I’ve always wondered how to make dog biscuits and this recipe seems as complicated as anything else I’ve seen.  On a television show about choosing the best dog groomer the contestants were given the task of making dog biscuits.  Some of these did look a lot easier than this one, but if you really love your dog it won’t matter.

1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup liver powder (available at
health food stores)
2 tablespoons brewer’s yeast powder
1/4 cup bone meal powder
3 tablespoons powdered milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons wheat germ oil (you may substitute bacon drippings)
1/2 cup water

This healthy and economical treat is reserved for your four-legged friends only!  Your dog will thank you if you make a double batch.Preheat the oven to 325°F. In a large bowl or in the food processor, combine the flour, oatmeal, cornmeal, liver powder, brewer’s yeast, bone meal, and powdered milk (may also add beef or chicken bouillon cubes). Stir in the eggs, oil, and water and mix thoroughly. The dough will be very stiff and dry (much like dog biscuits!) Remove the dough to a lightly floured surface or pastry cloth. Roll or pat it into a rectangle 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into bone-shaped biscuits with a small knife, or use a bone-shaped cookie cutter. Re-roll the leftover scraps of dough and cut into shapes until all the dough is used. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 40 to 50 minutes until brown and dried through.  Cool on a rack.Yield: About 12 large bones or 24 small ones.

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Here is another quick and easy recipe for making some inexpensive juice pops for your kids.

2 cups Tropical Flavor LIBBY’S® JUICY JUICE® 100% Juice, OR any flavor
1/2 cup fresh OR frozen berries, OR fruit, sliced

1. Pour Juicy Juice into 5 (5-ounce) paper cups such as Dixie kitchen and bathroom cups. Divide berries or fruit between cups. Cover each cup with aluminum foil. Insert one popsicle stick through the center of each foil.
2. Freeze for 3 hours or until firm. To remove pops from cups, carefully run warm water over side of cup to loosen. Remove cup and enjoy! Dixie is a registered trademark of Fort James Corporation.

Makes 5 servings.

*From cooksrecipes dot com

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Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Ready In: 10 Minutes

Servings: 10

Ingredients:

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling

3 medium firm bananas, cut into chunks

1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained

1/2 cup chopped nuts

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the milk and whipped topping until well blended. Fold in pie filling, bananas, pineapple and nuts.

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This sounds like something interesting.  Chicken burgers are a welcome change from hamburgers, don’t you think?  I know that my family is really sick of all of the fast food restaurants.  After a while they are no longer fun to eat at.  And I can’t remember the last time that our order, simple as it is, is ever done right.  Oh well.  Here’s the recipe.

POINTS® Value: 6

Servings: 4

Preparation Time: 15 min

Cooking Time: 10 min

Level of Difficulty: Easy

These burgers are Buffalo chicken wing knock-offs. They’re brushed with a spicy BBQ sauce and then topped with crumbled blue cheese. Amazing flavor.

Ingredients

2 spray(s) cooking spray

1/4 cup(s) barbecue sauce

1 1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce, or to taste

1 pound(s) uncooked ground chicken breast

1/2 cup(s) scallion(s), sliced

1/4 cup(s) celery, chopped

1/4 cup(s) dried bread crumbs, plain-variety

2 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp table salt

4 item(s) mixed-grain hamburger roll(s)

2 cup(s) romaine lettuce, shredded

1 large tomato(es), cut into 8 slices

2 tbsp blue cheese, crumbled

Instructions

* Off heat, coat a grill or grill pan with cooking spray; preheat to medium-high.

* In a small bowl, combine barbecue sauce and hot pepper sauce. In a medium bowl, combine chicken, 1 tablespoon of barbecue sauce mixture, scallion, celery, bread crumbs, garlic and salt. Using wet hands (to prevent mixture from sticking), form chicken mixture into four 1/2-inch-thick patties; brush top of burgers with some remaining barbecue sauce mixture.

