~ Peach Pie Filling to Freeze

Dear Fans of Hounds Who Cook,

We hounds have been immensely pleased at all of the peach parts we've been partaking of as our girl readies them for various sundry purposes. Tonight she found a recipe to freeze up pie filling in advance so that in the winter we will have fresh peach pie at the most uncanny time.

Here it is. We'll let you know how it works out.

Peach Pie Filling

• 2 1/2 cups sliced peaches
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 Tb. cornstarch
• 1-1/2 tsp.  Tapioca flour (or 1 Tb. minute tapioca)
  
• 1 tsp. nutmeg

Toss all together and freeze in an aluminum pie tin. When frozen, release from the pie mold and place in a ziploc freezer bag.

To bake the pie, drop frozen filling into a prepared pie crust. Cover with top crust or lattice crust. Brush with milk or egg white and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes on the bottom rack of the oven. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees, and bake 30-35 minutes longer.

Putting Up The Peach

Dear Fans of Hounds Who Cook,

It's an exciting night in Eau Claire, Wisc. We have 18 pounds of peaches, countless bushels of apples, 4 pints of raspberries and 3 pounds of blueberries. We are putting up, as they say. Putting up preserves. With so much bounty, it's hard to know where to start. We found recipes for canning peaches AND making jelly from peach pits and peels, so that's where we're starting. We have apple pectin jelly made the other day and are going to use that to stiffen up the peach juice for jelly.

First we are sterilizing jars. They've already been washed, so we'll just put them through the dishwasher (no soap) so they're hot when we put in the peaches.

Next we'll skin the peaches, saving pits and skin for a "peach pit jelly" recipe we found. Who knew?!

Boil a pan of water. Whilst you're at it, clip on your jelly thermometer and make sure that when the water it boiling, it reads 212 degrees. If not, note the discrepancy and make sure you adjust your jelly boiling temp later. Our thermometer reads 220. No wonder we made some stiff jelly yesterday. We will deduct 8 degrees from the temp we cook to henceforth.

There are Several Ways to can peaches, and here are a few. We are doing some of each and will report back with the results in the pup notes at the end.

COLD PACK PEACHES

Preparing Peaches
0. Prepare a peach holding tank of: 2 qt filtered water, 1 Tb vinegar, 1 Tb salt
1. Wash peaches and rinse well.
2. Dunk and roll a peach in boiling water. Take it out after you count to about 20 and slip the skin off into the skin-saving pile. (You can let it cool so as not to burn your paws.)
3. Drop the whole peach into the prepared holding tank
4. Cut the peaches in half and remove the pit. Scrape out the fibrous pit clingers on the peach half - they may turn brown in the jar. We cut the peaches into wedges since ours did not readily release from the pit. Leave them in the holding tank.

Prepare the Syrup
2-1/4 cups sugar (we used 1 c. sugar and (4) 1/32 tsp stevia)
5-1/2 cups of water.

Heat on the stove to dissolve the sugar and keep it hot. This recipe covered our 4 pints plus one near-quart jar, with a few tablespoons leftover.

Pack the Peaches
Drain the peaches and pack them into hot jars cavity side down in overlapping layers. Leave about a ½” head room and ladle hot syrup over the peaches. Leave about ¼” head room left.
Remove air bubbles using a knife. Cover the jars with rings and lids kept in boiling water.

Process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes. Set jars on a cooling rack with cloth underneath to catch water drips - leave space between jars so air can circulate.

Notes from Guthrie: This is called cold pack because the peaches aren't cooked, but between skining them in boiling water and pouring hot syrup over, and then the canning bath, they are actually cooked. We read that these won't keep their beauty as much as hot pack peaches. Before we try hot pack, we're going to retry this one without the boiling water to peel. We found it made the peeled peaches a little mushy on the outside and hard to cut into wedges without ruining their form.

HOT PACK PEACHES

Use the same procedure as above, but instead of packing peaches in jars, add peaches to syrup in the pan and bring to a boil. Then pack into jars. Cover. And process in the canner.

-French Dressing

Dear Fans of Hounds Who Cook,

We are stirring up some staples tonight for a weekload of company coming. This French Dressing was found at bigoven.com, a site we have never been to before. We've adjusted it according to our tender palates, especially nixing the sugar and using stevia in its stead.

French Dressing

1 1/3 cup sugar/stevia equivalent
4 teaspoon paprika
2/3 cup catsup
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion
1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice

Blend all ingredients except the oil in a food processor until smooth. While food processor is running on slow speed drizzle in oil until blended. Refrigerate for 2 or 3 hours to let flavors blend.

Guthrie's Note: We didn't add salt or pepper to ours, but did add a cup of tomato juice we had to use up. This made the flavor less intense so we added a big tablespoon of tomato paste to balance it out. We also used stevia rather than sugar and it was capital.

Eli's Note: I concur with my younger brother.

-Black Bean Enchilada Bake

Dear Fans of Hounds Who Cook,

While we hounds are daily carnivores, we understand the human's fragile psyche and need to vary its diet to non-meat items. Some people, such as our soon-coming visitor, eat no meat at all. We will be interested to see if she is has a tendancy to prowl and amble. This is what happens to us when we have a severe shortage of meats. In any case, we've prepared an absolutely tasty meal which will agree with her palate.

