Doggy Nibbles

Because your doggy deserves scratch cooking, too, sometimes!

This is Stella. Stella joined our little family about 6 months ago after we finally decided three years without a dog was enough. When my husband and I finally made the decision, I started going online looking at dogs at various local shelters. I knew from the moment that I saw her, Stella was coming home with me... err... I mean us.

So, my husband and I went to that particular shelter to check things out. He, of course, wanted to meet every dog there. But the moment I met Stella, I was absolutely, positively sure. Stella and her brother were brought to the shelter together as year and a half old dogs. Well, whoever owned them hadn't taken care of them, let alone gotten either "fixed." As you might imagine, the staff soon came to realize that Stella was in the family way. Being a no-kill shelter, Stella stayed at the shelter to have her five puppies and then wait for someone to come and take her home.

She is such a kind dog and her desire to please is huge. Unfortunately, she was two years old by the time we took her home and the fact that she had never been taught much of anything has led to some problems. I have been working with her and, in addition to praise, have been using Milkbone puppy treats broken in half as training treats.

This weekend, possibly as a stall tactic to not grade student papers, I decided to try making my own training treats. I have previously had good success making dog treats in cute little bone shapes. They were very popular at the farmers' market I sold at in Ohio. But, they are too large to use as training treats and I wanted to try a mix that was simpler to make than the yeast dough I used before.

I decided to put together a recipe that was similar to drop biscuits or muffins, but were small and baked until almost crispy. They turned out fabulously! And Stella will do whatever I ask to get one and I am assured they are safe and healthy for my girl!

Making the batter is really easy; simply mix together the ingredients and then place into a piping bag fitted with a large, round tip. Pipe small balls onto a parchment lined sheet pan and use a pair of scissors to snip each one cleanly as you pipe them out. Dip your finger in a bit of water and dab any stray tips that might be left behind from the piping process. Bake, cool, and be prepared for your dog to follow you around... well, like a puppy dog!


Doggy Nibbles
Yield: about 200 small treats, about 1 1/2 quarts

2 eggs
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups beef broth, reduced to 2/3 cup
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder

In a small sauce pan, boil the broth until it has reduced by about half. Let cool until almost room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a bowl, mix the eggs and shortening until well incorporated. Beat in the broth and yogurt. Add the flour and baking soda. Stir until well mixed, but try not to over do it. Too much mixing will develop the gluten in the flour and make them harder to pipe out.

Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. I used a Wilton #12. Pipe small blobs (about 1 cm across) onto a parchment lined sheet pan. Use a pair of scissors to snip each clean from the bag. You can put them fairly close together. I fit approximately 50 treats on each 11x17 inch pan.

Dip your finger in some water and then dab any unshapely treats into proper form. Bake at 375 for about 10 minutes. I baked two trays at a time and switch positions half way through (I do not have a convection oven). Remove treats when they are lightly golden and let cool completely before storing in an air tight container.

French Breakfast Puffs

AMAZING!  These were sumptuous and delicious!

French Breakfast Puffs

recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cooks Blog

French Breakfast Puffs
3 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup shortening (Crisco)
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
2 sticks butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups. Stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside. Pray. In a different bowl, cream together 1 cup sugar and shortening, then add eggs and mix. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beating well after each addition. Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until golden. In a bowl, melt 2 sticks butter. In a separate bowl combine remaining sugar and cinnamon. Dip baked muffins in butter, coating thoroughly, then coat with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Eat. Faint.

Bacon Wrapped Potato Wedges

The best part about these were the sauce-DELICIOUS!!  I personally thought there were a few unnecessary steps, such as frying the potatoes first.  I would probably only oven bake next time.

Bacon Wrapped Potato Wedges 

from Our Family Treat blog

Bacon does make everything better, especially fries.
Ingredients:
4-5 large Potatoes
10 slices of bacon
2 green onions chopped
(Dipping Sauce)
Mix in a bowl the following;
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp grill seasoning
Start by heating up vegetable oil to 375 Degrees. Wash and slice your potatoes into 4 large wedges. Fry the wedges for 8-10 minutes until they are just a little al dente. On the stove top fry the bacon for only a few minutes. Make sure the bacon isn't crispy. Remove the potatoes and bacon and let drain on a paper towel. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper. Cut the bacon into halves or thirds. Wrap the potatoes with the bacon and place seam side down on a cookie sheet. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes or until Bacon is crispy. Cover with green onion and serve with the sauce on the side. Eat up, they are tasty!

Winger's Sticky Finger Salad

Winger's was Jake's favorite restaurant in Utah so I knew I had to make this when I saw it!  I doubled the recipe but only used half the hot sauce because I am really sensitive.  Surprisingly, I thought it wasn't spicy enough and I think I lost some of the flavor in doing so.  If you make this--don't be scared!  Put all the hot sauce in!

