Happy Birthday Tom!

Tags

birthday, cooking, fun, Guide Dog, recipe, Tom

Today Tom is 8!

I don’t even have words to express how much I love this exceptional dog.

Our trip just further reinforced for me how much he is not only an integral part of my family, but of my independence.  His guide skills, training, intelligence and personality all made the trip we just took so much safer, and doable for me.

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So instead I made him his own special birthday ‘cake’.  Full of all of his favorite yummy foods.

I petted him as much as he endlessly desired all day.

The kids and I sang him Happy Birthday.

He got to sleep on our bed all night last night.

And I told him every chance I got just how much I love him.

Tomorrow we are going to go for a walk in some of his preferred places and let him have a good guide dog time.

Happy Birthday Tommy Tomato Dog.  You are an amazing, wonderful, very well loved part of my family.

Tom’s Favorites Birthday Cake Recipe:

Ingredients-

• 1 can tuna in water
• 1 egg
• 2 small to medium sized apples shredded
• tapioca starch (for binding of the ingredients)
• couple sprinkles of garlic powder
• chopped hot dogs
• freeze dried raw dog food (we were given Sojos in our welcome bags at champs)
• peanut butter for frosting

Tom’s cake ingredients on the counter top

In a large bowl mix together the tuna (drain about 1/2 of the liquid out of the can first), the egg, and the shredded apples.  Add in just enough tapioca starch for it all to bind together.  Sprinkle in garlic powder and chopped hot dogs.

Glop into tureens or other oven safe baking dish that is a suitable size.  Use a spatula to spread it so it is as even as can be in the dishes.

Bake at 325′ for about 50min (longer if you are using thicker or larger dishes, less if using thinner).

Remove from the dish and allow to cool.

Spread a thin layer of peanut butter on each as frosting.  Then sprinkle on top the freeze dried raw.

dog cake mixture in mixing bowl

dog cake batter in 2 small tureens

2 dog cakes cooked, peanut butter frosted and topped with freeze dried raw dog food

Sing to your birthday dog then let them enjoy their special treat!

Tom eating his birthday cake on a plate out on our deck

via Daily Prompt: Exceptional

Lemon Ginger Cake

Tags

cooking, DIY, duck eggs, fun, gluten free, lemon ginger cake, recipe

I can’t be the only one who experiments on a whim with baking and cooking.  Today’s creation came out rather good so thought I’d pass it along.  Some of the measurements are rather loose, sorry I rarely bake or cook as an exact science.

This mash up of ingredients was not what I thought I was going to make.  I started out attempting to separate eggs.  The universe wasn’t cooperating.  Sure, I’ll blame it on the universe, not my shaking hands, the universe can take the fall for this one today ;-).  First egg separated fine, white into 1 bowl, yolk in another.  2nd egg, the yolk split and about a tsp got into the whites, ok, I fished it out.  3rd egg, white into 1 bowl and then I in one fell swoop threw the yolk into the trash not the 2nd bowl, oops.  4th egg, split and yolk all over the whites.  So I threw in the towel and changed plans.  I thought I was going to experiment with a cake type thing where I beat the whites stiff then added other stuff in, maybe using the yolks, maybe not.  Yea, that didn’t happen.

Instead this is what happened:

Lemon ginger cake right out of the oven

Lemon Ginger Gluten Free Cake

• 4 duck eggs (or x large chicken eggs)
• 1 tsp gluten free vanilla
• couple of turns on the salt grinder (I use Himalayan sea salt, the pink stuff)

Into a large bowl and beat on high with the mixer for a couple of minutes.  They were frothy and over double in size when I stopped the beaters.

then grate into that about 3/4 of the rind of one medium size lemon, think that was maybe a little over a teaspoon?   And grate in somewhere between 1-2 tablespoons of fresh ginger.  then add the juice of that lemon you grated the rind of off.  beat in until mixed.  (note the cake is rather lemony, which I like, but if you would rather a more subtle lemon flavor I would cut back the amount of lemon rind, maybe grate in the rind of only 1/2 or even 1/3 of the lemon?)

then slowly beat in 1 1/4 c sugar (if you were using a meyer lemon you could use less sugar, I know the lemons I had on had were rather sour from using them in another dish so wanted to try to hedge my bets on balancing that with the sugar).

in another small bowl mix together

• 1.5 c brown rice flour
• .5 c tapioca starch/flour
• 1 heaping teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• couple more turns of the salt grinder

then slowly beat that into the egg mixture

once combined, beat in 1/3c olive oil, 1/3c grape seed oil (or you can sub in your preferred fat of choice), and 1/4c agave nectar (you could probably skip the agave, again I knew how sour my lemon was and was trying to balance that out, which it worked, the cake is not too sweet and not sour).  As you beat it will be rather thick and trying to climb the beaters.

pour into a greased baking dish.  the one I used is 6″x10″ by 2″ deep.  I sprinkled a small amount of turbinado sugar on the top to help it brown and crisp.

bake for approx 40min (or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean) in a 325’F oven  (ours is a convection oven, so on a standard oven I might bake it at 350’F, or 325′ for a bit longer).

