Frosty Friday!

I would like to dedicate today's post to my good friend Lori over at What Remains Now. One of Lori's greyhounds, Casper, is my cousin. Yeah I know, everyone is my cousin. I blame Grandad..... But I digress. Lori has made this very hot week so much better for me. She writes a fantastic blog about painting, crafting, her life and most importantly, her 3 Greyhounds!! You really should visit if you haven't already met her.

A couple of days ago, Lori wrote about making frozen treats for Casper, Freedom & Nikki. One of the ingredients was pumpkin, which immediately caught Mum's eye. (Mum is obsessed with canned  pumpkin, which can be quite hard to come by in the UK) Mum was inspired! We are in the middle of a mini heatwave here in the UK, and while I show no distress in the heat, Mum is keen to keep me cool.

Out of Lori's ingredients, we only had pumpkin (and I don't like peanut butter) so Mum thought she would improvise.........

......and came up with this. This is a very simple frozen treat made by mixing together skimmed milk and pumpkin. You can use soya or rice milk if you are dairy-intolerant. 300ml of milk and 3 table spoons of pumpkin make two small pie tins of mix.

Oooh wwhat is this?!!

Aaagghh! Mumth  meh thung is thuck...!

Well that went down well!

I'm all cool and relaxed now.....

Mum now has another obsession; Lolly making! Here in the UK we don't have Frosty Paws or anything like it, as far as I know, so these home made treats are fantastic......and very cheap!  They went down so well, Mum made some more....

This is the rather exotic, skimmed milk, coconut and melon...

I only have one left, so I am sending Mum off to the kitchen to make more....not that she needs any encouragement.....  Today we are thinking something with apple....

Thank you very much Lori for a great idea! Stay cool and safe everyone. I'm off to see Ganny, so catch you all later

Deccy xx

Baking with Declan

Today I would like to tell you about my new treats that I baked earlier this week. They are called Cheesy Pumpkin & Marmite Bites. (catchy name huh? hmmmmm.....)

You will need:

 1/3 can of pure pumpkin

1tbs coconut oil (heated to dissolve)

1tbs grated cheese (Cheddar, Parmesan....)

1 clove of garlic, finely grated

1/2 tsp Marmite, dissolved in 1tbs hot water

3tbs porridge oats / oatmeal

rice flour. (this is added last - use enough to bind the mixture together)

Simply place all the ingredients in a bowl and bring together with a knife and then your hands (or paws...) until you have a scone-type mixture that you can roll out. If you add too much flour, and the mixture is too dry, add a little milk or more coconut oil.

Roll out the mixture to around 1/2 inch and cut out shapes. I used a 3cm circle cutter, This makes around 50 biscuits. 

Place them on a baking sheet and cook in a 170 centigrade oven for around 30 to 40 minutes.

Well, the proof of the pudding, as they say.............

Oh yeah Mum......now that is good!

If you are in the UK, Pure Pumpkin (not the pie filling) can be found in Waitrose stores and some branches of Tesco in the World Foods isle

Coconut Oil is available in health food shops and most Asian supermarkets. It is meant to do wonders for the skin and coat, so I'm taking it on a daily basis now!

Baking with Declan.......

In my post on Wednesday, I mentioned how much I like the occasional Scotch Egg. I really didn't think anything of it, but I was amazed how many people asked what a Scotch Egg is. I thought they were really famous, but apparently not! The best suggestion comes from my good pals Frankie & Ernie who thought that when they hatch little guys with kilts and bagpipes come out!! You two are priceless...hehe! Lots of you (who clearly understand my Mum well...) thought Scotch whisky must be involved. Please don't give her any ideas.....

So.... being a helpful sort of a chap, I thought I'd give you a bit of background on the humble Scotch Egg and share Mum's recipe with you, in case you fancy making some.

A Scotch Egg is a boiled egg, coated in seasoned sausage meat, rolled in breadcrumbs and deep fried. It is delicious served hot, but can be eaten cold and is great for picnics.

