have your egg whites at room temperature they will whip up with more volume than if they are cold, so always bring them to room temperature first!
You want to beat your egg whites stiff, but still moist before you start adding the sugar. Add the sugar slowly, beating them constantly until you have a thick, stiff, glossy billowing mixture.
Like sweet soft clouds on top of that lovely filling, you only want to bake it until it is golden brown. I will confess right now, I am not fond of the British propensity to cook meringue until it is hard. On a Lemon Pie, to my way of thinking . . . it should be soft and almost marshmallow like.
And, oh . . . I know the tempation is oh so great to want to cut into it almost right away, but do chill it overnight in the refrigerator if you can resist it that long. It is really worth the wait.
You will get lovely straight edged, shimmering wedges of pie. Use a sharp knife and dip it into hot water with each cup and the meringue won't stick to the knife and tear. You will get perfect slices.
This truly is a most beautiful pie. The MOST beautiful tastiest of pies. It is a rare treat for me, but when I do cave in and make one, I find it achingly impossible to resist!
*Lemon Meringue Pie*
Makes one 9 inch pie 
Combine the sugar, flour, cornflour and salt in a saucepan.
Gradually whisk in the boiling water. Cook, stirring constantly, over
medium heat, until thickened. Cover and cook over low eat for about 2
minutes longer, stirring occasionally. Whisk a small amount of the hot
mixture into the egg yolks to temper them then blend them back into the
hot mixture, whisking constantly. Cook for a further two minutes,
stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter lemon
juice and lemon zest. Cool to lukewarm, stirring a few times. Pour
into the unbaked pie crust.
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.
Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar using an electric whisk, until the mixture forms stiff but moist peaks. Very gradually add the sugar, beating continuously, until very stiff and shiny. Spread onto the lukewarm pie, touching the crust all the way around. Swirl points. Bake in the preheated oven for about 12 minutes, until golden brown. Allow to cool to room temperature before storing in the refrigerator. Cuts best when ice cold. To cut, dip a sharp knive into hot water and cut into wedges, wetting the knife each time. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.
I have decided that it is almost impossible to photograph a lemon Meringue pie and have it look like the yellow ones you see on the boxes of Lemon Meringue Pie mix, or maybe it is just that this is homemade. Those mixes probably contain artificial colouring. Trust me when I tell you that once you have eaten a homemade one from scratch . . . you will not want to use a mix ever again. Bon Appetit!
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