Heather's Bytes

I’m breaking out of my standard human-food recipe post today for some animal munchies! It’s been a pretty eventful week as far as our household animals are concerned: we picked up a new litter of kittens last Saturday to foster until they’re big and old enough to go up for adoption. The five little kitties can be seen live for most of the day at their very own website, at http://thekittenroom.com!

So, in honor of all the four-legged family members in my home, both permanent and temporary, I’m going to share a recipe for dog biscuits that my dogs absolutely adore (I’ve tried treats for the cats but they don’t care for anything beyond catnip!).

I love to make my own homemade dog treats because I like knowing exactly what’s going into them — and what’s not. These biscuits are always a hit, and I swear our two little dogs know when I’m prepping for them, too.

These biscuits are easy and foolproof, but make sure you don’t store it in an airtight container (they’ll get moldy)

Fido’s Favorite Treats

1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup butter
1 cup boiling water
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons chicken or beef instant bullion
1/2 cup milk
4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese (1 cup)
1 egg, beaten
2 cups wheat flour (white flour will work, too)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper. In large bowl combine rolled oats, margarine and water and let stand for 10 minutes. Stir in cornmeal, sugar, bouillon, milk,cheese and egg. Mix well. Add flour 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition to form a stiff dough.

On floured surface, knead in remaining flour until dough is smooth and no longer sticky, 3 to 4 minutes. Roll or pat out dough to 1/2 inch thickness; cut with cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on cookie sheets.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely. Store loosely covered or in the fridge. Makes 3 1/2 dozen large biscuits.

The heavens opened up and the angels rejoiced when I found the original for this recipe. At least they did in my head. Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream is on my list of top five favorite ice creams – how can you go wrong with such an amazing combination?

Over time I’ve adapted and tweaked it to what my family likes and it’s a hit. If I had another freezer drum for the ice cream maker I’d end up doing a double batch every time I make it. As it is, this makes a very generous quart of ice cream.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough for Ice Cream

1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup Egg Beaters egg substitute
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 Tb flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 to 1 cup semi-sweet miniature chocolate chips

Beat the butter and sugars until well blended, add the egg and vanilla and mix well. Combine the flour, salt and baking soda together and add to the wet dough until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by small bite-sized rounds onto a cookie sheet or plate lined with parchment paper and place in the freezer for at least one hour. Remove from the freezer and, if needed, chop into smaller bits and add to your favorite sweet cream ice cream base during the last minute of mixing, and don’t let it go too long or it’ll get sticky. Freeze and voila!

Now, I only use half of the cookie dough for the ice cream. Anymore than that just won’t fit in my ice cream maker. You can either eat the dough raw, freeze in bite-sized chunks and put into a freezer bag to store for your next batch of ice cream, or bake it on a lined cookie sheet at 350 degrees for about 11 minutes.

 Print this recipe!

Sunday nights are dessert nights at my house (having a “set night” keeps the kids from asking every night!) and even though yesterday was Easter candy overload, I was in the mood to bake something and had a bunch of coconut leftover from last week’s TWD. I wasn’t in the mood to do anything too involved like a cake or even ice cream (it’s been one of those weeks), but I’m always up for cookies. Read More

I never really cared for casseroles growing up, but when I started cooking for my own family I discovered how convenient and diverse they really are.

Though it was probably my least liked as a kid, one of my favorites has become tuna casserole, and thankfully my own kids don’t seem to share my propensity for the tuna hate, and ask for it often.

I came up with this one after several attempts with different recipes, and finally hit on a combination that isn’t bland or boring. You can use chopped broccoli florets in place of the peas, or even cauliflower or small chopped pieces of asparagus. Though the rest of the ingredients aren’t the healthiest, just remember you’re not eating the whole thing yourself, and it’s perfect with a salad or some steamed veggies. Read More