I must just point out that the egg I was scoffing on Wednesday was shop bought. They are commonly available in the UK, prepackaged, in supermarkets.....and frankly they are disgusting. Mum says this is why I like them! If they are for human consumption, we strongly advise making your own.

The famous London grocer Fortnum & Mason claims to have invented the Scotch Egg in the 18th century, although very similar styles of egg could be found in India long before that. The reason it is called "Scotch" is less clear, but the two most favoured reasons seem to be a) originally the egg was encased in Scottish beef mince or b) the name comes from the word scotched which apparently is an old fashioned term describing something coated in tenderised meat, breadcrumbs and deep fried. 

To make 4 Scotch Eggs you will need:

4 medium free range hen's eggs

8oz of good quality sausage meat

Mum says it is best to buy good quality sausages, skin them  and break them down with a fork. Cumberland sausage works well.

5oz course homemade white breadcrumbs

4oz plain flour

2 beaten eggs

4floz milk

Salt & pepper to season

The eggs need to be at room temperature before you start. Bring a pan of water to the boil and place the eggs in the boiling water for 5 minutes. This will result in the finished Scotch egg being quite runny and is best if the eggs are being served hot. If you want to eat them cold, boil for 7-8 minutes. Take the eggs out of the pan and plunge in iced water. When they are cold carefully peel the shell and leave the eggs in the water.

Season the sausage meat and form into 4 balls the same size as the eggs, then flatten each ball into a rough circle about 5' in diameter. Dip the eggs in the flour and wrap each one in the sausage meat. Flour the eggs again, mix the beaten egg and milk together, dunk the eggs in it and then roll in the breadcrumbs. Repeat the flour, egg and breadcrumb process once more.

Deep fry the eggs in vegetable oil at 175 degrees centigrade for about 6 minutes. They should be a deep golden brown in colour. 

If you are looking for a healthier option, the eggs can be oven baked at 190 degrees centigrade for around 25 minutes until golden. 

Enjoy!

The things you have to do to get a treat.......

Like a few of my other UK blogging buddies, I've been contacted by Money Supermarket  who are currently running a competition asking bloggers to publish a post about what lengths us dogs and cats will go to, to win a treat.

I'll be honest; initially I didn't think it was for me.....after all I am a greyhound and I really don't "do" anything to get treats.... I expect them to be served up automatically as is my divine right. But then the nice lady called Louise emailed me again to say the closing date has been extended to 14th December, so I thought "What the hell.....there is, after all, quite a lot of effort that goes into doing cute as well as I do it....."

"Come on get treat making Mum! I'm doing my best pleading eyes"

"No I am NOT prepared to wait patiently until they are done"

"Look I'm sitting and we all know Greyhounds can can't sit!"

"Will you let go! I am NOT a performing dog you know"

But really, who wouldn't be impressed by this huh?!

If you'd like to enter the competition, simply write a post about what your pet will do to get a treat and email a link to competitions@moneysupermarket.com with Pets Win Praises in the subject line. Full details including prizes can be found at The Money Supermarket

Baking with Declan

Hello everyone, it's lovely to be back! I've been keeping up with the Olympic events, but not much else, so let me know if I've missed any major happenings!

I thought that lots of my doggy pals (and possibly even putty tats) might like to try a  recipe I've come up with whilst on my short sabbatical... I've called it Fishy Fudge Cake.

To make it, you will need the following ingredients:

185g tin of tuna in brine (do not drain)

2 eggs

Flour - either wholemeal, or gluten and wheat  free depending on any allergy issues

Porridge oats

Water

2 tsp dried parsley

Put the tuna, eggs and parsley in a large mixing bowl and beat with a hand-held electric mixer. 

We're not quite sure about the exact amounts of oats and flour (well done Mum....) but suggest adding a tablespoon of each and mixing. Keep adding in equal quantities until you have a thickish cake-like batter. Add a little water to thin if necessary.

