As if it wasn’t bad enough to move everything 3 boys and 2 adults had accumulated over 25 years in one home, I had to move my home-canned foods twice in just a few months.  After unpacking them and placing them in the niftiest basement cabinets I could ask for (think nice and cool) in August, by winter I discovered that they were in the warmest room in the whole house (think woodstove)!

The first time they got unpacked, I just wanted to empty all our boxes.  This time I actually looked at what I was doing and read the labels.  Some of those pears were from 2009!  They are still safe, but they have lost some texture and nutritional value.  I’m still adding them to fruit salads, but there are more jars than we can use before the next pear harvest.  The chickens have been enjoying them, but surely there’s more to do with them than feed them to the chickens!

Then I remembered…pears and apples can be used interchangeably in many recipes.  Our chocolate lab, Cookie, has been gone for a while now so I haven’t made dog training biscuits in a long time.  However, our sons’ dogs (2 chocolate labs and a Chesapeake Bay retriever) and sometimes a Yorkie still grace us with their presence on occasion.  It is time to dig out the old recipe and get to work.

This basic recipe has been around for a long time and I’ve seen it on many web sites.  It is not my creation. 

Apple Cinnamon Dog Training Biscuits

The dough never rolls out to
a perfect square.  I use the
scraps from the edges and
re-roll very thin for tiny pets.
Odd shapes work too.

Ingredients

• 4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1 egg
• 2 T. vegetable oil
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 small apple, grated
• 1⅓ cups water

Preparation
Combine all ingredients except the water. Gradually add in the water and mix until it starts forming a dough you can handle. Sprinkle the countertop with flour and place the dough on it.  Knead well. Roll out and place on a greased cookie sheet (or 2).  Score the dough horizontally then vertically to make a grid of squares.

Bake at 325º F for 1 hour. After they are thoroughly cooled, break apart and place in air-tight storage containers.  Do not put in storage before they are completely cooled or they could spoil from accumulated moisture. 

Note: Until you know how they do in your oven, watch them and perhaps rearrange them on your oven grates several times.  One oven I had required a lower temperature and longer time to get them the way I wanted them.  Adequately cooked/dried-out biscuits last longer.

Here's what you need to keep in mind as you decide what to do with the dough:

How much time do I have?  If you don't have much time, roll the dough out, place it on a cookie sheet, score it with a pastry cutter or pizza cutter.  If you have lots of time or it’s for a special gift, it’s nice to use dog bone cookie cutters.  Roll the dough out on the countertop and proceed as for cookies.  You already know how to do that, right?  If your grid isn’t perfect, don’t worry about it – trust me, the dog won’t care.

Who's going to eat it?  The size and thickness is not one size fits all.  That Chessie can handle something much bigger and thicker than a Yorkie.  An older dog may not be able to handle as hard a treat as a younger dog.

Is there anything in the fridge I need to use up?  Sometimes when I open a jar of my homemade applesauce it doesn’t all get eaten quickly enough.  I can tell my boys don’t live at home anymore.  So…applesauce is made from apples (I do NOT add sugar).  A little internet research showed that two large apples = 1 1/3 cup applesauce.  The recipe calls for 1 small apple grated.  Let’s figure that it’s a little less than 2/3 cup…maybe 1/2 cup applesauce in place of the grated apple.  That was easy!

Is there anything else I need to use up?  What about those pears?  I won’t get an exact equivalent, but I can grate them and come pretty close.  Trust me, the dog won’t care.

What if it’s too dry?  If you have too little, the dough will be too dry to work.  When that happens (and it has) I add a little more applesauce or pear juice from my canning jar, or apple juice if there is some, or I add water.  It should be a stiff dough, but not so stiff that you can’t handle it.

What if it’s too wet?  If you have too much, the dough will be too sticky to work.  When that happens (and it has) I add a little more flour – gradually – until it’s a manageable mass of dough.  Now that wasn’t hard! 

Comments on Ingredients:

Whole wheat flour: We care about our dogs.  White flour has no nutritional value to speak of.  I’m not going to give it to them.  Yes, they are getting treats, but I want them to be healthy treats.

Cornmeal:  Cornmeal is not interchangeable with cornmeal mix. If you read the list of ingredients you’ll see why.  It doesn’t matter what color it is.

Egg:  It’s a different-sized egg every time I make this.  Adjust your flour or liquid if necessary to make the dough the right consistency.

Vegetable oil:  any plant oil will work.  We like our dogs, but not so much that I worry about using Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  Remember I’m frugal (that’s a nice way of saying what they actually call me), so I have to find a balance.

