Garlicy Dog Biscuit recipe

J'adore dogs!

A great pet is such an asset to one's style of living. Walks force us to get outside, meet our neighbors and interact with each other.  Not that I personally have ANY problem with those things, I am simply advising you, my dear readers.  

It seems such a shame that we have to outlive such valuable friends on a regular basis. 

Oh don't get me started, this is one of the things on my list to talk to God about as soon as I sweep through the pearly gates.  How unfair to live through a series of BEST FRIENDS this way!

Should you be lucky enough to have a darling canine in your life let me pass along a favorite recipe.  I made this many times for my dear sweet angel.
Garlicky Dog Biscuits 

Preheat oven to 350 F.

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup powdered milk
1/2 tsp garlic powder or chopped garlic (not too much of this though, it is just to help repel fleas)
1 Tbs brown sugar
6 Tbs meat drippings (we always save the bacon grease at our house just for this)
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup water or bullion or stock

Blend the wet ingredients in a bowl, in another bowl blend the dry ingredients. Mix well. Combine the two bowls. With your hands make ball shapes (about as big a round as a quarter). Press flat and put onto a lightly greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 25 minutes in a 350 oven (or less as my oven runs hot). Remove from cookie sheet and let cool (put the dog out back so he wont be completely annoying waiting for these to cool).  Store in an airtight container (These also freeze well).

Note: Smart little doggies know exactly once you are up to once you have made these one time for them so don't worry about bone shaped cookie cutters as they pant and beg- just a small ball shape flattened will do fine.

Aunt Shelba's iced tea recipe

Aunt Shelba is a wonderful lady who lives in the South.  She is warm, loving and kindly with the best southern accent I've ever heard.  She is also an excellent hostess and wonderful mother and grandmother. 

As well as being an expert in the area of child development, she is a skilled  cook with a large repertoire of all the southern staples that most southern families have enjoyed for well over a hundred fifty years now.

On a side note, when I first saw Paula Deen on television I instantly liked her because she reminded me so much of my sweet Auntie.

She also makes the best iced tea you could ever have.

Just like when you see the recipe for pie crust and it looks like it would be easy but the truth is it's all about the technique as to whether it turns out right.  Well, iced tea is similar (but not quite as difficult to master as pie crust in my opinion).

Here is Aunt Shelba's recipe with plenty of notes along the way to help with technique.

Put 4 cups of water in a 2 qt saucepan and bring to a boil.  When the water boils turn it off and put in 8 small tea bags (I use 10 because I make mine with decaf tea bags).

Let this sit for about 4 hours. You can let it go longer but I have found at some point it starts to get cloudy so I like about 4 hours.

Put 1 1/2 cups of sugar in a 1 gallon container (I like to reuse the cleaned out glass jugs from wine or apple cider for this purpose).  Add the steeped tea water and shake together until mixed well.

The run cold water over the tea bags (still in the pan) over and over until the gallon contained is almost filled to the top (leave the neck empty).  Then put in 1/3 cup lemon juice. The best is either fresh squeezed or the thawed frozen lemon juice (Minute Maid) from the freezer section of the grocery store. 

Refrigerate and enjoy.