Weasley Considers The Merits of Cabbage

Start time Weasley picks up a piece of cabbage:

5 minutes in Weasley has neither accepted, nor rejected cabbage as a food, refusing to eat it or spit it out.

 


10 minutes in a bit of cabbage is still visible

  
If you want a good cabbage recipe try this one for Rye Spaetzle Gratin from the New York Times its what we were making when Weasley picked his scrap of cabbage of the floor. 

Lacey's Barkery Guest Post-Apple Bacon Bread for Dogs

We were invited to join the Lacey's Barkery Blog this is a great place for pet bloggers to share their ideas.  Every month there is a contest for all the featured bloggers.   Today we published our first post on the blog-a recipe for Apple Bacon bread check it out here and definitely consider signing up to be one of their bloggers!

Virtual Vacation: Cornwall and Cornish Pasties

Bob here:  

 As you probably know I'm British, and my mom has instilled a lot of national pride in me.  Lately she and dad have been watching the old TV series Jeeves and Wooster.  

Its helping to improve my understanding of British aristocracy, British style humor and the music is not at all bad if you like 1920s songs.  This song is our house favorite

In fact the line "only one for me" is on mom and dad's wedding rings.   Anyway in one memorable episode Pearls Mean Tears Jeeves and Bertie go to the sea side.

I'm not sure exactly where they are but it could be Cornwall.  

Isn't it lovely?  Wish I could go there and explore.  

In addition to the lovely beaches Cornwall is also famous for one particular food, Cornish Pasties.  Tasty little meat pies.  You can make them at home and imagine you are walking on the beach!

Cornish Pasties

Pastry

4  cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 cup, 1 stick butter
1 cup  solid vegetable shortening
11 tablespoons iced water2  teaspoon salt


Whisk together the flour and salt.   Rub in the butter and shortening until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.  Put a hole in the center of the bowl and add the ice water and stir until the dough completely comes together.   Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Filling

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium onions, peeled and diced
2 small carrots, peeled and finely diced
2 lbs ground lamb
3 medium potatoes, peeled and finely chopped
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp English mustard powder
1 egg mixed with 1 tbsp water, for the egg wash.


Saute the the onion in the oil over medium heat until softened.  Add the lamb and brown 15 minutes.  Mix in the herbes de Provence , 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce and 1/2 tsp English mustard powder.  Reduce the heat to low and cook for hour hour.  Add the carrots and cook 10 minutes.


While the meat is cooking prepare the potatoes by cooking them in boiling salter water until tender.


Preheat the oven to 350.


When the meat is done stir in the potatoes and season with salt and pepper.


Roll out the dough on a floured surface and cut out circular rounds of about 6 inches.   Put a heaping spoon of filling on one half of each round and fold over the side and crimp shut to make the pasty.  Cut an opening for steam to escape, you can make plain lines or do initials like mom did.  Place the pasties on a parchment lined sheet pan and brush with the egg wash.  Bake for 45 to 60 minutes until golden brown.


Serve with Branston Pickle, HP Sauce, and a side salad.

Tasty Tuesday-Summer Time Saute

Sometimes plain old kibble

gets a little......well dull.

Ugh, more boring old kibble.  Sheesh!

At times like these you need a kibble topper.  Mom's secrete formula is pretty simple: a meat, a fruit, and a veggie.  Since its summer mom used turkey, yellow summer squash and cherries.  (Note: there is some internet talk that wild cherries are bad for dogs, the pits are definitely bad as they contain trace amounts of cyanide.)  Apparently too many cherries can cause GI upset, but other information says a few cherries are good, if mom was making this again she would use blueberries.  If you do choose to use cherries make sure to pit them first.

Summer Time Saute

1 

 1 1lb ground meat (like turkey)

Diced summer squash


1/2 cup of fruit, blueberries are a good choice.  We used cherries but you have to be sure to pit them first.


Saute the meat, veggies, and fruit together and perk up the kibble!

Sunday Supper-Cream Fraiche Roasted Salmon

Living with 5 dogs and 3 cats means that travel is not much of an option for me.  I can't bear the idea of leaving my furry family members in a boarding facility and after vet visits, food, toys, treats, and other doggie accessories there is no money left over for travel anyway.   So I have become a fan of the virtual vacation.   To take a virtual vacation you make food from a place you would like to visit, since if you ask me food is the best part of travel, and you look at pictures of your idea destination on the computer.

