Cooking for Canines - Sardine Squares

I love baking - for humans or hounds - there's nothing quite like home baked treats.  The great thing about cooking for canines is that I know and can control exactly what goes into my home baked training treats.

Liver cake is always a favourite with Mina, Stevie & Jasper, but it's not for the squeamish and isn't suitable for use when training puppies ( need to be careful with the vitamin A content).  So, Ive had a go at fish alternative...Sardine Squares which you can make it in the microwave or oven.

For speed, I thought I'd try it in the microwave - experimenting with optimum cooking times.  The results were great and were definitely appreciated by the hounds.  I also tried it on the puppies in my Puppy School classes and it went down a treat!

If you'd like to have a go, here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
2 x tins of sardines in oil (tins are around 85gm)
2 x eggs
300gm rice flour
2 cloves of crushed fresh garlic (optional)
60ml water
Teaspoon fresh chopped parsley

Instructions:
1.   Whizz sardines and garlic in food processor
2.   Add eggs, flour and whizz until mixture comes together
3.   Add water and chopped parsley
4.  Whizz in processor until mixture is a medium dropping consistency
5.  Transfer to greased and lined baking tin (if baking in traditional oven)
6.  Bake for around 20-25 minutes at 180C (Gas Mark 4) until firm.
7.  If baking in microwave, transfer to a greased (I used 3 plastic containers) container
8.  Microwave on full power for 4½ minutes (based on 1000 W oven)
9.  Allow to cool, turn out and cut into small squares
10.  Keep in airtight container in fridge for up to a week or freeze for up to 3 months.


Mina seemed to love it too and did very well keeping her nose out of temptation's way... that's what I call Impulse Control!

"Aww, Mum please can I have a sardine square?"

If you try the recipe do let me know how you get on, or share your dog's favourite training treats and leave a comment.

Do You Ever Get The Feeling....

The salad dressing that thinks it's a volcano

....that someone's trying to tell you something? If my last two mornings are anything to go by, someone, somewhere seems to want to tell me something! I've just not figured out what it is yet.

Yesterday, I thought I'd try to be organised and prepare myself  a healthy packed lunch and salad.  I had a lovely new M&S salad dressing (Sicilian lemon - I'm a sucker for 'new' flavours) and, as per bottle instructions, shook it gently to mix it..big mistake...HUGE mistake!

As I unscrewed the lid, the bottle did an amazing impression of Mount Vesuvius and erupted everywhere, gushing lemony, oily salad dressing everywhere losing half the contents in the process.  On the plus side, all that oil proved to be very good for my hands as they were lovely and soft after being covered in it.


Fast forward to today... I was getting ready for work (no packed lunch or salad today) and whilst I was upstairs, I heard Tula, the cat, running about.  Nothing odd there you may think.  However, Tula has a very distinctive type of running sound - especially when she's brought me a 'present.'

The sparrow before the rescue mission

I ran downstairs to spy feathers in the kitchen.  Not a good sign.  Tula, however, was in the utility room looking slightly crazed and focused on the side of her litter tray. I gingerly looked down the side of the tray (it's one of those covered affairs) and saw a petrified, very much alive (phew) sparrow. What to do?

Firstly, and somewhat uncremoniously, I dumped Tula outside and locked the cat flap.  Cue Tula turning into a feline battering ram, trying to get back in. I grabbed a towel and tried to catch the poor bird - failing miserably.  The poor thing was so frightened it flew down the side of the freezer, under the work top.

The rescue mission was turning into a two person job. Luckily, hubby is off work this week so I ran upstairs to wake him from his slumbers. He was not best pleased but once awake, joined the search and rescue team.



When he managed to move the freezer, the poor sparrow flew up and into the unused tumble drier vent.  We tried to get the front of the vent off so it could fly into the garden but it was firmly stuck to the wall.  There was only one thing for it... I had to don gloves and exercise my 'sparrow wrangling' skills. 

Thankfully this story has a happy ending. I caught the sparrow and it flew free away from the garden.  It does make me wonder what tomorrow morning will bring though, as (if you're superstitious) things are supposed to happen in threes...

Finally, I snapped this photo this morning too, before the rescue mission.  I wonder what Stevie and Mina are trying to tell me? Any guesses?

Stevie & Mina trying to tell me to something