... it's

Even More Summer Catch All

I'm in the dog house - not only have I been abusing Buster (lately no extra time to supervise inspecting and watering every blade of grass ... he has the Humane Society's phone #), I have completely neglected the four-legged population. For those of us who can think of millions more interesting things to pass the time, cooking for a critter is a stretch at best but, they get bored with the same old stuff too. Find lotsa tail-waggin' treats below.

More True Confession: I've been off on a binge again, developing hash brown pizza variations. Ore-Ida country style shredded are the fave base so far. When not quite brown, pile on shredded cheese, chopped onions, tomatoes, olives, crumbled bacon, maybe some more cheese, whatever ... ya gotta try it.

What tools were recommended in the instructions for opening a tin of roast veal taken on English explorer William Parry's third voyage to the Arctic in 1824?
 
 A chisel and a hammer, as the can opener was not invented until 1858. OMG!

~~~

Apple Cobbler Cake

Prep time is 15 minutes - ready in 1 hour, 25 minutes.

2 (21-oz.) cans apple pie filling
1 (1 lb. 2.25-oz.) pkg. yellow cake mix
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup milk
vanilla ice cream

Heat oven to 375°. In large saucepan, heat pie filling over medium heat until very hot, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, in large bowl, combine cake mix and butter; blend at low speed for 45 to 60 seconds or until crumbly. Place 1 ½ cups cake mixture in medium bowl; stir in walnuts and cinnamon until well mixed. Add milk to cake mixture in large bowl; stir until dry particles are moistened. Spoon hot pie filling into ungreased 13 x 9-inch pan. Top with heaping spoonfuls of cake batter. Sprinkle with walnut mixture. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until topping is golden brown and cracks appear dry. Cool 30 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream. Makes 15 servings. TIP: Cake can be baked in two 8-inch square pans. Bake as directed above. High altitude (above 3500 feet): No change.

The Grocery Bag Law: The candy bar you planned to eat on the way home from the market is hidden at the bottom of the grocery bag.

Murphy's First Law for Wives: If you ask your husband to pick up five items at the store and then you add one more as an afterthought, he will forget two of the first five.

~~~

Turkey Taco Puffs

Grease a cookie sheet. Preheat oven to 350°. Mix together 2 ½ cups buttermilk baking mix, 2 cups shredded Cheddar, 1 lb. lean ground turkey and 4 oz. can chopped green chilies. Roll into 1" thick balls. Bake 13-17 minutes. Serve with taco sauce or fresh salsa.

~~~

Why is lemon juice mostly artificial ingredients but dishwashing liquid contains real lemons?

Garlic Spinach Balls

2 10 oz. pkgs. frozen chopped spinach
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 clove garlic
2 cups stuffing mix
6 eggs, beaten
1 stick butter, melted
salt and pepper

Peel garlic and mince/chop finely. Thaw spinach and drain thoroughly. Combine ingredients until thoroughly mixed. Pinch and roll into one inch balls. Place in freezer overnight. Bake in preheated oven (350°) for 10 - 15 minutes.