Black Bean Enchilada Bake

* 2 cups chopped onion
* 1 1/2 cups chopped red pepper
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 3/4 cup salsa
* 2 teaspoons ground cumin
* 2 15.8 ounce cans black beans, drained
* 12 6-inch corn tortillas
* 2 cups cheese shredded (we used cheddar/Monteray Jack)
* 24 ounces stewed tomatoes
* 1/2 cup sour cream (optional)
* 1/2 cup sliced black olives (optional)

Saute in their own juices for three minutes: onion pepper, garlic, salsa, cumin, black beans and tomatoes. Arrange 6 tortillas over the bottom of a 9" x 13" baking dish, overlapping. Spread half of bean mixture over tortillas and sprinkle with half of the cheese. Repeat with remaining tortillas, bean mixture, and cheese.

Cover dish with foil and bake 15 minutes. Carefully remove foil and serve warm.

Garnish with sour cream and olives.

Notes from Eli:When baked and frozen and reheated, the corn tortillas became corn mush, so be prepared for that if you must freeze.

- Peanut Butter Cookies

Dear Fans of Hounds Who Cook,

Tonight for the first time in the life of we hounds, we made our own peanut butter. Guthrie would have eaten it all right away, but the little person visiting had the good idea to make it into cookies. Our Girl is launching into what she calls a no-gluten diet, so she was happy to make this flourless recipes. Thankfully the first batch was a little singed so guess who will get those for breakfast tomorrow? Happy pups. We searched and searched the Internet and found this recipe so prevalent that we're not even attributing it. It's a most awesome Flourless Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe. Gooter it (he means Google it) and you'll see what we mean. It's everywhere. It's as though every hound on earth knew about this recipe except us. We'll give you hound tips and tricks though to make it worth your while.

First off, if you have the likes of a Champion juicer, do as we did and grind your own peanuts. It makes such a chewier, better cookie that you might grind your own peanut butter ever after too.

Second off, if you grind the peanuts and make cookies right away, you made need to refrigerate the dough in order to be able to roll it into balls. We did.

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
Me's Independent Rating: 3 of 3

2 cups ground peanuts or natural peanut butter
1 cup white sugar (or stevia equivalent)
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. baking soda
(add salt if you ground unsalted peanuts)

Cream sugars, eggs, and baking soda (and salt, if desired). Thoroughly blend in peanut butter. Chill dough if necessary to form balls. Use an ice cream scoop for large cookies. Press down with a sugared fork. Bake at 350F for 8 minutes.

Notes from Guthrie:
Err on the side of Undercooking these delicacies. If overcooked they are well suited (though too sugary) for dog treats.

Notes from Elias:
Make sure you buy peanuts to grind that do not have seasonings or additives. We bought two big jars and took one taste and wondered at them. They had MSG and cornstarch, among other undesireables, and even paprika for flavor. We don't recommend a paprika flavored cookie.

- Pectin Jelly with Green Apples and Sauce

Dearly Loved Fans of Hounds Who Cook,

We are all astir over a newfound way to use the green apples that are falling in the yard. They are not yet ripe and sour with a hard texture. We know there will be apples a plenty for saucing in a month, but we eager hounds want to cook up a little something now. So we searched (and searched) the Internet and found exactly what we were looking for. First, very important information about the Healthful properties of unripe apples (see here), and then a recipe for pectin jelly (see here) which you can eat as it is OR use when making Conserve with the berries you are picking right now, or in the next weeks. We found Miss Lindy's narrative instructions hard to follow, so we are recipifying it all right here for your convenience and ours:

July Pectin Jelly
for eating and the preservation of fruits

7 pounds green apples (such as crabapples in late July)
13 cups water
8 cups sugar (or stevia equivalent) (or 4 cups per quart of juice)
1 large lemon

Wash green apples and pluck off stems - they are bitter and maybe even toxic, we're not sure. Cut in quarters, leaving on the skin. Bring nearly to a boil, then turn down and simmer 30 minutes. Press all through a jelly-making cone-shaped sieve with the help of a dowel. Then (who could imagine?) hang it all in a jelly bag and catch the juice. This they said would yield 2 quarts of clear apple juice but for us it was only one. Chill for sediment to sink to the bottom. Reserve apple pulp for the applesauce recipe below.

Sterilize 8 1-cup jars in a dishwasher or canner, and lids with rings.

Pour clear juice into big old saucepan, cast aside sediment into the pulp pile for the applesauce recipe below. Add the juice of 1 lemon and sugar or stevia. Bring to boil. Boil on medium high or high heat for 10 minutes or until temperature reaches 220 degrees F. Skim off foam throughout the boiling extravaganza.

Pour jelly into sterilized jars. Wipe rim with a wet cloth and screw on lids. Turn jars upside down for 5 minutes and then back up to foster sealing. Make sure the lids seal - the middle button should be contracted and not give (or boing) when you press down on it.

Apple Sauce
Run the apple pulp and sediment from the jelly recipe through the jelly-making cone-shaped sieve with wooden dowel again. Add sugar (or stevia, our preference) to taste. Store in fridge or heat it up and can it.

- Glazed Bison Meatloaf

Dear Fans of Hounds Who Cook,

It's been a good while since we posted a taste treat. We've been out chasing rabbits, of course, since it's spring and have had no time at all for our finer intellectual pursuits. I, Elias, am penning this now while Guthrie rests in the Forbidden Chair. If our Me sees him there will be a scuffle. She doesn't want his special scent on her recliner.

