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easy prep

Kids Edition: Pippi Longstocking + Braided Poppy Seed Bread

October 24, 2020 by Megan Leave a Comment

Welcome to another Kids Edition post on The Hungry Bookworm! Today we will be talking about Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren.

Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren

I never read Pippi Longstocking as a child, but I do remember a movie. The thing that stuck out the most to me was her long red braids and freckles. What I learned in the book is that Pippi is also very strong — she can lift a horse on her own! — and she likes to have fun in her own way. Pippi is a little bit like Peter Pan, in that she doesn’t want to grow up. 

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Filed Under: book review, recipe Tagged With: baking, bread, easy prep, kids edition

You Lucky Dog + Mac and Cheese Dog Treats

October 20, 2020 by Megan Leave a Comment

Sometimes you just need an easy read. My friends, 2020 is like all of those times combined. I recently read three rom com books in a row, and You Lucky Dog was the first. I chose it because it looked cute, and more importantly, it featured dogs, which meant I got to make some treats for my puppy again. (It’s been a while.) It was just what I needed.

You Lucky Dog by Julia London

Carly’s dog, Baxter, is the mopiest dog on the planet; Max’s Hazel is sociable and happy. It becomes almost immediately obvious to Carly, when she comes home, that the excitable basset hound laying on her couch isn’t hers. Cue the meet cute. Carly and Max meet when their dogs get mixed up through a mishap with their mutual dog walker.  

I strongly related to Carly’s urge to go to NYC to get her career off the ground, no matter the consequences on her love life. (For those unaware, I did the same — after meeting my now-husband just a few months earlier… and ultimately moved back for him.) Outside of that, there are things to love about this novel — it’s an easy read; the dogs are cute; Max is a really loveable guy. There are also things I didn’t love so much, but none of that ruined it for me. I thought this was a charming book through and through. It whisked me off my feet just when I needed to be whisked. 

And, as anticipated, it led me to dog treats. Mac and cheese dog treats, to be exact. Early on in the story, Baxter is eating macaroni and cheese when Carly finds him at Max’s house (a huge no-no!). Even beyond that, mac and cheese as a dog food is mentioned constantly. I knew it was the perfect pairing. 

I found a recipe for cheesy dog treats and decided to do my best to make them into macaroni noodle shapes. As all dog treat recipes should, it contained few ingredients and was fairly easy to throw together. The hardest part was the cutting it into shapes, if I’m being honest. (A shape cut straight from a cookie cutter would certainly be easier.)

First, I whisked together eggs, olive oil and water until frothy. Then, added some shredded cheddar cheese. To that mixture, I added flour, about a half cup at a time to start.

Making Cheesy Dog Treats

When it got to stiff to stir, around the 1½ cup mark, I started adding just a tablespoon of flour at a time and used my hands to knead it in. (For reference, there are 8 tablespoons in a half cup of flour). After 2 cups of flour, my dough was ready and the cheese nicely incorporated from the heat of my hands.

Cheesy Dog Treat Dough

I rolled my dough and then used two circular cookie cutters to cut thick O shapes. I used a 5-inch circle and a 2.5-inch circle.  

Making Dough Circles

Once I had the O shape, I cut that into about five pieces to make "noodles." 

Making Noodle Treats

I laid them out on cookie sheets. You can get them quite close, as they don’t spread. (I probably had them too far apart here and had to use two cookie sheets.)

Making Dog Treats

I baked them for about 15 minutes at 325 degrees, until the bottoms were lightly golden. The ultimate bake time will depend on how large your treats are; the original recipe called for 17-20 minutes. 

Baked Mac and Cheese Dog Treats

Then, I turned off the oven and left them inside to cool overnight, which produces a crispier treat. 

This recipe made about 7 dozen noodles, so I had a lot to go around! First, Beta sampled them.

Beta sampling a dog treat

And once she approved — as with most of my dog treats — I shared the love. I gave a bag to my neighbor, some to my coworkers and the rest to a couple of ladies in my book club with pups. They sent me pictures in as a thank you. Look how cute!

If you like curling up with your dog while enjoying a rom com now and then, I recommend giving this book a go. And, if you like spoiling your pup with homemade goodies, this recipe gets two paws up from Beta (and all the other dogs too)!