Ooooh I could eat it right now......!

Heat oven to 180 degrees centigrade

Grease and line a cake tin - we used a 7 1/2" x 1 1/4" sandwich tin, but anything similar will do. 

Place the mixture in the cake tin and place in the oven for about 35 minutes

Gordon Ramsay would have a fit but it's too good to waste..hehe!

Hurry up and get it out of the tin Mum.....

Fishy Fudge Cake.....drool drool....

STOP teasing me Mum!

LET GO damn you!

Fine. I'll just eat your fingers as well...nom nom nom nom.......

Here are some additional ideas you might want to try out:

• Use sardines in oil, brine or tomato sauce instead of tuna.
• If your Mum or Dad has a strong stomach, use fresh liver, finely chopped in a food processor....!
• Add a tablesoon of cod liver oil to the batter
• If you like your treats really smelly add some freshly grated garlic!
• Use rice flour instead. This is good for those with wheat / gluten allergies and tends to give a crunchier texture. 

Nearly Wordless Wednesday 21/3

Following recent events, Declan couldn't help but think that someone was keeping their eyes on him........

I'm off to see Ganny for a few days now, so I'll catch you all next week! 

Deccy x

Give me your best Wordless Wednesday in March!

Baking with Declan

Don't you think my resemblance to Michel Roux Jr is remarkable?!

As some of you will know I got a book for Christmas called Cooking for Your Dog. Now that Mum has more or less managed to detach herself from the sofa I've been pestering her to help me out with some baking. So yesterday we had a go at the  Beef Crunchies. I understand my good pals over at Two Doodles and a Dane have also tried out this one, so you might want to pop over and get their opinion on them too!

There are a lot more interesting sounding recipes than this one, but these sure are tasty and so easy to make, even Other Mum can manage it ... Just kidding Other Mum, Hehe!

All you have to do is get a pack of stewing / casserole beef and cut into bite size cubes. Place on a baking tray and put in a cold oven set to 150 degrees and leave for an hour. Then open the oven door slightly (to allow for drying out) and turn the oven down to 100 degrees. Leave for 2 hours then remove from the oven and allow further drying at room temperature overnight. As I have access to the kitchen, Mum thought this was a particularly bad idea (bu**er, thought I was on to a winner there.....) so we left them in the cold oven. 

Apparently they will last for a year in an airtight container - I think we'll be doing well if we get three days out of them!

Look out for further Baking with Declan slots in the future (I hope!)

I'd also like to say thanks very much to Bringing up Bella for my Kreativ Blogger Award. I confess that this was a few weeks ago now, but what with my malingering Mums I haven't had a chance to acknowledge it until now. I am now supposed to tell you 10 things you don't know about me and nominate six of my pals for the award. Unfortunately, It has taken me so long to get to it, all my friends seem to have it already, so I'm going to cheat and miss out that bit! I will say though, that everyone I know deserves it, so if you haven't received it yet, please take it with my love!

As for the 10 things you don't know... well I don't know if you know some things or not so take your pick from below!

• My racing name was Barrigone Bank
• I had 61 races and retired on 14th Frebruary 2011
• I can fart louder than any dog my Mums have ever met
• My favourite treat is chicken & vegetables
• I'm not sure if I love Mr Panda, Mr Teddy or Kong best
• I growl really loudly in my sleep and sound quite vicious. I also chatter when I'm excited.
• I have quite a pronounced over-bite that makes me look really goofy sometimes.
• I'll happily have my teeth cleaned and barely open an eye when I have my nails clipped, even though Mum spent weeks working herself up to it! (Uncle Flynn had black nails and very long quick, so was a nightmare in the nail cutting dept.)
• My favourite game is called Mr Crocodile, which involves me lying on my back with legs in the air, snapping my jaws whilst Mum slaps my chest!
• My favourite person in the world, after my Mums, is my Ganny. She spoils me and has a big garden I can do zoomies in.