Doggie Treats!

Well friends I've decided to switch things up a bit!  (That or I've most definitely lost my mind, I'm still questioning my crazy factor, ask Chris and he may say I'm off the charts nuts!)  I decided to give making dog treats a try!

Just to give you background and explanation into the inner workings of my thought process around this idea, this past weekend Chris and I made the trip to Detroit to see our friend Matt (and his sweet and spunky golden retriever pup, Bailey) as well as go to the Lions v. Colts game.  Matt's family lives in Ohio and he's a typical boy who doesn't bake goodies for himself much, especially since he has a gluten allergy.  So when he's in town or in this case when we're visiting I always like to have a little extra GF (gluten free) snack or two for him to enjoy (I mean it's only fair right?!).  Well as I was planning my standard GF treats for him (rice krispies, brownies and buffalo chicken dip are his favs) I thought: "why should Matt get all the goodies?!  Bailey deserves treats too!"  So off I went (to Pinterest of course) to find an easy treat for his adorable pooch.  I found a recipe that only called for four ingredients and looked pretty easy to make.  So to the store I go, list in hand and filled with excitement over a new recipe to try!

Poochie Peanut Butter Treats
(Makes 20-30 treats)

Ingredients:
- 2 c. whole wheat flour
- 1 c. rolled oats
- 1/3 c. peanut butter
- 1 1/4 c. hot water

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Prep cookie sheets (I cover mine with foil so I don't have to scrub baked on cookie off them), spray with cooking spray and set aside.
- Mix dry ingredients (flour and oats) together.
- Add peanut butter and water and mix until well blended.  (You can use a mixer but it really didn't take much for me to use a spatula and my hands.)

- Knead dough into a smooth ball.
- Prep rolling surface by spreading flour on counter and rolling pin.
- Roll dough about 1/8th to 1/4th an inch thick.  (The thickness really depends on how much you want to roll the dough and if you want to create thick or thin cookies for your pet, but you'll have to adjust baking time accordingly.)
- Use cookie cutters to cut shapes for treats.  (I used a dog bone shape I found at Meijer.  You can bake it as one big sheet and then just break it apart but what's the fun in that?!)

- Place on cookie sheet, bake 25-30 minutes until golden (depending on how thick you make them adjust your time accordingly.  If you'd prefer them to be more chewy then pull them out of the oven five or so minutes earlier.)

- Let cool then give to your favorite four legged friend to enjoy!

I had some thinner treats leftover from when I rolled the dough out again so I took those over to Chris' parents' dog Harley.  Both dogs enjoyed their treats very much!

Harley - anxiously waiting for his treat!

Bailey - lounging around

 The Colts ended up winning the game in the last four seconds!  Talk about exciting!  Well not quite for Chris as he is a Lions fan but for me I was happy my team pulled out another win!  Ford Field is a really cool stadium and they had a Christmas tree decorated in Lions colors that we snapped a picture by.  Overall we had a great weekend trip!

Merry Christmas from a house divided!
(Wearing our brand new jerseys!)

Up next, time to ring in the holiday season with parties, potlucks and decorating!  Recipes and fun to come!

Cheers!
Steph