Homemade Treats for the New Addition to the Family

It's been nearly a month now since I posted, so clearly I'm way, way behind. So much has happened - a trip to Vegas where I ate a $60 burger that featured foie gras and black truffle, a seven course anniversary dinner at Seattle's Canlis, and the last round of Memento Meal for this year (hosted by Dan & I). And I promise I'll get back to all of those culinary adventures... but a new addition to the family has meant my attention is focused in another direction. Two weeks ago, Hilo Dembiczak-Garlington joined the family.



Hilo's proven to be a big ball of love and energy, and requires a lot more time than Caesar the cat or the chickens - but it's well worth it when he flashes a big smile at us or gives us a gentle lick. And I've discovered having a dog also creates a new baking opportunity: dog biscuits!

Today I did some web searching and discovered DogTreatKitchen.com - a site full of recipes and advice for dog loving home bakers, and even those interested in starting a dog bakery. For now, I'll stick to the recipes - and will surely be tweaking them as I learn to make them my own. My first attempt are a simple peanut butter, oats and wheat flour biscuit. I made mine in the shape of butterflies for Summer - and so I could call them...

Hilo's Oat & Peanut Butterflies
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup peanut butter, chunky or smooth
1 1/4 cups hot water
Additional flour for rolling

Preheat oven to 350° F. In a large bowl, mix the flour and oats together. Stir in the peanut butter. Stir in hot water, a little at a time, until you have a solid dough. The oats will soak up some of the water, so go slow. You may need to add more flour if the dough gets too sticky. Knead the dough for 5 minutes. Roll out the dough into 1/4" thickness and cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Bake on parchment or silicone mat lined cookie sheets for 40 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack before serving. Store in a sealed container for one week at room temperature, in the refrigerator for 3 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.



(Recipe courtesy of DogTreatKitchen.com)