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 COOKING
FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR
FOUR-LEGGED FRIENDS
Excerpt from the book: THE DOG ATE IT
B y Linda West Eckhardt and Barbara Bradley with Judy
Kern - Gotham Books
"I wouldn't feed that to
my dog!" How many times have we heard or said that when confronted
with a particularly unappealing or inedible meal? And where did
such an idea come from anyway? Aren't our dogs our best friends,
our children, members of our family? More than half the dog owners
who responded to a recent survey conducted by the American pet Association
indicated that they were more attached to their dogs than to any
particular human. So why would we even dream of feeding our dog
something we wouldn't eat ourselves?
We know what you're thinking -
it's easier! And in a way we're sure that's true, but isn't most
commercial pet food just fast food for dogs? Well, we're sure you've
heard about what happened to that guy who ate nothing but McDonald's
for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for a month. Would you want to
do that to your dog? Okay, you say, but nobody's going to cook specially
for his or her dog. Maybe not, but you undoubtedly cook for yourself,
so what if you could both eat the same thing? That's what this book
is all about -- cooking for two (or the whole family, for that matter).
FLEASE
NAVIDAD NUTHINS
So, you're having a Christmas
Eve party. Want to include the pooches? Whip up these festive
muffins. just try keeping the two-legged beasts out of them.
Double dog dare you.
Makes 48 regular or 96 mini-muffins |
2
tablespoons honey
2 1/4 cups warm water
1/4 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 LARGE EGGS
4 cups whole-wheat flour
1 TEASPOON SALT
1 TABLESPOON BAKING POWDER
1 TABLESPOON GROUND CINNAMON
1/2 TEASPOON ALEPPO or CAYENNE PEPPER
1 CUP CHOPPED PECANS
1/2 CUP CRAISINS OR GOLDEN RAISINS
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Preheat
the oven to 400 F. Line regular or mini-muffin cups with paper
liners.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine
the honey, water,applesauce, vanilla, and eggs and mix until
foamy. Add the flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and pepper.
Mix until smooth. Fold in the pecans and craisins (dried cranberries).
Place a heaping tablespoon of the batter
in each regular muffin tin, OR a heaping teaspoon in each
mini-muffin tin. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes
for regular and 10 minutes for minis. Cool on a rack and store
in an airtight tin. |
PUMPKIN
CRAISIN MUFFINS
Yes, we know that dogs need
their vitamins. Pumpkin is an unparalleled source of beta-carotene,
a powerful antioxidant that converts to Vitamin A in the body
to promote good circulation, as well as a healthy heart, eyes,
and lungs. The additional presence of alpha-carotene, which
interacts with other key nutrients and may help to slow the
biological effects of aging in both you and your dog, makes
pumpkin a real nutritional stand out..
Makes12 muffins |
1
1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1 cup uncooked old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons dry milk
1Tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 TEASPOON BAKING SODA
1/2 TEASPOON KOSHER SALT
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup olive oil
1 LARGE EGG
1/2 CUP CRAISINS (dried cranberries)
STREUSEL TOPPING:
3/4 CUP uncooked old fashioned rolled oats
1 tablespoon DARK BROWN SUGAR
1 TABLESPOON BUTTER, SOFTENED
1/8 TEASPOON PIMPKIN PIE SPICE OR CINNAMON
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Preheat
the oven to 400 F. Line 12 -muffin cups with paper liners
and spray them with Pam for Baking or Baker's Joy.
Combine the flour, oats, sugar, dry milk,
baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a large
bowl.
Make a well in the center of the muffin mixture
and add the pumpkin, water oil, and egg. Stir to combine,
then stir in the craisins. Transfer the batter to the prepared
muffin cups, using about 1/3 cup of batter for each muffin.
In a small bowl, stir together the streusel
ingredients.
Sprinkle the streusel evenly on top of the
muffins and bake in the preheated oven about 20 minutes or
until golden. Cool in the pan to room temperature.
The muffins may be frozen in zip-close bags
and thaw to room temperature for serving. |
CHICKEN
SOUP FOR ME AND MY DOG
Chicken soup gives comfort
to me and my pets. made in the Crock-pot, it goes together
in five minutes and will burble away while I'm at work. Thirty
minutes before serving, I can add pasta, rice or barley and
whatever vegetables I have in the fridge. Carrots and/or peas
are always favorites, and garlic is a must.
leftovers can be bagged
and frozen for that inevitable rainy day, or simply refrigerated
to serve the next day. None of us objects to eating the same
thing two days in a row-especially when it tastes this good.
Makes 8 servings |
1
(4-pund) package chicken pieces OR 1 WHOLE CHICKEN
1 TABLESPOON CRUMBLED DRIED SEAWEED, SEAKELP, or SEA VEGETABLE
(find in natural food stores, in the ASIAN products aisle
or where condiments are sold)
6 CLOVES GARLIC, PEELED AND SMASHED
KOSHER SALT ABD FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER TO TASTE
1 (16 ounce) CAN CHICKEN BROTH (LOW SODIUM)
3 RIBS CELERY, CHOPPED
3 CARROTS, SCRAPED AND CUT INTO ROUNDS
1 CUP BROWN RICE OR WHEAT PASTA OR BARLEY
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Season
the chicken with the seaweed, garlic, and salt and pepper
to taste. Place it in the Crock-pot, and add the broth and
enough water to cover. Cook on high until tender, about 5
hours. Add the celery, carrots, and rice (or other leftover
veggies) and cook for 45 minutes more. remove bones from the
chicken. Adjust the seasoning and serve.
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Editor's Note: Your
dog may be allergic to some of the ingredients mentioned above.
If ingredients are new to your dog, feed small quantities at first.
Sudden change in diet in large quantities may cause upset stomach.My
cocker spaniel is not a fan of dried cranberries and I substituted
that with apples.
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Linda West Eckhardt is the author of
fifteen cookbooks, including the James Beard Award-winner Entertaining
101, and is a regular contributor to several national magazines.
She lives in New jersey with a six-month-old puppy named Tex. Barbara
Bradley, a cattle rancher in Albuquerque, New Mexico, known
as the woman who can keep dogs alive for up to 20 years, herds a
yappy bunch of bichons. Judy Kern is a veteran
book editor and ghostwriter who shares her New York City apartment
with a red miniature poodle.
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