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Spoil Your Dog Day is August 10^th.  I never need a reason to spoil my dog, but this national holiday is a perfect reason to throw a party for my pup and his canine buddies.

In August, vacations are the name of the game and living easy is the best approach.  Dogs are experts at helping with ideas for vacation fun and taking it easy, so I decided to grab a Pina Colada and my dog and put pen to paper in search of summer fun for this party, where I plan to spoil my dog and his friends.

What is your favorite way to spoil your dog?  Have you checked lately with your Pup to find out his favorite things?

My dog’s list of favorite things includes treats, toys, walks, and hugs from me.  I won’t risk asking my dog to rank these things in order of importance, but I really hope I am at least second after treats!

Gourmet Pup Treats – Peanut Butter Banana Sparklers and Sweet Potato Cookies

Since treats typically top the list of required party food for my dog, I always make sure we create some special recipes to make for the party and share with our guests.  Here are two of our favorite Pup Treat recipes for you to try.

Peanut Butter Banana Sparklers 

Ingredients

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 2 bananas
• 1 cup peanut butter (no salt, sugar, or preservatives)

Directions

• Placed rolled oats in food processor and grind into flakes.
• In a bowl, beat together bananas and peanut butter until smooth, then add oat flakes and mix well.
• If the dough is too dry, add more peanut butter. If too sticky, add more oat flakes.
• Roll out dough on a floured surface to ¼” thickness and cut out shapes using the mini star treat cutter.
• Place cut shapes 2” apart on a greased or parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
• Bake at 350° until lightly browned. Cool on a baking rack and store in refrigerator.
• Recipe makes 3 dozen treats. Serve at room temperature.

Sweet Potato Pup Cookies 

Ingredients

• ¾ cup cooked plain mashed sweet potatoes
• 3 tablespoons chicken or beef broth
• ½ cup fine yellow cornmeal
• 2 cups whole-wheat flour

Directions

• In a large bowl, mix together sweet potatoes and broth.
• Add cornmeal and flour. Stir until combined.
• Knead the dough until it holds together.
• Roll out half of the dough on a floured surface until ¼ inch thick.
• Use cookie cutters to cut shapes.
• Place cut shapes 2” apart on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
• Bake at 325° about 35 to 40 minutes, until slightly golden on the bottoms.
• Cool for an hour.

 

Gourmet Cat Treat – Ali’s Tuna Sparklers

 

“Spoil Your Dog” is the theme of this party, but I always try to keep our feline family members engaged in the party planning, and food is definitely the key to keeping their attention.

These kittens are on the hunt for their stash of catnip.  Once you find where they’ve hidden it, “borrow” some to make these easy, special cat treats.  Guaranteed to produce hours of fun watching them play after they eat their treats!

Ingredients

• 1 6-ounce can of water-packed tuna
• 1 teaspoon catnip, crushed fine

Directions

• Fill each compartment in an ice cube tray halfway with tap water.
• Sprinkle catnip into each compartment.
• Drain the water from a 6-ounce can of tuna into a cup with a pour spout.
• Fill the rest of the ice cube tray with the tuna water.
• Place the tray in the freezer for 2 hours until frozen.
• Recipe makes 16 cat treats. To serve, pop treats out of the ice cube tray into a cat bowl.

 

The Classic Cocktail – The Piña Colada

One of my favorite summer cocktails is the Piña Colada, which is a cocktail made with rum, cream of coconut or coconut milk, and pineapple juice, usually served either blended or shaken with ice and garnished with a pineapple wedge.  We’ve also included a recipe for a “skinny” Piña Colada.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups of ice
• ½ cup diced pineapple, frozen
• 2 ounces pineapple juice
• 2 ounces Coco Lopez coconut cream
• 1 ½ ounces white rum
• 1 ounce dark rum
• Pineapple slices

Directions

• Put the ice, frozen pineapple, juice, coconut cream, and the white and dark rums into a blender.
• Blend until smooth and frosty.
• Pour the drink into 2 glasses and garnish the rim with pineapple slices.

 

Skinny Piña Colada

Ingredients

• 1 cup ice cubes
• 2 ounces coconut rum
• 4 tablespoons pineapple juice
• 2 tablespoons fat-free half-and-half

Directions

• Place ice in blender. Pour remaining ingredients over ice.
• Blend until smooth.
• Pour into glass and serve immediately.

 

Pup Treat Accessories 

Here is a collection of Pup Treat Accessories to make spoiling your dog easy and fun!  Click on the picture to purchase.

How to Spoil Your Dog

Dogs are so easy to spoil – endless treats, walks, toys – but beyond all else, your unconditional and unwavering love, which is what they give to those of us who live with them every moment of every day.