* Place burgers on grill, sauce side down; brush tops of burgers with remaining sauce. Grill, turning once, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Lightly toast open-faced buns on grill during last minute of cooking.

* To serve, place 4 bun bottoms on each of 4 plates. Top each with 1/2 cup of shredded lettuce, 2 tomato slices, a burger, 1/2 tablespoon of cheese and a bun top (cheese will melt a little from hot burger). Yields 1 burger per serving.

Notes  * If you like your food really spicy, give the lettuce and tomato a few shots of hot sauce.  Switching to light hamburger buns reduces each burger to a POINTS value of 5.

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Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 1 Hour

Ready In: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
Servings: 12
The butter rum glaze makes it special. An easy way to glaze your cake is to pour half of the glaze into Bundt pan, reinsert cake, then pour the rest of glaze over the bottom of the cake. Let absorb well then invert back onto platter.”

Ingredients:
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding
mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup dark rum
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup dark rum

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan. Sprinkle chopped nuts evenly over the bottom of the pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine cake mix and pudding mix. Mix in the eggs, 1/2 cup water, oil and 1/2 cup rum. Blend well. Pour batter over chopped nuts in the pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let sit for 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto serving plate. Brush glaze over top and sides. Allow cake to absorb glaze and repeat until all glaze is used.
4. To make the glaze: in a saucepan, combine butter, 1/4 cup water and 1 cup sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat and continue to boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup rum.

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Rum cake may sound alcoholic-ky but don’t kid yourself.  This is one of the moistest cakes that you’ll ever taste.  The rum gives it flavor but the alcohol is baked away so this is perfectly safe for any age to enjoy.  Here’s the recipe.Prep Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:

* —Cake—
* 1 cup chopped, toasted pecans or walnuts
* 1 18-1/2 ounce yellow cake mix
* 1 1-3/4 ounce (4-serving size) instant vanilla pudding mix
* 4 eggs
* 1/2 cup cold milk*
* 1/2 cup vegetable oil
* 1/2 cup Bacardi dark rum
* —Glaze—
* 1/2 cup butter
* 1/4 cup water
* 1 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup Bacardi dark rum

Preparation:
Cake: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Sprinkle nuts on bottom of pan. Combine all cake ingredients. Beat for 2 minutes on high with electric mixer. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool in pan. Invert on serving plate. Prick top with fork. Drizzle glaze over top of cake. Use brush or spoon to put extra dripping back on cake.

Glaze: Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in water and sugar. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in rum. Note: The rum will cause steam. Be careful not to burn yourself.

Notes in the Margin: I have made this cake many, many times. It not only is the perfect dessert, but I’ve had house guests who wanted it for breakfast. My husband keeps threatening to use it for French toast. I personally think that it’ll never get dry enough as it stays moist a long time. The longer this cakes sits, the better the taste. This cake freezes beautifully. Also, many of these cakes have been shipped to soldiers overseas. They got there just fine.

*I use milk for added nutritional value. Water may be used instead.

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My husband loves carrot cake and this is one of his favorites.  I remember being given a recipe for carrot cake when I was a teenager.  I made the cake and it was very good, but my baby sister ate so much of it that she threw up. To this day she refuses to eat carrot cake.

Active Time: 30 Minutes
Total Time: 1 Hour 10 Minutes 16 servings

INGREDIENTS
For the Cake:
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour (see Ingredient note)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup nonfat buttermilk
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained, juice reserved
2 cups grated carrots (4-6 medium)
1/4 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
For the Frosting:
2 tablespoons coconut chips or flaked coconut
12 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Ingredient Note:
Whole-wheat pastry flour is milled from soft wheat. It contains less gluten than regular whole-wheat flour and helps ensure a tender result in delicate baked goods while providing the nutritional benefits of whole grains. Available in large supermarkets and in natural-foods stores. Store in the freezer.

