Doggie Treats, anyone?

I've been making Ruby's doggie treats for years.  One reason is economical, but the most important reason is, Ruby absolutely loves them.  She turns down Snausages, Bacon treats, Milkbone, and almost any purchased dog treat on the market. 

Even if your dog likes name brand treats, you might give these a try.  They're so very easy to make.

2 C. flour
1 C. grated cheese, any cheddar will do
1/2 tsp. salt
1 individual size serving of apple sauce
water

Mix the above ingredients until a somewhat soft dough forms.  The exact porportions are not important. 

Pat or roll out the dough until approximately 1/4 inch thickness.  Parchment, Silpat, or use a cooking spray of your choice.  It should form somewhat of a rectangle.

The dough can be scored lightly with a butter knife or a pizza cutter.  I forgot to take a picture of the scoring part.  You can skip this part if you want, but scoring makes the cooked treats a little easier to cut after baking.   Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes or so.  It should be brown around the edges and the cheese bits on top should be starting to brown too.

Cut into 1/2 inch pieces.  Here's the important part:  Since there are NO preservatives, they should be kept in the freezer, in a ziplock bag.  I usually portion about 10 at a time in a little container in the refrigerator and use those for Ruby.  As many treats that can be used up in about 5 days is a good amount for the fridge.  The rest of the treats will stay nice and fresh in the freezer.  Re-fill the fridge supply as needed.

Doesn't your dog deserve homemade treats? 

A story and some progress

What a crazy week! 

First, our computer crashed.  Bummer.  It was down for 2 whole days, and I have no other computer resource, so those 2 days seemed like 2 long weeks.

 The following day, I had an overflow of sticky, sugary batter in my oven.  When the cake directions say to use a certain size pan, I suppose they mean it.  My pan was too small....way too small.  I wasn't too worried, because I have a  BRAND NEW oven,  and it has a 'self-clean'  feature.  Ever since we moved, I've been using a, what shall I say.... economical oven... yes,  that's what you call an oven that doesn't have any bells or whistles.  Understand, I love to cook, and spending time using  Easy-Off  on crusty, greasy bits is not a good way to spend an afternoon.  After a lengthy discussion on the benefits of my cooking versus going out to eat every night, my husband agreed.  Back to the story.  The spill was truly nasty.  After removing the disgusting cake pan  from the oven, I was eager to try this miracle of technology - an oven that cleans itself!  Did I wipe up the spill first?  Of course not.  Did I read the directions first?  No way!  I just pushed the cleaning pad, and heard the oven door lock.  Did I mention it was 10 o'clock at night?  Smoke began billowing out of the oven vent faster and thicker than one could imagine.  All four smoke alarms were blaring while Ruby began barking and running around the house like it was on fire...ahem, yeah, weird.   I began opening all the windows, yelling at my husband (who was soundly sleeping at the time) to help me.  Long story short -  the smoke cleared, but the smell lingered on.  We've spent several days cleaning drapes, washing every fabric that was possible, and yesterday, we finally shampooed the carpet. 

Today, it seems we won't have to call professionals, after all.  The smell is about 95% gone.  We are somewhat back to normal, and I can get back to really important matters, like knitting.

The Castelgar cardigan is winding down, finally.  I'm nearly finished with the collar portion, then come the button bands.

My biggest problem is YARN.  Do I have enough?  I'm on the last skein, and it's going fast.  When I bought the yarn, I thought I would make the sleeves quarter length, but I changed my mind when I began the project.  Can I say "Houston, we have a problem"?

The directions say to graft the underarm section, after the cardigan is completed.  I suppose this means using a Kitchner stitch?  That's the only graft stitch I know.  Maybe an online search is in order.

Lace Ribbon Scarf

I finished the Lace Ribbon Scarf about a week ago, but I haven't had time to block it properly.  The pattern can be found on Ravelry, and the instructions are pretty straight forward.  After ripping it back three times, I decided to use a 'lifeline' ; something I rarely do, and that helped considerably.  

The pattern is full of yarn-overs and just one mistake is quite noticeable.  I came THIS close to frogging the whole thing, and re-winding the yarn for another purpose.  The yarn is from my stash, Knitpicks, fingering weight.  It's obviously a variegated yarn color, but the band was lost long ago, so that's all I know.  I think it's quite pretty, even though the above picture is the 'wrong side' of the scarf.  Sheesh!

Cinnamon Rolls

There's something about the aroma of cinnamon that just knocks me out!

Saturday, after pampering a mild cold that kept me sleepless at night, and sleepy during the day, I decided to do some baking.  Baking always makes me feel better.  Maybe it's the sweet aroma and warmth surrounding the kitchen, creating a homey atmosphere.  Whatever the reason, it works for me.

Oh my!  My husband was close by, cup of hot coffee in hand, waiting patiently.

Harry a la carte

It's hard to believe that I haven't read every single Harry Potter book, right?  Having read the last three books, "Order of the Phoenix", "Half Blood Prince", and "Deathly Hallows", I've decided to begin at the beginning, and read the first four books. 

I think most people agree that reading the book is almost always better than the movie, so I can hardly wait to see what I've missed.  The movies have been super, but die hard Harry Potter fans can always find something they wished were done differently. 

Nursing a bit of a cold is a good excuse to set down my knitting for a couple of days, make a cup of tea, and read "Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone".

Progress

This is the first time I've ever constructed a cardigan from the bottom up.  As you can see, I've held both underarm sections from the sleeve and the body of the sweater on waste yarn.

The area above the 'hole' needs to be about 3 inches, before I start decreasing for the yoke. 

This has been quite the challenge.  Fingering weight yarn with a size 2-3 needle. 

My head is bursting with so many pretty cardigans waiting in line.   Does anyone feel the same way?  I can hardly wait to finish, just so I can start another. 

Ruby Tuesday