I've always thought it would be neat to visit Iceland, Scandanavia and other Northern parts of Europe.

Iceland the place I'd most like to visit, It looks like Tolkien's Moddle Earth

A Scandanavian Castle

Since summer is such a fleeting moment in these frigid countries big Summer festivals and celebrations are common.

And since its a virtual vacation you need not dance around the May Pole

Fish is a popular food choice in Scandanavia and other Nordic countries and dill is a popular herb there.  So I decided to make Roast Salmon with Cream Fraiche and Dill for my virtual vacation.

Roast Salmon With Cream Fraiche and Dill

Kosher or sea salt 

Pepper

1 tub Vermont Creamery cream fraiche,  about a cup

1/4 cup chopped Fresh Dill

Preheat to 425 and line a baking sheet with foil.  Place the fish fillets on the sheet skin side down and season with salt and pepper.   Spread with the cream fraiche, trying to cover in a think but complete layer.  Roast for about 12-15 minuts until the fish is cooked through.   Test for doneness by seeing if the fish flakes in the thickest part.

Sprinkle with dill before serving.

Serve with boiled new potatoes tossed with butter, salt, and dill.

Tasty Dish, Bad Photo

Of course you will also be needing a nice summer friendly desert.   One of my favorite summer deserts is simple, Mint Chip Ice Cream with Hot Fudge Sauce, Yum!  Of course you could by hot fudge sauce but why would you when home made is so much better.

Simple Hot Fudge Sauce 

• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (I use morsels)
• 6 ounces bittersweet  chocolate, chopped (I  use chocolate chips)

Preparation

• Bring cream and corn syrup to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add all chocolate and stir until melted and smooth

This keeps in the fridge for weeks and can be reheated in the microwave at medium heat.   I like it served with Adirondack Creamery White Face Mint Chip

Tasty Tuesday Fish Delish-Sardine Brownies

What with our graying muzzles and advancing years Mom likes to keep us all loaded up with healthy foodables.   One of her favorite foods to give is us is Sardines.  These stinky little fish are loaded with heart healthy Omega 3 Fatty Acids and Coenzyme Q 10, great stuff for aging hearts and brains, and they have DHA which is good for both older and developing puppy brains (so it should help Weasley work on  his smarts).

In fact Sardines are one of the Whole Dog Journal's five steps to upgrading your dogs diet.   So now that we have sold you on sardines what should you do with them? They are great just dumped atop a bowl of kibble which is how we usually eat them, and trust us even the pickiest dog will rarely turn them down, but why stop there?   We wanted to explore the baking possibilities of sardines so Mom made super easy sardine brownies for our Saturday Northern New Jersey Pug Extravaganza Meet Up.

Sardine Brownies

 3 3.75 oz cans of sardines in water, dumped into a bowl and mashed (do not drain)
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups Brown Rice Flour 
1 Tbsp garlic powder

Preheat the oven to 325.  Stir all of the ingredients together until a smooth dough forms.  Spray a 9 inch square baking pan with non-stick spray and pour the brownie batter in.  Bake in the oven until cooked through, about 25 minutes.

Note: In the opinion of humans these brownies are STINKY our dad came home and said what is that smell! He thought mom had spilled are 64 ounce gallon of Salmon Oil Supplement  on the kitchen floor again.   So if your peeps bake these you may want to tell them to open some windows.   

Sunday Suppers-Classic Lasagna

Warning!  This is not a dog (or cat) focused post.   I just really, really, really like this lasagna recipe.  Its not Italian style lasagna (which I also like) but rather Italian-American, meaning lots of meat and cheese!  Yum.  

Classic American Lasagna


Meat Sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup minced garlic, minced in the food processor
1/2 pound diced yellow onions
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 celery stalk diced
3 lbs ground beef
2 28 oz cans tomatoes in juice
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp dried oregano


Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium high heat.  Add garlic and onions and saute, stirring occasionally, for five minutes.  Add carrot and celery and cook for another five minutes.


Push the vegetables to the side and begin browning the meat in three batches.  Cook until just beginining to brown, 3-5 minutes, then push aside and add more meat.  When all the meat is browned stir the whole mess together.