Mac and Cheese Dog Treats
Print Recipe

Mac and Cheese Dog Treats

Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Total Time35 mins
Servings: 7 dozen (approx)

Ingredients

  • 2 large eggs
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons cold water
  • 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar or other strongly flavored cheese
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, olive oil, and water until the mixture is thick and frothy (approx. 1 – 2 minutes). Fold in the cheese.
  • Add the flour, a half cup at a time, stirring to combine, until you reach 1 1/2 cups. When the dough becomes too stiff to stir, continue adding flour 1 tablespoon at a time, knead it in with your hands. As the warmth from your hands works the dough, the cheese will melt and smooth out the dough.
  • If the mixture remains slightly crumbly even after you have kneaded it for several minutes, rinse your hands with cold water, shake them off and work this small amount of water into the dough – that should be just enough to bring it together perfectly.
  • Using a rolling pin, roll out your dough to ¼” thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut the dough into shapes.
  • Place the dough on a cookie sheet; the dough will have very minimal spread, so the cookies do not need much extra spacing.
  • Bake your dog treats for 17 – 20 minutes until the bottoms are lightly golden.
  • Allow the dog treats to sit on the baking sheet for 2 minutes after you’ve taken them out of the oven, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • For a crisper, crunchier treat, turn off the oven and allow the treats to cool inside overnight.
  • Store in an airtight container for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Notes

Slightly adapted from: Kol's Notes
To achieve a macaroni and cheese shape, use 5-inch and 2.5-inch circular cookie cutters to create an O. Once the O is formed, use a paring knife to cut it into 5 pieces and create "noodles." Begin checking after 13 minutes, pulling after the bottoms are slightly golden.

This post contains affiliate links. This does not increase the price you pay, but I may receive a small commission for any products you choose to buy. Purchases made through affiliate links help to cover my blogging costs. Thank you for helping to support The Hungry Bookworm! Full disclosure here.

Filed Under: book review, recipe Tagged With: baking, dog treats, easy prep, quick read

Kids Edition: Dr. Seuss's ABC + Chocolate Doughnuts

September 19, 2020 by Megan 1 Comment

Welcome to another Kids Edition post on The Hungry Bookworm. Today we will be talking about Dr. Seuss’s ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book! And the recipe is brought to you by the letter D...d...D (more on that later).

Dr Seuss's ABC

In his ABC book, Dr. Seuss talks about each letter of the alphabet with fun rhymes and silly characters. At our house, we read the board book version. All of the content is there but the pages are condensed. We often get the rhymes stuck in our heads. 

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Filed Under: book review, post series, recipe Tagged With: baking, breakfast, children's, dessert, easy prep, kids edition

Kids Edition: Curious George Makes Pancakes

August 22, 2020 by Megan 7 Comments

Welcome to the first Kids Edition post on The Hungry Bookworm! Today we will be talking about a charming little monkey and his culinary adventures in Curious George Makes Pancakes. 

Curious George Makes Pancakes

George is a good little monkey. He is also very curious. This curiosity makes for a lot of antics that we love reading about with my son Henry. 

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Filed Under: book review, recipe Tagged With: breakfast, children's, easy prep, fruit, kids edition

Kindred + Upside-Down Peach Cake

August 18, 2020 by Megan 1 Comment

Octavia Butler’s Kindred is a book I’ve always wanted to read, and thankfully, finally got around to thanks to my book club. In the 1970s, this was the first science fiction novel written by a black woman. It became Butler’s best-selling novel, and she went on to win multiple Hugo and Nebula awards. 

Kindred by Octavia E Butler

In Kindred, Dana is a 26-year-old black woman living in California with her husband, a white man named Kevin. Inexplicably, on her birthday, she is pulled back in time to the antebellum South, where she rescues a young boy named Rufus. She is only there long enough to save him and just as suddenly as she appeared, disappears back in the present. As the story goes on, Dana continues to be drawn back into Rufus’ life to save him. Until she is pulled back to her time, she must learn to blend in, which means, in that time and place, becoming a slave.

[Read more...] about Kindred + Upside-Down Peach Cake

Filed Under: book review, recipe Tagged With: baking, book club, dessert, easy prep, fruit, historical fiction, science fiction

Betty + Jewel Pudding Pie

August 8, 2020 by Megan 1 Comment

If you’re looking for a powerful coming-of-age story about a fiercely resilient girl, look no further than Tiffany McDaniel’s Betty. Based on the life of her mother and crafted out of a series of Q&A sessions with her family members, it is a gritty read that doesn’t shy away from abuse or violence. It’s also inspiring and hopeful. 

Betty by Tiffany McDaniel

Betty was born in 1954 to a Cherokee father, Landon, and a white mother, Alka. Though many of her siblings favored their mother, Betty had the dark skin of her father. Growing up, she was witness to terrible acts of racism toward her father and experienced the same prejudices herself. Rather than turning inward, Betty continues to be curious about the world and takes pen to paper to record real-life stories alongside her imaginings.

[Read more...] about Betty + Jewel Pudding Pie

Filed Under: book review, recipe Tagged With: dessert, easy prep, fiction

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