Cinnamon: Caution – it makes them smell so good that the kids may sneak them (I know from experience).  That’s okay – they are healthy and safe even for human consumption.  Ask my friend, who mixed up his dog’s Christmas present from me with HIS Christmas present from me!  He’s still alive to tell about it!  Next year I won’t use a fancy tin and the label will be in a much larger font.

Apple:  This can be replaced with applesauce (unsweetened), pears, peaches…use your imagination.

Water: It’s easier to add water to the dough than to remove it.  Proceed with caution – after you’ve poured in the first half of it, add it gradually.

Alternatives:

1)    I have replaced cinnamon with freshly-chopped parsley when parsley was abundant.  I like to use at least ¼ cup.  Your Apple Cinnamon Dog Training Biscuits have just become Fresh Breath Dog Treats.

2)    Replace the apple with tuna or mackerel and omit the cinnamon.  Caution – I keep those in the freezer to avoid any risk of spoilage.

3)    Roll the dough out very thin, place on a cookie sheet and score in a very small grid pattern and you will have Apple Cinnamon Cat Treats.  You can’t call them “training biscuits” because we all know that cats can’t be trained.  They train you!

WARNING:  Don’t more than double this recipe unless you are strong.  It’s hard to work that large and stiff a mass of dough.

So, my dear co-worker Cathy, is pushing me to post a recipe.  Here it goes.  I hate to say this, but when it comes to cooking I don't exactly do recipes unless you count a list of ingredients as a recipe.  Usually it's more like "let's see...what do we have?  What else can I add?  What do I need to use up?"  One of my favorites is one my husband initially created - cabbage soup.  Given the ratios of ingredients he uses, it should really be called Polish sausage soup!
You'll notice that I don't have very explicit instructions.  Here's what you need to keep in mind as you decide what to do with the ingredients:
How much time do I have?  If you don't have much time, remember that smaller pieces cook faster.  On the other hand, if you're a klutz with a knife it may be faster to throw in larger pieces and let them cook a little longer. You don't have to brown the sausage.  You can just throw everything in a pot and start it simmering.
Who's going to eat it?  Huge pieces of carrot or cabbage may not work well for a small child.
Is there anything in the fridge I need to use up?  Throw in those last few pieces of celery, cauliflower, peppers or turnips that aren't enough for a meal.  If you have fresh green onions or parsley, chop them up to add once
So is it 1 or 2 onions?  Depends.  If you really like onions, as my boys would say, "duh" put more in.  If the onions are really small you'll need more than if they are really big.  Seriously, you don't need a recipe to tell you how many.  Chill.  It's not that important.

My version of cabbage soup with sliced
green onions added when serving.

CABBAGE SOUP
1 ring of Polish sausage
1/2 - 1 head cabbage
3-4 potatoes
4-5 carrots
1-2 onions
2-3 cloves garlic
water or chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste

Slice the sausage and brown it in a large pot on medium high.  Stir frequently or you'll have blackened it not browned it, before you know it.  Ready the vegetables by cutting them into pieces that suit you.  As some fat is released from the sausage, add the onions and stir until translucent.  Add the remaining ingredients and simmer until they reach the tenderness YOU like.  Salt and pepper to taste.
Alternative:  throw all the ingredients in the pot and simmer until done.

Comments on ingredients:
Polish sausage:  Can be sliced or cut into large pieces.  This is also good using other sausages.  Pick a flavor that suits you.
Cabbage: Can be chunked, diced, shredded - pick what works best for you.
Potatoes: If they are small, then quartering may be sufficient.  If they are large or if you are feeding small mouths, you may want to cut them into bite-sized chunks.
Carrots: Can be sliced, broken into a few pieces each or if they had a good sale on baby carrots, just throw them in as is. (BTW they probably are not baby carrots - read the label.  It probably says baby cut, meaning they took regular carrots and cut them down to baby size!)
Onions:  See potatoes.
Garlic:  Hey, if you don't like garlic - leave it out.  No problem.,
Chicken broth:  It's not necessary, but it is good.  If you don't have any, use plain water or add some chicken bouillon to the water.
Salt and Pepper:  Remember that most sausage already has quite a bit of sodium in it.  Taste the soup before you start adding salt.
All these vegetables cook to tenderness at different rates.  You can control some of that by leaving "quicker cookers" in larger pieces or adding them a little later in the process.  Can you guess yet what I'm going to say?  It's up to YOU!  Figure out what works best for you.  It's okay...really!