Winger's Sticky Finger Salad 

from the Or So She Says blog

4 chicken breasts, cut into strips

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup bread crumbs

2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped

2 tomatoes

croutons

cheddar cheese, grated

ranch dressing

craisins

2 1/2 cups brown sugar

1/3 cup Frank's Hot Sauce

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

Directions: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Dip chicken breasts into the sour cream and then into bread crumbs. Place on a sprayed/greased sheet pan. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked and crispy. While the chicken is baking, prepare salad and make the dressing. To make the dressing, combine the 2 1/2 cups brown sugar, 1/3 cup Franks Hot Sauce, and 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar in a pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Let boil for one minute, but no longer! If you boil too long it will turn hard. When the chicken is done dip into sticky sauce and place on a plate. To serve, place sliced strips on top of salad with any additional toppings (cheese, croutons, tomatoes, craisins, etc.) and drench in ranch dressing. Save the additional sticky dressing as an extra topping for the salad...it adds a little more tang! Enjoy

Everyday Scalloped Potatoes

I'm not sure why I haven't made this dish more... it's super easy. Spend 5-10 minutes making a gravy, a few minutes more slicing up some potatoes, put it in the oven and go do something else! And who can turn down tender slices of potato immersed in a flavorful, creamy sauce? Not this girl, that's for sure!

Perhaps, because nice even slices of potatoes are pretty important for best results, I waited to make it regularly until I had a food processor or a mandolin. Either works great. I like the slices to be about an eighth of an inch thick... mainly because I'm impatient. It seems that making the gravy/sauce causes a ticking time bomb of salivary anticipation and the longer I have to wait, the worse it gets. Therefore: thinner is better in my book.

While you can make scalloped potatoes into sin city, this everyday version is pretty tame and you can eat a decent sized serving without feeling too guilty. If you're making it for company, you can always use cream, more cheese, or more bacon... or all of the above!!

As I mentioned, you first make the sauce. This simply involves cooking the bacon, sauteing the onions, adding a slurry of milk and flour, and then - off the heat - adding the cheese. All you have to do then is mix the sauce and potato slices together and place in a greased baking dish! The last step is the trickiest... occupy yourself long enough that it can bake completely and form a nice golden top!



Everyday Scalloped Potatoes
Yield: four side servings

2 strips bacon, diced
2 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly (about 1/8 inch)
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 cups milk
1 rounded TBS flour
1/2 cup Gruyere cheese
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste - depends on how salty your bacon and cheese is)
dash fresh ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Start the bacon cooking in a skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, peel and slice the potatoes. If for some reason, your potatoes will be sitting more than 10 minutes between slicing and mixing with the sauce, let them hang out in some water to keep from browning.

When the bacon is nicely rendered but not too browned, add the onion. Do not remove the bacon grease unless your bacon was overly fatty. A tablespoon or two of grease is necessary to flavor the dish. Saute over medium heat until the onion is soft but - again - not browned. Mix the flour with a small amount of the milk while it is still cold. Add the remaining milk slowly to form a lump-free mixture. If you are concerned there are still lumps, simply run it through a sieve as you add it to the pan. Cook the sauce over medium to medium-low heat until it thickens and just starts to simmer. Remove from the heat and add the cheese, holding back a couple of tablespoons. Stir to mix. Add the salt, but be sure to taste as you go. The bacon and cheese may add more salt than you think. Add the pepper and stir one last time.

Add the potatoes to the sauce mixture and stir to completely coat the potatoes. Pour into a greased 10x6 inch pan (or similar). Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on the top. Bake at 375 for 40-45 minutes, or until the potatoes are nice and tender and the top is golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving.

30 Minute Rolls

When you're in a pinch these will do! They are a bit more dense than normal rolls but surprisingly moist!

30 Minute Rolls

1 1/8 cups plus 2 teaspoons warm water
1/3 cup oil
2 tablespoons yeast
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
4 cups flour

Mix the first four ingredients in mixer and let rise for about 15 minutes. Then add salt and egg. While mixing, slowly add flour. Shape into rolls and let rise for about 15 more minutes. Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.
This recipe made 18 rolls for me!

SILPAT WINNER!!!!

And, the WINNER of the Silpat is....

Commenter #12, TRISTEN, who said, "I would love to give this stuff a try also! Thanks for a fun giveaway!"

(winner chosen using random number generator on random.org)

Thanks, everyone for entering! Stay tuned for more fun giveaways in the future!!

Tristen-- if you want to email me at rgjbell@gmail.com with your address, I'll get your Silpat shipped to you right away!