Add the tomatoes and juice and crush the tomatoes up with the back of a spoon.  Add the tomato paste, sugar and oregano.  Stir well.  Simmer 1 1/2 hours.  Season with salt and pepper to taste


Lasagna
1 box no boil lasagna noodles
1 15 oz container whole milk ricotta cheese
1 egg beaten,
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 1lb grated mozzarella, not fresh
1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese


Preheat oven to 350.  


In a large bowl stir together the ricotta, parsley, and egg.  Season with salt and pepper.


Spoon and spread about 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over the bottom of an appropriately sized lasagna pan.  Top with a single layer of noodles, breaking noodles to cover the sauce if necessary.  Top with half of the ricotta mixture, a third of the mozzarella, a third of the remaining meat sauce, and a third of the parmesan.  Cover with another layer of noodles.  Top the noodles with the remaining ricotta mixture and spread evenly with a spatula.  Top the ricotta mixture with half of the remaining mozzarella, half of the remaining meat sauce, and half of the remaining Parmesan.  Top with another single layer of noodles the remaining sauce, mozzarella, and parmesan. Season layers with salt and pepper as you go.


Bake for one hour until bubbly and cooked through.


Yum!

Victoria Day-A Recipe for Victoria Sponge

Today marks the birthday of Queen Victoria, who ruled the British Empire for 63 years, always with a dog by her side







In her honor I am posting a recipe for Victoria Sponge, one of her favorite cakes.

Victoria Sponge 

Serves 8-10
Preparation Time: 35-40 minutes

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder

• Preheat  the oven to 350F
• With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add the eggs, one at a time , along with the vanilla.
• With a spatula, fold in the flour and baking powder and mix until smooth.
• Divide the batter between 2 buttered and floured 8-inch cake tins and smooth the surface by tapping gently on the side of the tins. (Or do what I do and bake in one tin and then slice in half).
• Bake for 20-25 minutes.
• Test for doneness with a knife or skewer (if its crumb free, its done). Turn out onto wire rack to cool.

Butter Cream Icing1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups of confectioners’s sugar
1-2 tablespoons milk

• In an electric mixer beat the butter until light and creamy, then add the vanilla.
• Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar.
• Add just enough milk to make the mixture soft and spreadable.

To assembleRaspberry jam (I use Smuckers)

1/2 pint raspberries

Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

• Once the cake has cooled, spread one half of the cake evenly with the butter cream. Spread the other half with raspberry jam.
• Put the two halves together, with the cream facing the jam, and place on a cake plate. Dust lightly with confectioners’ sugar

If you want to read about Victoria and her pug Bosco, who was a favorite of hers although not as famous as her beloved spaniel-Dash, check out our post from last year link.  


I also highly recommend the book pictured with the cake Noble Hounds and Dear Companions it is filled with gorgeous photos of royal family and their dogs from the royal photography collecton.

Strawberry Birthday Cake

May is national strawberry month.
   
 In addition to being mouth wateringly delicious, strawberries are loaded with anti-oxidants and have beneficial effects on cardiovascular health and blood sugar.   


So it was a no-brainer to make our May birthday baby a strawberry cake

 

Ping's Strawberries Yogurt Cake

1 1/2 cups plain yogurt

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup orange juice

3 eggs

1/2 cup of sugar

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1 cup diced strawberries

Frosting

low fat cream cheese

1 cup sliced strawberries

Preheat the oven to 350.   Grease a 9 inch spring form pan or other similarly sized pans.  Beat the liquid ingredients and sugar together until fully combined and then add dry ingredients and stir until fully combined.  Fold in the strawberries.  Bake for 50 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

Cool and spread with the cream cheese and the top with the sliced strawberries

Yum!

Ping's Birthday Fiesta Re-Cap

Ping here-So my ninth birthday was mostly pretty good (though I did have to wear this stupid hat for a few minutes).   Sadly, in the morning the weather did not look so great so plans to take me to brunch where shelved, I'm telling mom and dad they have to re-schedule since I saw that post of Tubby scarfing down cheese fries at brunch and I want my turn!


Anyway, mom and dad gave me my first gifts early in the morning after my special breakfast treat, sardines with my kibble!  Sardines are my favorite.