This is a recipe we've been eager to make again and houndify it. First of all, there's nothing better than a nicely seasoned meat loaf. But this has the thick flavorful tomato topping on it too. Almost too good to believe. We started with one of our favorite sources - Cook's Illustrative - and doctored it up for the hungry hound palate. (Note that Cook's offers secret tips and tricks for meatloaf that we do not use here. So it's in your best interest to check out their version too - especially if you use beef not bison.)

Eli's Glazed Loaf of Bison

For the Loaf:
3 ounces hard cheese , parmesan, romano, asiago or the like, freshly and finely grated
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup finely choped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped celery, including leaves
1 medium clove garlic , minced
2 teaspoons thyme
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2/3 cup bread crumbs or crushed saltines
2 teaspoons parsley
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 pounds ground bison

For the Glaze:
1 cup ketchup
2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 cup raw apple cider vinegar
6 tablespoons packed light brown sugar


1. Grate cheese, sprinkle on a plate, and place in the freezer until ready to use.

2. Heat butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until foaming; add onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, paprika, and turmeric. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir to scrape up browned bits from pan, until thickened, about 1 minute. Transfer mixture to small bowl and set aside to cool.

3. Whisk broth and eggs in large bowl until combined. Stir in soy sauce, mustard, bread crumbs, parsley, salt, pepper, and onion mixture. Crumble frozen cheese over mixture. Add ground bison; mix gently with hands until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute.

4. Spray a loaf pan well with oil. Transfer meat to pan, rounding into a loaf shape (higher center, lower sides). Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of loaf reads 135 to 140 degrees, 55 to 65 minutes. Don't overcook. Remove meat loaf from oven and turn on broiler.

5. While meat loaf cooks, combine ingredients for glaze in small saucepan; bring to simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring, until thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Set half of the glaze aside for serving on the side.

6. Spread half of the remaining glaze evenly over cooked meat loaf with rubber spatula; place under broiler and cook until glaze bubbles and begins to brown at edges, about 5 minutes. Remove meat loaf from oven and spread the other half of the remaining glaze; place back under broiler and cook until glaze is again bubbling and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes more. Let meat loaf cool about 20 minutes before slicing.

Notes from Elias: You can see that we used a wok to make the glaze, which worked wonderfully for thickening up the sauce around the edges. We also wanted to have a small meatloaf to freeze, so we put 2/3 of the meat mixture in our Grandma's loaf pan and 1/3 in a separate pan that we can simply cover and freeze. Since we used glass pans, we cooked it at 350 degrees. The picture here is after the loaves were already happily in the oven for 20 minutes.

We added turmeric because it seemed like it would do nicely in the array of spices, and the elder woman has been asking us to cook with more turmeric for its resounding health benefits (like preventing cancer, helping "retrain" damaged cells to heal, helping in weight loss...it's almost like we should develop a recipe for turmeric loaf...)

Notes from Guthrie: We are on a cooking rampage for Mother's Day, which is tomorrow and everyone is coming here to honor the family mothers, that's why I was resting. And I didn't think the Girl would mind me being on her chair since it was draped with a protective cover. I think I'll mix up a little Tuna Salad and add that recipe next.

Love,
Elias and The Gute,
Your faithful, handsome, hungry hounds

- Key Lime Pie

Dear Fans of Hounds Who Cook,

We dogs have a visiting guest (pictured) so we made a celebratory pie. Anytime the pack grows, it's a good thing, even if you do get displaced from your alpha position.

The new guy is called Yogo. Here he is with us hounds. He is not a hound, but his ears do flop some, which is one of the more endearing characteristics of a dog and why hounds are so at the top of the desireability scale.

The elder is coming for dinner tomorrow so we'll serve him this good pie and he's bound to be impressed.

Susan's Own Key Lime Pie

Graham Crust
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup slivered or ground almonds
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Mix dry ingredients for crust and stir in 1/4 cup butter, melted. Press into bottom and sides of pan. Bake until lightly browned - 8 to 10 minutes. Cool completely.

Key Lime Filling
3 large egg yolks
1-1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup key lime juice (fresh squeezed!)
finely grated peel of 1 lime

Beat egg yolks in a small mixing bowl.

In a saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the 1 cup sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt; gradually stir in the water. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Gradually stir about 1/3 of the mixture into the beaten egg yolks; stir mixture into the remaining hot mixture in the pan. Continue cooking over low heat, stirring, two minutes. Stir in the butter, lime juice and peel and cool slightly. Pour into the baked pastry shell and cool. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

- Dogs Who Eat Raw

Dear Fans of Hounds Who Cook,

We've had a big fluff of a snowfall in our corner of Wisconsin. First all the snow melted and we dogs felt like it might be spring. We didn't even mind the dampness on our paws because a hound knows that spring brings one thing: rabbits. The Gute will get delirious with want if he hears me say that. So at first we thought rabbits might be soon coming and we were eager to just sit in the melting out of doors and survey the world from our backyard.

