Category: Recipes

Cinnamon Bun dog treats



Cinnamon Bun treat for today. I am out of dog treats and the last few came out of the freezer this morning and we need a refill.

Our dogs love treats. They are by no means picky eaters either. Well not our three big dogs, and if you look closely, you can see that our border collie is proof of this.  One thing we like to do for them is to make their treats. Too many stories on the news of tainted dog foods. Homemade anything is better because it’s made with love. RIGHT? A few simple ingredients and time in the oven is all it takes.

When we come across a recipe they really like that was easy to whip together, when we make it again, we make a lot and freeze them. Today I tried cinnamon roll treats and will definitely be making them again. I will say there will be some tweaking to the recipe, but all together this one is super easy.

Ingredients
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour– (next time I will use 2 1/4+)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup milk or water
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • preheat your oven at 350*

Simply add all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well to a dough consistency. I did not use a scoop for size making, just take some dough and rolled it into a log shape to decide what size you want. Keeping in mind the size of your dog.

Yes it will look like little dog turds. I guess it comes full circle in the end.

Flatten out the little log a bit, then roll up from one end.

Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and give it a little smash, not much. Continue to hand-roll out the rest of your dough.

Bunch of little poop piles.

I then added chopped up pecans left over from my Christmas baking. Perfect topping!! These need to be pushed into the dough a bit. 

Bake at 350* for 20 minutes.  The time will vary depending on the size you make. You will want them firm but not a puck. I have not made them before, so the counter life is not known yet. I recommend leaving a few out that you plan treating for a weeks time and freeze the rest.

Even the smallest cinnamon bun I made was still to big for our little Sophie. So she gets pieces of a bun each time, which is a good thing, it will make them last longer.

Changes

Now for where I would tweak it a bit.  Next time I am going to add a bit more flour due to when I was hand rolling the ‘logs’ my hands started getting caked with the dough. I am going to try rolling out the dough ball into a rectangle and cutting strips with a pizza cutter. This way I can cut thinner strips for our small dog and bigger for the other three. When the next batch is made, I will post any edits and let you know how they turned out.

Have fun with these!!!  And do not forget to make a few extra for your friends pups too.  Sharing homemade treats are a plus for everyone, even the dogs.

Puppy Chow


Puppy Chow, Monster Mix, Muddy Buddy, Chocolate Chex, what ever you may; this messy, tasty, finger licking snack is quick to make in a pinch. There are so many ways to dress is up for special occasions as well. Add in a few colored candies of the current holiday, like M&M’s. Waa-LA. Don’t forget to hand out a wet paper towel with each handful, as this one is for sure the king of messy casual snacks.

Your ingredients:

  • 9 cups any kind of Chex
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar (optional more)

In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips, butter, and peanut butter. Start at 30 seconds, stir. Then go in 10 second increments, stirring each time. Don’t let the chocolate burn.

Once completely smooth, pour over the cereal. Scrape all the chocolate out of bowl using a scraper, then fold cereal and chocolate together. Be careful not to crush the cereal.

After the cereal is chocolate covered, pour in a little of the powdered sugar. Mix it up. Then mix in the remaining powdered sugar. You may wish for more sugar, if so, go ahead. Messier the better.

  At this point you can add in the extra candies if you want.  Mild Duds, M&M’s, mints, malted milk balls. Think about the theme, add accordingly.

Puppy Chow is an inexpensive treat. Share it and then make more.

Candy you ate as a kid

Shepherds Pie

Shepherds Pie has been our family favorite for many years. My husband made it early on while we were dating, and I quickly realized he wants the ‘farmers meal’ for supper. This meal is so versatile to the type of vegetables you have on hand, that is practically a meal you won’t get bored with. And if you have the “meat & potato” eater like I do, it’s a wrap in this one dish.
You can practically make this with one pan for preparing and one for baking. It’s super easy, and measuring is not required.

Ingredients are:

3-4 lbs. hamburger (we also use 2 lbs. hamburger 1 lb. ground pork)
2 cans (10-12oz) tomato soup
Vegetable of your choice. For this amount I use 4 regular cans or 2 large. We also use 1/2 bag frozen veggies. It is a preference of your own. How much or little you desire.
Potatoes You can use real or instant. Again it’s all your preference, and time.
milk & lots of butter
PREHEAT OVEN 350°

Fry up the hamburger. Today I used my Pampered Chef chopper and fried it really fine. Sometimes we have chunkier pieces of burger. Drain once completely cooked and put back into pan.

chopped up burger

What’s your veggie choice? Are you using cans? Drain water from veggie and pour into meat. Is frozen what you have available? Perfect, just put vegetables in a colander, run some water over it to get off any ice that may have formed. Drain well and pour into the meat. Now if you see some fluid in bottom of your pan, here is where you may want to turn on the heat and cook that down. Stir up the meat/veggie mixture so nothing burns. Once fluid is gone turn off heat.
Add the tomato soup, mix well and set aside.

Potatoes I prefer to use real potatoes, a 3 lb. bag for this amount. Peeled and cut up for faster cooking. When potatoes are cooked to mashable standard, drain and put back in pan. Add a little milk (for 3 lbs. potatoes it was about 1/2-3/4 cup) and 1/2-1 stick of butter. (We like the butter) It depends on the amount of potato you make and what your taste buds like. Remember I said you don’t have to get out the measuring cups, start with less, you can always add more. Use your chopper to whip these up to mashed material. Small potato pieces are alright. If you don’t have a utensil that is safe for whipping in this pan; after you drain the potatoes, put into a mixing bowl and whip up with your mixer. Today I added some sour cream for a creamier flavor.

We have many times used instant potatoes if they are on hand and we are short on time. Off hand I can not remember the amount, just use your best judgement. The good thing about instant, if you don’t make enough, it’s super easy to whip up some more. You can also add sour cream to these to help with the dry taste instant has.

This large amount fills a 9×13 baking pan. Naturally if you are making smaller amounts, just use what looks right. You don’t want a super thin layer of meat, but you also don’t to run out of room for your potatoes.

meat/veggie/tomato soup mixture

First layer in your meat mixture. Then top with potatoes. Spread to an almost even consistency. The little hill & valley area are just right for the added butter on top. I cut up one whole stick just for the top. I said we like butter. It also helps to keep the potatoes from drying out.

topped potatoes and butter

I put my pan on a cookie sheet because there is always run-over. Do not cover. Put into oven and let cook. Because everything is already warm, you are just getting it hot. The potatoes with get browned tips and the juices from the meat mixture with bubble up the sides. About a good half hour to 45 minutes.

If you like, make some biscuits or just buttered bread/toast is good too.
This amount will feed our family of 6 for two meals and have available left overs for work lunches.
I hope you enjoy this meal.