You never say a word. But goodness, can you stare.
Everywhere I go in my house, I feel your eyes looking at me. Four of them. Dreamy little pools of chocolate and ebony, working every emotion in me as they quietly – and very effectively – beg. They beg to ride in the car. They beg to play tug. They beg to go on trips. And most of all, they beg for treats.
You are my little beggars, Millie and Pearl.
Millie – you are a veteran at the game. Your always-sleepy, maybe-just-a-little-sad Cocker Spaniel eyes can make the most selfish hand reach out with treats. And wow, Pearl. You are learning the tricks. You go at it from a bit of a different angle – in a super-friendly, somewhat-threatening highly-appreciative, always-starving pup style.
I guess I’m just feeling even more squishy than normal, because a day of working from home evolved (or is that devolved) into a dog-day afternoon. Rather than feeding your “stares” store-bought things, I baked up a simple batch of pup-friendly cookies (that honestly are pretty tasty as a people-friendly cracker with a little garlic and salt thrown on top). In less than 10 minutes, you had lovely treats in the oven. And in less than an hour, you were enjoying homemade cookies. Thank you both for giving the cookies two paws up – now that your special recipe is being shared, maybe a new friend will invite you to come to their home for a dog-day afternoon. I’ve promised that you’ll bring your best stares with you.
Dog-Day Afternoon Cookies
makes about 24 regular sized cookies or 50 small cookies
1 egg
2/3 cup beef, veggie, or chicken broth (though you might need just a tad more)
2 cups whole wheat flour (plus a little more to dust your rolling pin and mat)
3 T. quick cooking oats
Preheat oven to 300. In a medium bowl, mix broth and egg untl well-blended. Add flour and oatmeal, and mix until ingredients form a dough. Turn dough out onto flour-dusted surface, and knead slightly. Roll dough to 1/2″ thickness and cut with cookie cutters (dog bones, hearts, fire hydrants, etc). Place cookies onto lightly greased cookie sheet and pierce each cookie a few times with a fork. Bake for at least 45 minutes (or until hard). Let cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
Yes, I may have adorned mine with a little white chocolate. I mean, it’s a Dog-Day Afternoon. Dog party!