Treats to make for your dog

Since, I did cats I feel I needed to give dogs an equal time.  So here are some dog treats to make.

Turkey jerky

Ingredients:
Turkey Breast
1/4 cup Pumpkin Puree
1/2 cup Cranberries, pureed
1 teaspoon dried Cinnamon
1 1/2 – 2 cups Water

Directions:
Combine pumpkin puree, cranberries cinnamon and water in a bowl.
Clean the turkey breast and cut into strips, removing all the fat you can from the meat. It is easier to cut if you freeze the turkey slightly.
Place turkey strips into the marinade and allow marinating for at least an hour in the refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place on a cookie sheet 1/2 inches apart, brush with marinade for additional flavor.
Dry in an oven, with the door slightly open to let out moisture, for about 3 to 4 hours, until meat is dry appearance and texture.
Cool and store in an air tight container.
 

*If you have a food dehydrator that can be used to dry the meat as well, just follow the manufactures instructions.

Make sure to precook the meat, I just boiled mine in the marinade for 3 minutes and then placed it in my dehydrator.

Sweet Potato Chews

Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato (preferably organic), washed and peeled

Directions:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Slice up the sweet potato.

(I cut mine in half to make them more manageable for Cupcake. Keep in mind that they shrink as they dehydrate so do not cut them too small if you decide you want to cut yours as well.)

Put in oven and let them cook/dehydrate for at least three and half hours. Make sure to turn them over at some point to make sure they cook evenly. If you want them more crunchy than chewy, then just leave them in longer.
Pull them out.

Fruit & veggie sticks

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sugar free Apple Sauce
1 Carrot, shredded
1/2 cup Pumpkin Puree
1 Banana, mashed
1 teaspoon dried Parsley
1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 cup Oats

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until well combined.
Spread by hand onto the prepared baking sheet 1/4 inch thick and take a pizza cutter and cut the dough into sticks.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
Cool and break into pieces, then refrigerate.

Peanut butter ice treats

Ingredients:

1/2 cup peanut butter (all natural is best especially if you can find some that is made of only peanuts and peanut oil)
1 cup of water

Directions:

Put the peanut butter and water in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for about 15-30 seconds and stir it up. If it is still lumpy and doesn’t combine well, put it back in for 10 seconds at a time until it’s all combined and liquid.
Pour into ice trays (fun shapes are even better) and freeze.
These are best enjoyed outside as they can stain the carpet. Dogs love these on a hot day :-)
If peanuts are a problem, you can put cut fruit, chunks of pumpkin, shredded carrots etc. into an ice tray and add water and freeze. It’s equally as yummy.

Peanut butter banana freeze

Ingredients:
1 cup Peanut Butter
2 Bananas, mashed
1/4 cup Carob Powder
1/2 cup Oats

Directions:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until well combined.
Mold the mixture into balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
Freeze 4 hours before serving.

Tasty Bacon Treats

Ingredients:
1/2 pound bacon
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup beef or chicken broth
3/4 cup olive oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil.
In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Reserve the bacon drippings. Crumble the cooled bacon.
In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, and crumbled bacon. In a separate bowl or measuring cup, stir together 1 1/3 cups warm water and the broth, then pour into the dry ingredients. Add the olive oil and stir together to form loose dough. Knead on a work surface until smooth.
Dived the dough into balls of the appropriate size for your dog (about 1″ for large dogs and 1/2″ for small dogs) and set on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle the reserved bacon drippings over the cookies. Bake until firm to the touch, about 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely!

Here is a website that has some more great recipes:  http://doggydessertchef.com/

Share your ideas on this or anything here on the blog either here or e-mail me at stipple@verizon.net.  I look forward to hearing from you!