Bacon Pumpkin DOG Bones

So as many of you know, I have decided to switch my focus to pet care. While baking is still my hobby, and always will be, I have decided that I would like to keep baking as just a hobby so that I never start dreading it.

Anyways, this weekend I made some lovely dog treats to sell at the Valley Fort Farmer’s Market in Fallbrook. The event was a lot of fun, and a lot of people took my pet sitting card, so that was a huge success in my book.

The treats turned out fabulously by the way. Here’s the deal on those:

Handmade with fresh-cooked bacon and organic pumpkin, my bacon pumpkin dog bones were a hit with my (garbage disposal) dog and my parents’ (garbage disposal) dog. Pumpkin is pretty great if you ask me. My dog is a pit bull, and pit bulls are notorious for sensitive stomachs, allergies, and skin irritation. He suffers from all of the above. I decided to try pumpkin on him, and he stopped having stomach issues, and his coat got exponentially more shiny. So I was pretty stoked when I found a recipe for treats that contained pumpkin. Not only could I make his treats myself (I like to know exactly what he is eating), but I found a new and much easier way to give him his much needed pumpkin.

After finding this recipe, I gathered up all the ingredients (there aren’t many) and gave it a try. You can find the recipe at the bottom of this post.

Before I even started I preheated the oven to 350 and put foil over a cookie sheet.

I started by cooking 3 slices of bacon, which set off my smoke alarm. I proceeded to open up all the windows and fan air away from the smoke alarm.

When I came back to my project, I diced up the cooked bacon. I didn’t pat it down to get rid of grease, because my spoiled dog loves bacon grease. I mixed the eggs and pumpkin in a large bowl then added in my bacon, oats, and flour (non-bleached because I don’t want to add unnecessary chemicals) and continued to hand knead it. Just a note here: the pumpkin should be bought from a pet store, as they sell pumpkin specifically meant for dogs containing no sugar or extra unnecessary ingredients.

The next step was to clear off the table and spread flour over it. I rolled out the dough like I would sugar cookies and used a bone shaped cookie cutter to shape the biscuits. Before I put them in the oven, I drizzled a LITTLE bacon grease over all of the biscuits.

Then I baked them for 25 minutes, let them cool, and packaged them up for the farmer’s market. I learned a lot at the farmer’s market today, and next week I am definitely going to stress the importance of pumpkin for dogs and up my display of the biscuits.

The Finished Product

I took the recipe from a variety of sources (I mixed recipes and updated where I saw necessary). So here it is:

Pumpkin and Bacon Dog Bones

3 slices bacon, diced

1 cup organic pumpkin

2 large eggs

1 cup old fashioned oats

3 cups non-bleached flour

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil; set aside.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes; set aside, reserving excess fat.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin and eggs. Gradually add old fashioned oats and 3 cups flour, and diced bacon. 
4. Working on a lightly floured surface, knead the dough 3-4 times until it comes together. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Using cookie cutters, cut out desired shapes and place onto the prepared baking sheet.
5. Place into oven and bake until the edges are golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.* (Shorter for softer cookies)
6. Let cool completely.

Here are some pictures of today!

Red Velvet 4th of July Cupcakes

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What better way for me to celebrate the end of school than by making some Red Velvet cupcakes just so that I could take pictures of them? No, I didn’t do that… Wait, yes I did. 

I’ll be honest, a while back, I bought some blue sprinkles, gold pearls, and sparkler candles just so that I could make these lovely cupcakes. How long ago did I buy this stuff, you ask? I bought it in April. Yes, April. I do love my holidays. Any excuse to make cupcakes is good enough for me.

These Red Velvets are made using the same Paula Deen recipe I used for the Purple Monsters, and the frosting is made using the infamous Pastry Pride from Stater Brothers. The recipe is here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/red-velvet-cupcakes-with-cream-cheese-frosting-recipe.html

If you’d like some of these bad boys at your 4th of July shindig, just give me a holler on my etsy page or email me at katycordova1302@gmail.com. Ps, San Diego residents only. Here’s the link to my etsy site: https://www.etsy.com/shop/katecakessandiego?ref=hdr_shop_menu

Making Kate’s Cupcakes – Go Fund Me

So since the morning-time before I head off to school is apparently my most motivated time of day, I decided to make a Go Fund Me account to help make this real finally. Here’s my story:

From the time I was just a wee little sprout, I was fascinated with the kitchen and baking. I absolutely hate cooking, but baking is another story. I’ve been baking since my mom first allowed me to use the kitchen. I started with pancakes, then moved on to cookies and brownies, and now cupcakes and even cinnamon rolls and other pastries on special occasions. I can be as creative as I want with baking. I can take recipes and replace one ingredient with another, changing things based on what people like and what they don’t like. I can also experiment with decorating and flavors. I’ve made cupcakes of all kinds- beer, Oreo, red velvet, cookie dough, apple, brownie, cheesecake, caramel, you name it.

Anyways, the reason for me making a Go Fund Me account is because I recently decided I wanted to start a Cottage Foods Operation, described here:   http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/deh/food/cottagefood.html. Eventually, I want to turn it into a 501c3, where I provide “Holiday Desserts” to families and children in need.

So thanks for helping me make this reality!

If you want to donate, just follow this link =)

http://www.gofundme.com/gr0kp4

Fun Fun… Cottage Food Operations

So I just found something really fun! I was looking up what it would take to start baking and selling at farmer’s markets and such, and I came across this! 

The Cottage Food Law:

The Cottage Food Law went into effect on January 1, 2013, allowing the production of certain low risk foods in home kitchens and sales directly and indirectly to the public. Cottage Food Operators (CFO) can prepare and sell “non-potentially hazardous foods,” which are foods that are unlikely to grow harmful bacteria or other toxic microorganisms at room temperature.

Here’s a little bit more on the matter: http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/deh/food/cottagefood.html

The Cottage Food Law apparently allows people like me to sell their delicious baked goods! So guess what I’m going to do? I’m going to start selling my delicious baked goods! I bake all the time, and I never eat it, so I might as well sell it right? 

So who’s going to be my first customer??

P.S. When I read “Cottage Food,” I pictured a grandmother cooking.. So that’s why I used that picture =)