Homemade Peanut Butter Dog Treats

This Christmas I wanted to make our dog treats from scratch vs. just buying them at the store. (I think this actually ends of being more cost effective as well. This recipe made over 4 dozen treats for us because we made them small). Trust me, it is SO easy. Why? Because if you mess up, who cares? Trust me, your dog will still enjoy :).

To get started, you'll need just a few ingredients. You might already have all of these around the house:

Vegetable Oil Cooking Spray

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 cup low sodium chicken broth

1 cup creamy peanut butter

All you need to do is mix all of the ingredients together as if you were making a batch of cookies. Since these were for Christmas, I used Christmas cookie cutters for fun shapes. Any other time of year you could use dog bones, etc.

Pre-heat your oven to 375. Spray a cookie sheet and spread out the treats. Cook for about 15 - 20 minutes, or until they are golden brown on top. Remember, they are for dogs. A little soft or a little crunchy? I doub't they will mind! 

Mackenzie and all of her friends have been enjoying these treats for the past week. Hopefully your dog will too!

Easy Twist: Upside Down Pizza

If your house is anything like ours, we tend to get bored of the same routine - pasta, tacos, chicken, pizza - sometimes you need to shake it up! But then you start thinking of shaking up, and that means an extra trip to the grocery store, and more planning on your weekend when all you really want to do is....nothing! So how do you avoid the dinner hum drums? Just take some of your favorite dishes and mix it up a bit using what you already have!

This is what we did this weekend when Sunday was rolling around and I didn't have a plan for dinner. I knew we had what was needed to make pizza, but how could I switch it up a bit? I looked to my friends at www.pillsbury.com and got a great idea! Upside Down Pizza!

This was a really easy and fun dish. We ommited the olives because, well they're gross. Take a look below and try it out for yourself!

Ingredients

1

lb bulk mild Italian pork sausage

1

jar (14 oz) pizza sauce

1

package (8 oz) sliced fresh mushrooms

2

cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz)

1/2

cup sliced drained roasted red bell peppers (from 7.25-oz jar)

1/4

cup sliced ripe olives

1

can (13.8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated classic pizza crust

2

tablespoons olive oil

1/2

teaspoon Italian seasoning

2

tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Steps

Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray.

In 12-inch nonstick skillet, cook sausage over medium-high heat 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking up sausage with spoon, until no longer pink. Drain if necessary. Stir in pizza sauce, mushrooms, mozzarella cheese, bell peppers and olives. Spoon mixture into pan; spread evenly.

Unroll dough. Shape dough to fit over sausage mixture in pan. Brush dough with olive oil. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese. Use sharp knife to make several 1-inch slits in dough.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.