Heart Like a Dog

The Good, the Bad, and the Oh My God of living with dogs!

You Make Me Smile and Advent Calendar for Dog Lovers Day 22

By

Sampson, the way you lie on your back and beg for attention….

12-22-13

 

 

You make me smile.

Christmas is right around the corner, have you entered the Advent Calendar for Dog Lovers?  There are some awesome prizes.  Here’s the skinny on what you can win today!

Day 22: Win an Orbee-Tuff Snoop, a Glow for Good Ball & Eats Treats in the Advent Calendar for Dog Lovers Giveaway Event It’s time for the Advent Calendar for Dog Lovers hosted by Kol’s Notes, Heart Like a Dog, My Brown Newfies, My GBGV Life & Bringing up Bella! 24 giveaways in 24 days, plus a grand prize worth more than $800 – who wants to win? Today’s giveaway is sponsored by Planet Dog. You could win an Orbee-Tuff Scoop, A Glow for Good Ball & Eats Treats. Click here to check out the Advent Calendar and enter today’s giveaway!

This ‘N That Thursday and Advent Calendar for Dogs Day 5

By

First off, many thanks to 2 Brown Dawgs and Ruckus the Eskie for This ‘N That Thursday.

Courtesy of 2 Brown Dawgs Blog

Courtesy of 2 Brown Dawgs Blog

 

Thanksgiving Weekend

Originally we intended to go to New Hampshire to visit my sister and her husband over the long Thanksgiving weekend.  But when Mom got sick, my sister decided she needed to come to CT instead.  Me being the oh so generous wife that I am, suggested Hubby head to NH for a ‘boy’s weekend’ while my sister and I enjoyed a ‘girl’s weekend. Well you know what they say, the best laid plans and all.  Turns out we were super busy.

So when Sunday morning rolled around, I decided to park myself on the couch for a few minutes to shop for purses. My sister meanwhile was elsewhere in the house.

Okay, she was using the toilet if you have to know, when all of a sudden the dogs started barking like demons were circling the house.

My sister cut her business short thinking she might have to save me from something and the three of them dashed to the window, faster than the main character in “A Visit from St. Nicholas” by Clement Clarke Moore. (Ok, technically Santa Claus MIGHT be the main character, but let’s roll with this okay?)

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Yeah, the picture is dark.  It was an overcast day and I don’t turn on lights.  Sampson is there in front of my sister, while Delilah is clearly silhouetted.

I mentioned I was shopping for purses right?  So you can see why I didn’t jump right up.  Well the three of them looked out the window and then the dogs ran to the front deck and then back to the window and I just couldn’t concentrate with all that racket, so I got up to see what had everyone’s attention.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA There were some turkeys across the street.

And then the turkeys crossed the street to my neighbor’s yard, so the dogs had to go outside, where they could stand at the fence barking at them.

Can you handle a little joke?  I hope so, because I’m doing it anyway.

Q: Why did the turkeys cross the road?

A: To see what the dogs were barking at of course!

The barking dogs didn’t frighten the turkeys at all, in fact a few of them stopped to look.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Whatchoo lookin’ at fools?

It was a stare down in my yard.  My two barking dogs and these five bold as brass turkeys. (Who didn’t realize their cousin was already cooked and sitting in my refrigerator.)

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA These other four could have cared less, they were pecking the grass for something.

And there I was in the front window snapping away like I’d never seen a turkey in my life.  Honestly I took like 17 pictures.  Of turkeys!!

A short time later my sister and I saw a herd/group/flock of 15 about 4 miles from my house.  Someone must have been spreading the word that Thanksgiving was over and it was safe to come out. 🙂

 Thanks again to our friends at 2 Brown Dawgs and Ruckus the Eskie for This ‘N That Thursday blog hop.

Are you ready for some loot?  Here’s the info for the Advent Calendar!

Win dog-centric gifts from Dog Lover Gift Baskets in the Advent Calendar for Dog Lovers Giveaway Event It’s time for the Advent Calendar for Dog Lovers hosted by Kol’s Notes, Heart Like a Dog, My Brown Newfies, My GBGV Life & Bringing up Bella!! 24 giveaways in 24 days, plus a grand prize worth more than $800 – who wants to win? Today’s giveaway is sponsored by Dog Lover Gift Baskets. You could win dog-centric gift basket for pups & people. Click here to check out the Advent Calendar and enter today’s giveaway!

Thanksgiving Treats

By

I don’t know about you but when I’m hosting a holiday at my house, it can get a bit hectic, especially with a dog like Delilah who absolutely LOVES food.

You can be sure at least once you will hear someone yell, “Delilah get off the table!” 

While we don’t willingly share our leftovers with the dogs (I say willingly because you can guarantee that Delilah will get something she shouldn’t) I still like to make a little something special for the pups.

I had to go gluten-free a couple of years ago and while I do fairly well without treats for most of the year, the holidays are hard.  Recently I discovered an awesome recipe for Gluten-free Apple Crisp.  I will share the human version first, then below it a way for you to make something special for your pups.

Filling mixture:
4 cups apples, peeled & sliced (such as Granny Smith)
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg
 
Crisp Mixture:
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup gluten free quick oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons softened butter (I use salted) plus a smidge more for the dish
 
Preheat oven to 350.  Take a smear of butter and coat your pie pan.   In a large bowl, toss together the apples, sugar, water, cornstarch, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and nutmeg until well combined.  Set aside.
 
Oatmeal topping:  In a large bowl gently combine: almond flour, oats, brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and butter until crumbly.  I usually melt the butter a tiny bit in the microwave, so part of it is runny and part is super soft.  You can melt the whole bit of butter, it won’t matter at all.
 
Place the apple mixture in the pie pan.  Sprinkle the topping evenly over the apples and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the apples are cooked through, the juices are bubbling and the topping is browned.  Serve hot, warm or room temperature.  For a little added treat, throw a dollop of ice cream on there.
 

When I was sharing this recipe with my sister, she said to double the crisp recipe because that is the bit that’s really good, so that’s what I plan on doing when I make this for our Thanksgiving table.  I’m also planning on incorporating some pecans into the topping mix.  I’ll let you know how THAT turns out.

Sadly I don’t have any pictures of the apple crisp because I didn’t think to take any, but I promise to take some on Thursday and I’ll share them in Friday’s post.

I will however share a sweet picture of Sampson.

Don't Mind Me Don’t mind me, I’m just sitting here waiting for a Thanksgiving treat.

So I told you there was an easy way to make a holiday treat for your pup. 

When you’re cutting and peeling your apples set a couple aside.  Once they’re peeled and sliced, take a set of small muffin tins or if you prefer use a a couple of ramekins.

Grab some coconut oil and a paper towel and using the coconut oil like shortening grease the tins or ramekins.

In a small bowl add your sliced (or if you prefer chopped) apples, a shake of cinnamon and a little bit of almond flour (a small handful) toss the apples until they are coated.  If need be add a bit of water just to help the process.

Pour the apple mixture into your ramekins or muffin tins and bake in 350 oven until apples are soft.

Cool and serve.

So will you make a special treat for your pets this holiday?  What are some of YOUR pet friendly traditions?

If you’re interested in some other recipes for your pups this is the Tasty Tuesday Blog hop hosted by Kol’s Notes and Sugar the Golden Retriever.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...