Star-Spangled Treats

I had a plan. After last Independence Day's long explosive weekend, plus its following tedious Summer of dealing with the fireworks which existed within Rose's head, I have spent all year thinking about and preparing for July 2012. That's right. All 365 days' worth!! I fully expected Rose to be my stubborn little girl, who will put up a nightly fight of tug 'o war. Fully expected it. So, this year, I had a plan!! Had a plan. Which, our neighbor Deborah warned would not be successful!! My response to that? It was point-blank. "Well, you don't know my dog." I said. Rose, who has strong-willed plans of her own, and I were going to overcome this. Sooner rather than later. I have a plan.... I will bake Rose this batch of biscuits. Carry some with me on our pitch-black nightly walks. Give her one when she actually cooperates sans any fights. As a reward. In the end of last year's ordeal, this worked. With baby carrots!! Healthful. Yet boring!! So, on July 3rd, I baked a batch of biscuits for Rose--and made them patriotic--by using my star-shaped cookie cutter!! I was getting in the spirit!! This is one of my favorite holidays, after all!! The recipe was not intended to be for Independence Day. But, it did have a Summer theme!! Rose would rate this recipe: Four 'paws' way, way up!!

Bark-B-Q
YOU'LL NEVER STOP HEARING THE COMPLIMENTS OVER THIS ONE!
2 cups whole wheat flour (Yeah.... I heard someone tell me once that too much wheat can effect a dogs' digestive system. So I substituted for white flour!!)
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup tomato paste
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon honey

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix oil, water, honey and tomato paste. Add to dry ingredients. Roll dough to 1/4 inch thick, (I wanted "fat" stars. So decided to be a rebel in this case!! Which made them thick.... And chewy!!) cut with cookie cutter, and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees. I baked them for 35 minutes.... If memory serves me well!!) Makes 2 1/2 dozen. I made 43 stars!! I needed twain airtight containers to store them in!! That was a first!!

Bake bones on the middle oven rack. If your dough is sticky, apply a light layer of flour to your hands, the rolling surface and rolling pin. Because of variations in oven temperatures, monitor the cooking time for your batch of "Doggy Bones". Bake bones until the bottoms of the biscuits become medium brown, and adjust remaining baking times accordingly. If bones do not become "bone hard", bake bones for an additional five minutes or leave them in the oven as it cools. Store "Doggy Bones" in an airtight container. For extended supply, double your batch and freeze them!

When combining this recipe's ingredients, I allowed Rose some tastes of its contents. Tomato paste first. She loved it!! I then allowed Rose a second liberal taste!! Which she happily accepted!! Wow.... I tasted some tomato paste, as well. Ewww!! It left this foul taste in my mouth!! But Rose liked tomato paste.... Well, I suppose when you are a dog that licks her privates, anything goes.... Right? I then offered Rose a small droplet of honey. She sniffed it. Turned her face away. Sniffed it again. Turned her face in the opposite direction. Okay.... Then, finally, her tongue peeked out, slowly, timidly, like some snake's. But.... She snubbed the honey!! It was hilarious!! My hound dog's black nostrils just could not get over the honey's potent smell!! But that is okay!! I dislike honey, as well!! My dough was gooey, so I added a few sprinkles of flour into it. However, this did not help!! My dough was still gooey!! So I sprinkled some flour onto our countertop. Repeatedly. Every time I rolled my dough into balls for flattening out!! Next, I have no clue what came over me. Because somewhere along the way, I morphed into a version of Martha Stewart!! Me!! The nondomestic person!! I pulled each gooey star out of its cookie cutter. Then, using my fingers, I molded and shaped their "arms". Finally, I flattened them a little!! These biscuits are orange/red colored!! Plus they taste--and reek--of tomato paste!! I had to literally hold my breath while making them....