Rosies Birthday Carrot Cake for Dogs Recipe | Tasty Tuesday

Rosie celebrated her 2nd birthday over the weekend and it just wouldn't be a party without birthday cake!

Rosie, Jeffie and Rudy love peanut butter and even though Jeffie hates carrots, since it's not his birthday... too bad!  This quick and easy doggie carrot cake is very tasty!
 

We used a heart shaped cake pan for Rosie's doggie carrot cake.

Rosie's Birthday Carrot Cake for Dogs
  Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup coking oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 cup whole wheat (or white) flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Greased a 6 cup cake pan.
2. Combine the egg, peanut butter, oil, vanilla and honey.  Stir in the carrots and mix well. Add the flour, baking soda by folding into the mixture.
3. Bake in a greased cake pan or small bundt pan for 40 minutes
4. After cooling, frost with your choice of icing.

Rosie's frosting is a mixture of cream cheese and unflavored yogurt.  I
eyeballed" this and used about 1/3 cup cream cheese, whipped with enough yogurt to make it spreadable.

Another barking good tasty dog treat recipe.  Bone appetite!

Now, wipe that drool off your face and fetch Rosie's Birthday Giveaway!

We're joining the Tasty Tuesday blog hop today.  This is a blog hop that celebrates good food, sponsored by Sugar the Golden Retriever and Kols Notes.  

Zucchini Dog Cupcakes Recipe - Tasty Tuesday Blog Hop

There's something kind of magical about zucchini.  It is prolific.  From one measly little hill comes a mountain of fruit.  In fact, if you know a young gardener new to growing things, I recommend zucchini.  It never fails to produce with very little effort.

That said, there comes a time every summer when I've already filled the freezer, not to mention, baked, fried, steamed and otherwise used up all my ideas on what to do with the stuff.  Oh, plus I've given away bushels of it.  

Then I discovered zucchini dog cupcakes.  Easy to make.  And the dogs absolutely love them.  One caution:  I don't recommend feeding raw zucchini to dogs, plus I ration these since I don't want any upset dog tummies. 

I make these in regular size muffin tins and use the paper cupcake liners.  When I dole them out each dog gets 1/4 of a cupcake.  Please note:  these freeze very well...  if they last that long.

Zucchini Dog Cupcakes

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 cup canola oil

1 cup of chicken stock

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup grated zucchini

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Combine all ingredients EXCEPT the zucchini and mix well in a large bowl.   Then add the zucchini and make sure it is mixed into the batter well.  Pour into paper lined muffin tins until each is about 3/4 full.  Bake 25-30 minutes.  You can use a toothpick stuck into the center to check for doneness;  you want the toothpick to come out clean.

Before you head to the kitchen to whip up some Zucchini Dog Cupcakes, browse the dog blogs below for some other tasty treat recipes because today is a Tasty Tuesday Blog Hop!

Chocolate Walnut Biscotti | Tasty Tuesday

Today I'm sharing a wonderful recipe that would make a tasty Valentine's Day treat!  

No, it's not for dogs (though Jeffie, Rudy and Rosie do their best to to get a taste.)  

Fabulous with coffee or tea, these are just perfectly crunchy.

Without further ado, here's one of our favorite recipes.

Chocolate Walnut Biscotti

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts, toasted
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 bablespoon vanilla
2 to 3 teaspoons flour
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water
Sugar - if desired

Drizzle
1 cup real semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon shortening or butter


Directions: * Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine 2 cups flour, walnuts, baking poweder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl;  set aside.

* Beat sugar and eggs in a large bowl at medium-high speed until thick and lemon colored.  Add butter and vanilla.  Continue beating until well mixed.  Reduce speed to low.  Beat, gradually adding lour mixture and scraping bowl often, until well mixed.

* Turn dough onto lightly floured surface (dough will be soft and sticky).  Sprinkle dough lightly with 2-3 teaspoons flour;  knead into dough.  Shape into 2 *8x2 inch) logs with floured hands.  Place 3-4 inches apart onto greased cookie sheet;  flatten tops slightly.  Combine egg white and water; brush over top of buscottie.  Sprinkle with sugar (optional and we don't).

* Bake for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned and firm to the touch.  Let cool on cookie sheet 15 minutes.

* Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.  Cut logs diagonally into 1/2 inch slices with serrated knife (we use electric knife); arrange slices, cut-side down on cookie sheet.  Bake for 16-20 minutes; turning once, or until golden brown.  Remove to wire rack;  cool completely.

Drizzle - Place chocolate chips and shortening in a 1 quart saucepan.  Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth (2-4 minutes)  Drizzle mixture over cooled biscotti (or slather it on one side of each piece if you're a chocolaholic).


Talking Dogs is the official blog of For Love of a Dog Jewelry.  

We're joining the Tasty Tuesday blog hop today.  This is a blog hop that celebrates good food, sponsored by Sugar the Golden Retriever and Kols Notes.  

Rudy's Birthday Peanut Butter Pumpkin Pupcakes Recipe | Tasty Tuesday

Rudy celebrated his 4th birthday over the weekend and it just wouldn't be a party without some kind of birthday cake, right?

Rudy, Jeffie and Rosie love peanut butter, so the Dog Daddy and I decided this easy recipe would be perfect.  It's easy, healthy, and Rudy said it was mighty tasty!

Peanut Butter Pumpkin Pupcakes

1 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup honey
1 egg

Combine ingredients, mixing well.
Divide batter evenly between 6-8 cupcake liners in a muffin pan.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 18 minutes.
Allow to cool before frosting.

Frosting
Whisk together approximately 1/3 cup peanut butter with enough yogurt to make it spreadable.


Ignore that drool and fetch Rudy's Birthday Giveaway!

We're joining the Tasty Tuesday blog hop today.  This is a blog hop that celebrates good food, sponsored by Sugar the Golden Retriever and Kols Notes.  

Science Diet Fruity Snacks for Dogs from @Chewy.com | Tasty Tuesday

 We love Chewy.com, so when they asked if we'd like to try some new dog treats, we woofed in the affirmative.   With their usual speedy service, Chewy.com had a package of Hill's Science Diet Fruity Snacks in our paws in just two days.

Available in several varieties, we received the Apples and Oatmeal dog treats.  

This attractive ziplock package contains quit a quantity of small, crunchy dog cookies.  They really do look like little (human) cookies and have a good wholesome smell.

Rosie wonders how to open this bag of dog treats.

According to Chewy.com, Hill's Science Diet Fruity Snacks with Apples and Oatmeal dog treats are delicious, all-natural treats made from only the best ingredients. Naturally preserved, with no corn, artificial colors or flavors. Made with apples, natural sources of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.

Rudy thinks these smell very good!  (And no, he did not take any.)

Ingredients:  Ground Wheat, Oat Flour, Dried Apples, Oatmeal, Chicken Meal, Flaxseed, Beet Pulp, Molasses, Calcium Carbonate, Salt, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid).

Nutrient Content:
Protein  17.%
Fat  7.2 %  
Carbohydrate (NFE)  68.5%
Crude Fiber  2.1%

27 kcat per treat (8 grams/treat) 

An 8.8 oz bag of Fruity Snacks retails for $4.99 at Chewy.com, but is currently on sale for $4.79.

Jeffie, Rudy and Rosie really love these treats.  After the first sniff, even picky Jeffie was eager for more.
  

After one taste, Jeffie was eager for more of these tasty, crunchy treats.

I like these treats because they're small enough to be great training treats.  They're crunchy and good for my dogs' teeth and gums.  They're made in the US with natural ingredients, too.

Jeffie and Rudy waiting their turn for another.  They love doing dog treatreviews!

I also like the story behind Hill's pet food:

The Hill's® pet food lines began in 1939. Dr. Mark L. Morris Sr. believed certain health conditions in pets could be managed through carefully formulated nutrition. His ideas were visionary in veterinary medicine, and he soon had the chance to prove his theory.

A young blind man named Morris Frank asked Dr. Morris if anything could be done to help his guide dog, Buddy, who was having kidney health issues. The result of Dr. Morris' efforts was the nutritional formulation that became the first product in the Hill's Prescription Diet line of therapeutic pet foods, and the world's first pet food designed for kidney health. Soon after, Hill's Pet Nutrition was founded and the field of clinical nutrition sprang to life. That first therapeutic dog food evolved into Hill's® Prescription Diet® k/d®, which is still sold today.