Then we had occasion to take our girl Me to the dog park. She recently purchased a pedometer and is now interested in how many steps are everywhere. (It is 1,000 to go around the pup park once. Now she is eager to go around 3 and 4 times instead of 2 because she feels so much accomplishment with the pedometer.) We dogs don't need a pedometer. We have internal meters that tell us 20,000 steps and the girl wants us to come in from the woods; 40,000 steps and we might come in; 100,000 steps and she's going to be real mad at Gute for not coming back at 50,000 steps.

Well, in other news, our girl Me is in a play and this coming week she will be absent most of the time. So today we are mixing up another batch of dog breakfast goodness so we have aplenty for the week of her negligence. We've modified the recipe from December and here it is for your plenteous enjoyment.

This concoction is based on a whole-diet formula of 10-20% organ meat, 5-10% bone (based on the pups bowels, you could say), 70-80% muscle meat (with a little skin and ligaments and as much cartilage as a bird has to offer) and only 5% vegetable. (50% of the aforementioned Meat and most all of the bone is eaten at suppertime in the form of tasty bird necks. Only 57 cents a pound, and that makes our girl happy.) Some say the meats and organs should all be from the same source - like all chicken/turkey or all beef or all pork (don't feed your pups pork unless you have a special extra good source like an organic farm - pork isn't really fit for dogs. Or girls.) We mix it up as we buy whatever's cheap.

The Raw Breakfast Meal of Hounds

8 oz liver
8 oz gizzards
22 oz muscle meat (with some skin, ligaments, cartilage)
12 oz vegetables (as great a variety as you can - roots and above ground - but NO mushroom or onion)
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon kelp powder
1/2 c. yogurt
3 eggs with shells

Grind the meats together in a meat grinder. Mince the vegetables in a blender with the apple cider vinegar, garlic, kelp, yogurt, and eggs with shells. The finer they mince, the more nutrients we dogs can garner from them. Blend nicely with the ground meats and spoon into muffin pans, piling 5 oz in each. We also make some in ice cube trays for days when a dog deserves a treat.

Notes from Eli: We think this food is fine. It's not the right combination for the cat, however, so we always know if he's been in our food. He throws it up. A cat ought to know better.

Notes from the Gute: This is a tasty food. We especially like the frozen chicken necks (partially thawed, but the frozen part makes them easier for me to chew them up and cleans my sparkly whites too). We would like to add that a girl needn't go to all of this trouble as a hound would be just as pleased if not more so to just have one rabbit carcass per day. Or two if they're small.

- Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

Dear Fans of Hounds Who Cook,

We dogs had the sheer delight of making Scalloped Potatoes and Ham tonight. Elias calls them "Escalloped," to be a little pretentious. I would have called it Cheesy Potato Goodness and Ham, but it's a classic recipe that deserves its respectful name.

Our Girl Me had been on the lookout for ham with this dish in mind. Some recipes use all out whipping cream which we know would be to die for, but in more ways than one. So we opt for the lesser fat but just as creamy-wonderful variation.

We found the recipe on epicurious.com but changed it to suit our houndish tastes. Enjoy like us!

(E)Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (we used raw white cheddar with cilantro and garlic)
1 cup shredded hard cheese (we used asiago, you can use parmesan)
4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
1-1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
3 tablespoons whole wheat flour
4 tablespoons butter
1 pound ham steak, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
3 cups whole milk

Spray a 13x9 pan with oil. Arrange half of the sliced potatoes in the pan, overlapping edges. Dot with half of the butter. Sprinkle with half of the salt and pepper. Cover with shallots and cubes of ham. Sprinkle half of each type of cheese over this layer. Layer remaining potatoes atop these and sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper. Reserve remaining cheese for later. Pour milk over all.

Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.

Remove foil - milk may have separated (no worries). Sprinkle with remaining cheese and cook uncovered 45 more minutes til bubbly, browned, and fragrant. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

We don't know if this can be reheated. We'll tell you tomorrow.

Your Hound and Dutiful Servant Chef,
King Guthrie, The Gute

- Stuffed Mushrooms

Dear Fans of Hounds Who Cook,

We dogs don't eat mushroom as they are a deadly poison, but Me made lovely stuffed ones for her elder people tonight which she pulled together out of nothing - skipping half of the ingredients in the recipe, which she didn't have, and they were rumored to be as tasty as could be. Here's what she did:

Stuffed Mushrooms

7 or 8 large button mushrooms
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 braggs amino acids (or shoyu sauce)
1 garlic clove, crushed
pepper
thyme

2 tablespoons canola oil (for high heat)
1/2 cup minced onion
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
2-3 oz. goat cheese or feta

Whisk first 6 ingredients in medium bowl for marinade. Pull stems from mushrooms and place stems in processor. Arrange mushrooms, gill side up, in a single layer in a glass baking dish. Pour marinade over mushrooms and marinate 4 hours, turning to coat occasionally.

Process stems until coarsely chopped. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Saute onion about 3 minutes. Add garlic and stir 30 seconds. Add chopped mushrooms, sprinkle with salt, and increase heat to high. Cook until almost all liquid evaporates, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to large bowl; cool to room temperature.

Add 1/4 cup Parmesan, and breadcrumbs to mushroom mixture; toss to distribute evenly. Add goat cheese and toss gently to distribute evenly. Season filling to taste with salt and pepper. Can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover filling and let stand at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Transfer marinated mushrooms, with some marinade still clinging, to rimmed baking sheet, gill side down. Roast until beginning to soften, about 15 minutes. Turn mushrooms over. Divide filling among mushrooms. Sprinkle additional Parmesan cheese over and bake until heated through and cheese begins to brown, about 15 minutes.