~~~

A perfect wife is one who helps hubby with the dishes.

~~~

Joe-Burgers on the Grill

Ground beef - no more than 85% lean (you want a little fat in there or they will turn into hockey pucks on the grill).
1 small egg per pound of ground beef (less is more with this ingredient. You don't want to end up with scrambled eggs).
Salt and pepper to taste.
Chopped, dried red pepper (powdered cayenne pepper is an excellent substitute).
1 big, fat, juicy Vidalia onion.
beer (no lite beer and nothing stout)
sliced American cheese.

Place ground beef, eggs, salt, black pepper and red pepper in a mixing bowl. You can be frugal with the salt and black pepper but go ahead and be generous with the red pepper. You only live once, right? Mix thoroughly. Make as many hand-sized balls as you have meat for. I like to make about three per pound. Then flatten into patties. Cut onion into slices about a quarter inch thick. Place a slice of onion on the grill and put a hamburger patty on top of it. Let it grill on the onion side a little longer because the onion will absorb a lot of heat and the hamburger will take longer to cook.

Flip (Carefully! You don't want to lose that onion. I recommend a thin metal spatula.) and cook on the meat side. At this point I like to dribble a little beer over the onion to let the flavor soak into the burger. When they are just about ready to come off the grill melt a piece of cheese over the onion. This helps to keep the sucker from sliding off the burger.

I like to serve them on sections of French bread split down the middle. These babies are too big and juicy for flimsy little hamburger buns.

From DreamLovers@aol.com

Announcement: Kathleen wants your old family recipes for a new cookbook she's putting together with Mom's and her own collection. Send yours in today, ok to use just your first name for credit. Be sure to write recipe in the subject line.

Whenever I print a barbecue recipe, I feel obligated to run the be-careful reminder: Never use the platter the meat traveled to the grill on for serving later without rinsing in very hot water to kill the raw germies - food poisoning is no fun. Read on about indoor caution ...

Food Safety Mistakes Caught on Tape - excerpted

By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - Think you're savvy about food safety? That you wash your hands well, scrub away germs, cook your meat properly? Guess again.

Scientists put cameras in the kitchens of 100 families in Logan, Utah, who thought they did a pretty good job. What was caught on tape in this middle-class, well-educated college town suggests why food poisoning hits so many Americans.

People skipped soap when hand-washing. Used the same towel to wipe up raw meat juice as to dry their hands. Made a salad without washing the lettuce. Undercooked the meat loaf. One even tasted the marinade in which bacteria-ridden raw fish had soaked.

Not to mention the mom who handled raw chicken and then fixed her infant a bottle without washing her hands. Or another mom who merely rinsed her baby's juice bottle after it fell into raw eggs - no soap against the salmonella that can lurk in eggs.

"Shocking,'' was Utah State University nutritionist Janet Anderson's reaction. But experts call this typical of the average U.S. household: Everybody commits at least some safety sins when they're hurried, distracted by fussy kids or ringing phones, simply not thinking about germs. Even Anderson made changes in her own kitchen after watching the tapes.

Indeed, the Food and Drug Administration funded Anderson's $50,000 study to detect just how cooks slip up. The ultimate goal is to improve education of consumers on how to protect themselves from the food poisoning that strikes 76 million Americans each year.

"One of the great barriers in getting people to change is they think they're doing such a good job already,'' said FDA consumer research chief Alan Levy.

Surveys show most Americans blame restaurants for foodborne illnesses. Asked if they follow basic bacteria-fighting tips ... most insist they're scrupulous in their own kitchens. But Levy says most food poisonings probably occur at home. The videotapes suggest why.

"People have no idea'' they're messing up, said Anderson. "You just go in the kitchen and it's something you don't think about.'' She described preliminary study results at a food meeting last week, but promised the families anonymity and so she didn't show the tapes.

For $50 and free groceries, families agreed to be filmed. Their kitchens looked clean, and presumably they were on best behavior, but they didn't know it was a safety study. Hoping to see real-life hygiene, scientists called the experiment `"market research'' on how people cooked a special recipe.

Scientists bought ingredients for a salad plus either Mexican meat loaf, marinated halibut or herb-breaded chicken breasts with mustard sauce - recipes designed to catch safety slip-ups. Cameras started rolling as the cooks put away the groceries. And there was mistake No. 1: Only a quarter stored raw meat and seafood on the refrigerator's bottom shelf so other foods don't get contaminated by dripping juices. (Never thought of that one myself.) Mistake No. 2: Before starting to cook, only 45 percent washed their hands. Of those, 16 percent didn't use soap.

You're supposed to wash hands often while cooking, especially after handling raw meat. But on average, each cook skipped seven times that Anderson said they should have washed. Only a third consistently used soap - many just rinsed and wiped their hands on a dish towel.

That dish towel became Anderson's nightmare. Using paper towels to clean up raw meat juice is safest. But dozens wiped the countertop with that cloth dish towel - further spreading germs the next time they dried their hands. Thirty percent didn't wash the lettuce; others placed salad ingredients on meat-contaminated counters.

Scientists checked the finished meal with thermometers, and Anderson found "alarming'' results: 35 percent who made the meat loaf undercooked it, 42 percent undercooked the chicken and 17 percent undercooked the fish. Must you use a thermometer? Anderson says just because the meat isn't pink doesn't always mean it got hot enough to kill bacteria.

Anderson's study found gaps in food-safety campaigns. FDA's `"Fight Bac'' antibacteria program doesn't stress washing vegetables. And Levy calls those dirty dish towels troubling; expect more advice stressing paper towels.

Anderson's main message: "If people would simply wash their hands and clean food surfaces after handling raw meat, so many of the errors would be taken care of.''

###

Editor's Note - Lauran Neergaard covers health and medical issues for The Associated Press in Washington.

Thanks to Neris, RecipesLostandFound@egroups.com, for passing the article along. Also from Neris ...

Lacy Corn Bread

1 cup white cornmeal
1 ¾ cup water
1 level tablespoon salt
dash pepper
1 small onion, chopped fine

Mix all ingredients well. Drop by tablespoon into 1/4-inch hot fat, allowing two tablespoons batter to one corn cake. Brown well; turn and brown other side. Drain on paper towels. Makes about 2 dozen.

Baked Egg Nests

1 Tbsp. margarine or butter
3 cups frozen Southern-style hashbrowns with onion and  peppers, slightly thawed
3 oz. (3/4 cup) shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 325°. Melt margarine in medium skillet over medium heat. Stir in potatoes; cook until slightly browned, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese, salt and pepper. Spoon mixture evenly into 4 ungreased 10 oz. custard cuups or individual casseroles. Make an indentation in center of potato mixture in each cup. Carefully break 1 egg into each indentation. (Try breaking into a bowl first.) Top each with 1 Tbsp. of remaining cheese last 5 minutes of baking. Bake at 325 for 20 to 30 minutes or until eggs are set.

Puff Pastry Appetizers

This recipe is a guideline you can use to make a wide variety of delicious appetizers. The suggested fillings are just that - suggestions. Feel free to use whatever meat or vegetable fillings, sweet or savory, suit your fancy. Note that you can freeze unbaked, filled puffs on a cookie sheet, and then store them in airtight bags until ready to bake. Serves eight. Nutritional content will depend on the filling you choose.
 
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup flour
Filling of your choice: smoked oysters, anchovy paste, chopped sautéed
mushrooms, tuna flavored with chopped pickles, and so on.

Cream butter and cheese. Add flour; mix thoroughly. Chill dough several hours. Preheat oven to 400°. Lightly grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper. Remove small portions of dough at a time from refrigerator. Roll 1/8-inch thick. Cut into 3-inch circles with cookie cutter. Put a small amount of filling on half of circle; fold over other half. Press edges together with a fork. Bake 10 minutes.

