A Midwinter's Tail

by Bethany Blake

  Bake until the cookies are golden brown. This usually takes about 10 to 12 minutes, but time will depend upon the shape and thickness of the dough, so keep an eye on them!

  Also, make sure they cool before serving. They will harden as they cool down.

  Moxie’s Gingerbread Doghouses

  These cookies might not be sturdy enough to build an entire miniature replica of your own hometown—and they’d never last long enough, anyhow. The treats, with warming ginger, are a favorite of Tiny Tim, who likes to gobble them up after one of his snowy adventures. They’re gone before you can say, “Bah, hum-pug!”

  3 cups of flour best suited to your dog’s diet—whole wheat, barley, rice, sorghum . . . whatever suits your pup best. Feel free to use a mix.

  1 Tbsp freshly ground ginger root

  1 tsp ground cinnamon

  tiny pinch ground cloves

  ½ cup unsulfured, blackstrap molasses

  ½ cup water

  ¼ cup canola oil

  Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

  Whisk together the flour(s), ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. In a separate bowl, stir together the molasses, water, and oil. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir until a dough forms. You may need to use a sturdy spoon. This is a pretty stiff dough!

  On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about a ½ inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to create shapes. I suggest doghouses and ginger-pups!

  Bake for about 20 minutes, watching carefully. The cookies should be getting a tiny bit crunchy on the edges when you take them out. Cool completely before serving.

  Cranberry-Chicken Stocking Stuffer Cat Treats

  Okay, Santa Claus might still have Tinkleston on his naughty list. But Tinks is trying to behave lately. In order to reward his improving attitude, he’ll be getting these tasty treats in his stocking this year. That is, if he stops reaching his stealthy little paw over the side of the mantel and knocking the stocking to the floor.

  1 chicken breast, about five ounces

  1 cup rolled oats

  3 Tbsp dried cranberries (Be sure to buy UNSWEETENED.)

  2 Tbsp olive oil

  1 Tbsp dried catnip

  1 large egg

  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

  Boil the chicken until cooked through. Cool and chop into small pieces.

  Place the oats in a food processor and grind them up into a flour. Add the dried cranberries and grind again. Add the remaining ingredients—including the chicken—and pulse until well combined. Scrape the mixture into a bowl. If you don’t think the mixture will hold together, add a little more olive oil.

  Use a ¼ teaspoon measuring spoon to portion out the treats. Roll them into little balls and press them flat. Cook the snacks for about 15 minutes, until they turn light golden brown. Allow them to cool before serving. Kitty tongues might be rough, but they burn, too!

  Nutty Bacon Wreaths

  Peanut butter and bacon? Talk about a present fit for a dog! These are perfect for Christmas morning, when the rest of the family is snacking while opening gifts. At least, we Templetons tend to snack while exchanging presents!

  3 slices of bacon

  ⅓ cup creamy natural peanut butter (without xylitol)

  1 large egg

  1 Tbsp honey

  3 Tbsp water

  1 cup of flour best suited to your dog’s diet—whole wheat, barley, rice, sorghum . . . whatever suits your pup best. Feel free to use a mix.

  ½ cup wheat germ

  Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

  Fry the bacon until crispy and use a slotted spoon to remove it from the pan, saving the grease.

  Allow the grease to cool for about five minutes, then add the peanut butter, egg, honey, and water and stir together.

  Add the flour(s) and wheat germ, forming a dough.

  Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface, until it’s about a ¼ inch thick. Using cookie cutters or a knife, cut out wreath shapes. Crumble the bacon and press the pieces into the dough to “decorate” your wreaths.

  Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes, watching closely, because the time may vary depending on the thickness of your dough. Remove the cookies when they are lightly browned and cool before serving.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  BETHANY BLAKE lives in a small, quaint town in Pennsylvania with her husband and three daughters. When she’s not writing or riding horses, she’s wrangling a menagerie of furry family members that includes a nervous pit bull, a fearsome feline, a blind goldfish, and an attack cardinal named Robert.

  Visit Bethany at

  www.bethanyblakeauthor.com.