- Raw Dog Food Recipe

Dear Fans of Hounds Who Cook,

It is a dog day today (that is a good thing). We have been testing and tasting Me's abundant recipe of our new diet and I, Elias, am in heaven. I have licked bowl upon bowl, I have slurped up overflow from the floor, I have eaten fresh chicken with the bone in. If I were to die tonight, I would die a most satisfied dog with only good to say about my Person.

Me has been driven to this raw diet extreme due to the Gute's incessant and nonstop itching. He has scratched his belly bare again. In the past she felt the apple cider vinegar in his diet was keeping the itching to a minimum, but for some reason that's not working anymore. It was especially bad after we came back from the elder's woods and Guthrie was red all over his underside.

Me has decided to come with both barrels at the allergens that afflict my slender brother and this is a victory for dogs everywhere for we are going raw like our forefathers and our cousins the mighty wolf. We are not going to be allowed to catch it (drat!) but it's the next best thing to freshly killt.

Here is her favorite recipe from all of her online searching, which took the whole entire day. So far we love it mightily.

Raw Dog Food
The pup dog's morning meal will be a vegetable-meat mix and the evening meal is meaty bone such as chicken necks and the like. This recipe is based on foodstuffs for 50 pounders, such as we. Just adjust the size of the portions you freeze if you are a heftier (or lightweight) dog.

1. Veggie Meat Mix
1 lb. beef, pork, bison, turkey, chicken, or what have you (only one type per recipe)
2 cups ground vegetables including roots and above-ground growers (NO onions or mushrooms)
2-4 oz. chicken gizzard, heart, liver ground OR liver and heart of the base meat for the mix
1/2 cup raw apple cider vinegar
2-3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon kelp powder
1/2 cup yogurt
3 eggs and shells
parsley

Grind meat and organs. Grind vegetables, garlic, and whole eggs in a blender with apple cider vinegar (measure vegetables after grinding, not before, so make it a generous 2 cups). Stir into ground meat with kelp, yogurt and parsley (for breath).

Use a canning funnel to scoop 5 oz of vegetable meaty goodness into muffin tins oiled with extra virgin olive oil. Freeze in the muffin tin. Each 5-ouncer is breakfast for one 50 pound dog. We made a triple recipe (because we had already ground that much meat) and it made 26 servings - two weeks of eating for us two pups.

Serve a breakfast muffin with two nice fish oil capsules and one vitamin E capsule for good measure.

2. Din Din
For supper, give your pup chicken or turkey necks, backs, wings or carcasses - only RAW or the bones will be the end of him. For slacker indoor dogs like us, the breakfast muffin should be 20-40 percent of the day's food (we go with 30%) and the meaty bone dinner should be 60-80% (we go with 70%) - you can vary it based on what you have available. So, for us, we need about 11 ounces of meaty bone. Sometimes it's a beef bone with a huge surround of meat on it, but routinely it's necks of birds because the bones are small and fun to chew and nutritious. And, our girl Me can get unlimited chicken necks for 59 cents a pound from the grocery store butcher. That makes our meal cheaper than the nice quality dog kibble she had been feeding us.

Tonight we had wings.

Once a week she promises us we can have fish - with heads and bones and everything. That is going to be a real joy. She is thinking she should put the elderman to work to provide that part of the meal for us.

Notes from Elias: To figure out your pup's proportions - feed him 2% of his body weight each day. Since we are 50 pounds, 2% is 1 pound - so we get 5 oz of vegetable-meat mix in the morning and 11 oz of chicken necks at night.

Notes from Guthrie: As much as Eli doesn't like it, one day a week on this diet a pup should fast. I feel it cleans out my insides nicely and I like have a shapely hound physique. Eli is more into bulking up. Speaking of cleaning out insides, because this is food with good enzymes and natural moisture, it's not going to swell up in our bellies before we can digest it like kibble does - so we will digest it in about four hours instead of 12. We like that efficiency.

People online who have done this diet rave about the good health and fur of their pups and the absence of allergies. We'll let you know how we fare on it. I, the Gute, am hoping to be less itchy, that's all.

- Spa Gifts from the Kitchen

Dear Fans of Hounds Who Cook,

We dogs are nearly delirious with the scents that abound just now. Our girl Me is mixing up bath and spa concoctions that are so fragrant as to make a dog slip into near delirium. Here are some of the recipes for your own good pleasure. And if you get one of these in the mail, don't tell Me we had foretold the gift.

Love and Adoration,
The Hounds Who Cook

Cooling Foot Gel
(nice for hands too!)

2 tablespoons pure aloe vera gel (no additives)
1/2 tablespoon peppermint extract (or peppermint oil)

Mix well and place into a decorative jar for giving. Rub into feet before putting on socks. Ahh. Smooth the rest onto your hands. Mmm. Healing tingly goodness.

Luscious-for-Your-Skin Milkbath
1/2 cup powdered milk
1/2 cup powdered buttermilk
2 teaspoons dried egg white
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 cup oatmeal
2 tablespoons lavender buds (or other fragrant herb)

Grind oatmeal and lavender buds in blender into fine flour. Mix together with remaining ingredients. Place in decorative jar for giving. Use 1/2 cup per bath.

