The Dog Days of Summer are Upon Us and Recipes!
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| feel the heat |
This year our favorite sweltering days occur 7/3 thru 8/11. This just happens to coincide with Air Conditioning Appreciation Days (7/3 thru 8/15). No. I don't make this stuff up.
According to Wikipedia (the encyclopedia Britannica of the computer age) the
Dog Days of Summer are:
"The sultry days of summer. In the Northern Hemisphere,
the dog days of summer are most commonly experienced in the months of
July and August, which typically observe the warmest summer
temperatures".
"The Old Farmer's Almanac
lists the traditional period of the Dog Days as the 40 days beginning
July 3rd and ending August 11th, coinciding with the ancient heliacal (at sunrise) rising of the Dog Star, Sirius. These are the days of the year with the least rainfall in the Northern Hemisphere".
Well said Wikipedia. Well said.
Thank GOODNESS it wasn't named after the rising of the Whale Star.
The Whale Days of Summer.
Most of us are conscientious enough about our bathing suit bodies this time of year. Anyway there's lots more reference information on Wikipedia about dates and times and calendars and Romans and...you get the idea.
Here at Maison Mutt we just think...its FLIPPING HOT! yup. Dog Days are HOT which in turn makes our 5 furbabies HOT and at times miserable. The doggie wading pool was never popular. Oh I had visions of our dogs splish-splashing about, drinking lemonades and having a good old doggie time. They would have none of it. Except to drink out of it. Preferably after another one of them walked through it. With very dirty paws. Mmmmmm.
So what do we do to cool our fur kids off? We stay inside if possible. Pull down the shades and hide. When we can't do that, I break out the Pup-cicles! All our dogs love various versions of this recipe and since I use several ice cube trays to freeze them I can pop out a bunch of different versions in one day. Here's a couple favorite recipes from dog house:
PawNut Butter and Jelly Frozen Treats
Ingredients:
- 4 cups plain yogurt, regular, low or fat free (umm, ya we make our own)
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 cup of blueberries
- 3 tbsp peanut butter, natural and salt free is preferred
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions:
- Stir all of the ingredients together into a medium bowl.
- Pour into a blender, and puree until smooth.
- Pour the smoothie into ice cube trays and freeze.
Storing - Lasts for 6 months or more in the freezer if you take care to store it well.
Yield - Using a 1/2 inch ice cube tray, you will make 32 PB & J dog treats.
The Might Frozen Meatball
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups dry dog food, ground coarse
- 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 1 lb. lean ground beef, chicken or turkey
- 1/4 cup honey (check with your vet)
- 1/8 cup applesauce, unsweetened
Instructions:
- Cook the ground meat, breaking it apart into very small pieces. Once cooked through, pour off the grease.
- Once cooled, pour the dog food into a food processor or blender and grind to a coarse flour.
- Whisk together the coarse dog food and bread crumbs in a medium bowl.
- Stir together the meat, honey and applesauce in a separate small bowl.
- Stir the meat mixture into the dry mixture until combined.
- Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a small cookie scooper, hand pack the scooper. Press firmly to get as much in as you can. Place on the baking sheet.
- Place in your freezer until frozen, approximately 2 hours.
Storing: Keeps in
the freezer for up to 4 months if well sealed.
Yield: Using a 1 inch cookie scooper, you will create about 40 meatballs.
So... there's a sweet and a savory recipe for your Dog Days of Summer. Cool no?
What about you? Did I mention these go great with Margaritas?
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