Doghouse eats

Here’s what a sleeping, happy, fully satiated dog looks like. But just an hour earlier, my mutt Kobe did the unthinkable. He poked his snout into a gift bag, pulled out a loaf of banana bread wrapped in aluminum foil and started a major scarf-down.

Dog mistake number one: leaking evidence. He’s not the smartest Lab in town and blew it making all that strange noise.  I was in my bedroom dressing after a shower when I detected loud, rustling paper nearby, interspersed with snorting and chomping.

I called him… but nada.

So I rushed down the stairs in my underwear and screamed out his name, which created a huge dog dilemma. Should he slink off and look sorry or make a quick lunge for the mangled remains still lying on the floor?

Kobe chose the latter and (don’t read this if you’re a PETA member) I slapped his butt with my right hand and grabbed  the canine-shredded loaf with my left hand just seconds before his jaws clamped around it. Krystal then suddenly appeared at my side, shook her head solemnly and offered a piece of advice, “You can’t leave food out, Mom.”

This, coming from the resident of a room that is stalked daily for day-old sandwiches, chocolate covered candy wrappers and crumb filled coat pockets!

Let’s just say it took me a few minutes to regain my composure and as I did, all thoughts of dog murder evaporated away. Before long, Kobe and I made up. He swiped his stinky, eau de banana bread tongue across my cheek and I searched my pocket for a kookie.

Kobe Kookies

He’s spoiled but here’s why: Kobe is the only eater in my house who never turns his nose up to any of my culinary creations.

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup chickpea flour

½ cup rolled oats

2 tsp baking powder

½ cups milk

½ cup warm water

1 cup peanut butter

1 tbsp blackstrap molasses

Preheat oven to 350 °F

In a large bowl combine flours, oats and baking powder.

In another large bowl, whisk together milk, water, peanut butter and molasses until smooth.

Dump wet ingredients into dry and stir until dough forms.

On a floured surface, knead the dough a few times until smooth then roll out

to ¼ -inch to ½-inch thickness.

Using dog bone cookie cutters (an essential!) cut out the cookies and arrange on two baking sheets lined with parchment.  You can arrange them tightly, since they don’t expand.

Bake 20 minutes.  Turn off the oven and leave for a few hours or overnight to get nice and hard.  Makes about 50.