Soothe-Your-Aching-Muscles Bath Salts
2 cups sea salt
2 cups baking soda
2 cups Epsom salt
1 tablespoon carrier oil (such as almond, sunflower, jojoba, or vitamin E)
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoons almond extract
10 drops bergamot essential oil
5 drops ylang ylang essential oil

Mix salts and soda in a large container. In a small container, such as an old yogurt cup, pour carrier oil and mix in extracts and essential oils. Drizzle mixture over salt mixture. Stir well. Scoop into decorative containers for giving. Add 1 cup salts to water as bath is running - use water as hot as is tolerable. Soak for 20 minutes. The salt and heat will help draw lactic acid from muscles, which causes aching. Drink a tall glass of water after the bath to help muscles continue to purge lactic acid.

- Sweet Potato Pecan Bread

Dear Fans of Hounds Who Cook,

We have just been barked away from the plenteous bags of groceries brought into the home. (Yes, sometimes she barks, the girl Me.) So we are comforting ourselves at the computer, writing about food instead of tearing open bags of green beans. (I only took one as a taste. - Eli)

This is a great and yummy bread we made today and took over to the elders. It's moist and flavorful with minuscule fat and big healthy sweet potatoes involved. And it uses Me's favorite obscure spice, mace. Here it is, scavanged from about.com's southern food section with hound amendments.

Sweet Potato Pecan Bread

1-1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon mace
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
stevia equivalent for another 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup chopped dates
2 eggs
1/2 cup applesauce (we made our own)
4 tablespoons evaporated milk (or regular)
1 cup mashed sweet potatoes (we used them from the can)

Grease a bread pan. Stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. Add sugar, stevia, pecans, and raisins or dates. In a separate bowl combine egges, applesauce, milk and sweet potatoes. Stir to blend. Mix into dry ingredients just until moistened. Pour into greased pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 70 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes on wire rack, remove from pan, and finish cooling on rack.

Slice it up and slather with butter without feeling bad since it's nearly fat free to start with.

- African Ginger Beer - a cold and flu comfort drink

Dear Fans of Hounds Who Cook,

We are incensed with Me who just ate two whole pieces of pizza in front of us, forgetting to share the crusts. Sometimes she will share the crusts. The Gute groaned before her final bite and she didn't even hear him. Can you imagine - us salivating over the fragrant aroma, drool dribbling onto Me's knee, and she flat ignores our need. Hounds believe they are always on the brink of starvation, and we are.

Well, it was a hard moment, but since dogs live in the moment, we are over it now and telling you of a new beverage you are likely to love.

Me has had this recipe since college when she checked out from the library an African Cooking recipe book. It is not only delicious, but wonderful when you are fighting a cold or flu too. In that case, mix the syrup into hot water to soothe the throat, instead of ice water. In the usual case, though, you can serve it as a luscious party drink where you sugar the rims of glasses and pour in 2 tablespoons syrup and 4-6 ounces of ice water (or seltzer water for extra fizz). It's a highly refreshing beverage. Nice served after a meal because the ginger settles the stomach and takes away the feeling of fullness.

African Ginger Beer
Me's independent rating: 3 of 3

1 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice (we use lime)
3/4 cup sugar (we use honey)
3 tablespoons fresh ginger - peeled and minced (or grated to pack a bigger punch)
lemon zest (we use lime)

Use a stainless steel or enamel saucepan (not aluminum - it reacts with the citrus) and combine the ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Cool to lukewarm. Strain syrup through a sieve if desired. (We leave the ginger in as our Me likes the extra bite.) Add syrup to water or seltzer water to desired strength.

Eli's Notes: As aforementioned, we dogs use lime in everything. Hardly bother to buy a lemon once a year. We find the lime to have a more complex and interesting flavor.

Guthrie's Notes: I would still like a little crust of pizza...

- Scientific Chicken Soup

Dear Fans of Hounds Who Cook,

We found all sorts of research about the effectiveness of chicken noodle soup for the ailing. This is from scientists who know.

Researchers at the University of Nebraska found that homemade chicken soup really does make you feel better when you're sick. It reduces congestion and inflammation by limiting the movement of white blood cells that produce infection-related mucus.

UCSF researchers found that our cravings for comfort food may be our body’s attempt to put a brake on chronic stress. Comfort foods are usually high-energy foods (with sugar and/or fat) like chicken soup, chocolate chip cookies, cheeseburgers or ice cream. Energy-filled foods help us “stay in the game”. In an animal study, the researchers found that “glucocorticoids would both prompt vigilance to threats and send a signal to the brain of a chronically stressed animal to seek high-energy food. If it were successful in finding such food, stress and its attendant feelings would be terminated.”

Research published in the journal Chest (2000) proved in the laboratory that chicken soup has anti-inflammatory properties that help clear the upper respiratory tract, but it’s unclear exactly which of the ingredients are directly responsible. It seems cooking them up together combined to “achieve their beneficial effects”. The researchers used a homemade recipe they dubbed “Grandma’s soup”. They even published the recipe as part of the “Methods” section.

Here it is with our hound print on it:

Scientific Chicken Soup
Me's Independent Rating: 3 of 3

5-6 lb stewing hen or baking chicken
1 package of chicken wings
3 large onions
1 large sweet potato
3 parsnips (we've never had these on hand to try it, but our elder man would like it that way)
2 turnips (same as above, we're not turnip kind of hounds)
11 to 12 large carrots
5 to 6 celery stalks (with leaves)
1 bunch of parsley
salt and pepper to taste.