This cake came out much better than I anticipated.  I wasn’t sure if it was going to be too dense, but the beating of the eggs so much to start I think really helped this to be light and airy.  I am really enjoying it!  Hope you have as much success as I have if you try it yourself.

cake cooling on a rake with a piece cut out for me to eat!  Yum!

NADAC Agility trial – Gush!!

Tags

agility, Bonus Box, competition, cooking, dog treats, fun, happy, my husband is awesome, NADAC, recipe, whee!!!, Zora

We still have another day of trialing to go tomorrow, but today was SO AMAZINGLY AWESOME I just couldn’t wait to post.  I want to remember this feeling.  Awesome!

Today, for the first time ever, we tried some bonus boxes.  While we didn’t fully complete either course from within the box, it was still awesome!!!!!!!!!!  I was so so so proud of Zora!!  And the practice we’ve been doing.  She WAS FANTASTIC!  I love that little dog.

Attempting the bonus runs was exhilarating.  I had so much fun!  I think Zora did too (I hope).  Our first bonus attempt was the very first course of the day – Elite Regular Round 1.  We’ve been struggling with the turn and send away still in practice, so it doesn’t surprise me we did on this course either.  BUT!!  She nailed that lead out line, I was so happy with that!!  I was also thrilled with the distance we were able to do even after I left the bonus box.

Our 2nd bonus attempt was in Elite Tunnelers.  After our barrelers run, I took migraine meds and Tom and I went off to the car to nurse it, and told my husband he could run Zora in tunnelers.  Then I was informed there was a bonus box on that course and I reneged  (I blame my reneging on Maxalt and the length of time we had between barrelers and tunnelers, damn when that stuff works it works really really well for me).  Poor guy.  Thankfully he is a really great sport, and had fun laughing at me about it.  LOL.

When I walked the course, I thought, “Hmm, we’ve been working on that switch turn away on a box, but doing it on a tunnel is still often a struggle first time for us, we’ll give it a try but I’ll plan on helping her if she needs”  Yup that’s the spot she needed my help.  It was still awesome fun!!  Again her lead out made me so so so happy.  We had a while where she’d have likely come to me instead of going straight into that #1 tunnel, so I was thrilled we’ve worked so hard on that!  It paid off!!

We also now only need 3 more jumpers qualifiers to complete our NATCH!  (NADAC Agility Trial Champion).  I’m so excited!

It was a great day!!  Not many Qs, but awesome runs!!  I’m so happy.  Damn I love this little corgi dog!

Also, Zora says Tuna Brownies are excellent and I should think to make them more often.  Tom equally agrees.  Seriously, they both snubbed the cheese I offered them and held out for the tuna!  If you don’t know about tuna brownies, here is the recipe I use.  Be warned, your dog might stalk your fridge after.

Tuna Brownies:

In a bowl beat with a mixer until well combined and fairly smooth:

• 2 eggs
• 1 6 oz can tuna in water (undrained)
• 1 6 oz can tuna (water drained out)
• 1/4 cup grated cheese (optional)
• 1 Tbs garlic powder (optional)

Then using a spatula, mix in until well combined and dough looks glossy:  1 to 1.5 tapioca starch.  Tapioca starch is one of the coolest ‘flours’ to bake or cook with.  I love the stuff, use it all the time.  In this recipe it helps the cooked dog treats be more doughy and less crumbly.  You can use regular flour of some kind as a replacement, but if you do these treats are likely to be crumbly and maybe flakey.  I prefer the doughy option that tapioca starch gives especially for training treats as they are easier to toss while still being soft enough to break up with your fingers.

Pre-heat the oven to 350’F.  Grease or line with parchment paper a cookie sheet or other baking dish.

Plop the dough onto the prepped cookie sheet, then press into a 1/2″ thick disk or squarish shape.

Bake for 15-20min.  Remove from baking tray and cool on a wire rack.

Once cool use a pizza cutter wheel or knife (pizza cutter wheel is waaaaay easier) to cut into bite sized dog treat pieces.  Store in an airtight container in the fridge (after of course letting your dog sample your wares, need to make sure you get their seal of approval, right?)