Current Obsession: Homemade Pretzels

I don't know that I should call this an obsession quite yet seeing as how I have only ever made homemade pretzels once in my lifetime, but given the fact that I ate SEVEN of the eight pretzels that I baked, I think it's safe to say that I have a problem.

I can't find the recipe to share with you guys right now, but you better believe that I will find it again. So I can share it and, of course, so I can make them again! I think the recipe is saved on my laptop at home. At least, that's what I'm hoping.

Instead you will have to settle for pictures.

Shaped dough. Very exciting!

Completed pretzel, ready for consumption.

Stop drooling.

Doggie Delight

As a Sunday treat, I baked some homemade doggie snacks for Princess Luna and Sir Gabe.

Gabe closely supervising, per usual.

Luna being cute, per usual.

----

Doggie Delights

1 cup rolled oats (aka dry oatmeal)
1 cup boiling water
5 1/3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 5 pieces
3/4 cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules (I just smashed the cubes)
1/2 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 egg, beaten OR 2 medium bananas
3 cups whole wheat flour

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the rolled oats, butter, and boiling water. Let stand for 10 minutes. Grease cookie sheets.

Add the cornmeal, sugar, beef bouillon, milk, cheddar cheese, and egg/banana to the bowl. Mix well. Stir in the whole wheat flour, 1 cup at a time, until a stiff dough has formed. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface (or wax paper) and knead, adding additional flour if necessary, until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky.

Divide the dough in half. Working with one half at a time, roll the dough out with a rolling pin to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with a cookie cutter and space evenly on prepared baking sheets. Reroll remaining dough scraps and continue cutting until all dough has been used.

Bake 35-45 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Let cool completely before allowing your pups to sample!

---

Here are my treats during the process:

Dough ball. Duh.

Princess cookie cutters!

Ready to bake!

The finished princess products!

Gabe

Luna has obviously been keeping me occupied over the past month since I have not posted a blog. I swear that one day I will get better about posting! I really do lead an intriguing/humorous/entertaining life and I want to share all of the nitty gritty details with you. muhahahahaha ;)

So the past month has been insane and I'll have 2-3 more posts about it later (like, this week - I promise!) but for now I must just tell y'all about Gabe.

Gabe is my first foster through GDFRL. He is a sweet boy with a few listening problems... as in he doesn't want to listen to me disciplining him! He knows his basic commands but continues to follow me all over the house. I've only had him for a week so I'm hoping that once he realizes that I'm not going anywhere (nor is he, at least for a while), that he will settle down and just relax. He also has this horrible habit of placing his chin on the counter, which completely grosses me out. (Hi, I'm a germophobe.)

So what is Gabe's story? He was picked up by animal control in TN. They spotted him tied up outside in someone's yard, emaciated and hot. They seized him for a vet visit and the vet determined that he was extremely underweight (105 lbs) and malnourished. After some paperwork and legal mumbo jumbo, he was released to GDFRL at a healthy 135 lbs.! A gang of volunteers graciously drove him from TN to Charlotte to Rockingham to Chapel Hill, where I picked him up and drove him back to Wilmington.

Gabe travels to Wilmington!

Gabe has obviously lived in a house before, because he went straight to the couch. He knows how to counter surf, dig through the trash, sit, lay down, and bark at intruders. (How lucky am I?! :/) While Gabe and Luna do get along ok, he does have some food and water aggression issues. He also barks a lot so that gets her all hot and bothered. Sometimes Luna looks at me and is just like, "Mom, really?! We had such a quiet life before this character came along." 

Let's just say that he is a work in progress. I thank my lucky stars every day that I have him, instead of a shelter. 

Gabe, living the posh life on my cloud of a bed, teddy in paw.

"Rescuing one dog may not change the world, but for that one dog the world will be changed forever."