Tuesday Blog Hop *Pets*

So this week's blog hop is about pets! This is a hard one for me seeing as I am not a "pet" person. We have 3 cats and a frog, but none of them are mine. I think I have finally convinced the bf to start looking for a dog. We'll see... I thought for this fabulous pet themed blog hop I would first, give you guys some great recipes for animal treats. Then I'll post some pics of the pets around our house! 

Calico Kitty Ribbons

(For Cats)

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons wheat germ

1/4 cup bran flakes

1/4 cup soy flour

1 tablespoon unsulphered molasses

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon sage

1/2 teaspoon bone meal

1/3 cup milk or water

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl, one at a time. Use an electric mixer on a high speed, to beat the ingredients together as you add them. Once everything is in the bowl, be sure to mix thoroughly until all the ingredients are completely incorporated and consistent.

The mixture will begin to form a dough. Knead it with your hands, working to mix any ingredients that aren't completely blended in. The dough should be soft. If it is too sticky, flour your hands, or add a bit of extra flour to the dough.

Transfer the dough out to a floured work surface. Flour a rolling pin, and use it to roll the dough out into a very thin sheet, no more than 1/4" thick; thinner if you can do this without tearing the dough.

Prepare a cookie sheet by lightly misting with non-stick cooking spray. Then use a sharp, non-serrated knife to carefully cut the dough into thin strips about 1/2" inch wide. Slice them to be no more than about 7 or 8 inches long. Or make them shorter if you prefer.

Carefully lay the ribbons onto the prepared cooking sheet, arranging them so that they lay flat, do not touch, and are not twisted or tangled in any way. Continue with the remaining dough until you cannot cut any more ribbons.

Place the ribbons into the preheated oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the ribbons are lightly toasted. Watch them carefully, as this thin, narrow shape has a tendency to suddenly cook and then burn. When the ribbons are done cooking, remove them from the heat and allow them to cool considerably, or completely, before serving to your pet.

Beef and Veggie Rice Biscuits

(For Dogs)

1 large jar (about 6 ounces) any vegetable and beef baby food

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup uncooked rice

1 package unflavored jello

1 cup powdered dry milk

1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/2 teaspoons)

1/3 cup very warm water (110 degrees)

1 egg

1 beef bouillon cube

3/4 cup water

Cook the rice first, or ahead of time, if desired. You may follow the directions on the box, or add the rice to a heavy pot with a lid. Cover the rice with a generous amount of water. Then cover the pot, and bring the water and rice to a boil over high heat. When the water begins to boil, reduce the heat to medium. Let the rice cook for about 5-10 minutes more. Then reduce the heat to low, and simmer for about 15-20 minutes, or until the rice is puffed and soft. When it is done, drain the rice well and let it cool completely.

When the rice is considerably cooled, preheat the oven to 300°F. Add the 3/4 cup of water to a small saucepan. Heat it over medium heat until the water just begins to boil. Then turn off the heat. Drop the bouillon cube into the hot water, and stir it until it dissolves.

Add the warm water to a small cup or bowl. Sprinkle in the yeast and then stir gently until the yeast is dissolved.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flours, gelatin powder, and dry milk. Mix well by stirring or sifting together.

Pour the bouillon mixture into the dry ingredients. Add the yeast/water mixture. Then add the baby food, the egg, and 1 cup of the cooked rice. Stir well, by hand, for several minutes, or until all the ingredients are completely incorporated into the mixture. You should have a dough begin to form.

Knead the dough inside the bowl with your hands, working to blend in any remaining ingredients and help make the dough easy to manage. It should be very dry.

Transfer the dough out to a floured surface. Knead a few times, then, with a rolling pin, roll the dough into a sheet about 1/4" thick.

Prepare a cookie or baking sheet by greasing with margarine, oil, or by spraying with non-stick cooking spray. Then, using a cookie or biscuit cutter, cut the dough into the desired shapes. Or, you can use a knife to cut the dough into squares or bars. As you cut out each shape, arrange it onto the prepared cookie sheet.

Repeat with the remaining dough, reusing any scraps that form, until you run out of dough and can no longer make any more cut outs. Then once all the dough is arranged onto the cookie sheet, place it into the preheated oven. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the heat when finished baking, and let the biscuits cool completely. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen, depending on size.

Birdie Birthday Cake

(For Birds)

1/2 cup Cheerios® or Kix® cereal (or similar)

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 egg

strawberries, as needed

Add the Cheerios® or Kix® cereal to a large plastic Ziploc® Bag. Then use a rolling pin to crush the cereal into coarse powder. When all the cereal has been reduced to crumbs, pour it into a small mixing bowl.

Add the peanut butter, and egg. Mix well, using an electric blender to thoroughly combine all the ingredients until smooth and consistent.

Transfer the mixture to a very small bowl, such as a cereal or dessert bowl. Make sure you use a microwave safe bowl. Then place the bowl into the microwave and cook it for about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.

Remove the bowl from the microwave. It will be slightly soft, but if it seems too gooey, place it into the microwave for about 10-20 seconds more.

Carefully remove the cake form the cereal bowl and invert it onto a plate. Check to see the cake is not gooey or watery. If it is, microwave it for another 10-20 seconds.

Place a handful or so of fresh strawberries in an individual sized bowl. Then mash the strawberries into a paste using a large spoon or other utensil. A few chunks are okay.

Frost the cake with the mashed strawberry. Decorate it, if desired, using small pieces of cut fruit, pieces of bird food such as pellets, chopped nuts, etc. Or serve the cake plain. To serve, simply cut off a slice appropriate to your bird’s size. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. Makes 1 small cake.

Fruitcake Corn Balls 

(For Mice, Rats, Hamsters, Gerbils, Chinchillas, and similar, small rodents)

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup yellow cornmeal

1/3 cup assorted dried fruit pieces

1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil

1/4 cup any unsweetened fruit juice

Preheat the oven to 250°F. Prepare a cookie or baking sheet by misting it lightly with non-stick cooking spray

In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine all to the ingredients except for the fruit juice. It the dried fruit pieces you are using are fairly large, you may want to mince them into tiny, very fine pieces before adding them to the mix. Try not to use any piece that is larger than a pea, and much smaller than that is ideal. Use an electric mixer on a high speed to thoroughly combine all of the ingredients until everything is completely consistent and fully incorporated into the mix. Once you have mixed all of these ingredients, you will have a thick, dry, crumbly mixture.

Slowly begin to add the fruit juice to the mixture, about a tablespoon at a time. Make sure the juice is completely blended in before adding more. Only add as much juice as you need to get a firm dough that is not sticky, but is soft enough to be molded easily and it not at all crumbly.

Once the dough is sufficient, begin to shape it by tearing off small pieces and rolling them between your fingers to form small, marble sized balls. As you form each ball, place it gently onto the prepared cookie sheet.

Continue with the rest of the dough until you run out of dough and can no longer make any more balls. Arrange the balls fairly close to one another, as they won’t expand or spread out, but do not crowd them.

Once all the balls have been formed, place them into the preheated oven. Bake the balls for about 45 minutes, then turn off the oven completely, but leave them inside and cool, dry out, and harden until very crunchy. The next morning, or once they are completely cool, remove them from the oven. Store any leftovers in an airtight container. Makes about 4 dozen balls.

Jezebel (she's the mom to the other 2)

Lucifer... he's our good kitty! 

Azrael... as you can see from this pic... she's wild! 

Archimedes... I don't know what to say about this one... she's boring :P