DIRECTIONS
To prepare cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Toast walnuts in a small baking pan in the oven until fragrant, 5 to 10 minutes.

Whisk flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Whisk eggs, sugar, buttermilk, oil, vanilla and 1/4 cup of the reserved pineapple juice in a large bowl until blended. Stir in pineapple, carrots and coconut. Add the dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula just until blended. Stir in the nuts. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly.

Bake the cake until the top springs back when touched lightly and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

To prepare frosting & finish cake: Place coconut in a small baking pan and toast in the oven at 300 degrees F, stirring several times, until light golden, 5 to 10 minutes.

Beat cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Spread the frosting over the cooled cake. Sprinkle with the coconut.

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Oh boy oh boy.  Here’s a wonderful recipe for chewy chocolate cookies.  Don’t be misled by how the batter looks either; these cookies turn out just great!

Active Time: 20 Minutes
Total Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
Yield: about 45 cookies

RECIPE INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 large egg whites
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped and melted (see Tip)

Tip:
Two foolproof ways to melt chocolate: Bring 1 inch of water to a simmer in a double boiler set over medium-high heat, then place chocolate in the top pan. (Alternatively, to improvise a double boiler, place chocolate in a heat-safe mixing bowl that fits snugly over a pan with 1 inch of simmering water). Stir until half the chocolate has melted. Remove the bowl and continue stirring until the chocolate has fully melted. Cool for 5 minutes at room temperature.

Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on High for 1 minute. Stir well, then continue microwaving in 30-second increments on High until two-thirds of the chocolate has melted, stirring well after each heating. Remove the bowl and continue stirring until all the chocolate has melted. Cool for 5 minutes at room temperature.

Enhancements: Stir 2/3 cup raisins, dried cherries or dried blueberries into the Chewy Chocolate Cookies batter along with the flour mixture. Or use 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts.

DIRECTIONS
Position rack in the center of the oven; preheat to 350° F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Whisk all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Beat egg whites in a large bowl with an electric mixer until foamy, about 1 minute. Beat in granulated sugar in a slow, steady stream. Scrape down the sides, then beat in brown sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat until smooth, about 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla and melted chocolate. Stir in the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon until just incorporated.

Drop the batter by tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet, 1 1/2 inches apart.

Bake the cookies until flat yet springy, with slightly cracked tops, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Let the pan cool for a few minutes before baking another batch; replace parchment paper if torn or scorched.

Nutrition Facts per Serving
Yield: about 45 cookies
Calories: 68
Fat, Saturated: 1g
Fiber: 1g
Carbohydrates, Total: 14g
Sodium: 51mg
% Cal. from Fat: 13%
Fat. Total: 1g

Protein: 1g

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Ingredients:

3 cups ground fully cooked ham
1 hard-cooked egg, chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped celery
2 teaspoons finely chopped onion
2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
Assorted crackers

Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Combine mayonnaise and mustard; add to ham mixture and mix well. Refrigerate until serving. Serve with crackers.

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Coconut Cream Pie the Old Fashioned Way.  I love coconut cream pie but I often find that restaurants serve second rate ones.  I stick it in my mouth expecting to taste this heavenly creation, only to find myself gagging due to almost no real taste.  This homemade one will beat any restaurant pie that you will find.

Coconut Cream

Ingredients:
3 cups half-and-half
2 eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup flaked coconut, toasted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (9 inch) pie shell, baked
1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

1. In a medium saucepan, combine half-and-half, eggs, sugar, flour and salt. Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in 3/4 cup of the coconut and the vanilla extract. Pour into pie shell and chill 2 to 4 hours, or until firm.
2. Top with whipped topping, and with remaining 1/4 cup of coconut.
3. Note: To toast coconut, spread it in an ungreased pan and bake in a 350 degree F (175 degrees C) oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until golden brown, stirring occasionally.

Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes

Ready In: 4 Hours 50 Minutes
Servings: 8

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