~~~

Critter Cookery

Great Cheezy Garlic Cookies

3 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups grated cheese
3 tablespoons shortening
1 1/8 cups milk
garlic powder

Heat oven to 375°. Mix cheese and flour, cut in shortening. Add milk and knead slightly. Roll out to desired thickness and cut into cool shapes! Put on ungreased cookie sheet and sprinkle with garlic powder (yum!) and bake for about 15 minutes or less depending on size of cookie. Cool and eat and eat and eat and eat! Store in refrigerator to keep tasting yummy!!! From Miss Liberty's What's Cookin'

Peanut Butter Basset Biscuits

4 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups oatmeal
1/2 to 3/4 cup chunky peanut butter
2 ½ cups hot water

Mix all ingredients, adding more hot water if dough is too sticky. Knead well. Roll out to 1/4" and cut into shapes with cookie cutter. Bake on greased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Turn off heat and let cool in oven overnight.

"Nabu's Kitchen" is part of K9WebWorld@aol.com, the E-zine for dog lovers. Always interesting content - general, breed specific, news, funnies and heart warmers. There's a graphics exchange too.

Doggie Biscuits

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup powdered milk
1/3 cup bacon grease, or substitute beef or chicken fat
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup cold water

In a bowl, combine flour and milk powder. Drizzle with melted fat. (I would use the beef or chicken, any form of pork scares me after almost losing my Yorkie to an illegal - Grandpa did it - rib feast.) Add egg and water; mix well. Gather dough into a ball. On floured surface, pat out dough. Roll out to ½-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes. Gather up scraps of dough and repeat rolling and cutting. Bake on ungreased baking sheets at 350° for 50 - 60 minutes or until crispy. Store in the fridge. Makes about 36 - 2 ½ inch biscuits. From DreamLovers@aol.com

~~~

I do not recall ever seeing any kitty recipes, send 'em if you've got 'em. 

~~~

I apologize for Buster's contest link Joschi's Famous Album. Thanks to everyone who tried to vote, that dang page is here today, gone tomaro and back again. Buster is, of course, his handsome, debonair, laid back self (caught trying to catch a snooze). Please check it again - the other pics are cute as can be too.

Puppy Pie
 
 Take one puppy, roll and play until lightly pampered, then add the following ingredients ...

 1 cup patience ...
 1 cup understanding ...
 1 pinch correction ...
 1 cup hard work ...
 2 cups praise and
 1 ½ cups fun ...

 Blend well. Heat with warmth of your heart until raised or until puppy has doubled in size. Mix until consistency is such that human and dog are one.

~~~

I'm a sucker for puppies. As far as I know, no one has a list announcing adoptions - every bit as important (in my not so humble opinion) a family addition as the two-legged types. I'll be happy to list your little bundle of fur, for that matter, any new critter. Send stats. First congratulations go to Gypsy, who acquired a new hubby recently too. Faraday is 8 weeks old. Tesla (first child, Tibetian Terrier) has her own site, read all about her adventures - http://www.angelfire.com/co2/Tesla.

BTW, it's been almost a year since Buster took over. I heartily recommend a Boston Terrier for anyone, as will anyone who knows them. He is my gentleman clown, impeccable manners and never fails to crack me up. An older animal is often the best choice, especially for a busy family when no one has the time required to put into housebreaking. Replacing chewed shoes gets expensive too - check with your Humane Society. I also just read that some now have