Rinse off the chicken and cover it with water in a pot. Bring to a boil. Add the chicken wings, onions, sweet potato, parsnips, turnips, and carrots. Boil 30-45 minutes. Remove the chicken and reserve for another purpose. Add the parsley and celery. Cook 30 minutes.

Serve like this - with colorful chunks of vegetables in golden broth, speckled with parsley. Or, for the sick and ailing, just serve the broth. Or, do as the scientists recommend, puree the broth and vegetables at this point and salt and pepper to taste.

Freeze some for the day of the unexpected scratchy throat.

Elias' Notes: We freeze it in pint canning jars with an inch of space at the top - put it in the freezer without a cover. Then when it's frozen, put a cover on tightly. That allows the liquid to expand as it freezes. Thaw in the fridge a day ahead, or simmer the jar in a pan of water to thaw it out.

Guthrie's Notes: We accidentally used turkey meat from the freezer, thinking it was chicken. It worked out fine. (We used up the chicken from whence came the broth when we made fajitas mentioned a few blogs back.)

- Chicken Fajitas Enchiladas

Dear Friends of Hounds Who Cook,

Here is the recipe of the delicious dinner that we cooked up for sister Linda's 49th birthday this week. She still looks 40 to us. We saw the great amount of work this could be so we cooked the chicken the day before. Worked very well that way and the preparations went quickly.

Chicken Enchiladas
Me's independent rating: 2 of 3 (it has potential, I'd try it again with some changes for my taste, though the family loved this creamy version).

1 chicken boiled up in water
1 package of taco seasoning mix
4 oz sliced black olives
7 oz green chiles
1/2 small onion, chopped up
1 cup sour cream
20 6-inch flour tortillas
grated cheddar
arrow root (for thickening)
15 oz tomato sauce
7 oz picante sauce, or salsa
onion powder
garlic powder

Cook up the chicken the day ahead by rinsing it off and covering with water in a stock pot. Bring to boiling and cook 30 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Reserve the broth in jars in the fridge. Remove chicken from the bone and return bone, skin and cartilage pieces to the pan. Cover with water and bring to a boil and simmer 30 minutes more. Reserve broth in bottles and discard bones and etc.

Shred or chop chicken and reserve about 3 cups for this recipe and set remainer aside for another use (like our Scientific Chicken Soup). Mix with taco mix, black olives, green chiles, and chopped onion. Add a little chicken broth to moisten mixture. Stir in 1/2 cup sour cream, reserving the rest for topping.

Spoon filling onto tortillas, adding grated cheese before rolling up, if desired. Place in 9x13 pan.

Heat 3 cups chicken broth in large frying pan. Thicken with arrowroot. Add tomato sauce and picante sauce. Season with onion powder and garlic powder. Pour over enchiladas in the pan, covering well. Cover with grated cheddar cheese.

Bake at 325 for 45 minutes, uncovered.

Mix 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/2 cup water together. Pour over enchiladas. Turn off oven and return pan to oven for 10 minutes to warm.

Eli's Notes: Well, the family loved this recipe, but we would health it up a bit - leaving out the sour cream and serving it, or plain yogurt, as a side for the dish. We also would eliminate green chiles because Me doesn't like them. We also think there's no harm in chopping up some more fresh onion and garlic for the sauce - and starting the sauce first to give it time for flavors to permeate before using.

Guthrie's Notes: All of this and we still had broth - and meat - leftover for chicken soup. That's the recipe to try. It's the best of all possible chicken soups. We call it scientific because they used it in a study that did indeed assure that chicken soup helps sick people heal faster.

- When dogs swallow glass...

Dear Friends of Hounds Who Cook,

We dogs made an extraordinary meal that pleased the palates of our relations, so we're writing it out in the next blog for you. Our girl Me would have made changes - and did in the second batch, which is outlined in Elias' notes. This all happened on the day that Eli ate the candy thermometer. I the Gute know better than to eat Glass, but Elias could not resist the candy coating stuck to the outside. He crunched it up and swallowed a little and then thought better of it, or that's when Me came in from shoveling, I'm not sure. She was so taken aback that Elias did not even get punished, as he is supposed to for stealing from the counter. She just gasped and picked up the little pieces from the carpet and the kitchen floor and gasped again. So we each got a can of pumpkin to eat and then had to throw it all up. The pumpkin was to make a funny gelatinousness in our bellies to coat our throats so the glass would not cut us on the way back up. We don't know if it worked. She is Observing us for a day or so more to see. I, for one, did not eat any glass, but she doesn't know that. The problem with Eli is that he is all alpha dog where he thinks and knows that our pack world revolves around him. Which means he doesn't always learn. He just thinks he can do what he wants. I hope she doesn't leave another thermometer out...I don't like throwing up.

Love for now from the Gute.

- Making Vanilla Extract

Dear Fans of Hounds Who Cook,

Today we have been on a culinary mission to make vanilla extract. First we ordered a pound of vanilla beans online for about $20. And so far we've used half of them and made four pints of vanilla, so it turns out to be an excellent gift idea for blessing your epicurean friends. The problem is you would have had to start it in November to have it ready in time for Christmas. No matter. We are giving ours as gifts with the "ready date" clearly marked.