We frequently order from Chewy.com.   I love their selection of over 300 brands of pet food, pet treats, pet toys and other pet supplies.  In fact, I got a little carried away with their holiday sale on dog toys, but that's another blog post!  Though Chewy.com is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, they have warehouses located throughout the US, so usually orders are delivered in just a day or two.  Plus, I love Chewy.com's Shelter and Rescue Network.

We're pleased to give Hill's Science Diet Fruity Snacks and Chewy.com our highest recommendation!


* We received one package of Science Diet Fruity Snacks dog treats from Chewy.com in exchange for our honest review of the product and the Chewy.com service.  We received no other compensation - financial or otherwise.

Talking Dogs is the official blog of For Love of a Dog Jewelry.  


We're joining the Tasty Tuesday blog hop today.  This is a blog hop that celebrates good food, sponsored by Sugar the Golden Retriever and Kols Notes.  

Apple and Peanut Butter Dog Cookie Treat Recipe | Tasty Tuesday

As part of Jeffie's birthday celebration last week, we tried a new dog cookie recipe.  To say it was a hit is putting it mildly.

All of our dogs love peanut butter, especially Jeffie.  Since every dog cake recipe we looked at included things he really doesn't like (bananas, carrots and more - he's very picky) this seemed perfect.

This is a very easy recipe and I know we'll be making it again.  This time around we had a lot of fun with our cookie cutters to make them festive for our birthday boy.

Apple and Peanut Butter Dog Treats
4 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup quick cooking oats
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup all natural unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup all natural peanut butter (no sugar or salt added)
1 1/2 cups water
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 egg

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine all ingredients and mix well.
3. Knead dough on a floured surface until it is firm.
4. Roll dough to 1/4" thickness.  Cut with cookie cutters.
5. Bake for 45 minutes.  Turn off the heat and let cookies stand in the oven until hard (about 1-2 hours) 

Lip smackin' good!

Be sure to enter our For Love of a Dog Jewelry April Giveaway!  Enter here.

We're joining the Tasty Tuesday blog hop today.  This is a blog hop that celebrates good food, sponsored by Sugar the Golden Retriever and Kols Notes.  

Talking Dogs is the official blog of For Love of a Dog Jewelry. 

Caramel Chocolate Pecan Pie | Tasty Tuesday

Around my house we're calling this "Crack Pie."  I dare you to make the recipe and not want to eat the whole thing... and then you'll want to make another!

We celebrated an early Thanksgiving this past weekend and decided to do something different than the usual pumpkin or pecan pie for dessert.  

This pie certainly is a winner.  Gooey goodness - rich chocolate plus pecans.  What's not to love?

Chocolate Filling:
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 Tbsp light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 cup toasted chopped pecans
1 (9 inch) unbaked deep dish piecrust

Caramel Topping:
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup heavy cream
4 Tbsp butter
1/4 tsp table salt
2 cups toasted pecan halves
1/2 tsp sea salt

Prepare filling:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Stir together first 6 ingredients in a large bowl.  Add eggs, stirring until well blended.  Fold in chopped pecans.  Pour mixture into pie shell.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.  (Filling will be loose but will set as it cools)  Remove from oven to a wire rack to cool.

Prepare Topping:
Bring 3/4 cup sugar, 1 Tbsp lemon juice and 1/4 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat.  (Do not stir.)  Boil, swirling occasionally after sugar begins to change color, 8 minutes or until dark amber in color.  (Do not walk away from the pan because the sugar could burn very quickly once it begins to change color.)  Remove from heat, add cream and 4 Tbsp butter.  Stir constantly until bubbling stops and butter is incorporated (about 1 minute).  Stir in table salt.

Arrange pecan halves on pie.  Top with the warm caramel.  Cool 15 minutes, then sprinkle with sea salt.

Get ready to swoon!



We're joining the Tasty Tuesday blog hop today.  This is a blog hop that celebrates good food, sponsored by Sugar the Golden Retriever and Kols Notes.  

Talking Dogs is the official blog of For Love of a Dog Jewelry.

Pumpkin Streusel Muffins | Tasty Tuesday

We tried a new recipe this weekend and it's so fantastic I had to share.  This is a people food recipe and we made these muffins small.  Our theory was that if they were smaller, we wouldn't pig them.  HA!

Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

1/4 cup butter, softened
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar (We cut this back to 3/4 cup)
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar  (We cut this back to 3/4 cup.)
2 large eggs
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Pumpkin Pie Streusel

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with a heavy duty stand mixer until creamy.  Gradually add sugars, beating until light and fluffy.  Add eggs.1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

2.  Stir together flour and next 4 ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed.  Stir in pumpkin and next 3 ingredients.

3.  Spoon batter into 2 lightly greased (12 cups) muffin pans filling two-thirds full.  (We used Halloween cupcake papers and did not fill them this much.) Sprinkle with Pumpkin Pie Streusel.

4.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center cmes out clean.  Cool in pans on wire racks 5 minutes;  remove from pans to wire racks and cool 20 minutes.

Pumpkin Pie Streusel
Stir together 1/2 cup chopped pecans, 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar, 1 Tbsp melted butter and 1/4 twp pumpkin pie spice.

We're joining the Tasty Tuesday blog hop today.  This is a blog hop that celebrates good food, sponsored by Sugar the Golden Retriever and Kols Notes.

Talking Dogs is the official blog of For Love of a Dog Jewelry.

Tasty Tuesday Pet Product Review: YumZies Grain Free Dog Treats

One of our reviewers. 

At Talking Dogs, we're big fans of Mr. Chewy, the online pet food retailer.

So, when Mr. Chewy contacted us to see if we'd like to review a new dog treat called YumZies, we jumped at the chance.  [read our full review of Mr. Chewy here.]

YumZies is a grain free, soft - moist dog treat made in the United States by Nootie.

YumZies are made with real chicken, omega 3 and 6 fatty acids and natural flavors.  YumZies contain no wheat, corn, or soy and are easily digestible.  They also contain no artificial preservatives or flavors.

We chose YumZies Natural Hickory Bacon Flavor Dog Treats to try.

YumZies Hickory Bacon Flavor - Ingredients:

Chicken, Potato Flour, Pea Powder, Tapioca Starch, Glycerin, Fish Oil (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Pea Flour, Natural Flavor, Salt, Natural Hickory Smoke Flavor, Natural Bacon Flavor, Lecithin, Garlic Powder, Brewer's Dried Yeast, Phosphoric Acid, Ginger Powder, Ascorbic Acid, Sodium Bisulfate, Cultured Dextrose, Mixed Tocopherols (preservative), Citric Acid (preservative), Rosemary Extract.

YumZies Hickory Bacon Flavor - Guaranteed Analysis:

Crude Protein 8% minimum, crude fat 11% minimum, crude fiber 3% maximum, moisture 30% maximum, Omega 3* 1.70% minimum, Omega 6* 2.74% minimum.  *Not recognized as an essential nutrient by AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles.

As always, we received super fast delivery from Mr. Chewy and our package of YumZies arrived well packed for shipping.  YumZies are attractively packaged and we like that the first ingredient is real chicken, as well as that there are no grains in this dog treat.

Rudy and Jeffie examined the packaging and pronounced it barking good!

When we ripped open the YumZies bag, the humans at our house were not too keen with the smell of the treats, but the dogs were definitely thrilled.  YumZies Hickory Bacon Flavor Treats definitely passed the dog taste test.  

Our cautious Golden Retriever, Jeffie, carefully took the first taste test of YumZies.

We'd rate YumZies dog treats as excellent for their natural ingredients, grain free, preservative free recipe.  We especially like that YumZies are manufactured in the USA.  YumZies dog treats come in 6 ounce bags with a built in zipper to keep them fresh.  Price is $6.99 per bag.

Our dogs love YumZies!

Rudy eagerly waits his turn for another YumZies dog treat.

Our yellow Labrador Retriever, Rudy, was very excited to try a new dog treat!

Mr. Chewy carries a full line of YumZies dog treats in several flavors:   YumZies Hickory Bacon Flavor (which we tried), YumZies Cheese Flavor, Yumzies Peanut Butter Flavor, and YumZies Barbecue Chicken Flavor.  They're also available in Mini - training size treats.  

If you're looking for USA made, grain free, natural dog treats, give YumZies at Mr. Chewy a try!

Today is a Tasty Tuesday Blog Hop, so be sure to fetch the links below to discover new pet food and treat recipes, pet treat reviews, giveaways and more!

