Homemade Dog Food

I want the best for my puppies. They are rescues and had hard lives before they came to me, so I want to make sure they are as happy, healthy, and comfortable as possible. In exchange, they protect the house, entertain us with their antics, and give snuggles. We had quite a scare when our smallest one vomited blood. We took her to the emergency vet to find out it was diet-related. Then our pointer mix started vomiting daily. I was feeding them a good brand of natural dog food for sensitive stomachs, but it just seemed like it was not good enough. I researched and found out that the ingredients in dog food are not well regulated and can be quite disgusting, if not dangerous to pets.So, I started making my own dog food at home. Yes, it takes time - it helps to make a big batch ahead of time or even freeze portions. But, its about the same price as the higher quality dry dog food. My dogs stopped vomiting immediately, and no more diarrhea. They have super-soft fur - like baby bunnies, and they scratch less indicating healthier skin. They don't have any more of the infamous "dog farts" that send you running from the room. They are more calm and content, too - not as much whining and hyper activity. I am so glad I tried it. You have to be careful with the portions, and its always good to supplement with a doggie multi-vitamin. Choose healthy, recommended ingredients - even 2 tablespoons of excess fat can cause pancreatitis and intestinal bleeding, so you have to be careful. There is a lot of conflicting information on the net, so when in doubt, leave it out. Here are some of the recipes that I have been successfully using, and of course, they are a hit with the doggies!

Basic Homemade Dogfood Portioning

1 cup cooked grains
1/2 cup cooked, chopped meat
1/2 cup cooked veggies
4 TBS chicken stock

Everything should be bland - no salt, seasonings, breading, skin, fat, etc. I typically use boiled brown rice or cooked pasta for my grains. For the meat, I use boiled or baked chicken, diced. You can also use scrambled eggs, tuna, salmon, or beef. The easiest veggies are the frozen peas and carrots mix or broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower mix.

Mix it up and serve at room temperature.

Chicken Chow

1 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup diced bland chicken
1/2 cup frozen peas and carrots
4-6 TBS chicken stock

Mix and heat in a pan. Serve at room temperature.

Tuna Puppy Pasta

1 cup cooked macaroni
1 can drained tuna
1/2 cup frozen mixed veggies, cooked
4 TBS olive oil

Mix together and serve at room temperature.

Sunshine Scrambles

1 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup mixed veggies, cooked
3 eggs
1/4 cup milk

Beat eggs and milk in a bowl. Scramble in a greased pan over medium heat until done. Mix rice and veggies together and top with scrambled eggs. Serve at room temperature.

Awesome Crunchy Treats

Baby Carrots!

Yes, I keep a bag of baby carrots in the fridge at all times. A baby carrot makes a healthy treat, its cool and crunchy, you know its good for them, and they love it! I give them one at a time, and act like its a big deal when they get one :)

Fish n Chips

Does beer battered fish sound good to you? Of course it does! It doesn't become a classic favorite of the UK for nothing!

Fish n Chips

4 fillets white fish
salt and pepper
1 cup flour (for dry coating)
Oil for frying
2 cup flour
Old bay seasoning
1 egg, beaten
1 beer

Mix your beer batter up first. Season the flour with Old bay seasoning. Flour should be well seasoned, but not too dark. Add 1 beaten egg. Whisk the batter while slowly adding beer. You might not need the whole beer, you might need a little extra. The consistency of the batter should be kind of thick - somewhere between a smoothie and a milk shake.

Heat your oil to about 325-350 degrees. If you have a deep fryer, it makes your job much easier and the fish will probably come out nice and crispy.

If you don't, that's OK. Just heat about 1 inch of oil in a heavy bottom skillet. I like to use a pan with high sides to keep any splatters from getting everywhere. Measure the temperature with an oil thermometer, or if you don't have one, sprinkle a drop of water in the oil. If it sizzles nicely, the oil is ready.

Rinse fish fillets in cool water and pat dry with paper towels. Cut into smaller portions if desired. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Coat each piece with a dusting of dry flour. Then dip into the beer batter. Let the excess drip off. Carefully drop into the oil.

Repeat until the pan is full of fish, but not overcrowded. Allow to cook for about 3 mintues on each side or until done in the middle and golden brown. Remove fish and allow to drain on paper towels. Cook a second batch if needed.

Serve with lemon, tartar sauce, malt vinegar, ketchup, french fries, cole slaw, peas, etc.

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Super Fast Chicken Bake

This is the "I don't have time to cook" chicken recipe. 2 ingredients, 2 minutes to make, rave reviews... who could ask for more?

Super Fast Chicken Bake

2-4 breast chicken
1 can condensed cream of celery soup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken in a glass dish. Cover with cream of celery. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Don't worry! EVERYONE loves this dish!

Serve with a starch (fries, rice, egg noodles, baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, stuffing, etc.) and some veggies.
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Simple Grilled Salmon

Its summer time! Time to fire up the grill and have some delicious, healthy meals. Here's an easy recipe to try: some simple grilled salmon. Even if you're not the most experienced grill chef, I went over all the details like a grilling 101 class :) It only takes about 8-10 minutes.

Grilled Salmon

2 salmon fillets
water
olive oil
1/2 a lemon
Cajun blackened seasoning

Rinse salmon fillets and place in a container. Drizzle with olive oil and juice of 1/2 a lemon. Pick up the fillet, allowing the excess oil and lemon to drip off. Place on a platter and season with cajun spices. The seasoning will not stick to the salmon if it is too wet.

Heat grill until medium hot. If using a propane grill, let it heat for about 10 minutes on medium hi setting. If your grill is not seasoned, spray some oil on the grilling surface and wipe it off with a paper towel folded over several times.

Place fillets skin side down with the grain of the salmon perpendicular to the grates. Grill for 6-8 minutes. The salmon should flip over easily. The skin should be a little crispy, so it will come off easily and in one piece. Discard skin. Add extra seasoning after you remove the skin. Cook for additional 6-8 minutes or until salmon is firm to touch.

Serve immediately as fish cools down quickly. Add instant microwave brown rice and steamed veggies for a delicious, healthy meal.

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Chocolate Chip Cookies

IF IT AIN'T BROKE, DON'T FIX IT.

The Chocolate Chip Cookie was invented in 1933 by Ruth Wakefield who owned the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Mass. Mrs. Wakefield was making chocolate cookies but ran out of regular baker's chocolate, so she substituted it with broken pieces of semi-sweet chocolate, thinking that it would melt and mix into the batter. It clearly did not, and the chocolate chip cookie was born. Wakefield sold the recipe to Nestlé in exchange for a lifetime supply of chocolate chips.

Every bag of Nestlé chocolate chips in North America has a variation of her original recipe printed on the back.

THE ORIGINAL Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
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