In addition to buying the vanilla beans (they say grade B is best for extract - it's most flavorful) we also purchased a liter of vodka. This was not to get us through the tedious bean splitting process, it's actually the liquid into which the beans infuse. And we don't know anything about vodka, being dogs, so we got a mid-priced brand.

We are assured online that once you have made your own vanilla you won't want to use even the most exotic commercial brand again. We are hoping it is true and we are giddy with delight to share our process because the vanilla fragrance has filled our senses and we can't think of anything else for probably a whole day.

Making Vanilla Extract
Me's Independent Rating: not yet rated

1/2 pound vanilla beans, Grade B
1 liter vodka

With a sharp knife, slit the vanilla beans lengthwise. With a table knife, gently scrape out the beans inside. We used 2 ounces of beans per cup of vodka, which will make very strong ultra-awesome fragrant and scintillating vanilla for cooking. The online recipes call for at least one ounce per cup. Commercial recipes use about 3/4 ounce. So what you are buying there is vanilla flavored liquor, we're thinking.

Use dark glass bottles or jars to keep the light out of the concoction, and sterilize the bottles and caps before using.

Cut scraped beans into lengths about 1/3 to 1/2 the height of the bottle. Put both the seeds and the scraped bean pieces into the jars. Fill with vodka. Cap tightly and shake.

This week shake the bottles once a day. Week 2 through 4, shake the bottles a few times a week. Week 5 you have vanilla extract to use and enjoy in baked goods. (If you use this in uncooked food, like frosting, you will taste the alcohol - commercial brands use additives to cut the alcohol flavor.)

Since the vanilla is unfiltered, it may add specks to your baked good. Yum. For more specks, shake the bottle before measuring. For no specks, filter the vanilla.

Filtered Vanilla
Filtering is not necessary, but if you don't want specks in your delicacies or want to make double use of the beans, you can filter the vanilla. Word on the web is that after six months the flavor is extracted from the beans and leaving them in the bottle won't enhance flavor any more. So we think that's a good time to filter it.

To filter, pour vanilla through a coffee-filter-lined funnel into another sterilized bottle. Use the filtered pieces to make vanilla sugar.

Vanilla Sugar
Let vanilla pieces filtered from the extract dry several days. Then transfer to a clean jar. Cover with sugar. Set aside for a few days. Shake to break up any lumps. Use in place of sugar in any recipe, especially sprinkling on baked goods.

Tips from Elias: Even after you remove the beans, word is that the vanilla continues to improve with age. Keep it in a dark cupboard and stored in dark glass (or a paper bag if necessary) while it's steeping / infusing / extracting.

Tips from Guthrie: You can also use the vanilla pieces in our delicious recipe for Lavender Sugar. Check that out.

- Pecan Pie Ultimatum

Dear Fans of Hounds Who Cook,

Our girl Me has been bent on finding a pecan pie recipe that does not use the evil, health-jeopardizing corn syrup. Her elder woman told her she could use maple syrup instead but it would make a softer pie. Me had the crust made a week in advance, chilling in the fridge, before she could find the time to assemble what was to be the year's finest pie.

She came across the recipe on our second-favorite website: Cook's Illustrative (no, third, ours is our favorite site, epicurious.com is next, and then cooksillustrated.com, of which we are proud members).

Here it is with our special hound amendments - pie to nearly make you die:

Pecan Pie

Crust
1 cup + 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour (or all purpose flour)
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 tablespoons shortening (or butter)
1 egg, separated

Filling
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3 eggs
1 cup maple syrup
1-1/2 cups pecans

Make the tender flaky crust:
Mix flour, sugar, and salt in food processor. Drop in chunks of butter and shortening and pulse til butter is evenly distributed and pea-sized. Transfer flour mixture to mixing bowl.

Add iced water to egg white to make 1/4 cup liquid. Sprinkle over dry ingredients and toss with a folding motion to distribute. Shape into a ball, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate one hour or several days.

Leave dough at room temperature 15 minutes and roll out to fit 9-inch pie pan. Transfer to pie pan and press dough to sides and corners, fluting the top edge. Chill one hour.

Preheat oven to 400F. Prick pie shell all over and line with aluminum foil. Prick foil too. Return shell to chill while oven preheats. Bake 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and brush bottom and sides (including fluting) with egg yolk and a few drops of water. Bake one more minute and set aside.

Fashioning the Filling

Toast pecans in 250F oven for 10 minutes. Chop in pieces and set aside.

Melt butter in a double boiler. Stir in sugar and salt. Beat in eggs and maple syrup. Stir until mixture reaches 130 degrees. Remove from heat. Stir in pecans and pour into still-warm crust.

Bake at 275F for 50-60 minutes. Cool pie on a rack (to prevent a soggy bottom crust). Let cool at least 4 hours before serving.

Tips from Elias: We don't know why you have to chop up the nuts. We think you could chop some and leave some whole for the aesthetic presentation.

Tips from Guthrie: We regret to inform you that there is no picture of this pie. It was by far the best pie we have made all year. We had some for Thanksgiving and sent some home with the elders too. They thought it was the best pie of all time, but the elder man is worried about how much it costs to make when you use Real Maple Syrup. Me said, that's why we only make it once in awhile.