Rudy's Birthday Cheesy Dog Treats Recipe | Tasty Tuesday

 Rudy celebrated his 5th birthday last week and had a pretty good party!  Birthday treats included Grandma Lucy's Organic Pumpkin dog treats, a special solo walk, lots of new dog toys (including a West Paw Zogoflex frisbee) and his favorite homemade dog cookies.

Since he'd just plain had it with this wearing-of-birthday-hats thing... 

 We let everybody party hat-less. Without a doubt, these cheesy dog bone cookies were a hit at the party!

Jeffie loves cheese, so he's drooling at the sight of the first cookie.

Rosie helped make these cookies and she's ready to taste test.

The birthday boy can hardly wait!

Rudy's Favorite Cheesy Dog Treats Recipe

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese

1/2 stick of butter

1 clove garlic, crushed

Pinch of salt

Milk

Grate the cheese and let stand until it reaches room temperature. Cream the cheese with the softened butter, garlic, salt and flour. Add enough milk to form into a ball.  Chill for at least 1/2 hour. Roll onto floured board. Cut into shapes and bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until slightly brown and firm. 

Makes 2 to 3 dozen depending on size.

A note about these dog treats:  

None of my dogs are bothered by whole grains or dairy products. However, please know that dairy is not a daily treat for my dogs.

 

We're joining the Tasty Tuesday blog hop today.  This is a blog hop that celebrates good food, sponsored by Sugar the Golden Retriever and Kols Notes.  

Tasty Tuesday: Apple Cheddar Cheese Scones

Apple Cheddar Cheese Scones are a favorite at our house.  

Though the dogs just get little bits to taste, the dog daddy and I scarf these down!  

Best of all for me, the dog daddy loves to bake these.

Yummy scones + no time in the kitchen = LOVE!

Apple Cheddar Cheese Scones

2 1/4 cups flour (Gary uses all-purpose)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into pieces

1/2 cup lightly packed, grated, sharp cheddar cheese

1 large peeled, shredded apple (Gary likes Fuji)

1/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, combine first three ingredients with a pastry blender. Add butter and continue to cut in with pastry blender. Stir in cheese and apple. Add buttermilk and stir just until ingredients are combined. (Don't over-stir) If the dough is still very crumbly, stir in more buttermilk 1 tablespoon at a time. Just enough to bring the dough together.

Knead the dough very gently several times on a floured surface. Pat dough into a round, about 8 inches in diameter and 1/2" thick. Cut into 8 triangles and placed on a lightly greased baking sheet.

Bake at 400 degrees for 24 minutes or until golden brown. Cool a bit before serving with your favorite coffee or tea

 

Note:  Substitute Havarti or Parmesan cheese for the cheddar and pear for the apples for a different taste treat! 

Rudy, Rosie, and Jeffie begging for just a taste!

We're joining the Tasty Tuesday blog hop today.  This is a blog hop that celebrates good food, sponsored by Sugar the Golden Retriever and Kols Notes. 

Berry Good Dog Treat Recipe | Tasty Tuesday

A few weeks ago I shared this super easy dog treat recipe.  I'd made it for the first time with cranberries and it was a winner.  Extremely quick and easy to make, plus the dogs loved them.

I can't resist sharing it again because we've tried some variations, substituting different fruit for the cranberries.  Blueberries work well, but this time I used mixed frozen berries.

The treats shown here were made using frozen mixed berries - raspberries, blackberries and blueberries.  Jeffie does not like fruit, but he crazy about these!

Berry Good Dog Cookies

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 beaten eggs
1 cups thawed, drained, mixed frozen berries (I used raspberries, blackberries and blueberries)
1/2 cup applesauce

Using a food processor with the dough blade, mix the eggs, applesauce and berries.  Add the flour.

Knead the dough and roll out to about 1/4" thickness and cut into shapes.  

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.  If you want a harder treat, turn off the oven and leave the cookies in to dry overnight or for a few hours.

Sound familiar?  This recipe is an adaptation of the Easy Cranberry Dog Biscuits recipe I previously shared.  You'll note that due to the berries, the color (and taste, I'm sure) is very different.

Talking Dogs is the official blog of For Love of a Dog Jewelry.  

We're joining the Tasty Tuesday blog hop today.  This is a blog hop that celebrates good food, sponsored by Sugar the Golden Retriever and Kols Notes.