I got a red initial t-shirt from Diva Dog Designs.  Don't forget to enter our Diva Dog Design t-shirt give away here, they can make shirts for any size pup and they are all adorable.   Plus you can shop with a 15% discount if you use my special discount code PINGBDAY. 


 Anyway, back to my gifts so I also got a very nice collar from Day Dog Designs, my collar is in the Vienna pattern.   Every collar needs a tag and mom got me a very special tag from Fetching Tags.

It says "Let's Go Ride a Bike" the perfect accessory for a bike riding pug like me.  Thanks to Tucker's mom for introducing us to Fetching Tags with this post.

After opening my presents I had to go get my birthday grooming and luckily by the time I finished, the sun had come out so mom and dad took me for a nice walk.

When we got home it was time for the best part-birthday cake.  Since May is National Strawberry Month I got a strawberry cake (mom will share the recipe on Tasty Tuesday).


My party guest brothers where eager for a taste

but it was my birthday so I got to eat first!

After cake Mom and Dad gave me even more presents!  I got too boxes of treats and a pink Spring Chicken Toy from Olive Green Dog.

Really I could take or leave the toy, I have never been much for toys but mom thought  he was super cute, she liked how he looks like a Muppet.  She even insisted on taking this picture of Tubby and me posing with Spring Chicken with her Muppet Book.

Since it was Cinco De Mayo mom made some tex-mex foodables for dinner, and can you believe it she and dad did not give any to me!  Something about the food being to rich and spicy for pugs and me having scarfed down a lot of cake and treats.     


Mom still wants to share the recipes for what she made so I will let her take over now.

Messy table laden with fattening foods

Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork Tortillas (adapted from Pioneer Woman)


1 5 lb pork shoulder roast
2 to 3 cups Dr. Pepper
1 yellow onion sliced
2 7 ounce cans chipotle chiles in adobo 
2 tbsp brown sugar
flour tortillas
monterey jack cheese
diced tomatoes
cilantro


Slice the yellow onion and place it in the bottom of the slower cooker.   Season the pork shoulder generously with salt and pepper and place fat side up in the slow cooker on top of the onions.  Pour over the chipotle chiles and sprinkle on the brown sugar.   Add the Dr. Pepper enough so it comes up to about 2 inches from the top of the cooker.  Cook on low.


When its done take the meat out of the slow cooker and discard the fat from the top of the meat.  Shred the remaining meat.  Discard the liquid.  Serve on warmed tortillas (I warm the in the microwave between layers of damp paper towels for 45 seconds) with the tomatoes, cilantro, and cheese.




Chilies Rellenos Rice


2 cups cooked rice 
1 1/2 cups diced and seeded jalapeno or 14  ounces mild canned chilies
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 1/2 cups grated monterey jack cheese
2 cups sour cream


Preheat the oven to 375
Stir all the ingredients together in a large  bowl and season with salt and pepper.  Bake 25 minutes.   (Note: you can assemble this several hours ahead of time and then bake).


Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos from Pioneer Woman
20 jalapenos halved length wise and seeded
1 package softened cream cheese
12 ounces bacon, sliced in thirds
tooth picks


Preheat oven to 375


Fill the jalapeno halves with the soft cream cheese and then write in the bacon and secure with a toothpick.  Bake 20 minutes and then if the bacon is not browned enough broil for a few minutes.


Usually for Cinco De Mayo I make Tres Leches cake the recipe is in this post.  But this year I decided something citrusy would help offset all the fatty, spicy stuff.


Ginger Lime Pie

Crust
1 1/2 cups ginger snap crumbs, ground up in the processor
1/3 cup sugar
6 tbsp melted butter


Filling
5 egg yolks
21 ounces sweetened condensed milk, about one and a half cans
2/3 cup of lime juice
zest of one lime


Crystalized ginger for garnish


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.


After crushing the ginger snaps in the processor, add the sugar and process again, pour the melted butter through the top opening and process until all the crumbs are moist.  Press into a glass pie pan and set aside while you make the filling.


In a bowl whisk the egg yolks, condensed milk, lime juice, and zest together until they are completely combined.  Pour into the prepared crust and bake for 15 minutes.  Cool to room temperature and then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve (can be made one day in advance).